Grand Duke Fisabulon straightforwardly accepted Laurist's invitation to a banquet. He didn't even ask why Laurist wanted to invite him to a banquet. Instead, he only brought a servant and swaggered over.
Laurist felt that he had been a villain for nothing after struggling for so long. It seemed that Duke Fisabulon wasn't worried that he would harm him at all. Thinking about it, it made sense. If he had invited Duke Fisablun to a banquet with the intention of harming him, then the reputation of the Norton Family would be ruined if word got out.
Not to mention that no one would believe in the reputation of the Norton Family in the future, the majority of the family's knights might even betray them. In the world of Galinthea, the reputation of a family was the most sacred glory. At least, most of the nobles, knights, and citizens held the same view. Some nobles and knights would even sacrifice their lives for the family's reputation.
Just like Laurist, he had no choice but to serve the second prince in order to protect the Norton Family's oath of loyalty to the royal family. Even though the Norton Family's strength had surpassed the Andinac Kingdom, Laurist still had to obediently be the Duke of the North and feign civility with the second prince.
In the Galinthea Continent, keeping promises and loyalty were still the traditional virtues promoted by the nobles. Even if the nobles schemed against each other in private and sabotaged each other, they at least had to say that their actions were just and honorable. In the history of the continent for almost a thousand years, there were very few traitors. Moreover, all of them were nailed with a shameful position, and all of them became negative examples. The tradition of the Galinthea people was strange. If the superior lord was unjust, the inferior lord could resist, but not rebel.
Alright, this is all the fault of this cunning old fox. Why didn't he ask for the reason and just accepted my invitation so casually? Is he really not worried that I would harm him? Or is he looking down on me and doesn't believe that I have the guts to do anything to him? Laurist gritted his teeth and placed all the blame he could think of on the old man who came to the banquet. However, he still had to put on a warm smile and welcome Duke Fisabulon into his tent.
Laurist specially arranged a private banquet in the tent. It was just him and Duke Fisabulon, and he didn't plan to have a banquet to celebrate with the whole army. This time, he felt that he already had five children, so Princess Sylvia's pregnancy was not a big deal. Secondly, he was worried that if he held a banquet for the whole army, it would cause his family to misunderstand and think that he really cared about the difference between the legitimate and the concubine. After thinking for a long time, he decided to invite Grand Duke Fisablun to a private banquet and tell him the news. There was no need to publicize it everywhere.
Strictly speaking, this was the second time Laurist and Grand Duke Fisabron had met in private. The first time was in the Royal City of Windsor. Laurist had privately discussed with Grand Duke Fisabron about marrying Princess Sylvia. However, because Laurist had refused to agree to Grand Duke Fisabron's third condition, which was to banish his concubine and illegitimate child, the discussion had broken down. Laurist had left in a huff. Then, a year later, Laurist had led the alliance of the four northern families to chase Grand Duke Fisabron and his family's armed forces back to his family's territory, forcing him to offer up Princess Sylvia in exchange for a truce.
After that, the second prince had gone to the Eastern Barren Province. Grand Duke Fisabron had prostrated himself and submitted to the second prince, becoming part of the same kingdom and camp as Laurist. Laurist couldn't help but admire the thick-skinned old man's adaptability. He grew more and more wary of this old man. After sending troops to the four central duchies, although they belonged to the same camp, Laurist had never personally come into contact with this old man. Every time the second prince held a military meeting, a large group of people would be gathered together.
Perhaps Grand Duke Fisabron thought that Laurist had suffered a loss during the night attack two nights ago and wanted to ask him about it. After all, he and Laurist were both responsible for maintaining a certain degree of offensive posture on the three frontline defense positions of the Handa Duchy to pressure the defenders. Grand Duke Fisabron had long known about Laurist's failure in the night attack. However, the veteran had encountered a new problem. He was also helpless against the three defensive positions of the Handa Duchy. He could only comfort Laurist to take it slow and not be anxious.
Laurist did not know whether to laugh or cry. He could only clarify that today's banquet was to tell Grand Duke Fisabron a piece of good news. It was because Sylvia was pregnant that he had invited him over to celebrate in private, and not because of the night attack.
Sylvia was pregnant? Who would have thought that the old man, Fisablun, was even more concerned about this news than Laurist. He was so overjoyed that he did not even bother to take a sip of his wine. Instead, he circled around the table, constantly nagging Sylvia to take care of her body. He even began to consider where he could find an experienced midwife for Sylvia …
Wasn't he thinking too far ahead? Sylvia's belly had yet to show her pregnancy. It would take at least half a year for the child to be born. With great difficulty, Grand Duke Fisabron realized that he had lost his composure. He blushed and sat down to drink his wine again. However, the old man might have been a little too excited. He turned from a guest to a host and toasted Laurist. He got himself drunk in one go, and Laurist had no choice but to send someone to escort him back.
Two days later, Laurist received an invitation from Grand Duke Fisabron. He thought that it was a reply, so he brought Genolio and Danilo over. Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the entrance of the military camp, they discovered that the entire camp was decorated with lanterns and colored banners. It was a joyous atmosphere. Laurist was curious. He grabbed a few soldiers guarding the entrance and asked them what happy event had happened.
The soldiers replied that it was said that Grand Duke Fisabron's granddaughter had gotten pregnant. His Highness the Grand Duke was very happy and paid out of his own pocket to celebrate for three days. That was why the military camp was filled with a festive atmosphere. Not only could they eat and drink to their heart's content during these three days, it was said that they would also receive rewards. Everyone was very happy and wished that the Grand Duke's granddaughter would get pregnant every year …
Genolio, who was beside him, spat out his wine on the spot. Laurist did not know what to say. Old man, even if you want to celebrate, you should at least say it clearly. You've become a joke by word of mouth. However, Laurist would not bother with these soldiers guarding the entrance. He just stood at the entrance of the military camp and cursed. Alright, old man, do you really have to make this a big deal? You can't be celebrating here while I'm doing it quietly, right? He turned around and ordered Genolio to go back and pass on an order to Ross the Ferocious Tiger. He told them to celebrate for three days as well. The rewards would be doubled, and Laurist would pay out of his own pocket …
In the end, even the second prince, who was in Pedra City, knew that Laurist had gotten Grand Duke Fisabron's granddaughter, Princess Sylvia, pregnant. The entire army celebrated for three days. Thus, the second prince also sent a generous congratulatory gift to Laurist to express his expectations for the future heir of the Norton Family. Laurist felt as if he had been forced into a fight. Almost everyone treated the child in Princess Sylvia's belly as the future heir of the Norton Family.
However, the result of this incident was that the relationship between Laurist and Grand Duke Fisabron was greatly eased. Grand Duke Fisabron would come over every few days to ask Laurist about Princess Sylvia's new situation, or discuss the war situation. Laurist realized that this old man was quite self-aware. He knew that Princess Sylvia did not really like him, her biological grandfather, and was very bothered by the fact that he had sent her to the Norton Family. Thus, this old man brought over some of the precious medicinal ingredients he had collected and handed them over to Princess Sylvia in Laurist's name.
For example, Grand Duke Fisabron had heard from the locals that the Nibaraku River produced a type of Golden-scaled Red-lip Fish. The swim bladder of this fish was a very valuable medicinal ingredient in the field of pharmacy. However, it had become very rare in recent years, and it was also very difficult to catch. Thus, Grand Duke Fisabron enlisted a large number of craftsmen to start building boats on the Nibaraku River. His goal was to fish. However, when the Handa Duchy heard this news, they misunderstood. They thought that the second prince wanted to launch an attack from the waterway. Thus, they set up a garrison at the mid-stream of the river to strengthen the defense …
Through the reconnaissance of his scouts, Laurist keenly discovered the changes in the defense of the Handa Duchy's military forces. After some thought, he understood what was going on. Thus, he invited Grand Duke Fisabron over to discuss this matter. He was prepared to put more pressure on the Handa Duchy's defense.
Laurist's decision was very simple. He got the 20,000 heavy-armored soldiers of the Kenneth Family to defend the main camp. Then, he ordered the Pegasus Legion of the Filim Family to cover the entire battlefield. From time to time, they would launch feint attacks on the three defensive positions. Then, with great fanfare, he commanded the Flying Tiger Legion and the reserve legion of the Fisabron Family to cross the Nibaraku River. They were going to build a road in the primordial forest on the other side of the river that led south to the hinterland of the Delamar Province …
This was actually the second of the three strategies that Laurist had presented to the second prince. It was the strategy of dividing the troops and taking a roundabout route. However, what Laurist was doing now was not really taking a roundabout route. Instead, he wanted to increase the pressure on the Handa Duchy's defense. He wanted to force the Handa Duchy to recruit another garrison to defend along the river. This would increase the consumption of various supplies and reduce the ability of the Handa Duchy to fight a protracted war.
Even though Laurist's momentum was great, with two legions crossing the river to scout and build a road on the other side of the Nibaraku River to attract the attention of all parties, he was actually not doing his proper work. He was trying to earn some extra income for himself and the Fisabron Family. When it came to building the road, he was very active in organizing and commanding the Flying Tiger Legion and the reserve legion to surround and hunt …
The Nibaraku River could be said to be a natural dividing line between the four central nations. It divided civilization and wilderness into two. On this side of the river, there were rich farmlands, well-groomed fruit forests, and peaceful villages. On the other side of the river, there were primordial forests, endless swamps, and endless barren hills. Even the hunters of the four central nations usually only dared to hunt within ten miles of the river. They did not dare to venture any deeper.
Decades ago, the Fulundor Duchy had set their sights on the land on the other side of the river. They were prepared to develop the land there. They recruited nearly a thousand poor people to open up wastelands on the other side of the river and set up a few settlement villages. However, they did not expect that when winter came, the magical beasts on the other side of the river would form groups and attack the settlement villages in search of food. If not for the fact that the Nibaraku River was an unfrozen river, the magical beasts might have even crossed the river and attacked the settlement villages.
After the rainy season, people rowed their boats across the river, only to find that the settlement villages had long been destroyed. All the villagers had been killed by the magical beasts, leaving only traces of chaos and bloodstains as a warning to those who came later. After this incident, almost all the residents of the four central nations regarded the other side of the Nibaraku River as a dangerous place to go. They even called the other side of the river the Magical Plains …
According to the hunters of the four central duchies, the most common magical beast on the other side of the river was the wild wolf. This was a very cunning magical beast. In folklore, it was said that the wild wolf could understand the human language, and often used this to lure hunters who crossed the river into the forest to become their prey.
These giant wolves, which were bigger than calves, were the overlords of the Demon Plains. Wild wolves that lived in packs were the most dangerous and the most vengeful. When Grand Duke Handa was young, he had once led a large group of people to cross the river to hunt. Unfortunately, they encountered a pack of more than 20 wild wolves. After killing 20 of them, three or four escaped. Then, these wild wolves called their friends and attacked Grand Duke Handa's hunting group day and night. When Grand Duke Handa escaped across the river, out of nearly a thousand people in his hunting group, only about 300 managed to escape …
To Laurist, he did not care about the overlord of the Magical Plains or the wild wolves that could understand the human language. Originally, they had no choice but to carry out the hunt. Although the army was stationed here and their rations were provided by the second prince, there was very little meat. The rations provided were only enough for the soldiers to fill their stomachs. It was impossible for them to eat well. Furthermore, the meat jerky that Laurist asked his family to transport from the north increased the cost due to the long journey. For example, Duke Fisablen had ordered his family to bring a large number of cows and sheep from the plains to the frontlines. However, when they arrived at the frontlines, they realized that the cows and sheep had lost a lot of weight, and the fat cows were all skin and bones.
Thus, Duke Fisablen had hired craftsmen to build boats not only to catch the rare Golden-scale Red Lip Fish, but also to replenish the meat for his army. Laurist's idea of obtaining meat from the magical beasts on the other side of the river naturally gained his strong support.
To the Flying Tiger Army, hunting magical beasts could be said to be their old profession. From the time the Norton Family's territory fought against the magical beast wave to the winter hunting in the Magical Plains, they had killed more than a million magical beasts. To the grassland barbarian cavalry, the rock bears that were as strong as cows, the ferocious and strong saber-toothed tigers, the intimidating giant pythons, and the armored swamp crocodiles were all magical beasts that they could not deal with. Even the Wild Wolves, even though they were familiar with the nature of wolves in the grasslands, these huge wolves that were a size larger than the Prairie Demon Wolves could still cause heavy casualties to them.
However, when the Flying Tiger Army made their move, the grassland barbarian cavalry of the reserve army had their horizons broadened. The magical beasts that they had to flee upon encountering became targets in front of the war chariots and steel crossbows, becoming a source of all kinds of meat. In less than two months, the various magical beast meat in the two barracks had piled up like mountains. In the end, they had no choice but to dispatch a division of soldiers to be in charge of making the fresh magical beast meat into various kinds of long-lasting jerky.
At this time, the Flying Tiger Army and the reserve army had already swept through half of the Magical Plains and were gradually moving south. When the Handra Duchy discovered that enemy scouts had appeared on the other side of the river, they were naturally very nervous. They hurriedly set up sentry towers and smoke beacons along the river so that they could give an alarm when the enemy crossed the river. Laurist was completely unaware that on the other side of the river, he was busy hunting magical beasts. He had long since thrown his other task to the back of his mind, completely forgetting about it.
Now, Laurist had his eyes on the fur of the magical beasts. This was a huge source of income. The Galinthia Continent did not produce cotton, so they relied on various kinds of fur to keep warm in winter. Although Laurist had opened up a large ranch in the western part of the north and raised close to a million cows and sheep, the fur of ordinary cows and sheep was not good material for keeping warm in winter. However, the fur of cattle and sheep was not a good material to keep warm during the winter. Instead, the fur of some magical beasts was the best choice for winter.
Some rare magical beasts' fur was worth thousands of gold coins. Other than meat and fur, some magical beasts' materials also had excellent medicinal value and were very expensive in the market. Laurist made a rough calculation. In the past two months of hunting, he had earned almost a million gold coins, and this was after deducting the portion given to Duke Fisablun. Laurist did not expect to earn this kind of extra income by coming to war. He even ignored the information from the frontline sent by the second prince from Pedero City, treating hunting as his main business.
In the blink of an eye, it was October. Duke Fisablun had sent over ten messengers in a row to summon Laurist from the Magical Plains. As soon as he entered the barracks, Laurist saw Duke Fisablun rushing to welcome him and tell him a piece of news. Duke Handra had privately sent a messenger over and had been in the barracks for four days.
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