"Your Highness Duke Norton, please go up. My teacher has already gone ahead." Count Beauregard bowed respectfully to Laurist, while his ten juniors spread out on their horses, vaguely surrounding the small mountain. It was obvious that they were preparing to guard the small mountain, not wanting others to watch the duel between the two Sword Saints.
Laurist nodded, and said to Redi and Genolio behind him, "You two stay here, or you can go back."
Redi glanced at Count Beauregard, "Teacher, let's wait here. I wish you all the best."
Laurist waved his hand, and did not reply. He floated down from his horse, and strode up the mountain.
There was no official path to the top of the small mountain, and there was still some greenery at the bottom of the mountain. There were some weeds and shrubs, but most of them were slippery moss and lichens. Halfway up the mountain, it was all greyish-white rocks and muddy yellow rocks. Due to the lack of water, there were very few weeds and trees. Occasionally, there would be one or two clumps of withered grass in the gaps between the rocks.
There were a few huge greyish-white rocks at the top of the mountain, and there was no path to climb up. However, this was not a problem for Laurist. His feet touched the sunken rocks, and he rose up, pulling out his sword and stabbing it into the rocks. With a few jumps, he reached the highest point of the mountain. The top was nearly a hundred square meters wide. Although there were a few cracks between the rocks, the widest of which was two to three meters wide, and the height was uneven, it did not affect Laurist. It was indeed a good place for a duel.
But what made Laurist curious was that there was still no trace of the Storm Sword Saint, who had gone ahead of him. Standing at the highest point of the mountain, the wind blew at his cloak, making it flutter. Looking around, he could see everything in sight. In the direction of Bruvia City, he could clearly see the layout of the entire battlefield. On the side of the Trade Alliance, small black dots were spreading out from the black square battle formations, approaching the Norton Family's formation in a horizontal formation. Vaguely, he could also hear shouts and the sound of war drums.
Not far away, the sound of clothes fluttering could be heard. Loriste turned around and saw the Storm Sword Saint rising up from the other side of the mountain. Perhaps the Storm Sword Saint did not expect Laurist, who had arrived later than him, to be the first to reach the peak. He could not help but blush.
"I'm getting old, and my muscles and bones are not as good as before. Please excuse me, Your Highness." The Storm Sword Sage sighed shamelessly, then bowed slightly towards Lorist. "Your Highness, Duke Norton, I greet you. I am very grateful that you are willing to accept my challenge, so that I, an old man, will not lose face in front of the world …"
Laurist was a little surprised. What the hell was this old man up to? He looked so refined and courteous, like a good person. He was nowhere to be seen as arrogant and domineering as he had been at the banquet hosted by the Second Prince to welcome the Trade Union's envoy. At that time, this old man had been condescending and arrogant, as if all the nobles of the Andinac Kingdom were ants in front of him, as if they were at his mercy.
"That …" Loriste suddenly realized that he couldn't remember the old man's name. He remembered that at the welcoming banquet back then, that Earl Chris something or Marquis' special envoy had introduced this old man as Grand Master Matt something …
After thinking for a long time, he still could not remember, nor could he directly address the other party as the Storm Sword Saint. Laurist simply drew his sword and grinned. "Can we begin?"
The earlier he got rid of the Storm Sword Saint, the better. Laurist was still thinking of rushing back to the battlefield, worried about whether there would be any flaws in his battle strategy. Unexpectedly, the Windstorm Sword Saint waved his hand and sat down. "There's no rush. Let's rest for a while first. This old man is getting on in years, and I'm not as young and strong as you, brother. We have to let this old man calm down first."
Laurist did not know whether to laugh or cry. What was this? This old man really did not regard himself as an outsider, and even sat down casually like him. He was really bold, not at all afraid that Laurist would launch a sneak attack when he was unprepared. But thinking about the distance between the two of them, by the time he rushed over, this old man would have already activated his Domain to defend himself. It was no wonder that he was so confident and fearless.
Forget it, since the old man wanted to rest first, he would let him rest for a while. There was no rush. At this moment, Laurist casually stabbed the sword in his hand into the mountain rock, and was too lazy to return it to its sheath. He turned his head and continued to observe the situation of the battlefield at Bruvia City.
Looking down from the small isolated mountain, the Mana Hill Plains looked like a huge chessboard in front of them. However, this chessboard had already been occupied by the Trade Alliance's armed forces, and about two-thirds of the territory had already been occupied by the Trade Alliance's armed forces. Many small square formations covered the entire plains, and there was no end to them. The square formation at the front had turned into small black dots, and slowly approached the Norton Family's armed forces in a horizontal line. There were many small black dots in the empty space between the two sides, and upon closer inspection, one would realize that they were huge shield carriages. Behind and around the shield carriages were countless small people, and using these shield carriages as cover, they were charging towards the Norton Family's armed forces.
The Norton Family's armed forces must have repelled an attack from the Trade Alliance's armed forces, or perhaps it was a probing attack. Many of the small people were lying on the ground, motionless. However, the square formations at the front had spread out even more small people pushing the black dot shaped shield carriages towards the Norton Family's armed forces. At the same time, the countless small people in the square formations at the back were pushing crane-like long-arm catapults to the front …
"Brother, you seem to have a lot of confidence in the Norton Family's armed forces, and that's why you issued a challenge to the Trade Alliance's armed forces. I don't understand why you have so much confidence in defeating the Trade Alliance's armed forces. Look, the situation on the battlefield now is that the Trade Alliance's armed forces have the upper hand. These three hundred thousand soldiers are the true elite force of the Trade Alliance's armed forces. Although your armed forces are well-trained, their numbers are still less than half … "The Storm Sword Sage was also watching the battlefield, and at the same time, he chatted with Laurist as if they were old friends.
Laurist pursed his lips. "Are you done resting? If you are, let's begin the duel."
The Storm Sword Sage was stunned. "Duke Norton, why are you in such a hurry to start the duel? Could it be that you still want to return to the battlefield?"
Laurist did not reply, but the expression on his face revealed his thoughts.
The Storm Sword Sage smiled bitterly. "Brother, oh, no, Duke Norton, to be honest, although I have issued you a challenge, I do not wish to duel with you …"
Laurist looked confused. "If you do not wish to duel with me, then why did you issue me a challenge?"
The old man patted the mountain rock beside him and sighed inexplicably. Then, he said, "Brother, do you know why the first thing I said when I came up was to thank you for accepting my challenge letter and saving my face?"
Laurist shook his head. He thought to himself, Since you want to be beaten up, I'll grant you your wish. I was just worried about not being able to find you, old man, and now you have come knocking on my door. If I take care of you, the Trade Alliance will have no one to rely on. How could I not agree to such a good deal?
"Brother, you might have just become a Sword Sage, so there are some things you do not understand. Don't worry, you will naturally understand after some time. "The Storm Sword Sage comforted Laurist.
Laurist once again did not know whether to laugh or cry. "But what does this have to do with our duel? We were evenly matched the last time, and both of us were injured. You have recovered from your injuries and challenged me to a duel. Naturally, you want to take revenge on me, and I also feel that we did not fight to our heart's content the last time, so there is no problem in accepting your challenge."
However, the Windstorm Sword Saint laughed out loud. "I have issued a challenge to you, but I do not wish to duel with you. This is because I know that fighting with you is a form of torture, and I might even get injured again. My old bones cannot withstand any more torment. Everyone knows that the last time I went to the Andinac Kingdom's army, I wanted to kidnap Ogesero the First and the nobles of the kingdom to Morent City. Unexpectedly, I met you, a new Sword Sage, and escaped with injuries. I even had to recuperate for more than three years. If I did not challenge you after I recovered, others would think that I was afraid of you. Thus, I had to challenge you to preserve my reputation as a Sword Sage … "
Laurist still did not quite understand.
The Storm Sword Sage explained, "We are Sword Sages, the few people who stand at the top of the Galintea Continent. We have surpassed the nobles who rule the continent, and no one is willing to offend us. Similarly, unless there is a conflict between countries, we Sword Sages are usually unwilling to meet each other, and there are very few formal challenges and duels to the death. To us Sword Sages, there is no meaning in determining a victor. There are only a few of us in the entire continent, so what's the point of being number one in the world? "We are different from you. Not only are you a Sword Sage, but you are also the Grand Duke of a territory. As for us, we are only worshipped. Although our statuses are high, we do not have any actual power.
"In the eyes of the world, we Sword Sages should live in seclusion and study swordsmanship and Battle Energy, or open our doors to nurture disciples. Our statuses are high, but compared to the nobles of territories, we do not have territories, nor do we have worldly power. Although we are revered as the Sword Sages of the Kingdom, we are unable to interfere with the affairs of the country. In fact, we might even be burdened by our relatives and have no choice but to serve others. Just like me now, I am unwilling, but in order to achieve my goals, I have no choice but to issue a challenge to you.
"The challenges between Sword Sages are not as straightforward as you are. The challenged Sword Sage can ask the challenger to agree to certain conditions before accepting the challenge. Thus, we Sword Sages rarely have open duels. Those who are on good terms with each other will spar in private. I am very grateful that you did not make things difficult for me this time, and I will definitely repay you in the future. "
Alright, Laurist finally understood. The old Storm Sword Sage had issued the challenge just to find a place to chat. He did not want to fight to the death with Laurist. As long as he returned in one piece, he could brag that he had fought to a draw with Laurist. This was much more worth it than the previous time when he had to flee pathetically. Moreover, from his standpoint, he did not need to work so hard for the Trade Alliance.
However, Laurist was different from him. The old man was just as he had said. Although he had a high status, he did not have any territory or actual power. Laurist was not only a Sword Sage, he was also the Duke of the Northern Lands. He carried the fate of his family on his shoulders. Since the old man was not prepared to fight him, Laurist prepared to descend the mountain and return to the battlefield in Bruvia City.
"Hey, brother, you can't be thinking of returning to the battlefield now, right?" the old man asked.
Laurist raised his eyebrows and gripped his sword tightly. "Are you thinking of stopping me?"
The Storm Sword Sage shook his head. "Brother, you are a Sword Sage. Why do you have to tire yourself to death for the battles of mortals? Even if you are the Duke of the Northern Lands, you can't possibly be the vanguard in every battle. Since you have issued a challenge to the Trade Alliance's armed forces on the day of your duel with me, it means that you have great confidence in your family's armed forces. Why not stay here and see what the outcome will be? After all, in such a huge battlefield, we Sword Sages cannot be of much use … "
Laurist laughed. "Old man, did you agree to some request from the Trade Alliance that has something to do with me?"
The old man nodded without blushing. "I agreed to their request. This battle will exclude your influence. In other words, before the outcome of this battle is decided, I cannot let you return. After all, the duel between us Sword Sages cannot end so quickly … "
"Is that so?" A cold glint flashed in Laurist's eyes. "Do you really think you can stop me from leaving?"
"Brother, I admit that I am no match for you. However, if I want to stop you from leaving, you will not be able to do so easily. You and I both know what happened in our previous fight. If I don't want to decide the outcome of the battle, I just need to pester you, and you will not be able to escape so easily. I just don't want to tire myself out. Moreover, it is not worth it to risk my life for those merchants in the Trade Alliance … "
"What benefits did they promise you?" Laurist was curious.
"The Duchy of Gunlinia." The old man did not mince his words. "It's not that they gave me any benefits. I promised them that I would challenge you and tie you down until the end of this battle. In that case, I asked those merchants to hand over the Duchy of Gunlinia that they destroyed to me as my territory."
Laurist could not remember where this Duchy of Gunlinia was even after thinking for a long time.
"The Duchy of Gunlinia was originally a vassal of the Kingdom of Kylia. Its area is about the size of a province of your kingdom. It is located in the south of the continent, and is very close to the Chigda Kingdom." The Storm Swordsman explained the geography to Laurist.
"Are you sure that the Trade Alliance will hand over this duchy to you as your territory?" Laurist asked.
"I believe that at least they would not dare to lie to a Sword Sage. As long as I fulfill my promise and escape unscathed, unlike the last time, those merchants will not dare to have any ideas. If both of us are heavily injured again, perhaps those merchants will be the happiest. "The old man was still rather clear-headed.
"Hey, old man. Even if you get the Duchy of Gunlinia as your territory, aren't you afraid that the two Sword Swordsman from the Romon Empire and Havestan Khaganate in the south of the continent will come knocking on your door? I heard that the destruction of the Kingdom of Kylia was due to those two Sword Swordsman working together to force you to leave … "Laurist suddenly became interested in gossip.
"Hehe, brother, the truth is that the Kingdom of Kylia was destroyed because of the conflict between me and the king. I could no longer stay there. Although I am a Sword Sage, I can't deal with that crazy king. After all, I have to cherish my reputation. Those two Sword Swordsman wrote to me and told me that their kingdoms were preparing to send troops to the Kingdom of Kylia. So I left that troublesome place and watched that idiot destroy the kingdom. "
The old man told Laurist a shocking truth. It was completely different from the rumors.
"That's why I said that there are many things that can't be helped even with the identity of a Sword Sage. It's best to be like you, brother, a Sword Sage and a lord at the same time. That way, you can live freely. This is also the main reason why I used the opportunity of challenging you to force those merchants to agree to my conditions and hand over the Duchy of Gunlinia to me. That's why I hope that you can fulfill my wish. "
A thunderous roar came from the distant battlefield. Looking from the hilltop, the battlefield was filled with smoke and sparks like lightning. The neat phalanxes of the Trade Federation were now shrouded in black smoke and sparks. Indistinctly, miserable wails and thunderous roars could be heard.
Laurist heaved a sigh of relief and sat down. This time, it was the Storm Sword Sage's turn to be confused. "Hey, brother, you're not going back to the battlefield?"
Laurist laughed. "The outcome has been decided. The Trade Alliance has lost. There's no need for me to rush back immediately …"
"How is that possible?" The old man jumped up and looked into the distance. Although the battlefield was filled with smoke, he could vaguely make out that the Trade Alliance was retreating. Meanwhile, the Norton Family's army was sounding their horns, and the two cavalry legions were flanking them from both sides …
"Ah!" The old man suddenly let out a strange cry. He pulled out his sword and slashed at the rocks beside him.
"What are you doing?" Laurist asked.
"Help me quickly. Leave some sword marks on the rocks around you," the old man replied while panting. The old man panted heavily as he replied, "The two of us Sword Saints are dueling here, so we have to leave some memories and reflections for the future generations. So, we have to make this place the scene of a tragic duel. You turn left, and I'll turn right. We'll leave some marks on each other's sword marks. Only then will people believe it …"
…
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