"There was an ancient kingdom of dwarves under the Anzeruta Mountains. They were a branch of the Broken Sword Mountains. When the kingdom was digging underground, they accidentally dug through the beehive. After that, the underground was filled with monsters. The kingdom was destroyed, and the remaining dwarves migrated westward. The map of the underground kingdom was lost. Right now, that dark maze is full of danger. Passing through it requires unimaginable risk. Even if we ignore these difficulties, it's not something that can be done in a month or two if the dwarves want to dig out a passage from the hard rock layer and connect the lost tunnels. "Maynild replied." That's right, "Norton said.
After Maynild reminded him, Brando also remembered this matter. After all, he was not as familiar with Cruz as he was with Erouine. That was why he asked.
After hearing about the strange incident that happened to Count Gien, Hao Ren's first thought was that the nobles were up to something. But then he remembered that the Lion Beastmen of Toquinin had played a trick and bypassed Rokezi. He had a hunch that the Broken Sword Mountains had attacked the Empire, just like in history. But now, after some discussion, he found that it was not likely. His train of thought, which had finally cleared up, was now in a state of chaos again. He had to stop and wait for further information.
Twenty minutes later, the first batch of gargoyles that went to Vargos came back. Metisha came to him with the imaging crystal that she had taken from the gargoyles. She hesitated and said, "My lord …"
"What's wrong?"
Metisha shook her head slightly. Unlike The Shire's frivolity, the Silver Elf princess never boasted or made promises. She just handed the imaging crystal to Brando and said, "My lord, please take a look at it yourself."
Brando took the imaging crystal. This kind of recording crystal was not rare in Wohnde, but it was not ordinary either. It could record a few three-to-five-minute sound clips and preserve them for years to decades. The fact that the Bugas dared to put it on every gargoyle was enough to prove the magicians' wealth. He infused it with magic, and the crystal glowed. Then it showed the images that the gargoyles saw when they were flying high in the sky. In the image, the forest was like a thick carpet, and there were some plots of land of different shades at the edge. Those were farmland, dotted with red roofs, barns, windmills, and other buildings.
No one spoke. Maynild and Brando had already recognized that this was the outskirts of Vargos. It was an Empire-style idyllic scene. But then they saw a strange scene. The gargoyles flew over the town, and the red roofs began to become denser. Several roads like veins went through the bustling market. But in such a big town, there were no pedestrians on the streets, and there were no flocks of birds flying in the dense shade of the trees. It was like a ghost town. After that, they found some strange things in Vargas's square. They looked like grains of sand scattered all over the place. Brendel took a closer look and realized that they were either humans or similar creatures, but they stood still in the square like statues.
"What's going on?" The Shire was stunned. "Could it be that there was a sudden monster attack near Vargos, and the whole area was attacked by either the Death-eyed Wyverns or the Petrifying Lizards?"
Brando shook his head. Death-eyed Wyverns were not social creatures, and they mostly moved alone outside of mating season. The Petrifying Lizards were even more territorial creatures and would not rashly come to the human world. These two monsters were unlikely to turn a human town into a ghost town. The only possibility was that this was an organized attack. He already had a candidate in mind. He looked back at Maynild and saw the same guess in her dark eyes.
"It's the people of the Snake Queen, the cursed for all eternity."
"Medusa." The Shire was speechless. "Aren't they underground in Jorgendy Ridge? How could they come to the surface so easily?"
The denizens of the underground would not easily go to the surface world. They had to go from Jorgendy Ridge through the huge beehive above the 'dome', and then through the underground cavities of the 'shallow surface' and the rivers that seeped into the underground. It was a long and dangerous journey. Tagiv and its tribesmen had once walked this path. During that migration, countless Subterrane Dwellers died along the way. They died from disappearances, attacks from monsters, and the most terrible of all, diseases and starvation. However, it was proven that if necessary, they would still dare to try. This was the unique tenacity of the Subterrane Dwellers.
"I remember," Brando muttered. "The denizens of Jorgendy Ridge also believe in the Goddess of Earth, right?"
"That's impossible!" The Shire was a little surprised. "The denizens of the underground believe in the Goddess above, and the denizens of the surface believe in the Goddess below. Although their beliefs came from the same source, that was a thousand years ago. Since the Great Schism, the dwarves and lion-men on the surface no longer have any contact with the denizens of the underground. How could they come together, and how could they have contacted each other in such a short period of time? "
Before the Great Schism, the denizens of the surface and the denizens of the underground did believe in the same goddess. But since the War of the Holy Saints, due to the loss of faith and other problems, the Temple of the Earth was no longer the same as it used to be. Even the three sacred relics of the Temple of the Earth in Broken Sword Mountains had disappeared one by one. Since then, many sects that believed in the Goddess of Earth had been in conflict. The two largest sects, Toquinin and Jorgendy Ridge, had long gone their separate ways. It had been a thousand years since then.
Brando of course knew that, but at that moment, he had a gloomy thought in his mind. What were the lion-men waiting for on the other side of Rokeqi, the fortress of Broken Sword Mountains?
He looked at Maynild. The Knight frowned and nodded slightly at him.
"How sure are you?" He asked pointedly.
"If the attackers are indeed from Jorgendy Ridge, then the strange behavior of the lion-men is most likely related to them," the Knight replied calmly.
Everyone was silent. They were wondering if the line of defense could hold if the Golden Mane Lion-Men of Toquinin and the denizens of Jorgendy Ridge attacked Rokeqi, the fortress of Broken Sword Mountains. "Rokeqi, the fortress of Broken Sword Mountains might be in danger." Even The Shire himself was shocked when he said this. Although he claimed to be knowledgeable, knowledge made him silent. In his eyes, the strength of the Empire was based on detailed data, analysis, and rational thinking. It was like the mighty Cruz Golden Eagle, which was made up of feathers, but its sharp claws and beak showed how powerful it was.
Rokeqi, the fortress of Broken Sword Mountains, was the Empire's long-established line of defense. It was located between the mountains. The frost and snow of the highlands formed its sturdiness, and the rugged rocks were its blades. The harsh weather all year round told of its ruthlessness and indifference. It was an insurmountable moat. Even if the lion-men could take down one or two of the fortresses, it would be a frivolous joke to say that they could defeat the entire line of defense.
However, Brando and Maynild were extremely calm when they heard this. This was something that they had expected. The shock brought by the first and the second time was completely different. They had witnessed the fall of the invincible line of defense in history, so they were very calm now. "Although it's just a speculation, we have to prepare for the worst. If everything is true, where is the army of Jorgendy Ridge now? How big is their scale? Rokeqi, the loss of the fortress of Broken Sword Mountains, we have to re-evaluate everything. The key is whether the threat close at hand, the army of Jorgendy Ridge that annihilated Count Alcon's army, has learned of our existence. We have to first confirm the danger around us." Brando thought for a moment and replied.
Maynild looked at him and nodded in agreement.
The Shire also looked at his feudal lord in surprise, "Martha above, my feudal lord, I almost thought that you also graduated from the Royal Knight Academy. This is the knowledge of the mercenaries. My lord, when did you learn this from Jutta? "
This flattery was just right. Brando couldn't help but feel a little funny and replied, "There are still many things that you don't know."
"Of course. Otherwise, why would you be the feudal lord, and I'm just a little follower?" The Shire smiled and teased without a care.
Metisha also covered her mouth and laughed, then asked, "My feudal lord, what should we do next?"
"Let's call the others first. This is a big matter. We have to let them know first."
"Otherwise, the duchess will say that you don't respect them again." Metisha replied with a smile, "Arbitrary and opinionated."
"Yes, I'm annoyed to death by her." Brando sighed and pretended to reply helplessly.
The little princess couldn't help but giggle.
… …
"Get the hell down, damn bastard!"
Rogers roared and stabbed the troglodyte in the chest. He then lifted his leather boot and kicked it down the stairs. But because he used too much force, he couldn't even pull out his sword. He could only watch the troglodyte roll down the dark corridor with the disgusting creature. But in an instant, he saw one or two flashes of light in the darkness. His heart trembled, and he hurriedly lowered his head. Bang! Bang! Two spears were inserted into the door frame above his head. The tails of the spears were still trembling slightly. He was startled, and no longer cared about snatching back his sword. He hurriedly took a step back and closed the door. Then, he dragged the cabinet and bed next to him to block the door with all his might.
A moment later, the sound of two heavy objects hitting the door came from the door, followed by a squeaking scream.
Rogers breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around covered in blood and looked at the four people left in the empty room with a wry smile. Out of the twelve people, only a few of them were left. Since the beginning of the Nedwin era, the Royal Family of Cruz had placed spies and eyes all over the empire. And they were the Knight of the Imperial Court stationed in the Hillat Villa. Their task was not to participate in local defense. These monsters came out of nowhere and entangled them. There were so many of them that they suffered heavy losses overnight. They had no choice but to escape to this farm for self-protection.
But in fact, all the remaining people understood that the so-called self-protection would not last long.
A tall man with curly hair was leaving the window. He put down the curtains, and the light in the room immediately dimmed. He shrugged and said to the others, "They have surrounded the outside. It seems like they want to teach us a lesson. Rogers, you killed a lot of these things. I don't think they want to let you go. Do you have any last words? Maybe if I'm lucky enough to survive, I can carve them on your epitaph — "
"Master Rogers, Sikun is dying." In the corner of the room, a female Knight who was holding her companion who was covered in blood looked up and said sadly. The Knight in her arms had a deep wound on his chest, but it was not a fatal wound. The fatal wound was on the back of his head. The female Knight was holding one of her hands there. Blood flowed down her hand like a stream.
"Pray for him, Nasha." Rogers sighed.
The only person in the room who did not speak was a young man in a long robe. He was concentrating on putting the parchment in his hand into the fire in the middle of the room. He lowered his head, and only the bright light of the fire was reflected in his dark eyes. It was as if this was an incomparably sacred task for him.
Rogers looked at the young man and shook his head. He then asked the others, "What was that? Did you see it clearly?"
"Have you heard of it? I think it was a meteor — — hah, too bad I didn't have time to make a wish at the time" the tall man continued: "But we ran into these Subterrane Dwellers on the way here, I suspect that there's some sort of connection between the two. Normally, these things wouldn't come to the surface"
Rogers was silent for a moment before he said with certainty, "I don't think it's that simple. We have to find a way to inform His Majesty."
The female Knight silently prayed for her companion. The young man who was burning the parchment looked up at the others and said concisely, "I can't do it."
"Can't do it?" Rogers stared at his companion in confusion. Qui was the most outstanding wizard in their group. No matter what the situation was, he could always send out a magic message.
The young man did not speak. He only stretched out his five fingers. Everyone saw a flicker of flame between his fingertips, but it disappeared in a flash, leaving behind a few faint golden red lines.
"What's going on?" The tall man could not help but widen his eyes. "Your tricks didn't work? That's impossible, Qui. You're the best. "
The young man looked at them and said, "Magic is out of order."
"What do you mean?" Rogers frowned.
"Something is interfering with the law."
"What is it?"
"A more powerful spell, a divine artifact, or some unknown existence." The young man replied.
Rogers' face became serious. "If all the coincidences come together, then it's probably not a coincidence. Qui, Nasha, Trevor, I think we may have encountered the worst case scenario."
"What could be worse than this?" The tall man asked.
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a loud crashing sound from outside the door. Then, with a crisp cracking sound, a crack appeared on the wooden door. He looked in that direction, dumbfounded, while the others looked at him unhappily. The latter could only helplessly spread out his hands. "Well, I'm a jinx. Pretend I didn't say anything!"
Rogers took the sword from the severely injured Knight and said to the others, "We have to try to break out. His Majesty is still waiting for our news."
As he spoke, he pulled out his sword.
… …
Brando began to issue orders one by one. The outer perimeter of the diplomatic group was first expanded. Gargoyles were constantly flying in the sky, guarding against the possible existence of Jorgendy Ridge's army. However, there was nothing unusual in the open hills and forest around the diplomatic group. Brando further expanded the search area and sent the young sentinel cavalry belonging to the White Lion Guards to Vargas and Linye Avenue. His efforts were not in vain. Soon these sentinel cavalry found valuable information.
The cavalry avoided the main road and entered the area of Vargas and Linye Avenue along the small roads in the Floating Cloud Hill area. They did not encounter any Jorgendy Ridge troops along the way, but when they passed by a village called Tuya near Vargas, they happened to encounter a small group of cavemen besieging a nearby farm. The captain of the sentinel cavalry was a student who graduated from the Royal Knight Academy. He immediately determined that there might be survivors in the manor, so he immediately led his men to kill the cavemen and rescue the people inside.
Brando soon saw these people.
It was a group of four people, three men and one woman. When they were brought to Brando by the sentinel cavalry, they were more or less in a sorry state. These people were dressed like the children of the most common country gentry in the Empire. They wore thick wool coats, feathered hats, and deerskin boots. However, their faces were very determined. Although they were covered in blood and mud, and two of them were seriously injured, they did not look afraid or lost. They just looked a little tired. Brando then noticed that these people were all wearing long swords. Although the style of the swords was different and there were all kinds of swords, the way they held the swords was very standard. They did not look like aristocrats, nor did they look like soldiers of the Empire. Instead, they looked like Knights of the inner court.
Brando pondered for a moment and understood the identity of these people. He could not help but think that his sentinel cavalry was quite lucky to have brought back a few spies from the Royal Family of Cruz. However, he then felt a little relieved. Only the inner court Knights with extraordinary martial arts could survive this sudden attack and survive until now.
While Brando was sizing up the inner court Knights, he was also sizing up the Count. To be honest, it was not that he did not know him. On the contrary, he was very clear about his identity and origin. He even knew everything that had happened from the Black Sword Fortress to his arrival. In fact, the news of the arrival of the Erouine envoy was personally sealed in the envelope with the sevenfold flame pattern insignia. Then, he stamped it with the seal of the Hillat Villa and sent it to the White Rose Garden.
In the previous battle, he thought that he was going to die, but he did not expect to be saved by the Cruz cavalry scouts at the last moment. The moment he saw the strangely dressed cavalry, he immediately knew who they were. But he had only heard of the Count's name from rumors before he met him in person. Even he did not expect the leader of the Erouine envoy to be so young. He was so young that he could not help but have some doubts. How could the Erouine people be assured to let such a young man be the leader of the envoy?
He suddenly understood the reason why the Count had caused a series of troubles before.
With this thought in mind, Rogers and a few of his colleagues bowed slightly to Brendel. This was a knight's salute, and it had nothing to do with seniority. It was just to thank Aouine for lending them a helping hand.
…
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