The Old World was celebrating the Winter Veil Festival, celebrating the passing of another year.
The humans had temporarily forgotten about the threat of the Green Dwarfs, Chaos, and the Undead. They focused all their attention on the festival.
Not only the humans of the Old World, but also the humans of the New World.
New World, Lucia Isthmus, Pioneer Coast, Raider Harbor.
The expeditionary army from Tyrell had already established a huge port town here. The port was mainly used as a fishing port. There were many people in the town, and there were many soldiers patrolling on the five-meter-tall city walls.
As far as the naked eye could see, the lush tropical rainforest covered the entire field of vision. Even though it was already the Winter Veil Festival, the average temperature here was still around 18 degrees Celsius. In summer, it could even reach 30 degrees Celsius. The high temperature and constant rain made the Tyrell expeditionary army very uncomfortable. They had already stayed here for ten months. They had already established a rather sturdy colony and ensured that they could be self-sufficient through hunting, fishing, and farming. Many young soldiers couldn't wait to enter the forest to search for the legendary treasure left behind by the ancient sage.
The Tyrell expeditionary army consisted of dozens of galleons, a total of five legions, and about twelve thousand people. After several months of crossing the ocean and fighting the Dark Elf Pirates, Tomb King Pirates, Vampire Pirates, and Mother Nature (referring to the storms on the sea), there were less than eight thousand people left when they landed on the Pioneer Coast. There were about six thousand soldiers and a little more than a thousand followers, including more than eight hundred women.
As soon as they landed on the Pioneer Coast, these greedy and cunning mercenaries and conscripts rebelled. The army attacked each other, snatched resources, and cruelly killed their own kind. The curiosity of the New World was quickly replaced by the fear of being far away from the civilized world. After several failed attempts to explore the forest, the remaining soldiers were filled with fear of the forest. The expeditionary army fell into a state of chaos and panic.
The expeditionary army soon found themselves surrounded by enemies from all sides. To the northeast of their landing point was a barbarian tribe called Skogi who believed in Chaos. For some reason, the cruel Noska tribe had settled down there. They were eyeing the expeditionary army covetously, wanting to use the expeditionary army to hold a sumptuous sacrificial ceremony for the gods of darkness.
To the northwest was an unfathomable tropical rainforest. All the explorers had never returned.
To the southeast, the Green Dwarfs were active.
On the coastline, the vampire pirates frequently raided and plundered the expeditionary force.
After two consecutive battles, the expeditionary army's morale was extremely low. Faced with a shortage of supplies, they gradually fell to the brink of collapse.
At this moment, a tall human who was as handsome as the standard handsome man in myths and legends appeared in front of the expeditionary army. His long silver hair was soft and beautiful without any bifurcations. When the expeditionary army was about to collapse, this handsome man called for everyone to unite and listen to his command.
His name was Fu Gen.
The speech given by the man named Forgan was ridiculed by many. Some veterans mocked him, saying that he should be selling his ass in Tyrell's high-class clubhouse instead of staying here on an expedition. A sissy with soft skin shouldn't be here at all. Go back to your mother's bed and drink milk.
After the handsome man named Fu Gen heard this, he didn't get angry or make a fuss. He only used his flawless performance to silence the expeditionary army. When a champion of chaos from the Skogi tribe led a large group of barbarian soldiers to attack the expeditionary army camp, Fu Gen raised his military flag high and beheaded the champion with a single slash of his sword. He also guaranteed that none of the barbarians would successfully retreat.
On the battlefield, this handsome man's god-like performance convinced all the soldiers of the expeditionary army who wanted to achieve something. No matter how dangerous the battle was, no matter how fierce the barbarians' attacks were, Fu Gen always stood at the front of the army with his military flag held high. This person's silver hair fluttered wantonly on the bloody battlefield. The longsword in his hand drank the blood of several barbarian raiders with every strike. His elegant posture was spotless even in the middle of the bloodiest battlefield. His eyes contained his extreme confidence and pride. Not a single barbarian could withstand a single slash of his sword. Under Fu Gen's blood-soaked battle and gaze, the soldiers of the expeditionary army who were constantly defeated due to fear and internal strife felt a kind of disgrace that went deep into their souls. It seemed that abandoning this person and running away would be a stain that could never be washed away for the rest of their lives.
The forgotten sense of glory and mission finally ignited in the hearts of the soldiers of the expeditionary army once again. The soldiers released the roar from the bottom of their hearts, turned around and strode back to the battlefield. Even though the human soldiers were far inferior to the barbarians, causing the frontline to collapse frequently, under Fu Gen's command, they regrouped under the military flag again and again, and finally completely defeated the attacking barbarians.
Not a single barbarian escaped. The chaotic scum paid the price with blood. When all the soldiers of the expeditionary army shouted victory on the messy battlefield, they felt that they had been reborn. A fresh feeling of life starting from this point lingered in the hearts of all the soldiers, and their souls seemed to have been purified.
On the second day after the end of the war, the soldiers launched a rebellion, killing three mercenary corps leaders and their trusted aides who were unwilling to listen to Fu Gen's command. Thousands of people shouted Fu Gen's name outside of his tent, begging him to be their leader.
Fu Gen generously agreed. He reorganized the remaining five thousand people into an army, named it the "Ashes Army", and took up the post of its leader. The only mercenary corps leader who was willing to submit was called Fernando Pilazzo. This legendary expert was experienced and fierce, and extremely experienced in battle. Fu Gen appointed him as the deputy leader of the army.
Since then, the Ashes Army had taken root on the Pioneer Coast. The flag of the Kingdom of Tyrell was torn to pieces and thrown on the ground by the soldiers, and was replaced by the image of an eagle's claw bathed in fire. This was the new army flag of the Ashes Army.
The new army leader, Fu Gen, was not in a hurry to march into the forest. Fu Gen quietly expressed that with the current strength of the expeditionary army, even if they were ten times more in number, they would still be giving food to the mysterious ancient races in the forest. He asked everyone in the expeditionary army to gather and receive new training, cultivate farmland, raise livestock, build fishing boats, and fish. First, the expeditionary army camp would be built into a town, until they could guarantee self-sufficiency and produce some simple weapons.
After a few months, the soldiers of the Ashes Army received a completely different kind of training from before. Everyone became proficient in using swords, shields, spears, and crossbows, and learned to form a tight formation. The ruffians and scoundrels who were unwilling to obey were screened, severely punished, educated, and exiled. The remaining five thousand soldiers began to have powerful fighting strength. When the Green Tribe from the south came to harass them, the army only paid the price of a dozen people to defeat this group of savage Orc robbers.
At night, the hot weather finally cooled down. A salty sea breeze blew across the coast of Luscia. The experienced mercenary leader, Pilazzo, finished his day of patrol. Bright moonlight shone on the ground of the Pioneer Coast. Pilazzo was already in his forties. His strength as a high-ranked legend ensured that he looked young enough. The scar on his face showed that he had experienced many battles.
Pilazzo was the only one of the five mercenary leaders who was not a noble of the Kingdom of Tyrell. He was only a mercenary hired by Prince Milagliano, 'Besieger' Borgil. When he saw Fu Gen's indescribable strength and charisma, Pilazzo did not refuse to submit like the other three leaders (one of whom died during the voyage). He did not hesitate to pledge his loyalty to Fu Gen.
Pilazzo had never thought that he would kneel so seriously in front of an unknown handsome man and willingly become his subordinate and fight for him.
Whenever he thought of that, Pilazzo would laugh self-mockingly and shake his head non-stop. He wanted to throw all the stupid things he had done in the past out of his mind.
A sense of honor, a sense of responsibility, a sense of mission, and even a sense of conscience. These things had long been thrown away by the vicious mercenary leader. It was Fogen who made him understand that although these things were thrown away by Pilazzo, they still remained in the world and could be picked up again.
Under Fu Gen's inspiration, Pilazzo picked them up and put them back into his chest. He proudly became Fu Gen's assistant and helped him manage the fief and train the army. He became his most loyal subordinate. To Pilazzo, Fu Gen's appearance made him understand the meaning of his life. It was to fight for Fu Gen.
The mercenary leader stepped on the beach with his leather boots. The pair of crocodile leather boots he had painstakingly crafted were Pilazzo's pride. After more than a year at sea, they had become tattered. Even so, he still liked to wear them.
Ashes had only been here for a few months, so their supplies were always rather tight.
The sand on the beach was really soft. Pilazzo followed a small path back to the town. The wooden gates were half-open and there were quite a few crossbow-wielding soldiers on the walls. Seeing Pilazzo return with a small patrol squad, the soldiers let them in.
Most of the low wooden houses in the town were newly built after cutting down trees. Smoke was rising from the chimneys of many of the wooden houses. Pilazzo smiled and said, "Soldiers, you've worked hard today. Go back and have a good sleep."
"Yes, vice-commander," the soldiers saluted.
The layout of the town was personally planned by Pilazzo. The expeditionary force he led could no longer be called an expeditionary force. Ever since Fu Gen appeared and united the soldiers, they had long forgotten about the Tyrell Kingdom.
Everyone firmly believed that only by following the Legion Commander could they have an incomparably bright future.
The two-story wooden house at the center of the town was the largest house in the town. It was meticulously designed to be both airy and artistic. Fu Gen lived there.
The sound of a lute could be faintly heard from within the house, making the cool winter night feel even more comfortable. The sound of the lute was graceful and mellow, revealing the endless reminiscence of the past as well as the power of new life.
Pilazzo knocked on the door. "Commander? I'm Pilazzo. I have something to discuss with you. "
"Fernando? Please come in. "
Rumble. The door was pushed open.
A man so handsome that he didn't seem human sat in the middle of the room. The firewood on the ground was still burning. Above the fire was a large iron pot with milky-white fish soup boiling inside. The commander of Ashes, Fu Gen, sat behind the pot with a lute in his hand. He strummed the strings and sang. The image of a golden double-headed eagle appeared on the wall behind the hall as if a pair of golden wings had spread out behind Fu Gen's back.
Pilazo had the urge to worship the man in front of him every time he saw him. Pilazo, who had been rolling in a pile of corpses for 20 years, had such a feeling. It was no wonder that the soldiers worshipped their leader so much, the mercenary leader thought.
Seeing Pilazzo coming in, Forgen continued to play the instrument elegantly. He spent a dozen seconds to draw a perfect end to the beautiful night tune before putting the lute beside him. "Have you had your dinner, my deputy commander?"
"Not yet."
"Then let's eat together." Fu Gen smiled faintly, making the mercenary leader feel flattered. The Legion Commander's face always had a smile that wasn't a smile, and no one knew what he was thinking. "Okay."
Taking ceramic bowls from the table beside them, the two of them each filled a bowl. The fish soup made from the fat basa and abalone was very nutritious. The tall Fulgen used a large spoon to fill a bowl and then switched to a smaller spoon to eat. Even in such a desolate place, far away from civilization, he still maintained the elegance and impeccable nobility of a noble.
Pilazzo looked at the golden double-headed eagle image on the wall behind him and then looked at Fu Gen. He thought that the person in front of him must be a noble of the Empire, and definitely a noble of the rank of Duke or above. He must be unwilling to be manipulated by his family, so he concealed his identity and went on an expedition to carve out a career for himself.
It must be so.
"What business does my vice-commander have with me?" After eating a few mouthfuls, Fu Gen put down his spoon, his long silver hair falling smoothly from his ears.
"Commander, I think we can enter the forest to explore," Pilazzo said in a low voice. "The training of the soldiers has been fruitful, and the time has come."
"Does my vice-commander think the time has come?" Fu Gen was still smiling.
"Yes …" For some reason, Pilazzo felt very unconfident, especially in front of Fu Gen. In order to cover up his lack of confidence, Pilazzo emphasized, "I think the fighting strength of the army is already good enough."
"Have you come into contact with the primitive races in the forest?" Fu Gen asked.
"No, the first to come into contact with these primitive races was a famous navigator called Leonardo. When he came to Luscia to explore, he saw the race we call lizardmen fighting with the dark elves. That was the first time he confirmed the existence of an ancient race in the forest," Pilazzo explained. "There is a lot of gold and treasure in the forest. Leonardo took advantage of the battle between the lizardmen and dark elves to sneak into one of their ruins and steal a wooden chest of wealth. After returning to Tyrell, this explorer wantonly showed off his harvest to everyone, which made the kingdom decide to form an expeditionary army. But after several expeditionary armies went there, there was no news, and only a few lucky ones returned with wealth. Just like that, one or two hundred years have passed, and we are already the fifth expeditionary army."
"Hmm … So that's how it is. Then why do you think our fighting strength is enough to fight against these ancient races?" Fu Gen only asked, not giving an answer. "Our main mission is to establish a colony here."
"But we need an excuse to unite and gather the morale of the army. We need a goal. The soldiers think that there is gold everywhere in the forest. They need gold, and so do we. We need a large sum of money to return to our homeland and call for more people to come to the new world. We need backup. An army of five thousand can't do much in this dangerous place." Pilazzo advised, "Colonization is important, but wealth is more important."
"I see." Fu Gen maintained his smile. "In that case, after the Winter Veil festival, let the soldiers prepare to depart."
"Yes, sir!" Pilazzo knew that Fu Gen had agreed to this plan. The mercenary leader let out a sigh of relief and asked the question he had been wondering for a long time. "Commander, are you … a descendant of a great noble of the Empire?"
"Why do you say that?"
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