Even though conscripting an army would definitely affect the spring plowing, Laing and the others couldn't care less.
If Matthew Bad were to capture the capital, the consequences would be disastrous.
Fortunately, Laing had a plan beforehand. He had deduced in advance how to conscript serfs and how many serfs would be mobilized if the war didn't go well. Therefore, after he gave the order, Lopes and Olivier, who were guarding the territory, immediately responded and conscripted an army according to the original plan. Veronica, who had been preparing for a long time, also led a team of apprentices to the frontlines.
After the Southern knights rested and reorganized for a long time, Laing ordered the army to prepare for departure.
However, what Matthew Bad didn't expect was that the knights in the south were even faster than him. When Matthew Bad entered the duchy of Le-Angoulan and was about 100 kilometers away from Colona, Leon's army had already passed through the Arden forest and set up camp at the border of the forest. They were now less than 50 kilometers away from Colona.
How did Laing's army move so quickly?
It was indeed thanks to the participation of the Wood Elves. King of the Forest Ao Laing and Queen of the Forest Aleil knew that if Matthew Bad succeeded in becoming the King of Brittany, this kingdom would become a kingdom ruled by the Undead. This was something the Wood Elves couldn't tolerate. Therefore, when Laing and the others were discussing whether to take a detour through Lyonnaise or pass through the Arden Forest, Ao Laing appeared and said that it wouldn't be troublesome.
We'll take a shortcut.
Brittany used to be one of the most important colonies of the Elven Empire in the Old World. After the High Elves retreated from the Old World, the Wood Elves who didn't want to retreat chose to stay and live in the forest.
Therefore, the Wood Elves left many guiding stones in Brittany. The roots of the Oak of Ages were spread all over the world. Although some of them had withered and rotted under the influence of Chaos, most of them were still alive. The Wood Elves could use these roots to travel to most areas of the world.
The Wood Elves opened up the roots of the Oak of Time, and the path to Culona opened up before everyone.
It was a sea of green. After the roots of the Oak of Time opened up a path for everyone, the mysterious underground world was revealed to them. The voice of the Forest Essence echoed in the tunnel, and the pure energy of life reverberated in the air. The Empire's army was shocked speechless, as if they had seen a new continent. The Brittany Knights had a deeper understanding of the situation. For many years, the Knights had always thought that Exoloren was a haunted and abominable land. They had never thought that the inhabitants of this land would possess such great power that they could travel freely in this sacred land of Brittany.
Of course, since they wanted to use the path of the Wood Elves, both the Humans and the Dwarves had to listen to the Wood Elves. Otherwise, as long as the Forest Elves chanted a spell, the entire army would be buried deep underground. Perhaps the Dwarves could survive by digging tunnels, but the Humans would not last more than a few days.
After the Humans and the Dwarves entered the underground world, the Wood Elves warned that if any of them dared to chop firewood or try to use weapons to harm the roots of the World Tree, Eslai would chop them up and use them to nourish the land.
This was especially true for the Dwarves. Throughout history, the Forest Elves had organized many exploration teams to enter Exoloren to obtain high-quality hardwood and gemstone veins. However, they were all wiped out.
Just as the wood elves expected, the dwarves were amazed by the environment. Their minds were now filled with the desire to take some samples back for research, but they couldn't do it because of their previous promise. Belega carefully observed the roots of the Oak of Time and muttered, "Really, how many tools can you make with this much high-quality hardwood? It's not a big deal to chop off a little bit. Won't it grow back quickly? "
"If you dare to touch the Oak of Ages, I'll chop off your head." Aralos said in a threatening tone, "I'm a man of my word, Dwarf."
"Hmph, come if you can. We don't know who will be the one to chop off who. Damn pointy ears!" Bellegar shouted angrily, but he quickly realized that they were still allies. What if these pointy ears attacked him and made him stay underground?
"I'm saying, uh, pointy ears friend. Although your ears are sharp and long, just like the soft and blunt spear in your hand, your archery skills are not bad. Yes, not bad. Just a little worse than the Dwarves." Bellegar hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
Aralos was speechless. He almost wanted to stab Bellegar's face with his spear. Is this a compliment? It's better if he doesn't say it! He felt that Bellegar wanted to fight. If it wasn't for the fact that he would lose his composure in front of Goddess Lilith, Aralos would have challenged Bellegar to a duel.
The strength of these two was about the same, roughly around the peak of Legend rank. Aralos was very young while Bellegar was already a veteran. It could only be said that the lifespan of the Wood Elves was very long. These forest dwellers had truly found a way to coexist with nature. Thus, even among the Elves, the Wood Elves had the longest lifespan. Most Wood Elves could live for two to three thousand years.
On the other side, Laing was speaking fluent High Elves language to King of the Forest, Ao Laing. Nobody could understand, but from Ao Laing's expression, they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. The Wild Riders and Thorn Sisters heard Laing mention a few terms, such as "Mountains of gold and silver are not as good as rivers and mountains", "Sustainable development", "Defeat all the Orcs", and "Kill Morgul and Dryads." Ao Laing nodded profusely.
"Trowek, I can see that this battle has been hard on you." Veronica, the Gallan Witch, had also come to the frontlines. She held Yuntini's staff in her hand and admired the Sorceress' pale face and unsteady steps. "Looks like you've used up all your mana again?"
"This battle was unexpectedly difficult. We fought against the Chaos Army. The two-headed bird monster was too strong." Teresa recalled the incident and felt a little scared. "Laing, Sir Kalad, and Her Highness Morgiana were no match for the Chaos Archfiend. I didn't dare to go over and could only watch from afar."
"Isn't that obvious? What do you think the Chaos Archfiend is? " Veronica's bright face was full of sarcasm, but at the same time, she was also a little scared. "Damn it, we actually encountered a Chaos Archfiend during the attack on Muxilon. If I had known, I wouldn't have waited at the Magus Tower."
"It was winter. How many spells could you cast in the humid and cold environment of Muxilon?" Teresa looked at the stubborn Veronica with disdain.
The witch apprentices behind them were also following behind their respective instructors. They were clearly separated from each other.
Even so, they still exchanged information.
Teresa learned that Madam Suria's belly was gradually getting bigger. The territory was peaceful for the time being. Laing's brother, Anglo, had stopped farming and focused on patrolling to protect his unborn nephew.
In the middle of the lake, an entire tree of Skaven rat-men assassins hung outside the passage of the Andromeda Tower. All of them were killed in a single blow, proving that the Skaven rat-men were real.
Veronica learned that Laing had already obtained the title of Duke of Muxilon. He already had the legal basis of the title, and now he was waiting for the official letter of appointment from the Knight King.
"Really? He's already a Duke now. " Veronica reached out and tucked her long black hair behind her ear. She sighed and said, "Can you imagine that Laing was just an ordinary knight a decade ago?"
"That's right. Time flies." Teresa nodded in agreement. "It's been nine years since I set off from Nord with Laing to chase after Berthe."
The conversation between the two witches attracted the attention of others. François, Duke of Winford, and Berchemund, Duke of Bastogne, joined the conversation. As Laing's father-in-law, François had met the two witches many times, so he was quite familiar with them.
"Miss Veronica, you're one of Laing's earliest companions, aren't you?" François smiled gently. "You've formed a deep friendship and relationship with a man before he's even made a name for himself. Miss Veronica, you really have good taste!"
"Hello, Mr. François, Mr. Berchemund." Veronica and Teresa's conversation was interrupted. Seeing that it was François and Berchemund, the two witches respectfully greeted them.
"A man like Laing can be regarded as the best quality man." Berchemund said in a rough voice. "This old man is praising you on the surface, but he's secretly praising himself. Who in the kingdom doesn't know that Laing is this old man's son-in-law? Everyone says that François has chosen a good husband for Suria! "
"A good man, a good man, needs to be reserved in advance. When I allowed Laing to date Suria, he was just a baron." François stroked his beard proudly. This was indeed his father-in-law's masterpiece in recent years. Now his daughter was a duchess, and most likely the future queen. "Miss Veronica, when you met Laing, he was just a little knight."
"Yes." Veronica nodded. She sighed. "At that time, both of us were poor. When I chose him as my partner, all the official witches in the same batch laughed at me for being a fool. Instead of those lords, knights, and mercenaries in their thirties or forties, I chose a little warrior in his twenties. He could not help me on the path of arcane magic, nor could he provide me with financial help. They laughed at me for wasting my youth. The only thing worth mentioning is that his Godfather is Ivan, the Griffin Duke. However, Ivan has a lot of godchildren, and Laing is just a very insignificant one."
"Hahaha! This may be a common problem among wizards." François nodded. He could not stop laughing.
Due to the characteristics of the profession and the superior status of spellcasters, they were both respected and vigilant. They were destined to be a group of pragmatists and people who valued immediate benefits. When choosing their partners, spellcasters usually only considered two things. The first was whether the other party could help them on the path of arcane magic. The second was whether the other party's social status and wealth could improve their quality of life.
At that time, Laing did not meet any of the two conditions. At best, he only had potential.
"But these witches did not consider that Laing might have thought the same." The sorceress shook her head in a self-deprecating manner. "Now that I think about our adventure together, it's understandable why he's not interested in me. First, I can't help him in his future career. Second, when he was still working hard, I didn't lend him a helping hand. Naturally, he didn't like me."
"I seem to hear someone saying bad things about me." Laing appeared from behind them with a smirk, startling them. The new Duke of Muxilon obviously heard their conversation. He also said frankly, "In fact, when I first started out, I did not have any plans to find a partner. If there was a need, it would be easy to find a suitable place to spend a few silver coins or attend a banquet to find a decent widow. Before I met Veronica, I solved my problem in that way."
"Veronica was an accident. I really did not expect that such a beautiful official witch would take the initiative to become my partner. At that time, the young me was happy and touched. I agreed decisively. I also swore that I would fulfill her dream of having her own wizard tower."
After that, Laing said humorously, "But times have changed. Now, if an official witch stands in front of me and says that she wants to be my partner, I will just smile and refuse. No matter how nice her words are, I will not feel the slightest bit because she is obviously just a person who wants to rely on me to get out of poverty and become rich."
"Hahaha! Me too." François laughed. His father-in-law said meaningfully, "Men, when you are young, don't be in such a hurry to get married. Focus on improving yourself first. When you are good enough, there will be no shortage of women."
Tsk! " The sorceress was a little unhappy. She was too late. Teresa also knew that she could not compete with Suria. Marrying Suria would bring a lot of help to Laing. Laing was a rational person.
"So this is the reason why you want to marry Suria to Laing?" Berchemund disagreed with François's point of view. "You are so bad, old man. You took the lead!"
"Haha!" Laing laughed in agreement. His face was serious again. "Let's end the war as soon as possible. In order to protect the land given to us by the goddess, the Brittany knights have shed their blood. Now is the time to end this turmoil."
"Yes! It's time to end this turmoil. " Berchemund nodded. He was full of hatred. "Matthew Bad, the snake, the traitor, the dog of the undead, the scum who surrendered to the Chaos, will get what he deserves!"
"It's time to end this!"
… I am the dividing line that ends everything …
At the beginning of May, when Matthew Bad finally arrived at the banks of the Sunnes River after more than two weeks, the snake of Mu Xilon saw a scene that made his heart stop.
Just outside the capital of Culona, a large army of Brittany knights, the Empire's Nur mercenaries, the elite warriors of the Angran clan, and the wood elves were ready.
This army had undergone a metamorphosis after the battle with the Chaos Demons. Their front line was tight and murderous. There were five Saint-level combatants. The Green Knight, who was a demigod, and the King of the Forest, Olean, had also joined the battle.
The champion of the Chosen of the Lake Nymphs, Laing Macado, rode the pure-blooded elven warhorse Grape at the front of the army.
Seeing Matthew Bad appear, Laing spoke with an expressionless face. His voice was as cold as the coldest snow in winter, and as angry as the hottest sun in summer.
"You are finally here, Viper of Mu Xilon."
"I am the champion of the Lady's Chosen of the Lake Nymphs. I must save this country, this land given to us by the goddess, from your conspiracy."
"So, Viper, today is your end!"
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