Lanterns were lit every night in Culona. Different areas had different lights. Some were magic lanterns, while others were just simple torches. Squads of soldiers and serfs patrolled the city walls and streets. The City of Millennia was free from the shadow of the undead, and order was restored.
In the private church of the Culona Palace, the ceiling was made of colorful glass, and the room was decorated with carpets imported from Tyrell and tapestries made by the prophets of the Lake God. There were also paintings and sculptures that recorded the great stories of their ancestors. Most of them were the glorious deeds of the first Duke of Connet, Kalliod the Brave.
Kalliod the Brave was the brother of the first Duke of Lyonnesse, Schirruff the Brave. They went hunting together when they were young. Unfortunately, they encountered a lion during the hunt. Surprisingly, the two brothers killed the adult lion together, skinned the lion, and put on the lion's skin. The two brothers became famous in Brittany. After the rise of Arthur, Schirruff and Kalliod joined the team of "Companions of the Holy Grail" one after the other.
Therefore, on the family coat of arms, the Connet family was a red and blue lion, while the Lyonnesse family was a white and red lion that breathed fire. This was the reason why they both chose the lion as an important part of the family coat of arms.
After that, the Duke of Connet, also known as Connet, occupied the throne of the Knight King more often. This was because the capital, Culona, was located in the Duchy of Connet, so the Duke of Connet always had more opportunities.
Duke Lauan Leo Cornwall was fully armed. He knelt alone in the room of his family's private church. His face was full of weakness, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
The northern part of Brittania had turned into a land of nightmares. The undead were wreaking havoc everywhere. Matthew Bad and his undead army had already reached Culona and almost destroyed the country.
When Lauren woke up, order had been restored, but all that was left for him were exhausted knights and serfs struggling in hunger. Perhaps the only good news was that the capital had not been destroyed, but the whole city was discussing a terrible matter: "Viper" Matthew Bad was Duke Lauren's illegitimate son.
In this regard, Lawn could not make any excuses, nor did he want to make excuses for himself. The glorious Knight of the Holy Grail would not lie. He had never intended to deny that Matthew Bad was indeed his illegitimate son. This was his sin, and he had to bear it himself.
The face of the child's mother flashed in front of Lauan's eyes from time to time, and the Duke fell into deep sorrow.
"In the end, I couldn't protect anything. My family, my child, my subordinates, and even myself."
Matthew "the Viper" Matthew Bad had died on the banks of the Sunnes River. Earl Laing, who defeated him, should now be Duke Muxilon. He was leading a huge army of Brittany knights, Empire mercenaries, dwarven allies, and wood elves to sweep through Muxilon, working hard to recover the kingdom's territory that had been lost for three hundred years. It took Lauan several weeks to recover from his serious illness and pain.
Outside Richard Castle, Lauren had almost lost his life to Matthew Bard's Viper Sword. It was his Hippogryph, Biquis, who had saved him. For a long time, Lauren and his Hippogryph had no choice but to drag their heavily injured bodies to survive in the wild. He was seriously injured, and without food or medicine, he had almost lost himself in the wilderness.
The only thing that saved him was the Sword of Culona in his hand. No matter what the situation was, this divine weapon would always emit a bright light, guiding the way. The sword's body was constantly filled with warmth, helping to replenish his strength. The wilderness in the north of Brittany was not a safe place. There were often marauding Noskas, scattered green-skinned tribes, and the occasional undead, which almost made Lauan despair.
In the end, he still returned to Culona, and then he fell seriously ill.
Pain, self-blame, sorrow, and shame almost crushed Lauan. Many times, he almost succumbed to the power of the disease. Many times, he felt the call of hell. Only the Lady of the Lake spoke to him in the depths of his consciousness. The voice of the Lady of the Lake was as soft as the fur of a unicorn, giving Lauan strength. Her divine power poured into Lauan's body, helping to maintain his life. The Lady of the Lake encouraged Lauan to summon the courage to face all this again.
Lauan was in so much pain that he did not want to wake up and face reality. The Duke prayed to the Lady of the Lake to let him leave this world peacefully, to let him be free, to end his duty and mission, and to let his soul be redeemed.
But his Lady of the Lake refused. At this time, the voice of the Lady of the Lake became as cold and ruthless as the sharpest blade. The Lady of the Lake coldly refused Lauan's request. She calmly told Lauan that he could not end his duty, that he could not seek relief like this. When Lauan enjoyed the gift and glory of the Holy Grail, he had to pay an equal price. He could not die like this. The Lady of the Lake would not allow his cowardice and avoidance. She would not allow it.
A lifetime of chivalry and devotion had doomed Lauan's choice. He could not refuse the Lady of the Lake's request. He would obey, and he could only obey.
Thus, the power of the Lady of the Lake pulled him back from the gates of hell. Lauan grasped hope, and also his own life.
Now, the recovered Lauan Leo Cornwall knelt in front of the statue of the Lady of the Lake. Every tapestry, every portrait, and every sculpture in the room told the ancient history of his family. At the end of the room, the statue of the Lady of the Lake stood alone. The Lady of the Lake's face was very calm. Her will was hidden behind the statue's faint smile, elusive and inviolable.
"My Lady, what should I do?" Lauan whispered. He clenched the Sword of Colona. The bright light from the sword made the room seem less dark. The candle was still burning. Lauan repeatedly prayed for the Lady of the Lake's answer, just like he had been taught since he was a child. It was like hearing the Lady of the Lake's soft words again when he was in a trance. He longed to hear the Lady of the Lake's guidance again.
But only silence answered him.
"Lauan, are you there?" At this time, an old voice came from outside the room.
"I'm here, Uncle."
It was the current Knight King, Richard, who came in from the door. The old King wore a light blue silk robe and a white satin shirt. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better." Lauan turned around. The Duke looked at his uncle and suddenly felt that Richard had changed a little. It had only been a few days since they last saw each other.
When he was King, Richard naturally had a domineering aura. Although he was old, he was still deep and unfathomable.
But since Lauan recovered, Richard's aura had changed. He was now like an ordinary old man, with a sense of elegance and easygoing. The two sat opposite each other in the room.
The future King has been chosen, and Uncle has been relieved of his burden, right? Lauan seemed to understand something.
Richard said kindly, "The Royal Council has come to a conclusion. Whether it's the Lake Goddess, Morgiana, Berchemund, François, or Laing, none of them intend to pursue your mistakes too much. Laing even suggested that you continue to be the Regent of the Kingdom. This is good news."
"Uncle …" Lauan did not know where to begin. He lowered his head in shame. "I've failed you."
"It's fine, it's fine." Richard waved his hand and smiled. "Actually, this is good. I suddenly understand that neither you nor I can lead the Kingdom out of this predicament."
"Laing is really a great knight." It would be a lie to say that Lauan was not moved by Laing's decision to not pursue his mistakes. After hearing the news, he felt relieved. Duke Connet sighed. "If it weren't for him, Matthew Bard would have definitely subverted this country."
Richard did not answer Lauan's words. On the contrary, the old Knight King suddenly smiled and said, "In fact, even without Matthew Bard, this country is about to be subverted. The outbreak of the undead is just a catalyst. This country is like a speeding carriage. The horses have long since disappeared. We all rely on manpower to desperately support the carriage and run wildly with the carriage."
"Uncle?" Lauan couldn't help but laugh. The Duke shook his head repeatedly. "Your metaphor is too …"
"I'm not joking." Richard stroked his beard and smiled. "When did there start to be no horses? Probably after the incident at Dore Tower. Since then, the carriage, which had lost control, ran faster and faster, and became more and more uncontrollable. As kings, we could only support it with all our might. His Majesty Tayloff used all his strength to push the carriage back onto the road. After that, the two tyrants, John I and John II, thought that they could still control the carriage like holding the reins, but in the end, they almost pushed the carriage into a deep ditch by the side of the road. "
Lauan listened silently. He suddenly felt a little sad. He knew what Richard wanted to say next.
"Didn't I want to control this carriage when I first became king?" Richard continued with a smile. "I also tried my best, but I saw it more clearly than John I and John II. That is, I can support this kingdom with all my strength, but I can't control it again. So after the first few years of being blocked, I spent the last thirty years as a paperhanger, reconciling the relationship between the dukes. Stability and compromise have always been my label."
"It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't. If I continue to insist on controlling the carriage, I will only end up like John II and be pulled down from the throne." Richard continued, "Now it seems that even if you become king, you are stronger and more talented. You will support it much better than me, but you can't change the fact that the carriage continues to run wildly, and you can't change the fact that the horse is gone."
"Uncle …" Lauan's eyes were filled with tears. After such a major blow, Lauan had more understanding of everything in the kingdom. He understood Richard's position. When he was young and impetuous, he had complained about why Richard turned a blind eye to the kingdom's many problems. Now it seemed that he was not blind, but unable to change it. "Then why can Laing?"
"Have you ever seen the Empire's steam tanks?" Richard laughed even more happily. "Laing directly gave up looking for a horse to control the carriage. He knows the carriage's problems better than anyone else, and he has more strength than all of us combined. While holding the carriage, he slowly replaced the parts, added new parts, and eliminated the old ones. Unknowingly, he had already changed the wooden carriage into a semi-steam-powered iron carriage. At this time, it is not so important whether there is a horse or not, but Laing also found the horse at the same time."
"He has now controlled the carriage and is preparing to find the horse and put it back on the carriage."
"Mu Xilong … is that horse!" Lauan said involuntarily. "I understand!"
"Yes, Mu Xilong is that horse. No matter which king knows this." Richard nodded. "But even if everyone knows, they still can't catch it."
"Now it's up to Laing to see if he can do it." Richard finally made a conclusion. He stroked his long white beard and said, "Ron, your father, Louis, came to see you before. He left a message for me to pass on."
"It's definitely not a compliment." Lauan thought of his father, Louis, the Upright (also known as "Upright" Louis), and could only smile bitterly.
"He said you reap what you sow."
"Hahahaha!" Lauan laughed self-deprecatingly. His laughter was filled with endless sadness.
"Yes, I reap what I sow."
… I sow what I sow …
Early July, Cursed City, Mu Xilong.
An army of more than 20,000 had surrounded the city. The number of undead guards in Mu Xilong had been reduced to the lowest in history. The Blood Dragon Family vampires who stayed in Mu Xilong did not dare to go out of the city to fight. They were trapped in the city and prepared to defend it to the death.
At this time, no one doubted that the knight army led by Laing could take down Mu Xilong's castle.
But the next situation made everyone feel that it was tricky.
Laing's army attacked fiercely for a week. Dozens of cannons fired at the same time. The rain of arrows from the wood elves and the dense barrage from the thunder gunners firmly suppressed the vampires' counterattack. But Mu Xilong was still incomparably sturdy. The tens of meters high walls seemed to be mocking the knight's army for overestimating themselves.
After a few days of continuous attacks, Mu Xilong was still standing. There were no signs that it was going to fall. The vampires stationed here were determined to resist to the end. Belegar led the army several times to approach the city gate, but they were repelled by the undead's blood tide or poisonous fog. Because Mu Xilong was located at the mouth of the river, it was impossible to dig a tunnel.
The only effective siege weapon was the magic crystal cannon, "Morgiana's New Toy." It blasted a gap in the city wall several times, but the undead wizards stationed in the city would immediately chant undead magic to strengthen the city wall and mobilize the tireless skeleton warriors to fill the gap.
In the camp of the knights outside the city, Leon and the others felt that it was very troublesome for them to not be able to defeat the enemy after so long.
"It seems that we have to change the plan."
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