Above the vast ocean, the sea breeze blew and the blue waves rippled.
The vast ocean water surged back and forth above the surface of the ocean. Dozens of Empire warships were following the sea route above the vast ocean to the new world, Luscia.
It was a mysterious and great place. Since five hundred years ago, adventurers from Estalia, knights from Brittany, and explorers from Tyrell had all gone to Luscia and obtained amazing wealth.
Gold was everywhere, but danger was everywhere. This was what all the adventurers who went to Luscia said when they returned. It was a country where gold, silver, and gems could be dug out from any ruins. But at the same time, the natives there did not welcome any outsiders. Their hearts were as barbaric as their actions. After many adventurers made a fortune, they were unwilling to return to that place, no matter the price they had to pay.
The first explorer who successfully explored Luscia was called Mark Columbus, a mercenary captain from Tyrell. He entered Luscia during a legendary expedition and successfully came into contact with the lizardmen. The explorer was alone at that time and was almost swallowed by a giant beast. But the spirit lizard priests who heard the news rushed over and brought him to the lizardmen temple pyramid. There, Mark Columbus met a priest of Slane. The priest greeted him and told him that the ancient saint had long predicted his arrival and that their meeting was destined.
Mark Columbus thus established a friendly relationship with the lizardmen. He received a set of Slane magic jewelry, a Slane wine gourd, and twelve boxes of treasures. The mercenary captain made a fortune and returned to the old world after witnessing the great battle between the lizardmen and the dark elves, bringing with him countless legends.
Relying on this wealth, Mark Columbus became one of the most powerful mercenary warlords of Tyrell at that time. He also went to Luscia for the second time to explore, fighting side by side with the lizardmen against the invading Noska tribe.
Mark Columbus's success made the whole old world go crazy. The Age of Great Voyages began, and hundreds of fleets were formed and sent to Luscia by the nobles of the old world who longed for gold and glory.
Then, except for a few ships that returned full of gold and silver, there was no news of them.
Therefore, after a long time, the Empire and Brittany, who were under the most external pressure, basically gave up trying to develop the land of Luscia. They focused their attention on the closer islands of Araby and Obien. Only Estalia and Tyrell, who had always enjoyed a peaceful atmosphere, could not forget the wealth of Luscia. Even if the fleets never returned, the people of these two places still tirelessly sent expeditionary forces to try to develop new territory in that magical country.
Moreover, the expeditions were not completely without returns.
Just a few years ago, an expeditionary force from Tyrell finally succeeded in establishing a frontline base at the Isthmus of Luscia. Not only did the mercenaries succeed in landing on the coast, but they also obtained the astonishing wealth of the lizardmen. Ships of gold were transported back to their own countries by the mercenaries of Tyrell. The supreme glory and the dream of making a fortune quickly led to a huge craze.
Power, reputation, and strength. The man who possessed countless riches in all of Luscia, the commander of the Ashes Army, Fogen, had made the adventurers, mercenaries, and explorers of the Old World rush to Luscia like a flock of ducks with just one sentence from him when he was recruiting troops.
"Do you want to obtain wealth? Do you want to win glory? "
"If you want it, I'll give it all to you! It's at the end of the Grand Sea Route. Go look for it to your heart's content! "
Forgen's success proved that the exploration of Luscia was still full of opportunities. When he came to the old world to recruit troops, the Estalians and Tyrellians joined the Ashes Corps in large groups, becoming new recruits and preparing to go to Luscia.
However, the people of the Empire scoffed at Forgen's recruitment.
Forgen? Where did this person come from?
Ashes Corps? Never heard of this name!
In the eyes of the nobles of the Empire, this so-called commander was a traitor, a traitor to humanity. He actually mixed with the lizardmen, which was simply unforgivable. If he was caught by the demon hunters and the church, he would definitely be tied to the stake and burned to death.
Hmm … It was said that he and Laing Macado were blood brothers?
Then they would be lenient and let his brother pay the ransom.
Just like that, not only did the Empire reject Forgen's request for cooperation, the Rick territory under Karl-franz's rule also secretly formed a brand new army, the Empire's Luscia Expeditionary Army. This army consisted of 8,000 people and was divided into three waves, preparing to head to the new world.
Amidst the sea breeze and waves, the Empire's battleships sailed at full speed. The Empire's Hunter General, Erik Von Shankel, stood on the deck with satisfaction, looking at the distant sea. "Soldiers, sailors, we have arrived at the Tarantula Sea. In another week, we will reach Luscia's Tokan Shrine. The expeditionary army's vanguard has already established an outpost there."
"Oh! That's great! Praise be to Karl-franz. "
"In the name of Emperor Charlemagne, I'm really tired of this kind of sea."
"I can't wait to do something big."
"It's said that there are many giant beasts in the forest. Their meat must be very delicious. We can roast, stew, and even fry them! Look, I even brought a big iron pot this time! "
"Hahahaha!"
The Empire's sailors and Empire's soldiers on the deck joked. They felt like they were on a vacation, each of them dreaming of making a fortune. Everyone talked and laughed. The Hunter General, Erik, held a bottle of rum in one hand and a mandarin orange in the other.
Storing some fruits like mandarin oranges that didn't spoil easily during a voyage to avoid sepsis was the experience of the High Elves. The Empire's people did as they were told.
"Alright, everyone, don't let your guard down. Ruthia isn't a place for sightseeing." Erik reminded the soldiers not to be careless. "The natives there have never welcomed us. We don't know how that man called Forgen got involved with the lizardmen, but we are honorable people of the Empire. We came here in the name of Emperor Karl-franz. We will never compromise or submit to the lizardmen. Therefore, we must go to war with the inhabitants of the forest."
"Then let's go!" One of the Empire's captains was in high spirits. "Listen to me, brothers. What kind of trash and weaklings are Forgen and his Ashes Corps? They're just a motley crew formed by a group of conscripts and mercenaries from the southern countries. They earned some gold by working for the lizardmen. How can those trash compare to our Empire's army? "
"That's right. God knows how this Forgen got involved with the lizardmen," the warship's first mate said casually.
"Hey, I have a rumor. It's said that this so-called commander of the Ashes Corps is very handsome, very, very handsome," the Empire's soldier said in a vulgar tone with bad intentions. "Maybe he's a prostitute?"
"Hahahaha!" The Hunter General, Erik Von Shankel, and the others laughed loudly together. They were very happy.
The previous warnings to not be careless and careful had been thrown to the back of their minds.
"Where's that Brittany?" The few of them laughed for a while, and the Hunter General suddenly remembered something.
"He's resting in the cabin. He might still be praying." Speaking of this, the Empire's expression became serious.
The Brittany in the cabin was not an ordinary person.
"I see." The Hunter General, Erik, thought for a while and said to the first mate, "If he needs anything, try to satisfy his request. He's Duke Laing's … You all know that our Empire has a good relationship with the Knight King Kingdom on the other side of the mountain. If there's a problem because of us, all of you will be court-martialed!"
"Understood!"
The warship continued to sail in the Tarantula Sea.
A week later.
"My knight, my strong knight."
"I have a sacred and great mission to entrust to you."
"After several years of expeditions, your soul and body, your courage and wisdom have all been honed. You have killed evil beasts, you have promoted the spirit of chivalry, you have challenged powerful and terrifying enemies, or you have shown courage on the magnificent battlefield."
"Therefore, I have decided to entrust this sacred mission to you."
"Go to the new world, go to Lucia. Go there and meet up with Laing's brother, Forgen. The moonlight and clear spring will guide your path forward."
"When you need me, go to the land of pure water and ask for my existence."
The expedition knight knelt in the cabin, recalling the guidance of the goddess in the lake. His eyes were closed, and his blonde hair fell down his cheeks. There was no expression on his handsome face.
The armor on his body was tattered, and the exquisite two-handed broadsword made by the dwarven craftsmen during the expedition was chipped. His robe was torn, and there was even a deep claw mark on his helmet.
Only the golden statue of the goddess in the lake was still bright and clean. The expedition knight carefully wiped the statue, recalling the goddess' revelation in his mind.
Knock, knock, knock. Just as he closed his eyes and prayed, the door of the cabin rang. The expedition knight's recollection was interrupted, and he was very unhappy. "What is it?"
"Sir, lunch is ready. Also, General Erik wants me to tell you that we will be arriving at the Tokan Temple at dusk today." The person outside the door obviously heard the expedition knight's displeasure.
"… I see. You can leave the things at the door." The expedition knight's sea blue eyes were full of displeasure, but he remembered that he was on a Empire warship, so he decided to keep his temper for now.
"Okay, thank you." The sailor at the door put the tray on the ground and quickly left.
The expedition knight opened the door and finished his lunch. Then he returned to his original position and continued to pray.
A few hours later, the Empire's expeditionary force officially set foot on the land of Lucia.
On the coast of Lucia, the Empire's vanguard had already built a simple camp and port. They cut down hundreds of trees to build a wooden wall, and then set up hundreds of tents. The Empire's vanguard had about two thousand people. They had already opened up a path, and many patrols were patrolling with torches. Even though it was November, the place was still hot, and the smell was more than twenty degrees. When the Empire's warships entered the port and began to unload, the humid and hot wind that blew in their faces made the Empire's soldiers uncomfortable. They were used to the dry and cold weather in the Empire's Dark Forest, so coming to Lucia again was not a good idea for their bodies.
The Empire's expeditionary force did not have any particularly powerful elites. The core of the force was made up of Empire swordsmen, Empire pikemen, Empire archers, and Empire crossbowmen. The only weapons they had were mortar cannons. Other than that, the nobles of Rick had prepared some horses and two hundred muskets for them.
Even so, the Hunter General Erick was still proud of himself. He strode down the warship and looked into the distance while there was still a faint light in the evening.
Less than two kilometers away from the camp on the beach, many layers of trees covered the sky. Even the mountains and plateaus were covered. Some of the trees were hundreds of feet tall, and they were even older than the human race. The ground of the forest was also blocked by dense bushes. Other than the paths that animals often used, there were almost no real roads. The visibility here was limited. The air was thick and often covered in fog.
"Hey, this is a good place to make a fortune." Erick smiled. A canyon with dense ferns? Huge towering trees and moss-covered floodplains?
Wasn't this the hunting ground of the Empire's hunters?
"What's the situation? How much do you know about the current situation? "Erick called for the vanguard.
"The Temple of Tokan is about sixty kilometers away from here." Vanguard Gong saluted and said, "We have sent out a few waves of scouts. This temple seems to have been abandoned for a long time. There are no lizardmen guarding it at all. The scouts found a lot of … General, you should see this!"
A few Empire soldiers came to the Hunter General with a large cloth bag. The bag was filled with gold, silver, and dazzling emeralds!
"That's great! His Majesty will definitely like these!" The Hunter General laughed and gestured for his men to collect the items and ship them back to the Empire. "Very well, soldiers. We will continue to advance until all the wealth of this land belongs to us. For the Empire, for Charlemagne, for Karl-franz!"
"Yes!" The Empire soldiers were filled with the desire for wealth and glory. "For the Empire!"
The Expedition Knight was the last to disembark. His iron boots landed on Lucia's land. At this time, he noticed that the Empire's Hunter General Erick was arguing with a group of soldiers in purple armor. "What's going on?"
A sailor beside him explained, "It's the Ash Corps, a group of traitors to the human race!"
The Expedition Knight ignored the sailor and strode forward.
"This is a warning from the Ash Corps. People of the Empire, do not go deep into the forest." Under the leadership of an officer, several soldiers of the Ashes Corps were arguing with the general of the empire. "Don't go to the west, it's dangerous. There are countless green tribes there. Don't go to the east, it's dangerous. There are countless vampire pirates and undead armies there. Don't go to the south, it's even more dangerous!"
It's even more dangerous there! "" Haha, then where can we go? "Erick roared in dissatisfaction." North? Back the way we came? That's enough, you traitors of humanity. Seeing that we're all fellow humans, get out of my sight right now! Now! "
"No, don't be like this. We are giving you advice!" The Ash Corps' officer was so angry that his whole body trembled. "Remember, don't take wealth that doesn't belong to you. Otherwise, disaster will befall you!"
Before he could finish, the Hunter General was already impatient. He clapped his hands, and dozens of bows, crossbows, and guns were aimed at the soldiers of the Ash Corps. "Enough, we don't want to listen to you spreading rumors here. Get lost, or we will kill you!"
The soldiers and officers of the Ash Corps had ugly expressions. They could only 'leave angrily'. These people still had sneers and mockery on their faces. The Empire's soldiers thought that perhaps this was their last bit of stubbornness.
"Humph, you made a fortune, but you don't allow others to make a fortune. Lucia's wealth belongs to everyone!" Erick laughed coldly. "Rest for two days. Two days later, we will immediately head south to the Tokan Temple. The gold, silver, and gems will all be ours!"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!"
The expeditionary knight was still expressionless. He took out a few gold coins and bought a lot of food and supplies from the Empire's expeditionary army. He then followed the soldiers of the Ash Corps into the forest of Lucia.
A few hours later, deep in the dark forest of Lucia.
"Highlord, a new human army has arrived in Luscia."
"Are they the reinforcements of the Ancient Saint's son?"
"No, they seem to be from another human country. They call themselves the Empire, and they don't listen to the advice of the Ancient Saint's son …"
"Since they are not the reinforcements of the Ancient Saint's son, it doesn't matter what they are. These stupid hot-blooded people will only hinder the progress of the plan. They must be eliminated."
"Brother Rock, go deal with these hot-blooded people."
"Yes!"
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