PS: Thank you to reader "You and the Seaside" for the two 50,000 rewards and reader "Cat Slave Aristocrat" for the 100,000 rewards!!! Son of Heaven is here to thank you!
PS2: Originally, the two new Guild Masters should have added a chapter, but as you all know, I've been releasing a lot of chapters recently. I really don't have a single drop left. Today, I can only add a little more to express my gratitude for the five thousand word update!
The battle at the Gate of Valaya finally ended with the retreat of the participating armies. From the results, the expeditionary army defended the Gate of Valaya and repelled the attacks of the Green Dwarfs, the Rat Men, and the Undead. Although they suffered heavy losses, they had basically achieved their strategic goal. It could be considered a pyrrhic victory.
As for the expeditionary army, Belegar's 5,000 Dwarf troops were constantly protected by the Gate of Valaya, so only 800 of them died. There were still 4,200 of them left, and all of them were in perfect condition. The Dwarf Rune Craftsman, Stroud Sincerity, was promoted to Rune Master and Rune Overlord in one fell swoop, becoming another Sanctuary expert.
As for the human army, the casualty rate of the knights and squires was barely acceptable. There were less than 1,000 casualties among the 4,000 knights who participated in the battle, and more than 1,800 casualties among the squires and squires. The Old Guard's four battalions, which had more than 1,500 people, were only left with 1,000 people after counting. The most disastrous loss was the Serf Infantry Regiment. There were originally 15 Serf Infantry Regiments, but after being reorganized, there were less than 8 of them left. Almost half of them died. There were more than 16,000 Serf Infantry Regiments, but there were less than 8,000 of them left.
As for the mercenaries, Kislöw's Sea Spirit Guards were completely annihilated, and Leonardo's Leopard Regiment was completely scattered. This guy took the remaining 200 people and directly escaped from the direction of Kalad's support. They did not enter the Gate of Valaya.
30% of the Forest Rangers were killed.
After counting the casualties, the expeditionary army participated in the battle of Valaya's Gate. Including Belega's 4,000 soldiers, the original 35,000 soldiers had been reduced to 20,000 soldiers.
Skarnik and his Demonic Moon Clan had 60,000 men in the battle. When they retreated to the Eight Peaks Mountain, there were less than 25,000 of them left. The Demonic Moon Clan had lost a large number of the Green Big Boss Battle Gang and the Green Kid Battle Gang in the battle at the Gate of Valaya. The powerful Anaknari Giant Spider Battle Gang had also been wiped out. The Troll Army had also been left in the tunnel. However, the cunning Skarnik did not send in the most elite Black Orc Army and his personal guards, the Night Goblin Fanatics of the Eight Peaks Mountain.
The right-clawed Headhunter Quirk of the Skaven Ratman Moss Clan had also lost over twenty thousand Skaven Ratmen in this battle. Five Stormfiend Rats and six Dimensional Lightning Cannons had all been destroyed. Headhunter Quirk had already sought reinforcements from the Moss Clan's territory located in Carak – Redcloud Mountain.
When Nefrata set out from the Silver Peak Mountain, she finally escaped from the countless undead army. When she returned to the Silver Peak Mountain, only a dozen female vampires of the Lemia Sisterhood were left. As for Kalda and her Lebalas Legion, the losses were not that great. However, this was a matter for another time.
At this time, Laing and the others who had retreated into the Gate of Valaya had no time to think about Kalda and Nefrata.
Two hours later, in the deep and tranquil Earth Vein Network.
Behind the Gate of Valaya was a brand-new dwarven underground network. Although it had been there for a very long time, the underground network behind the gate had not been affected by any attacks or earthquakes. Many ancient runes were still running.
At the top of the tunnel, under the guidance of the rune power of the dwarf rune master Slud, the ancient rune stone began to glow. A great underground fortress gradually appeared in front of the expeditionary army. This fortress was not particularly large. It only had one main castle and two sub-castles built in a cave deep in the mountains, covering an area of less than one hectare. Valaya, one of the three main dwarven gods, had two dozens of meters high idols in front of the underground fortress. Judging from the appearance, it was a short and chubby female dwarf.
On one statue, the Mother Goddess of the Dwarves was wearing a pointed helmet with two horns on her head. Her hair was combed into two big braids. She was wearing a breastplate and chain armor. She was fully armed, holding a rune axe and a shield in her hand.
On the other statue, Valaya was wearing a loose robe. She was holding a baby in her arms and feeding it beer.
This was the Dwarven equivalent.
Bellegar Ironhammer led all the dwarves of the Angran clan to kneel down and pay respect to the Mother Goddess. If it were not for the Mother Goddess's blessing and revelation, the dwarven army would have suffered more than 800 casualties in such a tragic war.
The human army could only remain silent. The knights in broken armor bowed together with the king to show their respect to the Mother Goddess. Valaya's power not only protected the dwarves but also helped the humans. Nefrata and her undead army had always been invincible in front of Valaya's power. She could not resurrect the dead for her use, which was also a great help to the human army.
The bridge, which was more than 200 meters long, led directly to the gate of the fortress. The glowing stones on both sides resonated with each other. The newly promoted Dwarven Saint-level rune master, Sincerity, walked at the front and introduced to Laing and Bellegar, "The Main Shrine of Valaya, also known as the City of Valaya, is the masterpiece of the ancient dwarven rune craftsmen. It is the only shrine of the three main shrines that is not built in the Mountain Kingdom."
"Valaya inspired me in the illusion. She gave me strength and courage." The army crossed the long bridge. Sincerity lit up the runes. The sound of the wheels was accompanied by smoke and dust. A vast and grand hall appeared in front of everyone.
The army began to set up camp in the empty dwarven citadel. The exhausted human army immediately looked for a place to rest in the citadel. They fetched water from the underground river in the main shrine and had a quick meal with dry rations before falling asleep. Some soldiers did not even have time to take off their armor and fell asleep on the ground.
Laing was also badly injured. He took a bath and cleaned his wounds. He then found a side hall to rest.
The dwarves, on the other hand, were very energetic. Seeing that the knights were exhausted, the dwarves took the initiative to take up the task of patrolling and keeping watch. Among them, the direction of the Valaya Gate was the main target of defense. However, the dwarven rangers led by Belegar soon discovered that the collapse of the ancestral hall on the other side of the gate had caused the collapse of the entire underground network outside the gate. It would take at least a few decades for the green dwarves, undead, and rat-men to dig up the underground network again.
Bellegar personally led a group of dwarven rangers to patrol the area. The King of Eight Peak Mountain's heart was pounding. He knew that Laing and his knights had sacrificed a lot in this battle. If it were not for the protection of Valaya, the dwarves would have suffered heavy casualties.
After a few hours of patrol, Bellegar led the rangers back to the city of Valaya in the deep underground network. They were greeted by Stroud the Sincere, the chief of the dwarves, Brock Northstar, and his Northstar Axe Gang.
Brock Northstar was also in high spirits. He said to Bellegar, "Your Majesty, we've checked the underground network in the direction of the Gate of Eight Peak Mountain. Fortunately, the ancestral runes are still working. As long as we need it, we can open the path to Eight Peak Mountain. If we don't need it, the Skaven rats and the green dwarves won't be able to find the rune gate in the smooth rock wall."
"Very good. It seems that we have a safe place for now," Bellegar said with a serious face. The King of Eight Peak Mountain thought for a while and asked, "Have brother Laing and the others woken up?"
"Most of the humans are still resting, but His Majesty Laing and the honorable knights of the Grail have already woken up," Brock Northstar said with full respect.
The knights had won the respect of all the dwarves through their own hard work.
"We still need to discuss with brother Laing about how to continue this war." Bellegar nodded. The King of Eight Peak Mountain walked into the castle.
In a corner of the city of Valaya, the knights of the Grail gathered. Two of them had already returned to the embrace of the Lake Fairy forever.
Laing, who had already woken up, knelt on one knee in front of the remains of many knights. Because of the hasty retreat, many of the knights' bones were not collected and buried.
"Sir Aristide, Sir Froy, Count Dulin, Baron Lopes … The knights who died in this war, as well as the Old Guard and the serfs who sacrificed their lives for the expedition to Eight Peak Mountain, they sacrificed themselves in exchange for this tragic victory for us," Laing said in a low voice. The King closed his eyes in sorrow.
Behind him, the twenty or so knights of the Grail, led by Kalad, Fedmond, and Antelm, all knelt on one knee to pay tribute to the warriors who had sacrificed themselves. Bertrand, the commander of the Old Guard, was also among them. The knights whispered, "Never forget! Never forgive! "
"Revenge!" Laing held the Goddess of Vengeance tightly.
"Never forget! Never forgive!!! "The knights shouted again. Everyone's eyes were burning with the fire of vengeance.
After a short mourning, Laing stood up and took out a weapon. "Everyone, do you know who the owner of this sword is?"
"This is the sword of Blackheart Repp, the Blood of Valor!" Kalad sighed softly and said seriously, "Blackheart Repp … also died in battle."
"He was a respectable warrior. I saw him fight bravely against the warlord of the Skaven Ratmen, Headhunter Quake, in order to buy time." Fedmond also walked up. "In the end, he was no match for him … and was killed."
"A respectable warrior." Antelm also walked up. Count Khuilwu said loudly, "On behalf of the knights, I am willing to announce that the past is written off. He and his independent regiment have won our respect."
"A respectable warrior!" The knights nodded in agreement. Since Blackheart Repp was dead, the knights agreed that everything should end here. From today onwards, they recognized Blackheart Repp's contributions and his status as an independent regiment.
"After Blackheart Repp died in battle, his deputy, Durant, wanted to take back his body, but he only managed to take back this." Ryan gave a signal with his eyes. Durant, whose body was wrapped in bandages and who was limping, walked in with a wooden stick. He took Blackheart Reppu's sword from Ryan's hand and couldn't help but burst into tears. He sobbed, "Commander!"
Everyone was silent.
The losses in this war were great. The knights had excellent armor and shields, so it was not so easy to be killed by armor penetration. After all, most of the green-skinned, ratmen, and undead skeletons had limited armor penetration ability. However, the serfs and infantry were not so well protected.
Reclaiming Eight Peaks Mountain was destined to be an extremely difficult war. It was too naive to think that Eight Peaks Mountain could be completely recovered through one or two decisive battles. Otherwise, Bellegar would not have failed three times in his attempts to reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain. The second time, he had the powerful support of the Supreme King Solgreen's army of ten thousand people to attack Eight Peaks Mountain. In the end, he was forced to retreat.
An expedition was not a treat. The difficulty of the great expedition to reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain was so high. Otherwise, the rewards would not be so generous.
"We will rest here for a while." Laing then ordered, "We have enough supplies for now. The army needs to rest. Please settle down and heal your wounds. As for how to fight next, we will discuss it with King Bellegar."
"Yes!" The knights dispersed in an uproar.
Laing turned around again. The king let out a sigh and did not speak for a long time.
The commander of the forest rangers, Astaire, had also died in battle. This news spread even after they had retreated through the Valaya Gate. When they did a headcount, it was discovered that Astaire had not returned. The half-elf remained on the other side of the gate forever. He did not leave behind any last words. No one even knew how he had fallen.
The sacrifice of the expedition left Laing speechless for a long time. In fact, the Knight King had a premonition of the situation before the expedition. After all, the difficulty of the expedition to Eight Peaks Mountain was well known. However, when it really came to this moment, he still could not hide his grief.
However, the rewards after the bloody battle were also abundant. After experiencing this truly tragic battle, there were more than a hundred knights who had advanced to the Legend rank. One Holy Grail Knight and one expedition knight had broken through to the Legend rank and advanced to the Saint rank.
Even Laing himself was on the verge of breaking through to the Saint rank.
Seventy-three of the old guards had advanced to the Legend rank in one fell swoop after the bloody battle.
The sound of high heels approached from afar. A slim figure hugged the Knight King from behind. The smell of rose perfume covered Laing's sense of smell. A gentle voice whispered in Laing's ear, "My dear, this is not your fault. You have done your best. You have already fought one against two and completed an impossible feat. Those were Nefrata and Gul!"
"Veronica …" Laing turned around and hugged Gallan. The king said softly, "What is it?"
"King Bellegar has asked for you, my dear." Veronica tiptoed and kissed Laing on the lips. "There is a new discovery in the main shrine."
"Well, let's go together."
Ten minutes later, in the main shrine of Valaya.
In the magnificent and solemn hall, thousands of ancient runes were shining. The statue of Valaya stood at the center of the hall, more than forty meters tall. Laing and Bellegar walked side by side. Hundreds of glowing stones lit up under the power of the runes, lighting up the entire hall.
The people who came in were incomparably small. Passing through the golden arches and shining corridors, Laing and the others listened to Rune Master Stroud's explanation.
"Valaya had long predicted that one day, the dwarves would face an unprecedented disaster. The light of the mountains would dim. Therefore, the Mother Goddess did not build her main shrine in the mountains. Instead, she chose to bury it deep underground. This is to give our civilization a chance to survive in times of crisis."
The door of the armory in the shrine was opened, and hundreds of rows of rune equipment were lined up. Stroud said proudly, "The shrine has enough rune equipment and weapons to equip several dwarven legions. The ancestral rune craftsmen selflessly made these weapons and armors, as well as many exquisite war machines, in order to use them one day. I have already asked the little bearded dwarves to start modifying some of the rune equipment. Brother Laing, these equipment will be of great help to you and us."
"Yes!" Laing and Bellegar couldn't hold back their excitement. They nodded repeatedly.
"There's a dwarven forge under the fortress. There are three Doomsday Anvils, over a hundred tons of Meteoric Iron and Mithril, countless amounts of steel, and a complete dwarven weapon forge. Furthermore, it can still be used. We can repair our damaged equipment and forge new armor and weapons here, as well as create new war machines." Stroud, the Sincere Master, walked in front of the ancestral statue and pressed a rune. "There are many functions in this fortress that need further exploration. Although it is ancient technology, I have to say that these technologies are far more advanced than the ones in the Mountain Kingdom."
With a rumbling sound, a huge platform rose up from the hall. Everyone standing on the platform found themselves rising up until they reached the second floor of the hall. On the second floor of the Valaya Main Shrine, the map of the Dwarven Mountain Kingdom and the murals of their ancestors appeared in front of everyone under the illumination of the glowing stones and the dwarven ancestral light. Ancient dwarven music and chanting were endless, telling of the glory of the Mountain Kingdom.
Stroud said in a proud and sorrowful tone, "What we are ascending is the creation of the most glorious era of the dwarves. Back then, our civilization was like the most dazzling meteorite in the Mountain Kingdom, illuminating the entire world."
On the map of the Mountain Kingdom, all the routes of the dense network were displayed at a glance.
"The network has been updated. My king, brother Laing, we can now prepare for the next step of our plan under the guidance of our ancestors."
"Very good!" Bellegar's voice was indescribably excited. The king of Eight Peaks Mountain clenched the holy hammer in his hand. "With this castle and the blessing of Valaya, we will retake Eight Peaks Mountain and restore our homeland!"
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