Outside Gold Lionheart Fortress, pressed right up against the tall, cold granite city wall, was a sprawling, chaotic shantytown.
Most of the structures here were crude huts cobbled together from scavenged, rotten planks, rusted sheet tal, even abandoned carriage bodies—low, dark, and drafty on all sides.
The cold was the deadliest enemy here.
Sleet fell incessantly, building up layers of snow on the flimsy hut roofs, while the biting wind, like a ghost seeping through every crack, word its way inside to steal the pitifully scarce warmth within.
The people living here ca from complex backgrounds. So were refugees who had fled north with their families to escape the civil war and conflict within the White Horse Kingdom.
But more were the poor who had been attached to this fortress for generations, struggling to survive here. They had no fixed professions, relying on carrying goods for passing rchant caravans, repairing vehicles, providing crude food and lodging, or other odd jobs to earn ager copper coins and barely scrape by.
Their greatest "dream" was perhaps to save up an unimaginably large sum of money, buy a pass from the Trade Alliance, and gain entry into the safe, prosperous interior of the Alliance to find stable work, even if it was the lowest-level dock laborer or ship cabin cleaner.
But as the White Horse Kingdom's civil war intensified, the main trade routes north were almost completely sealed off. Work opportunities had dwindled significantly, and no large rchant caravans had passed through here for a long ti.
Coupled with this sudden winter blizzard... who knew how many more people would quietly fall to hunger and cold this winter, never to see the spring of the coming year.
At the edge of the shantytown, on a relatively clean open patch of ground.
The soldier who had gone in to report earlier had already conveyed Army Commander Torres's reply to Zoran, who was waiting there.
"Army Commander Torres is busy with military affairs and has no ti to see you. Either wait outside, or be on your way." After saying this, the soldier didn't even bother to spare Zoran another glance, turning and hurrying away as if staying a second longer would taint him with the "stench of poverty" of this place.
Zoran watched the soldier's retreating back until he disappeared behind the fortress's heavy iron-reinforced wooden gate before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
He tilted his head slightly, respectfully asking the quiet, erald-green gel blob resting on his shoulder, "Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
Chen Yu wobbled his body, indicating this outco was no surprise at all.
The arrogance and shrewdness of the rchants of the Misty Bay Harbor were notorious across the continent. Gathered in their uniquely advantageous harbor, they had ford the Trade Alliance and rapidly amassed astonishing wealth by acting as middlen for "entrepôt trade" between the White Horse Kingdom and the southern kingdoms, the Spice Islands, the Coral City-States, and others.
Their rchant ships plied the Jade River and coastal waters, trading goods from all over the continent—furs and ores from the north, spices, silk, and pearls from the south... extracting hefty commissions and taxes from it all.
With the White Horse Kingdom embroiled in civil war, supplies were scarce, and prices soared... These rchants had certainly not missed the chance to hoard goods in secret, buying low and selling high, filling their coffers to the brim.
Their "good days" were, to a large extent, built upon the suffering of others.
Chen Yu said leisurely, "These rchants' lives are still too comfortable. But starting today, their good days are about to end."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After hearing this, Zoran didn't hesitate for a mont. He turned and left the shantytown, heading towards the outer periter.
anwhile, Chen Yu accessed the Gel Network to review the latest intelligence summary Princess Louisa had sent not long ago.
The Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance was less like a kingdom and more like a vast, loosely structured but tightly bound-by-interests rchant consortium.
It was jointly governed by three major, historically significant rchant houses whose reach spanned the continent's coasts and major river basins: the "Jade River rchant House," primarily involved in shipping and grey-market trade; the "Golden Anchor rchant House," focused on legitimate bulk commodity trade and banking; and the "Silver Sail Federation," specializing in fishing, shipbuilding, and coastal exploration.
Even the guards stationed at the various small border fortresses were rcenaries hired by the different rchant houses according to their investnt shares. The fortresses themselves were self-sustaining checkpoints, relying on collected taxes and passage fees to operate.
Rather than defending a kingdom, what they were doing was business.
These rcenaries ca from diverse backgrounds and worshipped a variety of gods, but they generally revered the power of the war deity "Usca" and the blessings of the god of wealth and contracts, "Gilduo."
They fought for money, had limited loyalty, and their military discipline was uneven, relying more on individual bravery and experience.
It was the Gold Lionheart Fortress itself that was almost ard to the teeth.
Its tall, thick granite walls were studded with arrow slits and ballista platforms. Four towering magic towers stood at the fortress's four corners, their structures inlaid with expensive magic crystals and runes capable of forming a defensive barrier covering the entire fortress and launching devastating elental attacks.
The construction and maintenance costs of just those four magic towers were astronomical, enough to bankrupt a noble family.
And the highest-ranking commander guarding this fortress was precisely the individual ntioned in the intelligence as the Extraordinary class "Berserker"—Torres "Ironwrist" Marco.
Renowned for his berserk fighting style and keen sense for gold coins, he was a famous fierce warrior within the Trade Alliance.
Chen Yu's confidence stemd from the fact that although the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance occupied the fertile southeastern coastal region of the continent and was comrcially prosperous, its actual hard power wasn't particularly strong.
Compared to the White Horse Kingdom with its deep foundations, complete knightly system, and magical heritage, it was like an upstart minor kingdom.
If not for the covert support and tacit approval of certain powerful factions within the White Horse Kingdom, even the southern kingdoms, who long coveted the rich coastline, might have been tempted to take a bite.
One must rember, the Jade River—this mother river that traversed the eastern continent, nurturing countless civilizations—flowed right through the heartland of the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance after leaving the White Horse Kingdom's border. It eventually deposited a fertile "Jade River Delta" on the southeastern coast, forming a natural, excellent harbor there: one of the continent's famous bustling trade ports—"Misty Bay Harbor."
The Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance was nad after it.
In reality, the Alliance's territory wasn't vast, roughly equivalent to the area of the Dark Realm. It was mainly distributed along the lower reaches of the Jade River and a narrow coastal strip, resembling a trade alliance built around a port and river trade routes rather than a traditional territorial state.
Now, with the White Horse Kingdom deeply mired in civil war and various factions locked in struggle, utterly unable to spare attention elsewhere, this undoubtedly provided the Sli Kingdom with a perfect "window of opportunity."
Zoran trudged through the increasingly heavy sleet, stepping unevenly out of that lifeless slum. The cold wind cut across his face like a knife, yet a blazing fire burned in his heart.
In this wretched weather where even soldiers were unwilling to patrol outside, preferring to huddle in warm barracks or watchtowers by the fire, a dark, silent, standing mass appeared on the open field ahead of him.
Only upon drawing closer could one hear the low, continuous, massive hum, like the high-frequency wing vibrations of a giant insect.
It was precisely the waiting Draconian Knight Regint and Gargoyle Legion.
They stood like sculptures in the wind and snow, their bodies covered in a thin layer of ice and snow.
Around them, Chen Yu had long since deployed Magic Formations to prevent magical detection. Even if the occasional golem dispatched by the Alliance for border patrols buzzed past overhead at low altitude, their crude sensory abilities couldn't penetrate this layer of formation interference to detect the massive army on the ground.
"Boss." Yano and the others ca forward to et him, also covered in snow but in high spirits.
Arno looked up at yet another iron bird golem lazily flying across the sky and couldn't help but click his tongue. "I heard the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance is rich, but I didn't expect them to be this wealthy. They don't even use living soldiers for patrols anymore, just these iron lumps."
Galvin glanced at the golem calmly, his tone even. "A golem's perception isn't necessarily clearer than an experienced scout's naked eye. Relying on such things suggests they aren't very prepared."
"Boss, how did the negotiations go?" Arno asked curiously.
Chen Yu wobbled his gel body on Zoran's shoulder and said, "Unfortunately, they failed."
"Good. It's ti to let those poor folks have a warm winter too." Arno's voice gradually grew hoarse and low, his figure swiftly enveloped by surging shadows, transforming into a tall gargoyle.
To combat the winter's severe cold and food scarcity, the Sli Agronomists had long ago cultivated large tracts of spirit fields in the Dryad domain, built large greenhouses insulated from the bitter cold using gel, and mined large quantities of Warm Stone from the mining area to provide a continuous heat source.
This way, even in the coldest season, the kingdom need not worry about grain and vegetable supplies.
On the contrary, due to expanded farmland and newly added livestock breeding, the kingdom now urgently needed a large number of experienced farrs, shepherds, and craftsn...
Most of the humans who chose to stay in the Sli Kingdom and voluntarily beca its subjects were forr Adventurers. Having them fight was fine, but making them do ticulous farm work or tend to livestock was a bit of a stretch.
And these poor people, rejected by the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance and struggling to survive amidst hunger and cold, were, in the eyes of the Sli Kingdom, simply precious resources waiting to be developed.
They were hardworking, resilient, and desperate to survive. Given basic food, warmth, dignity, and hope, they could beco the most solid foundation for the kingdom's construction.
Chen Yu and Zoran jumped onto Little Ka's broad back.
"Little Ka, let's go."
Little Ka let out a roar, spread his pitch-black giant wings, and gave a powerful flap. A gale whipped up the accumulated snow as his massive body shot skyward once more, flying towards the Gold Lionheart Fortress crouching like a giant beast in the distance amidst the sleet.
Below, Galvin's stern gaze swept over the Draconian Knight Regint, ready for action.
"Move out."
"Target—Gold Lionheart Fortress. Capture Army Commander Torres alive. Avoid unnecessary killing as much as possible."
"Yes!" the Lizardfolk knights shouted in unison. Without needing reins for control, the knights and their Wyvern mounts were connected heart and mind through the Gel Network.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Massive black shadows, like giant black arrows released from a bowstring, instantly shot forth from the snowy ground.
They skimd the ground at high speed, churning up a blizzard of snow mist, then collectively raised their heads, charging towards the gloomy sky with astonishing acceleration.
The gargoyles behind him, quiet as statues, simultaneously opened their crimson eyes, the ice and snow covering them falling away.
The gargoyles beat their wings and took to the air. Though not as swift as the Dragon Beast Poison Wasps, they carried an unstoppable montum, following closely behind, pouncing towards the distant fortress.
Inside Gold Lionheart Fortress.
Despite the atrocious weather, necessary patrols were still ongoing.
A squad of soldiers in mismatched leather armor, hunching their shoulders against the cold, were trudging along the slippery stone-paved road at the base of the inner city wall, performing their routine patrol, occasionally stopping to warm themselves by the firepots along the way.
"This damned weather... it's fucking cold." A rcenary spat, rubbing his red, frozen hands as he moved closer to a firepot to warm up.
"I heard the fighting up north is fierce, the trade routes are completely cut off. The fortress isn't getting its usual cut. When will this end?"
"Cut off is good," interjected a rcenary with shrewd eyes beside him. "When the trade routes are cut, the big shots get anxious. They'll spend more money hiring us to guard the gates. Otherwise, do you think we'd stick around in this hellhole on our asly pay?"
"That's true..." the first rcenary nodded, then rembered sothing, his face taking on a gossipy expression. "Hey, have you heard? To the east, around the Dark Realm area, seems like sothing big happened."
"The Dark Realm? What could happen there?" the rcenary called Old Joe dismissed it.
"No, I heard it's been taken over by a bunch of slis, who established so 'Sli Kingdom' or sothing," another rcenary couldn't help but join the conversation.
"Sli Kingdom?" The shrewd rcenary was taken aback for a mont, then laughed out loud. "Did you listen to too many drunkards' tall tales at the tavern last night? Sli Kingdom? Hahaha!"
The rcenary who brought it up snorted. "Why would I lie? The guys from the Gray Falcon caravan that ca back a few days ago, taking the detour from the White Horse Kingdom side, said it themselves. They said the border of the Dark Realm is now full of slis of all different colors, and it seems like those vampires and Stone Descendants all obey them."
"Give it a rest," the shrewd rcenary waved his hand, disbelief written all over his face. "How much truth can there be in the words of those caravan folks? It's probably eighty percent so nonsense made up by that 'Iron Rose' Princess. What Sli Kingdom? It's just a pretext for that princess to build montum—"
Before he could finish, urgent, resonant bronze bell tolls suddenly erupted wildly from the watchtower at the fortress's center, instantly shattering the heaviness of the sleety day and echoing throughout the entire fortress.
"Enemy attack?!!" All the patrolling soldiers froze for a mont, instinctively looking up towards the direction of the alarm.
Imdiately after, they felt a slight tremor through the ground beneath their feet. The four towering magic towers of the fortress abruptly lit up with blinding light. Complex runic circuits flowed rapidly as if ignited.
An energy barrier shimring with pale blue magical light swiftly unfolded and closed over the fortress, using the four magic towers as anchor points, like a giant bowl turned upside down, enveloping the entire fortress.
Sleet fell on the barrier, making faint "sizzling" sounds as it was kept out.
"Quick! To the walls!" The first rcenary to react roared, grabbing his spear and shield and dashing towards the nearest stairway to the battlents. The other soldiers hurriedly followed, though their formation was sowhat chaotic.
However, when they rushed panting onto the city wall and peered out through the battlents and arrow slits, the sight that t their eyes instantly froze every single one of them in place.
It seed they saw...
In front of the fortress, hovering in mid-air not far from the barrier, was a blob emitting a faint green glow... a sli?
Beside that sli, a sword light suddenly blazed forth, seemingly capable of tearing apart all the gloom between heaven and earth.
[Primordial Sword Guidance Art]
The sword light, like a bolt of thunder cleaving down, illuminated the chaotic snow and sleet as it struck the incredibly sturdy pale blue magical barrier.
"Riiip!"
A sharp sound, like thick cloth being forcibly torn apart, rang out, vibrating painfully in the eardrums of the soldiers on the wall.
Under their gazes, that magical barrier, capable of easily withstanding magical bombardnt, was torn open from top to bottom by that sword light as easily as if it were a fragile piece of thin paper.
The fortress's defense was breached.
"Roar!!"
A roar from an entirely pitch-black black dragon took the lead, swiftly flying in through the breach. Following closely were the Venom Bee Wyverns, also covered in black scales.
Although their numbers weren't exceptionally large, the visual impact and oppressive feeling they brought made anyone who saw them feel their scalps go numb and their hearts nearly stop.
Even more gargoyles poured in through the breach. Their crimson eyes glead with ominous light in the dim sky. Wherever they went, "Petrification Rays" fell like rain of death.
So fortress defenders who tried to resist were struck by the rays, their bodies rapidly turning grayish-white and rigid, frozen in their final postures, transford into vivid, lifelike stone statues.
Behind the arrow slits on the city wall, watching this scene like the descent of hell, the soldiers' lips trembled. Their minds went blank, leaving only one thought:
It's over...
The Sli Kingdom really exists.
And they've co... bringing giant dragons, monsters, and destruction!
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