Chapter 462: Act 212 – Preparing for War (1)
“Hmm?” As Brendel stepped out of the perpetual wind wall outside the Loop of Trade Winds, his body paused slightly. “What’s wrong?” Veronika asked, turning her head.
“It’s nothing.” Brendel shook his head. The moment he stepped out of the wind wall, he sensed a connection with his summoned creature. Medisa and Charles almost immediately reported the events happening on their territory. In less than a day, there was movement from the direction of Parsons. The severe winter in Erluin had not completely dissipated at this time, prompting Count Rendener to take action earlier than Brendel had anticipated.
In his mind, he congratulated Medisa for her efforts, but he did not express much surprise at the news. The Cold Fir Territory had been preparing for this war for several months, waiting for this day. Besides, given the work he had done previously, it would have been unrealistic if they couldn’t endure the first few weeks of war.
He instructed Charles to continue urging the Druids in the territory to strengthen the defenses along the River Gris and to report updates on the battle situation to him as soon as the fighting began.
Brendel suddenly realized how incredibly powerful the telepathic ability of the traveling mage truly was, allowing him to command the battlefield from afar. Although some magical items could achieve similar effects, in this low-intensity war in Erluin, both sides clearly could not afford those costs.
However, he soon sensed a faint mental call that should not exist—“Medephis?” Brendel looked incredulously at the bloodied figure in front of him, a ‘young girl’ in a tattered black dress with her shoulders exposed. Medephis lay among the rubble, seemingly unconscious, as if she had crawled up from the canyon below, possibly thinking Brendel was still above, but had exhausted herself to the point of losing consciousness.
At that moment, as if sensing Brendel’s call—perhaps due to the special connection between summoned creatures and traveling mages—Medephis suddenly blinked awake.
A docile expression appeared on her face, as if she were dreaming. Although her fair complexion was smeared with blood, she still radiated a glow: “My lord, you finally found me! I’ve been looking for you for so long.”
Brendel then understood that Medephis, after being knocked down the canyon by Andisha, did not enter the graveyard but had lost contact with the others due to the mist below. It wasn’t surprising; at that time, Medephis had approached Veronika’s strength due to numerous enhancements—how could she have easily perished? Later, it was likely that her strength was restored each day during the card resets, which caused her to faint halfway up.
Seeing that this vampire ‘girl’ was still alive, Brendel couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Medephis was originally a power at the gold level and could reach beyond elemental strength through sacrifices at any time; having her on their side was equivalent to gaining a powerful ally.
However, Brendel still couldn’t view his summoned creature merely as a card. Seeing the state of the ‘young girl’, he couldn’t help but ask with a tinge of guilt, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Medephis shook her head, but with a hint of redness on her cheeks, she said shyly, “I’m just a bit hungry, my lord.”
Thus, amidst the blushing face of Xi and Faina’s strange gaze, Brendel found two sweet bite marks on his neck.
“Wait, we agreed you wouldn’t bite my neck—!” Regardless of how much she looked like a woman, being held by a man and having her neck bitten was something Brendel found hard to accept. He didn’t expect Medephis to be so fast; he didn’t even have time to react. Blood-affinities were known for their speed; when Andisha had a two-tier advantage, she was still approached by ‘her’. Not to mention Brendel, who was only at the upper levels of gold.
Yet Medephis showed a cute little smile with her small fangs, blushing as she replied, “Because Medephis was severely injured, I needed my master’s blood, and your blood tastes so good…”
With that answer, Brendel could only stare at the heavens in silence. Moreover, Medephis was indeed injured because of him. Therefore, he had to firmly instruct this vampire ‘girl’ that she absolutely could not come close to his neck without permission.
The small incident quickly settled down. Regardless, to prepare for the upcoming challenges from the north, Brendel was still glad to see an increase in their strength. The next day, the group finally left the canyon and returned to the Wolf’s Pass.
At this moment, the Wolf’s Pass was unrecognizable from the terrifying scene of that day. The sparks had ignited, and order around the Loop of Trade Winds was slowly being rebuilt. The Black Forest had welcomed its first clear morning after many days; the forest was somewhat silent, with glistening dew hanging on the leaves, yet everything appeared peaceful and tranquil.
Under the Saintly White Stone, the Cruz people, Erluin people, and the remaining tree spirits and centaurs emerged. Brendel, Veronika, and the others had been away for several days, and their return caused a significant stir in this temporary camp.
The first person Brendel saw was the hurriedly approaching Antinna, followed closely by Flour and her sister, Diya, who had already revived during the reset. However, the others were still unaware, assuming that this little girl had simply gotten lost and had found her way back.
“My lord!” The young girl, dressed in a fur robe, stood before Brendel, exhaling white mist. No matter how composed she appeared on the outside, it couldn’t hide the relief and joy in her eyes.
“I’m back.” Brendel did not miss the exhausted look on Antinna’s face. However, his response to the girl he trusted the most was a gentle nod.
That was enough. He and Antinna were quite similar; clear-minded, they could understand each other’s thoughts. As the best partners, sometimes they didn’t need many words to comprehend each other’s meanings, which demonstrated their unwavering trust.
Now, even if the emperor of the Cruz Empire valued her talent and personally sought to hire this girl, she might not be willing to leave, because she believed that no one could provide her with the trust and understanding that Brendel did. That kind of trust had begun to transcend the ambiguous affection between men and women, purely a mutual spiritual need and reliance.
Brendel did not ask more. He looked up at the Saintly White Stone. The unruly son of Sir Minate, a young man named Carglis, smiled and bowed his head as a gesture of respect—an almost feudal lord’s etiquette. This young man, who should have been aligned with the nobility, had chosen to fight for another belief. In the months of battle, including during the Wolf Tide, he had earned Brendel’s basic trust through his performance.
With the foundation of trust, everything else follows.
Behind Carglis, the young Erluin people—who had once been innocent and youthful, some even noble offspring—after experiencing the wolf disaster, seemed to have found their own direction in the turbulent tide of history, undergoing a transformation, their expressions revealing maturity and resolve.
“My lord!” The young men fell silent at the sight of Brendel and his party emerging from the forest. The stories of the past few days felt like a legend, lived through their own experiences. Brendel alone had stepped into the Loop of Trade Winds, igniting the spark at the most critical moment. They had witnessed the moment the wolf disaster was completely extinguished. That spectacular scene seemed to resonate with everyone, the sound of history and the future colliding.
Just a day ago, the Druids from the Green Tower had also sent people to express their gratitude. Following the Druids, mercenaries and other remaining forces, aside from delegations from other countries, had come to express their appreciation, albeit to varying degrees—not to the Cruz people, but to them. This further confirmed the young people’s suspicions—that on that night, as the beams of light representing order vanished amid the howling winds and rains, only one person had ignited the lighthouse of this world!
This time, the talents of Erluin were the protagonists, and even the Cruz Empire had to take a backseat.
Of course, Brendel did not know that his actions had won him many potential friends. Those who survived the wolf disaster, big and small, had received his blessings to varying degrees—one could hardly imagine the gratitude felt by someone who survived thanks to a stranger’s help in a desperate situation.
At the height of the wolf disaster, everyone had thought that darkness had utterly overshadowed light and that even the last remnants of order would naturally vanish, witnessing the flame of the Green Tower about to be extinguished. But when that beam of dawn-like light shone from their depths, dispelling the darkness completely, a common question emerged in everyone’s heart—what was that?
Yet when they learned of Brendel’s plan from the Druids, the shock in everyone’s hearts was beyond words. Of course, this sudden shock and gratitude might only be temporary, but regardless, when Brendel interacted with these people in the future, this moment of gratitude would earn him considerable goodwill points.
It was a tremendous gain.
However, at that moment, Brendel was unaware of this. He merely felt it was somewhat incredible that these young people were so quiet upon seeing him. His prior status among these youths was quite high, but it was based on the lord’s authority. Yet at this moment, their gazes upon him resembled those they would cast at their king.
If one day they became knights, they would respond to Brendel’s call to fight for a king like a hero. This was the dream of countless young knights. After the Four Saints, there had only been one such king—Eke, the predecessor of the Erluin people—but he had since passed, and Vaunte had been calling for a hero for a hundred years.
Looking at these young men, Brendel felt satisfied; the nascent form of the White Lion army was already becoming apparent. He stepped forward, placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and calmly stated:
“The wolf disaster has passed, but your true enemies are already at hand. Now fall in line with me and prepare to return to the Green Tower—long live Erluin.”
“Long live Erluin!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
(PS: Made some modifications; I’m very sorry. I forgot to delete the draft while writing, and it was only with a friend’s reminder that I noticed. However, even after deleting, it still exceeds 3200 words. Unfortunately, point modifications can only increase, not decrease—what a hassle. Here’s a bit of extra content.
Now I’ll share the attributes of the Chosen One since many friends in the group have been asking.
The Chosen One is a halo-like talent. At the first level, the troops and servants under command (must be direct subordinates) gain morale and defensive bonuses. The maximum number of races that can be commanded is unrestricted, and the territory honors will increase faster. Territory honor is a unique resource within the lord system that can be used to enhance and unlock higher-level abilities such as the Central Crystal.)
(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation and monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation.)
