Chapter 900: Act 76 – Turning Enemies into Friends
As Brendel had predicted, Earl Ji’en and his army had entered the area a full night ahead of time, having seen neither shooting stars nor flames burning the horizon. There was no response from any artifact resonance. What he witnessed was no different from what Brendel and Nemeses had seen the previous night: only the starry river arching in the sky, a winter night adorned with countless stars.
Now, why had this earl been left here alone? It seemed evident that the Earl Orkans, the Maol family, Walker, and the Cooper family had all realized the significance of the artifact as soon as it fell. Compared to an artifact, who was an Earl Erluin? Thus, the nobles of Cruz had rushed northward at the first opportunity, hoping to be the first to reach the site where the meteor had fallen. Even if they could not claim the artifact for themselves, being the first to present it to the Empire or the Temple of Fire would bring unimaginable glory to their families, as if they had reached the skies in one leap.
Of course, the royal inner court knights were no exception. As overseers of the Floating Cloud Hills, they could not ignore such a significant event. In fact, Rogers was well aware of the weight of the artifact, thus he had brought all the court knights from Hilarth Manor along, to prevent the nobles from acting irrationally.
But the problem was—
Earl Ji’en didn’t know. He was completely unaware that just under twenty miles away, events were unfolding in Valgris and Leafwood Avenue. He had chosen that night to scout the battlefield with his subordinates, occupying advantageous terrain. Therefore, everything that happened after one night could be explained.
Rogers’ face was somewhat grim. He was sure that the strange sights from the previous night could be seen clearly from at least a hundred miles away, not to mention from the nearby hilly areas of Leafwood Avenue and Valgris.
“Could it be,” the Lady Knight seemed to have realized, “that this is a trap set by Jotungrund?”
A large illusion.
This was the term that first came to Rogers’ mind, but when he and Frete turned to look at the young man with black hair, he shook his head firmly: “That was artifact resonance,” the young man asserted and then fell silent, as if it didn’t matter whether anyone believed him or not.
“Kew, that doesn’t make sense,” Trevor spoke up. “Okay, I know you’re the best, but the problem is you’re still young. You have to admit there are plenty of old-timers out there who are way stronger than you, and getting caught by them isn’t that big of a deal.”
Before he could finish, he caught the young man giving him a faint glance, causing his words to stick in his throat. He could only shrug and say, “Alright, forget I said anything.”
Before Trevor could finish speaking, they heard a light sniff of laughter: “How pathetic, a fool who doesn’t even realize he’s foolish.” The inner court knight’s complexion changed instantly. He lifted his head to look in that direction and found a small girl, looking down her nose at him with contempt. Trevor nearly choked with rage; he wanted to retaliate but quickly thought that he, a knight of the Empire, humiliating a little girl seemed beneath him and could only smirk and say, “Forget it, I won’t bother with an uncouth little brat.”
But he had not expected the girl to snort and respond disdainfully, “Shut up, you brainless bloke have no right to speak!”
“You…”
“The laws of artifacts are the higher laws, while the laws of magic are the lower laws. The higher laws can simulate the power of the lower laws, but this process is irreversible. This is also a fundamental tenet of the Tiamat Sacred Text. Otherwise, what differentiates magic resonance from artifact response? To not know this is truly unworthy of being human!” QiYala sighed deeply, shaking her head in apparent disappointment. Though her voice was childish, her explanation was clear and authoritative, creating a striking contrast. To Trevor, it felt like he was being slapped in the face repeatedly, to the point where it nearly left him swollen—though he understood barely half of what she said. Finally, this young lady concluded brightly, “Apologize to your companions, for you have insulted knowledge. If I had any sense of shame, I would choose to dash myself against that red pine tree over there.”
“Do you know why?” she snorted lightly. “Because the red pine is called the fool’s tree by the mountain folk. That title is meant for you in a few thousand years.”
Trevor was left speechless, but his companions behind him couldn’t help but stifle their laughter. If it had been somebody from Erluin provoking them, they would have defended their companion. But the one who spoke was merely a child; who would bicker with a little girl? The young man with black hair couldn’t help but glance at QiYala a couple more times, while the Lady Knight sympathetically patted her tall companion’s shoulder: “Trevor, who was it back in Ene who said that as long as you pass the swordsmanship class, you could graduate?”
The inner court knight wore a bitter expression, regretting deeply, not for what he had said back then, but for having entangled himself with this sharp-tongued little lady.
Brendel was keenly aware of how dreadful the king’s older sister could be; he later found out that her mentor was Shazhan, an old friend of Turiman. In this era, he was considered a master of ancient Erluin linguistics and a crucial storyline NPC from the Slate War era. He had met that kindly-faced old man but had never encountered QiYala, nor did he know how she had been spoiled into becoming a little witch.
He didn’t want to provoke QiYala, as he understood she still cared for his “Bud’s knowledge.” Thus, he shifted the conversation: “Mr. Rogers, may I ask you a question? Before the artifact’s resonance occurred, was there anything unusual in the Valgris, Leafwood Avenue, or even Iron Yew Town?”
Rogers glanced at Brendel, instinctively sensing that the other party seemed reluctant to mention the meteor’s fall. However, he quickly dismissed this vague feeling and pondered before answering, “Artifact resonance occurred after nine o’clock. Everything was quite tranquil up until then; most nobles had not left their residences, except for Earl Ji’en, who left Leafwood Avenue ahead of time to come here.” He looked at Brendel and continued, “In fact, everything should have been normal until our informants last communicated before evening.”
“Did your informants contact you afterward? You should be using magical communication, right?” Brendel knew that these inner court knights were primarily responsible for monitoring, but they likely had many informants outside.
“Lord Earl, the entire region’s magical transmissions have been deliberately interfered with by spells,” Rogers replied.
Brendel was momentarily taken aback before realization hit him. Dimensional anchors and obstruction spells were not rare in Vaunte. Jotungrund’s underground army evidently possessed the ability to cover the entire area with these spells—both the nest lord and the blind priest were excellent casters. He wanted to ask something further when he noticed the Lady Knight seemed hesitant to speak. However, she quietly whispered something to Rogers, who nodded, and she finally mustered the courage to say, “Lord Earl, there’s one more thing.”
“Please go ahead.”
“Before the artifact resonance occurred, there was a significant period where the entire Valgris area could hear a very piercing resonating sound, which seemed to come from the clouds above,” the Lady Knight answered.
Brendel slapped his forehead; this sound he had not heard at all. After considering briefly, he asked, “Did it sound like a fleet moving through the clouds?”
The officer from the Yanilasu province perked up curiously at his words. Airships were a relatively new weapon at this time, and not many were familiar with them. However, the Lady Knight shook her head: “It sounded more like thunder, rumbling.”
Brendel exchanged a glance with Nemeses before continuing to inquire, “So you encountered the cave dwellers on the way, right? About what time was that?”
“Dawn,” Rogers affirmed.
Brendel mused for a moment, “Alright, let’s hypothesize that all of this is indeed a conspiracy by the Jotungrund people. Mr. Rogers, do you know of any natural entrances to the underground in this area?”
“I know there’s one near Iron Yew Town,” the tall knight replied. “Once, I even wanted to go in and explore. It was quite vast inside, but unfortunately, I didn’t venture very deep.”
“Is it very dark inside, Sir Knight?” a bright voice asked. The inner court knight hastily pressed his lips together and fell silent, nearly frightened, as though all young girls from Erluin were demons with horns.
The one who spoke was naturally the daughter of Golan-Elsen, but this little girl never expected that as soon as Trevor saw her speak, he would scowl and glare at her without kindness, almost making the little girl tear up.
“There’s also one near Leafwood Avenue,” Rogers added.
Brendel thought for a moment; this aligned with his memories. He looked at Nemeses, who nodded. “So, you encountered the cave dwellers roughly no more than an hour before the Jotungrund’s attack began,” he calculated and replied. Then he turned to Melisa, “Bring out our map.”
Melisa nodded with a smile.
Noticing the puzzled looks from Rogers and the others, Brendel explained, “The underground folks are gloomy and cunning, especially the Minotaurs and Harpies. They rarely wage wars unprepared. Before launching an ambush, they definitely gleaned your deployment, and aside from Earl Ji’en, we haven’t discovered any traces of other noble armies. This is quite telling. Your base at Hilarth Manor isn’t a secret; they must have targeted you long ago. Given the speed of the cave dwellers, the distance from the underground exit on Leafwood Avenue to where you encountered them must have taken about an hour.”
Rogers and the others were inner court knights, tasked with monitoring noble movements in the area rather than defense. It was not surprising they were unaware of such matters, so Brendel patiently explained. If the Swordbreaker Knights couldn’t see these things, he might think they were frauds.
“What should we do now, Lord Earl?” Rogers asked, seeming to have gained some confidence in Brendel.
But Brendel didn’t answer directly; instead, he waited for Melisa to bring the map. Rogers and his companions could read the map, but when it came to inferring a military’s movements, they were completely inept. Brendel’s tactical knowledge largely stemmed from the original memories of the soul; the militia would impart some rudimentary map knowledge. In his previous life, he had served as a leader of a player adventure group and a mercenary band, hosted local defenses, and gained a poor understanding of military knowledge. Furthermore, in this life, he had commanded several battles; he could barely discern Jotungrund’s intent.
However, the one most knowledgeable was clearly Nemeses. This lady knight graduated top of her class from the Royal Knight Academy, a standard academic type. She glanced at the map and said to Brendel, “The Floating Cloud Hill’s closest point to the Rokoci—Broken Sword Mountain fortress cluster is far too distant. There are more than just two entrances to the underground from here heading south. If they want to ambush the fortress cluster from behind, they don’t necessarily need to enter the surface world from this location.”
“In other words, if Jotungrund has indeed allied with Toquinin, this force before us is likely not their main army,” QiYala inquired.
“It’s a harassment force,” Brendel responded while looking at the map. “Their objective is to prevent the Imperial forces from assembling in the rear of the fortress cluster.”
His gaze crossed over Iron Yew Town, across Valgris and Leafwood Avenue: “To achieve this goal, they must attack several critical points.”
He and Nemeses’ eyes both fell on a specific town.
Yasar.
To the north of Anzeruta, among the scattered towns located among the mountains, it undeniably shone as the most brilliant star. The city, known as Cruz’s White City, shared a similarity with Fanzan’s White City in that both constructed their walls from the same white rock. Another similarity was that they served as crucial land traffic hubs. Yasar marked the southern endpoint of the Evergreen Path, connecting to the Empire’s central region. To the north was the Flowerleaf Territory, to the east leading to the Four Borders Wilderness, and to the west was the Empire’s heart—the plains north of the Violet Valley. If this city fell, it would mean that the entire southern Empire, from Rokoci to Anzeruta and to the Four Borders Wilderness, would collapse entirely.
Though Rogers and the others did not comprehend the strategic intentions of the Jotungrund army, they understood the importance of Yasar. Seeing Brendel and Nemeses’s gazes land on that point on the map, several Imperial knights turned pale, clearly realizing the catastrophic scenario the Empire would face should those underground “mice” succeed.
However, Brendel was not as tense. Firstly, he was distanced from the matter; secondly, he understood the situation hadn’t deteriorated to that extent. The high eagle above the Cruz Heights was still an eagle; how could it possibly fail utterly due to a single ambush? With Yasar’s geography so crucial, there were powerful local legions in each of its four directions, not to mention the Empire’s navy stationed to the west of Rokoci. If Jotungrund’s harassment force could take Yasar, they would not be a harassment force but their main force instead.
This force clearly aimed to draw the attention of these local legions so they would be unable to aid Rokoci—Broken Sword Mountain Fortress cluster. If this “mouse” genuinely achieved its goal, even just reaching proximity to Yasar would effectively announce the end of the Empire’s defense line at Anzeruta. Such a blow was absolutely unacceptable for the Empire.
Brendel’s gaze returned, landing back on Valgris and the north of Leafwood Avenue.
“Iron Yew Town, crossing Valgris and Leafwood Avenue will not be their target. They must have already crossed these areas earlier today,” Nemeses replied.
Brendel nodded in agreement, and the reconnaissance results confirmed this judgment. He stared at the map silently, but the Cruz inner court knights appeared a bit impatient, almost conveying that if they delayed even a moment, the Empire would soon fall into irreversible calamity. Seemingly sensing their evident anxiety, Brendel deliberately looked at them. Finally, Rogers could no longer hold back and spoke up: “Lord Earl, I’d like to know whether what you said earlier was truth or deception.”
“What?” Brendel feigned ignorance in answering back.
QiYala watched their dialogue with increasing interest.
Rogers licked his lips before answering, “My lord, you mentioned there might be a more perfect idea. If we can obstruct these unwelcome guests’ progress, perhaps the situation in the south wouldn’t be as dire as we imagined.”
Brendel seemed to recall this statement, nodding: “My troops are here. Assuming the Jotungrund’s harassment force is an entire army, do you think we could defeat them?”
Rogers pondered for a moment and shook his head.
“Then let’s assume that all of us here fight to the death, sacrificing every life in order to delay the Jotungrund’s progress. Do you think we can achieve that?” Brendel asked again.
Rogers displayed a hesitant expression, then he weighed heavily and shook his head: “Lord Earl, while you are an ally of the Empire, the Empire has no right to demand such sacrifices from you.”
Brendel was somewhat surprised, looking at this man, thinking he still had a bit of knightly spirit. However, he couldn’t grasp whether this was out of necessity. He shook his head and replied, “Then let’s suppose I tell you I might have a way to accomplish what I mentioned above; would you believe it?”
Rogers had originally lost all hope. His only remaining hope was to follow this earl and break out, then inform Her Majesty as quickly as possible. Yet, he became momentarily stunned upon hearing Brendel’s question, reluctantly lifting his head to inquire, “…Lord Earl, what are you saying?”
“What? Is what I said difficult to understand?” Brendel replied with his earlier words.
“Not that, but—”
Rogers still wished to say something, but Brendel interrupted, “This is not a matter of yes or no—my only demand is to follow my commands; you also understand that our small group cannot shake the Jotungrund army, thus I need your help. Of course, if you are unwilling, feeling reluctant to accept commands from an Erluin person, then we will choose the first option.”
Rogers and his companions exchanged glances, and the inner court knight immediately nodded: “I understand, Lord Earl. What do you want us to do?”
Brendel glanced over toward the red pine forest.
“It’s simple. You should first persuade Earl Ji’en to join us. He has over a thousand subordinates. We wouldn’t want to let them disperse on the spot, would we?”
