Release That Witch - Chapter 775

Chapter 775: Hello, World

he sky dome, the Bloody Moon, the Giant Paintings… They were all just as Pasha described.

All of them were extremely magnificent. No wonder they called it the Divine Land. Only when he was in here could he truly feel its vastness.

Was this a broadcast or perhaps a way of controlling the subconscious mind?

Roland squatted down to lightly stroke the floor. It seemed to be made of polished stones but it was as smooth as a mirror. He could feel both its coldness and toughness through his fingers. It appeared what he saw was real rather than fictional.

Due to having had similar experiences in the Dream World before, which was already extremely real, he would not freak out over seeing this.

Roland looked up at the dome. The huge Bloody Moon hanging above the Giant Painting was like a round pancake. With a careful observation, he could see the surging ripples on its surface. To be more exact, the moon was like a sea. It was not as bright and dazzling as the sun. Though it appeared to be scarlet, he could not feel its light or heat. The red ripples were waves or vortexes, densely covering the entire Bloody Moon.

The only problem was that this circle was a bit too perfect.

It looked like a flat circle rather than a sphere.

Perhaps the Bloody Moon was too close to him?

Roland stared at it for quite a while but failed to associate it with the Red Meteor observed by the astrologers. It was neither a planet nor a star. If the Battle of Divine Will was really caused by it, then how could it come to earth?

An idea suddenly popped into his mind.

If Astrologer of Dispersion Star, the Chief Astrologer, came to be summoned by the relic, could he figure out whether this stuff among the flickering stars was indeed the Bloody Moon?

Of course, he could not guarantee that the poor old man would not directly faint out of fear.

Roland shrugged, stood up, and looked at the four Giant Paintings around the Bloody Moon.

They showed a throne, a sea, a black screen, and himself.

Besides the underground dome in the Third Border City, he had already read the records of these paintings in the library of Pivotal Secret Temple. They were not that strange. A relic was like a recorder which constantly reflected the world around it. According to the description of Pasha, the Giant Painting that became a totally black screen was the eliminated underground civilization.

Roland greeted Wendy and himself in the painting, but they did not respond. They apparently could not hear him.

Seeing this, he wondered why Pasha said that the Divine Land would have an impact on reality.

He approached the painting of the throne and touched the painting scroll with his fingers. It felt like a soft and smooth cloth with a delicate texture. The image was just an image as he could not cross its border and walk into the painted world.

Roland walked around but made no further discoveries. He planned to walk outside the palace to find out whether the land was boundless when he suddenly heard some noises from the painting scroll behind him.

It was extremely loud in such a quiet place. It sounded like the rubbing of steel objects or the echo of a hard object hitting the ground.

He immediately felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up!

“What the hell! No one mentioned these giant paintings could also make a sound!”

He stopped and suddenly turned around.

In the first painting, a dark-armored warrior had suddenly appeared, sitting on the throne. His scarlet eyes looking down at him.

There was also some movement in one of the other paintings.

With many bubbles surging upwards with a soft gurgling sound, a huge eyeball emerged from the dark sea. It got closer and closer to the edge of the painting as if it intended to escape from the frame. There were three pupils in a triangular shape that stared at him at the same time. It was making him really uncomfortable at first glance.

Did you invite each other to come together?

Roland could not help feeling relieved. As long as they did not hide and play tricks on him, he was not afraid of these two monsters. They were not at all frightening in appearance.

They were just a Senior Demon and a guardian of the relic of an unknown civilization.

He walked to the center of four Giant Paintings and looked up to stare at the two alien creatures.

“Good afternoon. Did you also come to participate in the Battle of Divine Will?”

“Must we fight to the finish? Can’t we just sit down and talk about it?”

“Can you understand me?”

“Say something even if you can’t!”

“Hey, is this a winking game? If you wink, you’ll lose?”

Roland tried to communicate with them some more but never received any response.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that the demon was breathing more and more rapidly and the huge eyeball gradually trembled.

Was this the side effect of staring at each other? Were they just able to stare at him until their eyes felt sore? How could it be described as dangerous? It was not a problem for him to visit here alone.

He rolled his eyes and intended to end this boring staring contest by turning around, but noticed out of the corner of his eye that a group of black tentacles had suddenly appeared in the painting scrolls!

They stretched toward the demon and the eyeball, moving like a snake and wrapped around them very tightly.

“What… the hell?” Roland was stunned.

The demon finally moved. He tightly grasped the throne and screamed with a weird voice. Flames and transparent blades emerged around him to fight the tentacles; however, the tentacles outnumbered them. The soft and tiny hands at the end of tentacles could easily break the weapons summoned by the demon.

The demon seemed to be fighting a very powerful, invisible enemy and his screams became even fiercer. Roland could feel the tension in his tone. As an electric light burst out from the armor, the tentacles finally shrank and loosened their control. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the demon, with some difficulty, pushed himself out of the throne and ran out of the range of the Giant Painting without hesitation. He had even broken a piece of the throne’s armrest in panic.

The Giant Eye was not doing any better as several tentacles had already pierced into the eyeball. Roland could even feel its pain when looking at it. Light blue liquid flew out from the holes like tears. Instead of screaming like the demon, the Giant Eye constantly gave off harsh lights from its three pupils to block most of the tentacles.

Suddenly, all the pupils of the Giant Eye simultaneously opened and a looming ripple dashed toward the Giant Painting. Roland immediately felt an overpowering stench blowing towards him and he could not help but take a step backward. At the same time, the tentacles let go the eyeball and the eyeball quickly retreated back in the direction where it came and disappeared into the darkness in a blink. The rippling blue water turned darker and darker as the eyeball sank and it became completely black after a while.

“Uh… What happened?”

Roland glanced at the painting of the throne, which was a mess, and observed the painting of the sea which had turned dark again, not knowing how to respond for a long time.

Chapter 776: Contrary to Common Sense

p>”It has been nearly ten minutes, it seems that he hasn’t met anything,” said Celine in relief,

“It’s a pity that he has really good luck.” Alethea responded much less excitedly.

Celine complained, “I don’t want to count on chance. Please choose a safer method next time.”

“Let’s not talk about what has already happened. Let’s guess how long the king can stay in there. Isn’t the longest record for a common person less than 15 minutes even taking into account the those who tried in the Land of Dawn?” said Alethea, changing the topic.

“Witches do not fair any better. How long you can stay in the Divine Land has nothing to do with your magic power. Even in the Union, the relic was constantly monitored by a group of common people in turns. However, considering the king’s age and experience, he should come out soon.”

According to all the records that Celine had read through, the warriors who had been to the battlefield and fought the demons generally persisted longer, whether a witch or a common person. The highest record was held by Lady Alice, who had stayed there for almost two hours. As a king who had never been to the battlefield, Roland had to be very skilled to last so long.

“Maybe he’ll want to stay longer. After all, it’s his first time to witness such a marvelous scene.”

“Then he’ll feel dizzy and even fall unconscious.” Celine suddenly realized something and looked at Pasha. “Did you forget to tell him that?”

“A coma isn’t too bad and won’t cause him any real damage.” Pasha shook her tentacles and said, “on the contrary, when he runs out energy, this kind of unpleasant thing can reduce his interest in getting in contact with the relic again. It’s better for everyone this way.”

“So… you didn’t forget to tell him?”

Pasha did not directly answer. “Sometimes it’s better to not explain. None of us would like to have so many restraints when we explore the Divine Land.”

“I now understand why Lady Natalia chose you as one of the candidates for the Three Chiefs,” said Alethea, smacking her lips.

Celine agreed with Alethea. Compared to the disgrace of being scared, a coma due to energy exhaustion could be regarded as a result without side effects. It could reduce the curiosity of the common people while not destroying their relationship with them. Pasha obviously had more foresight than them.

After a while, she began to frown slightly and asked, “It’s been more than a quarter of an hour. Is he okay?”

“It seems… nothing is wrong. This king seems to be full of surprises.” Pasha replied after glancing at the sitting Roland Wimbledon.

“It’s a new record for common people. Should I say congratulations?” said Alethea, shrugging her main tentacle.

Celine gave no response. She felt a little uneasy like something was wrong.

The waiting that followed seemed to validate her guess.

Another 15 minutes later, Roland still remained motionless and she was getting more and more anxious.

Having lived for over a hundred years, she should feel disconnected from time; however, the almost constant heart pulse of her shell could accurately tell her the change of every second. A 45 minutes exploration was too long for someone who was not a warrior or an Extraordinary. He should have run out of energy by now.

Celine wondered, “was… there some unobserved accident in the Divine Land?”

Wendy could not help stepping forward and tried to wake up the king, but was immediately stopped by Pasha.

“If you get too close to the relic, you’ll be affected by it too.”

“Then let me enter the Divine Land and bring His Majesty back!” She insisted.

“Even if you go there, you can’t bring back your king. No matter how many people are simultaneously summoned by it, they’ll see a different Divine Land.”

Celine noticed that the other witch that had been hidden had begun to move. From the vague magic reaction, Celine knew that she had taken something out of her pocket. Based on the information collected by Phyllis, it should be a unique weapon of Neverwinter.

She passed her concerns along to the other two and then Pasha nodded and took immediate action. She stretched out her tentacles to wrap around the king and pulled him back to Wendy. Though it was not the ideal way to end the exploration, the safety of Roland was top priority. If both sides conflicted with each other, the consequences would be disastrous.

…

As the relic was put back into the God’s Stone box, Roland suddenly opened his eyes.

“Your Majesty… Are you okay?” Wendy asked eagerly, helping him to stand up.

“There is nothing wrong… I’m fine,” he answered, rubbing his sore legs. “I met alien monsters who were guarding the other two relics and talked to them. Unfortunately, they did not understand my words.”

Celine was shocked. “Wait, what are you talking about? Did… you meet the demon and…”

“And a huge eyeball. It seemed to stay in a boat that can move underwater… but I’m not sure if it’s a boat or something else,” Roland answered.

Even though she could not see her companions’ expressions, she could feel their shock through their shared connection, especially Alethea’s. Among all the survivors, she had stayed in the Divine Land for the longest time. Her experience in Blessed Army enabled her to persist for about an hour but only when nothing appeared in the painting scrolls.

If she met the demon or an unknown enemy, the speed of energy consumption would be doubled!

“What happened then?” Pasha continued to ask.

“I’m not really sure. Anyway, some black tentacles suddenly popped up in the painting scrolls and attacked them. Those tentacles were so powerful that the monsters had to retreat from the paintings. It happened in only a few minutes.”

Did he mean that he had met the guardians of the other two civilizations at the same time and defeated them while not being injured at all?

Celine felt as if she was listening to a fairy tale.

She was not surprised by the presence of black tentacles. As the energy of the user declined, the relic would have an greater impact on them. He might hear imaginary sounds, see imagery scenes, tentacles or something else one by one. They were not merely mental disturbances but they could do real harm to the body. That was why Pasha emphasized that they were more than illusions. If they interrupted the summoning before any real harm was caused, the user would not have a serious problem.

Of course, it was impossible for ordinary people to defend themselves against the spiritual erosion. Even a witch who had experienced thousands of battles would quickly feel tired and eventually lose control of her body.

But what Roland faced was a completely reversed situation and the black tentacles had rushed toward the enemy. She had never heard of such an instance.

Looking at the king, who seemed not to care about what had happened, Celine suddenly had an incredible guess.

Was this ordinary person comparable to Lady Alice, Queen of Starfall City and Head of the Three Chairs, in terms of mental power?

However, he did not seem to be aware of it. After stretching his arms and legs, he laughed and said, “Anyway, thank you for pulling me out. I intended to see if there was any border to the Divine Land, but it was too large and I did not want to walk all the way back.”

The three witches remained speechless for a long while and then Pasha finally broke the silence. “Ahem… that’s all right. Do you still want to continue exploring the relic?”

Roland shook his head and said, “not right now. There are just four painting scrolls and it won’t make much difference to have another look at them. Take me to the central carrier.”

Chapter 777: Question and Answer

ver since the previous meeting with the Taquila witches, Roland had looked forward to meeting with the central carrier.

To decipher the literature left by the underground civilization, many Taqila survivors had sacrificed themselves by merging their souls, but it could only answer yes or no questions. Otherwise, it was basically a useless object. Thinking of this solemn story, he felt that an air of mystery shrouded this central carrier.

When Roland finally saw it, he gasped in shock. It was chained up in a secret chamber under the hall.

This blob, much bigger than any original carrier such as the one occupied by Pasha, was heavily chained. Its thickest tentacles were forced apart and nailed to the walls or the ceiling. From its badly scarred skin and its broken tentacles, he could tell that it was not the first time she was treated this way.

He remembered that it was able to feel things just like the original carriers.

It was able to feel the heat and cold, taste the sweet and bitter, and feel pain.

He could not help knitting his eyebrows, asking, “Why? I remember the volunteers integrating with the central carrier were all witches, even including one of your Three Chiefs, E…”

“Lady Eleanor, Your Majesty,” Pasha sighed. “We had no choice. Carriers are as powerful as God’s Punishment Warriors. Their tentacles can drill into the earth and build a light well in the dome. They can also attack enemies and tear a prey in half. If we don’t keep her here, she’ll subconsciously move around and cause us lots of trouble. If that happens, she’ll be even harder to deal with than those hybrid demonic beasts.”

Roland quickly understood Pasha’s feelings of powerlessness. He guessed that this tentacle blob might be a combat unit created by the underground civilization, but if it lost its mind and got out of control, it would be a serious threat to the relic of gods and the magic core. He believed that the Taquila survivors did not want to take this risk and as a result, they had no choice but to keep it trapped here.

However, knowing the reason did not make him feel any better.

He felt sad for the witches who had willingly sacrificed everything for Taquila only to end up imprisoned in this dark corner.

Seeing Roland contemplate these emotions, Pasha said with a mixed expression of gratitude and sadness, “We tried to ask about their feelings, but we were unable to get a response. The souls merged with the central carrier cannot be separated again by the magic core, so we have no idea whether they’re able to feel what’s going on.”

Alethea, who remained quiet suddenly spoke again, “All the Taquila witches, including us, have determined to follow Lady Eleanor forever. You don’t have to feel bad for them. They knew what they were getting into.” Roland somehow felt that her voice wasn’t as cold as before.

Well… If it had been as cold as dry ice, it’s now only cool as iced water.

Celine added, “When we asked the central carrier whether we should chain her, all her three main tentacles answered yes. If she hadn’t agreed to this, we would not have tied her up so tightly.”

Roland nodded and said, “Maybe the Witch Union can help you with this problem. Soraya can produce flexible fabrics to replace the iron chains, and a little girl named Softfeathers can stick things together. If they work together, they may find some way to constrain her without hurting her. If you don’t mind…”

Pasha slightly lowered the main tentacle on her head and said, “That will be great. You have my gratitude.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Roland replied then asked. “What did you mean by ‘all three main tentacles answered yes’? She can say yes with one main tentacle and no with another at the same time? When that happens, how can you make sure of what she’s trying to say?”

“Let Celine explain that to you.”

Hearing that there may be a way to alleviate the pain of the witches in the central carrier, Celine seemed quite excited and answered, “The central carrier is different from us. It has three main tentacles, which enables her to express more complicated information without communicating through telepathy, which is what I’m doing right now.”

With these words, Celine’s main tentacle on her head emitted a beam of dim red light.

“Oh? It can even shine?”

“Yes, before we learned how to communicate through thoughts, we often used this method to express our feelings and emotions. But now we don’t use it as much anymore.” She moved to the center of the secret chamber, pointing at the three main tentacles which were hanging from the central carrier’s head and were nailed to the ground. “Without consciousness, she can’t express her feelings. She’s only able to reply yes or no through the red light. If a main tentacle shines, it means yes. If it doesn’t, it means no.”

She continued to explain, “However, when we were deciphering the literature of the underground civilization, we realized that a simple yes or no couldn’t quickly help us find the correct answers. For example, if we mistake the sentence ‘I’m a Taqila witch’ for ‘I’m a witch’ or ‘I’m Taquila”, she’ll answer no. With this method, we would have to spend a lot of time on confirming each simple sentence.”

Roland immediately understood what she meant. “So you counted her shining main tentacles to see how close you got to the right answer.”

Celine exclaimed, “You really are smart. That’s right. When we read her something closer to the right answer, she would show us more red lights. When all three of her main tentacles shone, it meant that the answer was either 100 percent correct or she couldn’t agree more.”

Roland felt touched yet again by these witches, thinking, “So that was how this fusion of all the witches’ souls including Eleanor’s confirmed that they should be constrained underground? Even though it was unclear whether these souls made this decision for the sake of safety or based on their own feelings, this choice was still quite moving.”

He took a deep breath, asking, “May I ask her some questions?”

Celine moved to the side and answered, “Yes, of course. You can just ask her directly.”

Roland approached the central carrier and asked slowly, “Suppose now I’ve two baskets. Each basket has two apples inside. After I dump out all the baskets, there are four apples on the ground. Is it right?”

All the three tentacles shone at once.

Celine was startled, “Uhm… Is that what you wanted to ask?”

Wendy also felt a little embarrassed at this moment, asking, “Your Majesty, what’re you up to now?”

“It’s just a test,” Roland remained calm and continued to ask the second question. “Now suppose that I’ve got 12,345 baskets, and each basket has 54,321 apples. If I dump out all the baskets, how many apples are there on the ground?” He took out a paper strip and continued, “I guess there are this many apples. Am I right?”

He read out the correct answer he had prepared in advance, which was a nine-digit number. The calculation required to get this number should be considered quite complex at this age. He believed that people who had never gone through Neverwinter’s Mathematics education could never get the right answer in a short amount of time. This can be seen from the shared silence amongst the Taquila Senior Witches.

However, all the three main tentacles of the central carrier shone red without delay after hearing what he said. Just as they did to the first question.

Chapter 778: Commandeering a Meeting

p>Amazed by the result, Roland was lost in thoughts.

This central carrier can figure out a nine-digit multiplication! No matter the method she used, whether it be using summation or column multiplication, she managed to find the correct answer instantly. This must mean that her calculating skills far surpass those of the common people. Even if she’s only able to answer yes or no, she’ll still be of great assistance to the Arithmetic Academy. At the very least, she can check the calculation results of the academy members which can help minimize the mistakes of large and complex calculation projects.

He squatted down excitedly and with a child-like grin, patted a main tentacle of the central carrier, “You’re brilliant.”

The red light went out.

Pasha reminded him, “Your Majesty, she can’t communicate with you directly.”

“She can understand my words and even give me yes or no answers. This already counts as a kind of communication.” Roland believed that communication, in essence, is just the receiving and sending of information. The central carrier can at worst be described as having troubles expressing her thoughts and thus couldn’t “communicate” as a normal person could. He was not discouraged by this in the slightest and intended to continue finding out whether the central carrier was really limited to just giving out yes or no responses.

After pondering for a while, he said, “Now let’s suppose lighting one main tentacle means one and lighting two tentacles means two. Can you give me a three with your red light?”

The question seemed to be much simpler than the five-digit multiplication, but it served an entirely different purpose. If the central carrier could display a correct answer to this question, it would mean that she was able to give more elaborate feedback to questions. Moreover, she might also be able to display calculation results directly in some way.

However, the central carrier did not instantly answer like before. After a few seconds, one of her tentacles started to glow, another one only glimmered, while the last one remained dark.

According to Celine, the central carrier meant that what Roland said was 30 percent correct.

However, this signal did not last for long.

The light of the glimmering tentacle went out very quickly and was soon followed by the glowing one.

“So the answer is a no?” He wondered.

“This is…”

Celine slightly sighed and explained, “This is beyond her capacity. She had to express her agreement in a more complicated way to your question and thus got confused.” She paused before continuing, “We’ve tried to ask her to express simple ideas and even some short sentences. However, once she found out that she could not answer a question simply with a yes or no, she would respond much slower and also easily get confused like how she just did.”

Roland said, frowning, “Does this mean I have caused some sort of a logical barrier in her brain? Is she… alright?”

Celine waved her tentacles, answering, “she’ll be alright after a moment of rest. I once tried asking her some contradictory questions. As a result, she ignored the rest of our questions for several weeks.”

Now Roland was certain that this bio-computer was going to be difficult to handle, but he still did not want to give up his plan of creating a new communication system to help the central carrier express more complicated ideas by answering yes or no. As she could check the calculation result, he thought that she must have known the correct answer and just did not know how to display it with her tentacles.

However, formulating this system was well beyond his area of expertise. As engineers and programmers tend to not get along very well, he knew very little about computer programming. After a bit of thought, he decided to give up on the idea of studying this central carrier all by himself.

“By the way, I remember that you said the carriers needed mud and heat to continue functioning. Is there any magma here?”

Pasha replied, “Fran hasn’t drilled that deep yet, but we’ve found a boiling underground river here. So we should be able to find lava flow nearby soon. Also, I often smell sulfur from this underground river. It’s good for us to take a bath in it, too. As for the central carrier, we pump water from the river to shower her every few days, so you don’t need to worry about this.”

Hearing that magma was not a must for the carrier and that hot water could be used as a replacement, Roland was excited to think that he would only need a boiler to heat some water for this central carrier if he wanted to move her to the Arithmetic Academy one day.

He knew it was still not the time to make this request, as it would feel like he was overstepping his boundaries with the Taquila witches who had just moved here and had not yet joined the united front with Neverwinter. Besides, he was worried that those astrologers from the academy wouldn’t be able to keep their composure once they saw this gigantic tentacle monster.

He would first have to build trust with the witches during the exploration of the snow mountain before he could make this sensitive request.

After Roland left the secret chamber and ended his tour of the Third Border City, he began to contemplate about the plans for this place. At present, only a rough frame of this underground city had been constructed, and it could only serve as a temporary underground residence for the witches for now. Only after tunnels connected the numerous peaks of the Impassable Mountain Range could they consider this a real hidden stronghold. With the artillery installments and military fortifications above ground, it would then be incorporated into part of Neverwinter’s outermost defense line.

As soon as he returned to the castle, he summoned all the department leaders of City Hall to his reception hall. A purple curtain of light slowly materialized in front of them before eventually enveloping the whole room.

Despite the fact that Roland informed them in advance about what they were going to see, the officials’ faces still drastically changed when they saw this incredible scene. The young Minister of Agriculture, Sirius Daly, even accidentally knocked over his teacup on the table in shock; Barov kept on wiping the sweat from his forehead; Kyle Sichi and Astrologer of Dispersion Star stared at the light curtain in fearful disbelief. If it had not been for the king who was still sitting calmly in his chair, they probably would have already run away with their tails between their legs.

Roland glanced around and found that the only person who remained relatively calm was the noble lady from the Northern Region, Edith, who only jumped a little from the scene but at the same time her eyes seemed to be filled with excitement and curiosity. He also noticed that she was now looking at him with more respect in her eyes.

He had to admit that trying to figure out women was quite the difficult task.

Aside from Edith, all the other City Hall officials’ reactions were within his expectations.

As he was determined to form a united front with the Taquila survivors to fight against the demons, he knew that he could not hide them from the officials forever. Given this, he thought he had better introduce the witches to the officials before anyone in the City Hall noticed something strange in the mountains to the north of Neverwinter.

He also believed that two years of working in the City Hall should have broadened their outlooks and made them more open-minded toward new things.

However, after he explained to them who these tentacle blobs were, why they came here, and how he planned to explore the snow mountain together with them, most officials did not seem to be all that supportive at all. If they had not been familiar with the witches in the Witch Union, they would have already treated those ancient witches as alien creatures like the demons.

Barov, the City Hall Director, said that it was too late to come up with new budget plans for this exploration since it was already the time for the Finance Department to work on the final accounts of the year. He also expressed his worries about Border Area’s possible vulnerability if they were to dispatch additional troops for this expedition, given how a force was recently just sent to the Southernmost Region.

With an obvious distrust in the Taquila survivors, Chief Knight Carter doubted the safety of this joint action and even argued that dangers might arise due to internal conflicts of the expedition team.

Sirius, Minister of Agriculture, stuttered about how the grains in stock could hardly support this plan alongside the ongoing military expedition and this news about the shortage of food might cause panic among the residents of the city.

Karl, the Minister of Construction, expressed his concerns about the instability of the mining area above the place hollowed out by the ancient witches in the mountain range.

Hearing them giving various reasons for canceling this exploration, Roland was clear that all they were doing was persuading him to think twice before cooperating with those tentacle monsters.

The discussion had become bogged down over this contentious issue.

If this had happened in a place such as a democratic parliament, he would not have been able to carry out his plan.

However, he did not forget that he was the lord of Neverwinter, the king of Graycastle and the one who had the final say in this matter.

He knew that it was now time for him to take over the meeting and forcibly carry out the plan.

Just like he did when he decided to protect the witches in his domain.

Chapter 779: The King’s Decision

oland knocked on the table and everybody in the hall instantly quieted down.

He rose from this chair and paced over to stand behind the officials. “When the Months of Demons end, we’ll welcome the new year as the most important year for Graycastle. I’ll unify the entire kingdom and hold the coronation ceremony to officially become the king and you’ll all become my ministers to help me govern this country. ”

Two years ago, everyone would have considered Roland’s promises to be the crazy ravings of an arrogant prince.

One year ago, they would have thought that his plans were long-term goals.

However, today, no one doubted what he said.

All officials rose and placed their right hands on their chest almost simultaneously. They lowered their heads and said, “Your Majesty, it’s our honor!” Suddenly, all their complaints and doubts disappeared. They looked excited as they understood the power of Neverwinter after working these two years in City Hall.

They knew, for sure, that once His Majesty made up his mind to unify the whole kingdom, he would definitely bring all the regions and areas of the kingdom into his control.

When that happened, they would rise from the officials of a city to the most powerful ministers of a kingdom.

Roland made a gesture, indicating them to sit down and said, “It’s more than that. My Graycastle will become unprecedentedly large. My kingdom will include the Hermes Plateau in the north, reach the Endless Cape in the south, expand westward to the Barbarian Land, and eastward to the Fjord Islands.”

He further explained, “To make that happen, the First Army will become the busiest department and thus leave fewer soldiers to guard Neverwinter. Given this, I’ve got to explore the snow mountain now to eliminate hidden threats to the city. I don’t want my king’s city to be attacked by some unknown enemies from the mountains when the main force of the First Army isn’t here.”

Carter suggested to the king in a low voice, “Your Majesty, maybe the First Army and the Witch Union will be enough to explore the snow mountain…”

Roland interrupted, “No, in a dark underground cave where the landscape is extremely complex, guns and cannons have only a limited effect. We don’t have any maps of the cave or any preset firing position there. If they happen to meet some demonic hybrids, how much do you think it will cost the First Army to defeat them?”

The Chief Knight fell into silence at once.

“This is why we must work together with the Taquila survivors. Their God’s Punishment Witches and the Witch Union have complementary advantages in this exploration. The First Army will set sentry posts along the way and cover their retreat if need be. This is the most prudent arrangement.” Roland paused and then suddenly raised his voice. “You all listen to me carefully. Don’t tell me it’s difficult to implement this plan. You’re sitting here to solve problems for me! If you can’t, my City Hall doesn’t need you anymore!”

He paused and looked at the City Hall Director. “Barov Mons?”

Barov shuddered, answering, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Is there any problem with the final accounts and logistics for the exploration?”

“No… I believe.” The old man wiped the sweat from his face. “I’ll give you a plan five days later.”

“Three days,” Roland corrected him with an air of authority. After that, he turned to look at Minister of Agriculture. “Sirius Daly?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If Border Area’s food stocks are low, you can get some from the Longsong Area. We’ve got enough concrete boats for this. Do I make myself clear?”

“Ye-Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Karl Van Bate!”

The Minister of Construction answered immediately, “Your Majesty, I’ll carefully check the geological condition of both the mining and furnace areas.”

“Good…” Roland smiled. “Then the next one.”

…

This time, all the problems could be readily solved since all the officials saw the king’s determination and accepted the tasks without any hesitation.

After assigning the tasks to the officials, it was time to decide who would go for the exploration.

Pasha’s voice resounded in everyone’s head again. Most of the officials got scared again, but as soon as they saw Roland calmly talking to the tentacle monster, they calmed down a little and did not flee the hall in panic.

Since they had already promised His Majesty to work with the Taquilla witches, they thought that all they needed to do at this moment was force themselves to remain seated and listen to the voice. To avoid seeing the tentacle monster, they all closed their eyes and lowered their heads, pretending that they were engrossed in their thoughts. They acted as if the sound was some evil spell from the hell instead of a female voice.

Seeing them, Roland did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Edith was the only official who dared to look at the light curtain.

Sometimes, she even tried to talk with the Senior Witches of Taquila like Roland did.

Not wanting to be upstaged by his opponent, Barov managed to lift up his head several times but failed to say anything in the end.

Roland had expected this and had planned to not get the City Hall officials heavily involved in the conversation.

At last, the Taquila witches agreed to send 50 God’s Punishment Witches to team with the Witch Union and these witches were the main force for the exploration. The First Army would send a group of 500 soldiers with Brian as their commander to join this exploration as well.

The remaining troops in the city would be temporarily handed over to Carter and continue to fight against the demonic beasts at the border.

When both parties agreed on these arrangements and Roland was about to end this meeting, Edith suddenly raised her hand.

“Your Majesty, I wish to apply to join the Snow Mountain Exploration Team and go to the Western Region snow mountains together with the First Army soldiers.”

Barov’s mouth corner twisted, saying, “Come on, you’re not a witch or a soldier. Don’t mess up His Majesty’s plan.”

She insisted, “I used to serve as a fencing coach in a knight battalion and defeated each of my opponents including demonic beasts within five rounds. I can protect myself.”

Roland asked curiously, “What’s the reason for this request?”

Edith explained, “The Battle of Divine Will is getting closer to us, but none of the officials sitting here know what the demons or the underground creatures look like. As we know nothing about our opponents in the upcoming war, I’m afraid that the City Hall won’t be able to reach Your Majesty’s expectations. I know that someone may think that since the First Army will fight against the demons, his own department won’t get involved into the war-related stuff. However, once the battle begins, all the departments such as the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Agriculture will have to satisfy the needs of the war effort. This is inevitable and so to do a great job in City Hall, we also have to know our enemies well.”

“You…” The City Hall Director wanted to retort but did not know what to say at this moment.

Roland could not help smiling, thinking that what she said might sound a little belligerent but was quite interesting. He also derived an inspiration from her statement and thought it might make a great new rule that only allowed promotion of the officials who had worked in the cities located on or near the front line during the battle. In this way, he could guarantee that the officials of the City Hall would never underestimate the importance of this fatal war or make some unrealistic government decrees during wartime.

Besides, he believed that it would be alright to let Edith join the First Army’s action as she indeed had battle experience.

He nodded to the Pearl of the Northern Region.

“Well, please go get ready for the exploration.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Edith smoothed back her hair that was hanging beside her ears and bowed with a smile.

Chapter 780: Edith’s Little Game

Sister, are you… going to some place far away?” Cole Kant’s voice could be heard from behind Edith.

She continued sorting out her clothes without turning her head back to her brother. “Not very far away. I’ll just hang around somewhere in the Western Region.”

He came to her side and asked again, “How long will it take?”

“I don’t know.”

Cole started to look at the clothes piled on his sister’s bed. “You didn’t pick any formal dress, girdle or your favorite corset… Aren’t you going to visit some nobles or attend banquets?”

Edith gave him a quick glance. “You’ve got stronger observation power now, but you don’t always have to tell the others everything you notice.”

The boy winced at once and said, “You were the one who taught me how to improve my observation ability.”

“Now I’ll teach you another thing. When you’re talking to a woman, remember to remain graceful all the time and choose your words carefully, understand?”

“But you’re my sister…”

“If I wasn’t, you would suffer a lot.”

Cole shuddered and said, “I, I see.”

“Good.” Edith shrugged. “How do you feel working in City Hall?”

“It’s alright… Just like you instructed, I’ve never revealed my identity as a noble. All I do there is just writing and recording, which are easy for me. But I really don’t understand…” He hesitated. “Why didn’t you put me in your department?”

Since Cole Kant had watched the artillery drill, he had given up the idea of returning to the City of Evernight. He and Edith had also moved from the Foreign Affairs Building to a spacious house near the lord’s castle. Now they were official residents of Neverwinter. As a noble who had received a traditional education, Cole had found a job easily in City Hall. Including the hundred or so scholars and servants from the Northern Region, Edith managed to gain a certain status there.

These people would not stay here forever, but she knew that His Majesty would never reject more people from the Northern Region coming to learn the new system. The young king was thirsty for talents, and now the Northern Region was the only one that was willingly providing him with talented people. As long as her father kept on sending new people here, she would always keep her status in the new system of the king.

Edith smiled and answered Cole, “Because it’s not necessary and it may cause us troubles. The City Hall Director always keeps an eye on me. If I put you in my department and he manages to find out your mistakes, I’ll be faced with a dilemma. If we ruin the Kant family’s reputation, it’ll influence His Majesty’s opinion of me.” She paused for a moment and continued. “Even if we don’t get along with each other, the others will still think of us as a whole as we share a common surname. So no matter what you do in the future, you’ve got to remember you represent the whole family, not just yourself.”

The boy looked down with a contemplative expression on his face. Edith did not know how much he could understand, but she had said all there was to be said about this matter. Even when the feudal aristocratic order was totally replaced by Roland’s new system, their family reputation would still have a long-term influence on them and might even draw more attention to them in the short run.

Their common surname had replaced their noble identities to become the most important thing for them now, just like the way the moon became the brightest thing in the sky after the sunset.

After quite a long while, he nodded and said, “I’ll be careful.”

Their father had said that Cole was timid, irresolute and weak, therefore not a suitable heir for the Kant Family. He was worried that this son would not be strong enough to lead his knights to guard the domain as a lord, and if it was wartime, his style would easily put him in an invidious position.

Edith knew another point that the duke had never mentioned.

Cole Kant took after his father in personality.

If Timothy had never planned to ally with some less powerful noble in the Northern Region to break the existing order there, the Kant family would not have been able to get where they were today.

Now that they were no long a lesser noble family in some remote place of the Northern Region, their father thought a more capable child, Edith, was a better successor and thus had great expectations of her.

However, Edith was clear that Cole’s shortcomings were not going to hold him back in Neverwinter. On the contrary, being prudent, introverted and a fast learner meant that he would adapt well to the job in City Hall.

The moment she had known that a group of common people with snow powder weapons in hands had captured Timothy’s city in merely one day, she had realized that personal strength and courage were not that important as before. This was also why she had insisted on keeping her brother in Neverwinter to learn new things.

Cole casually picked up a long dress and lifted it in front of him, acting as if he were checking whether it fitted him or not. He asked, “Oh, sister. Where’re you going indeed? I don’t want to stay in such a large house alone. I’ll get bored.”

“But it was you who asked me to buy a big house. It’s five hundred gold royals, which is quite expensive even for me. Now you think it’s too big?” Edith asked him in a cold voice.

The boy was startled and almost dropped the dress on the ground. “No… no… I’m very satisfied with this house.”

“Wait until next summer. Our little brother will come here to keep you company.” She glanced at him and found that the dress seemed to suit him well. “As for where I’m going, it’s a secret of Neverwinter, but it’s not something I can’t tell you. According to the old rules, you have to pay a price for this.”

Cole hesitated, as he was familiar with this little game and had been tricked into doing many silly things this way. However, in the end, his uncontrollable curiosity still took over his fear. He said to Edith, “I want to know.”

She smiled and said, “I’ll go to the Great Snow Mountain of the Western Region with some soldiers from the First Army.”

He was surprised and asked, “You mean the source of the Redwater River? Is there anything special?”

“Some unknown demonic hybrid monsters or alien species. We’ll probably meet anything there.” Edith said and then continued to describe the Taquila witches she had seen during the meeting. “Now we’ve entered into an alliance with those tentacle monsters. I can’t wait to witness our monster allies fighting against the monster enemies.”

Cole listened with his mouth agape and then stuttered, “Wait… wait… Aren’t you afraid of those things? And His Majesty made a deal with some monsters? Even the demons don’t look that scary, do they?”

“So?” She threw up her hands and said. Not seeming to care much about her brother’s worries, she continued to ask, “Isn’t it a good thing for us?”

He could not believe what he had heard and asked, “A good thing? Sister, are you crazy?”

“What?”

“No, I mean…”

Edith sighed and explained, “Do you remember what we want to achieve by serving the king here?”

Cole replied with great care, “To achieve… greater power?”

She looked at him with shining eyes and said, “Not exactly, but at least it’s not wrong. Greater power comes from a bigger domain and a larger population. If the ancient witches, some alien species and even the demons all rush to the king’s side, the power of this kingdom will extend from the human world to some alien lands. Do you understand?”

He gasped at what she had said.

She continued and said, “A lesser noble who owns just a village can easily remember the names of all his subjects, but a lord of a city can never do that. The diversity of the people in a domain indicates how vast the domain is… and I remember no king had ruled over any alien species in the history. This is the new opportunity our family wants to seek. We left the remote and backward domain for this, so why are you worried about it?”

Hearing this, Cole stood at the place for quite a long while before he could open his mouth and said, “But…”

Edith interrupted. “But they’re not our kind. That’s what you want to say, right?” She twitched her mouth and continued. “As long as His Majesty is still at the helm, he will be able to do whatever he wants with those alien creatures.”

Her words made him sense a chill in this warm room.

“Now, it’s time for you to pay back.” With her eyes squinted, Pearl of the Northern Region pointed at the long dress and said with an affected drawl. “Put it on and let me have a look.”

Chapter 781: Sand Road, Wolf Heart

his was a long dream.

A dream that Lorgar knew she was in.

The moment the Four-winged Eagle landed on her, the pain of the broken bones in her legs coursed through her veins. Her legs were, in her view, as crushed as the wheat under the millstone, in which she had seen her clansmen process food purchased from the north in spite of her lack of knowledge of how to grow wheat.

There was no way for her to stand up again for the rest of her life, not to mention fight.

But now she was standing.

Thus, it had to be a dream.

For only in a dream, what was made could be unmade.

Taking a deep breath, Lorgar looked into the space before her, where a sand road started from her feet and stretched as far as she could see. She stepped forward and, from time to time, she would encounter an opponent, one of those that she had defeated before, walking towards her with neither a hint of laughter nor mockery. One by one, they passed by her and disappeared into the endless sand behind her.

A sandworm was the first to come.

It was her achievement in her first hunt when she was 12 years old.

The sandworm would be most vulnerable when it was moving in the sand and leaving a clear tail, but once it was skulking in silence, it would be hard for the hunter to spot it. However, that could not baffle the civilians of Sand Nation, who might be more deceitful than any other creature in the desert. Lorgar attempted to disguise herself as a common bush and wait for the sandworm to come. By the time it was close enough, she shoved her spike into the sand as well as the sandworm beneath it.

Her excellent hunting performance had exceeded her siblings and even in the big clans of the Iron Sand City, was unmistakable. As a consequence of that hunt, she fell in love with the happy feeling of confronting and fighting.

The sandworm coming now did not take the cover of sand but raised its head as it traveled slowly in the sand like a snake. For a moment, Lorgar thought it would spit venom at her that would deform her face, but nothing happened. It went by quietly.

A Scorpion and a Desert Wolf came next… her second and third opponent.

The Scorpion passed by, but the Desert Wolf stopped, who, after a moment of hesitation, walked up to her, wagging its tail. It snuffed her calloused bare feet before turning around and walking by her side.

Lorgar recalled the brutal challenge between her and the wolf. Constrained by the fact that much more effort was required for a Mojin woman to be a qualified duelist, she had to seek for the next prey right after the hunt of many sandworms and scorpions. She aimed at the wolf pack.

But the wolves moving in packs were more fearful than she had thought. A sandstorm had struck them and untied the hunting team. By the time it subsided, numerous wolves emerged on the horizon.

The Sand Nation people hemmed in by wolves had fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered. One by one, they fell under the sharp claws and fangs coming from all around. Lorgar had thought she was doomed. At the last moment, a sharp pain took her and then she awakened to be a Divine Lady.

She became the giant King of Wolfheart.

Standing on the sand that was soaked in blood, she looked down at the wolves, whoever met her eyes huddled down, as if they were greeting their dominating God.

The road after her awakening turned much broader.

As strong performers of her age, clan fighters, and battle-tested warriors… approached her one after another and disappeared. Lorgar’s heart tensed.

Perhaps the dream would come to an end when the last opponent passed by her.

There was not much time left for her.

She wanted to slow down… but it did not help.

Soon the earth darkened as if something large was passing over her head. Lorgar looked up and saw the Four-winged Eagle.

The last moment was coming.

At the same time, with a shaking roar, the Desert Wolf broadened its muscles and jumped at that sky-dominating beast.

The two beasts collided hard, sending blood and feathers all around. They fought their best as if wanting to finish the duel on the Burning Stage that had not played out yet.

Lorgar held her breath and gazed at her last battle. Her body would precisely record every feeling during the fight, which was exactly the reason why she could improve much more rapidly than ordinary people. If she got the chance to fight the beast again, it was certain that she could persevere longer and even snap its head before Ashes lent a hand.

What a pity that the opportunity was beyond her grasp.

As the battle was reaching fever pitch, Lorgar wanted to join and fight alongside the giant wolf, but her body was stiff and she even lost the feeling in her feet.

She realized it was time to wake up.

The fear grasped her heart and she began trembling all over.

She did not want to be confined to a bed, disabled.

She wanted to stand up!

To continue to fight!

However, she felt increasingly confined. The feeling had crept from her legs to her neck and she could not even manage to move her throat now.

Suddenly, the Desert Wolf howled agonizingly from the pain of its torn abdomen ripped open by the eagle. Its intestines poured out as it faltered to Lorgar. The wolf only managed to move a few steps before its last strength evaporated and it fell in Lorgar’s direction. Even at the last moment of its life, it attempted to block the rest of the strikes from the enemy for her.

The strikes on its back were like the beats on her heart.

No!

Lorgar abruptly opened her eyes and sat up.

The sand road and the beasts were suddenly all gone. Beside her came the cry of her maid, “Princess… you, you woke up!”

“Yes…” She was in a trance for a while. “I woke up.”

“Which means the time I can stand is… Wait!” Lorgar was bewildered. She could clearly see the maid approaching her bedside in panic and feel the touch of the towel on her skin when the maid wiped her sweat. In her sight, the roof of the old tent, the knife hanging on the wall, and the burning brazier were all incredibly vivid.

But how could she capture such a clear vision with only one eye?

Subconsciously, she touched her left eye… To her surprise, it was intact.

No, not just the eyes, both of her arms were good and her entire body was painless, even her feet!

Throwing back the covers, she scrambled out of bed and stood with both her feet on the ground firmly.

“What?” She looked at the maid who had been shocked by her behavior.

“The new Divine Lady brought by the northerners healed you,” the maid stuttered, trying to explain. “She didn’t even use any medicine. With a slight touch of her hands, your wound healed over.”

“There’s a witch called Nana in Neverwinter of Graycastle, who can heal anybody, even someone who’s breathing his last or whose limbs are entirely broken.”

So what Ashes had said was not to comfort her, but was real. There indeed was a witch who possessed such a miraculous power.

“Where are they now?” Lorgar quickly slipped on a coat and asked, “I have to thank her.”

“They’ve gone.”

“What?” She frowned. “What about Ashes?”

“She’s not in the Iron Sand City either. Two days ago, the Osha clan took the first batch of Sand Nation people to the Southern Territory.”

“Is she…” the Wolf Girl slowed down. “How long have I been out?”

Timidly, the maid held up three fingers and then added three.

“Six days. What a long dream.” She sighed. “Is there anything else that happened in the Iron Sand City during that period?”

“Yes, the Wildwave clan annexed the severely buffeted Black River clan and challenged us…” The girl looked a little depressed. “Lord Chief didn’t, didn’t take the challenge, but gave up directly. The rank of Wildflame has dropped to third… We couldn’t keep the Stone Castle any longer.”

“Really?” Lorgar raised her eyebrows. “I need to see my father.”

“Ah… Wait My Princess, you forgot your hood and cloak!” The maid followed Lorgar to the doorway with some clothes. “Many people have come to the castle recently, some coming for negotiation, some for…” Her voice lowered as she spoke.

“Driving us out, right?” Lorgar reached out her hand to touch her pointed ear and then smiled at the maid. “Keep them, for I no longer need them.”

“What? But…”

Her father had told her to conceal her unique unhuman-like features before she succeeded the chief, for even a Divine Lady would be excluded and mistrusted for an abnormal look. But she had understood what she really wanted after finishing the long sand road in her dream.

Half woman and half beast? A Monster?

That did not prevent her from continuing her fight, did it?

Lorgar waved her hand, giving no more words, she then walked directly towards the top floor of the Stone Castle.

Chapter 782: Say Goodbye

p>Along the way, she witnessed her clansmen coming and going with bags on their backs, their sad faces displayed an obvious reluctance to leave their homes.

Since their ranks had dropped down to third, they would be distributed to the much smaller houses of Stone Castle. It would be even worse for the people who were no longer be eligible to live in the castle. They were going to be moved to the campsite in the outer street. Even though it belonged to the Iron Sand City, it would be inconvenient when compared to the central area.

After all, the big clans Stone Castles controlled the limited pieces of land around the lakes and oases.

Lorgar etched their expressions in her mind and stored it in her heart.

As the guard stationed outside her father’s bedroom saw Lorgar coming, he couldn’t help but smile. “Princess, you… are healed!”

“Yeah, as good as I was,” Lorgar joked. “Is my father in his room?”

“Lord Chief is always in there, however…” The guard hesitated. “He is not alone.”

She had an idea who they might be so she didn’t bother asking.

That’s when she heard the sounds of an argument coming from behind the closed door.

“I thought we settled this already. Your clan would vacate the main castle within three days. So, why are you still here?” someone inquired loudly. “Are you defying the vow of the Three Gods?”

“Mind your attitude, Kabucha!” a voice chastised. If she had correctly identified it, the voice belonged to her oldest brother Rohan. “Now that you’ve absorbed the Black River clan, you should make them vacate, so we can move in. We can’t share a space with them while they are still mourning their loss, they still have white linens hanging on the walls.”

“You can send your men in to tear down the linen. Our Lord Chief wants results, not your excuses.”

“You—!”

“Ha, since your clan conceded during the holy duel, you shouldn’t bother trying to be arrogant. Your chief still hasn’t spoken and yet you dare to criticize us? Stay out of the way and be quiet.”

Others started to join in, “Exactly, accept the results or we can defeat you again!”

“Cang—”

Subsequently, the sound of swords being unsheathed rang out.

Just as the guard outside the room drew his weapon to join the fight, Lorgar stopped him.

“Leave it to me.”

“But…” The guard murmured as he attempted to argue. However, his next words were quelled by Lorgar’s peremptory gaze, he lowered his head as he replied, “I understand, My Princess.”

Lorgar pushed open the door and walked in, her face sullen.

The warriors of the Wildwave clan stood with their arms crossed, defiant, as they ignored the sharp blades near their throats, betting that the Wildflame clan wouldn’t dare to swing them.

The warriors had guessed right. Both, her brother and the guards, only dared to threaten harm, making the Wildflame look weaker.

Guelz Burnflame was seated behind a square table and his eyes reflected the rooms unsettled flames. Momentarily, the room was silenced.

“Stow your weapons.”

Lorgar’s voice broke the tension.

Guelz smiled, “Finally, you’re awake.”

“Sister, you… are… no, I mean… this is great!” Rohan sputtered in disbelief as she approached them. At first, Lorgar wasn’t able to read her brother expression. She couldn’t tell if he was shocked or surprised.

Lorgar suddenly realized that her father hadn’t told anyone about the Divine Lady of the North. Only her father and those who had cared for her knew, the rest still remained ignorant.

Even her brother was surprised, not to mention the Wildwave warriors.

“Lo-Lorgar? Weren’t you… badly wounded during the holy duel?”

“It’s impossible! I saw clearly with my own eyes that her legs had been crushed and bloodied, as she was carried off the platform!”

“What’s that I see… a wolf’s ears and tail?”

“She’s a monster!”

Lorgar, unmoved, walked over to the Wildwave warriors, who had clearly lost their cool as they continued to argue, “Anyway, Wildflame yielded during the duel on the Burning Stage, which was witnessed by the Three Gods! You have to wait six months before your next challenge.”

This rule about participants who yield not being allowed to challenge the winner before six months had passed was a safeguard against planned surrender for the preservation of power and it was well known and accepted throughout the Sand Nation.

“We accepted the results, just like we believe in the Three Gods.” Lorgar gave the answer which relieved the tension in the warrior’s chest, unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long. What she said next tensed the room up again, “So… who’s Kabucha?”

“I am!” the head of the Wildwave warriors had no choice but to step forward. “Now that you have promised to respect the results, move out immediately. You are no longer the strongest clan. Do you really still want to cling to this castle?”

The reply was a right hook to the face.

Kabucha was indeed a good fighter, even so, he wouldn’t be able to defeat a wolf claw that had instantly emerged in front of him. He had been blown away, breaking the door, before he landed outside in a crumpled heap.

“You—” The other warriors glared at her, and yet, none of them dared to charge at her.

“Even though Wildflame dropped to the third clan, the dignity of the chief can’t be ignored, especially by someone standing in the middle of our land. How dare you be so insolent?” Lorgar accused. “Take that punch as a lesson and get out, all of you!”

The moment Lorgar entered the room, the table had turned. Annexing Blackwater had contributed to a great part of Wildwave’s force, so they hadn’t feared the holy duel or the possible private challenge, they were confident they would transcend Wildflame. But, when Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan appeared before them, in the flesh, their confidence vacated them. They had to admit, even if Wildflame had decided not to duel with them in six month, they still wouldn’t be able to afford losses to the giant Desert Wolf, who could sneak up and assault them, from time to time, in the future.

Their day of reckoning would come, for they challenged them in the first place.

For the Sand Nation People, revenge was as sacred as the holy duel.

Wildwave warriors carried the bloody-faced Kabucha and left without a word.

“Father, now that my sister has healed, can we move back to this Stone Castle in six months?” Rohan asked excitedly, his fists clenched. “Or perhaps you could negotiate with the chief of Wildwave and save us from the trouble of moving—since they wouldn’t stand a chance in winning the next duel, he should allow you the favor.”

“Yes, our Prince is right,” the guards echoed in excitement.

“Let me go and stop everyone who is packing.”

“Also, don’t forget to throw out the Wildwave clansmen who have been lingering in our castle.”

“Don’t forget to tell them to take their belongings with them.”

They prattled on delightedly.

Guelz Burnflame softly coughed and looked at his daughter, “What’d you have in mind?”

That brought silence to the room. Everyone turned their eyes towards Lorgar and waited for her answer. Rohan was among them, slightly biting his lips, his eyes shadowed.

Lorgar barely noticed. She took a deep breath and said clearly, “Father, I want to leave and I’m here to say goodbye.”