While the Sleepers regrouped and restarted their plans after the Stars Returning event, other groups that were also affected by this event and located outside the fringes of human civilization were individually calming down the dramatic chaos.
On the frontier islands and reefs in the eastern part of the endless sea, several tidal barriers were erected urgently. The powerful magic power formed a shield on the edge of the islands and reefs to replace the coastal defenses that were destroyed by huge waves before. Inside, the sons of the storm who had barely regained their vitality were busy day and night. They wanted to repair the magic circle on the island, rebuild the destroyed coastal buildings, and rescue food and herbs that hadn't been polluted or rotted. Before the storm hits, they must get these vital frontier features back up and running, at least to a level that is self-sustaining.
In an underground lair in Ansu, the druids of the Doom Society finally re-sealed the "body of false gods", but the massive biomass they consumed in the process could not be replenished in a short time , the new flesh and blood proliferation plan has begun to execute, and the Grand Priest, who was severely worn out in the incident, has returned to the depths of the crypt, entering a dormant state that may last for a whole year.
In the deep sea, tens of thousands of Krakens lay neatly on the seabed, hiccupping and discussing how long the core fusion tower could run this time.
However, the mortal kingdoms on the continent of Loren don't know this. With the advent of severe winter, calm is covering the superficial calm of their kingdom and empire.
Typhon Imperial Capital, Aldernan, Noble District.
It has been two months since I last saw the Earl of Winterhold. After hearing that the Northern Earl was about to leave the Imperial Capital, Grand Duke Ferdinand Wendell visited the Earl's mansion in the Imperial Capital again.
One is the most powerful duke in the empire, and the other is an earl located in the cold northern region of the empire. There is obviously a gap between the status and title of the two, but in fact everyone knows that the Archduke Ferdinand and the Earl of Winterhold have a close personal relationship. They have been close allies years ago. The Winter Wolves controlled by the Wendell family are mainly stationed in the northwest border of the empire, which is adjacent to the hereditary fiefdom of the Earl of Winterhold. Half of the Winter Wolves soldiers They are all from the Winterhold area. The Winterhold family not only provides the Winter Wolf Legion with youth, but also provides supplies for the latter for a long time. The Wendell family acts as the protector of the Winterhold family in the imperial power network. This relationship It hasn't changed for hundreds of years.
A mutual aid on the northern frontier battlefield twenty years ago established a personal friendship between Ferdinand Wendel and the current Earl of Winterhold Palin Winterhold, and their friendship has continued to this day.
Compared to the last time we met, the Earl of Winterhold looked more haggard. This powerful spellcaster probably hadn't had a good rest for many days and nights. His face was gray and his cheeks were sunken. It was usually very cloudy, and Archduke Ferdinand had to worry about the health of his old friend first: "Are you okay? Palin? You seem to have not slept for three days and three nights!"
"Counting today, it is indeed the third day." The Earl of Winterhold sat in the large high-backed chair with a frown on his face. "I really can't sleep... Our emperor is getting more and more worrying."
"I heard that His Majesty rejected your proposal again, and ordered the Winterhold area to prepare for the war in the coming year... He..."
"Your Majesty has completely refused to listen to any words of dissuasion, no matter what you say or what I say," the Earl of Winterhold shook his head, "now is definitely not a good time to start an all-out war, my Duke, no one is as good as you and me." Know more about Ansu's guardian family in the east. They are hard nuts to crack. Indeed, the empire's army is powerful, with brand-new tactics and better equipment, while Ansu is outdated and backward in this respect, but this does not mean that Then we can do it for nothing... at least, not yet."
"I am the same as you. We have never doubted that the power of the empire is enough to defeat the enemy, but the key lies in the price." Grand Duke Ferdinand frowned, "However, our Emperor seems to have lost his judgment in this regard. He... too Radical."
"It's not just radical, Duke, it's not just radical," the Earl of Winterhold's tone became serious. "I suspect... that crazy curse has begun to affect His Majesty the Emperor."
Grand Duke Ferdinand's eyebrows twitched immediately: "What did you observe?"
He knew that the Earl of Winterhold was a powerful spellcaster and also a knowledgeable master in the mysterious field. He might be far superior to the opponent in terms of force, but in the field of magic and curses, there would not be too many people in the entire empire who could surpass the Earl of Winterhold. Many, he saw the radiance of magic overflowing from the eyes of his old friend, and the expression of the latter became heavy and solemn: "I haven't observed anything, but there are some doubts that can be detected without the participation of magic. I deliberately avoided being watched by my 'magic eyes', when we met, there were four royal mages standing beside him, the powerful magic interference made me unable to see anything, and this is precisely the most suspicious part."
"Your Majesty knows something is wrong..." Grand Duke Ferdinand's breathing became a little short, "But he consciously prevented you from helping him?!"
"This is the most disturbing part of His Majesty's conscious indulgence of madness, which is more terrifying than pure madness," the Earl of Winterhold looked into the eyes of Grand Duke Ferdinand, "I have lost His Majesty's trust, and he ordered me to return to the territory , unless you get a pardon, you are not allowed to enter the imperial capital again, so now I can do nothing, only you can take action. You must keep an eye on the palace and prepare for the day when His Majesty will completely go crazy. According to my estimation, Your Majesty He still maintains most of his sobriety, but his personality has changed, so he can still be a qualified king when governing the country, but this state may not last for a few years... "
"I am loyal to His Majesty the Emperor," Grand Duke Ferdinand said suddenly. After finishing his sentence, he was silent for a few seconds before continuing to speak slowly. "But I am even more loyal to this country founded by the martyrs."
"That's what you would say," said the Earl of Winterhold, with a smile that soon became eccentric, "Speaking of the founding fathers... our decayed neighbor really stood up as a martyr... "
Ferdinand Wendell's expression also became weird: "You mean...the rumor that Grand Duke Cecil? Do you believe it is true?"
"Whether it's true or not, it's already an established fact, and according to the information I have and the results of several divinations, it's even more likely to be true," the Earl of Winterhold said seriously, "You should also get According to the information, the revived "pioneering hero" is currently in the dark mountains in the south of Ansu. He established a pioneering territory and tried to re-expand human civilization to the vicinity of the wasteland of Gondor. In the process, he also solved Several cult issues, these behaviors are obviously not for pleasure. If all this is really a lie made by Ansu, they don’t need to play tricks to this extent. A revived founding hero was taken to the capital to act as a totem. It is most appropriate to strengthen the legitimacy of their bastard dynasty."
"I did get the information, and the actions of the pioneering hero completely conformed to the historical description... It's just that this incident is still too unbelievable."
"Whether it's unbelievable or not, we have to take this into consideration as a variable," the Earl of Winterhold said seriously, "Now that cultists are rampant in Ansu, their nobles are struggling to solve these internal problems, which has also led to our His Majesty the Emperor is determined to take this opportunity to launch a war, and he has ordered the Winter Wolf Legion on the border to launch a new round of infiltration into Anzu, and part of the infiltration route... is very close to the Dark Mountains."
The old duke knew immediately what the Earl of Winterhold wanted to say: "Andersa is there."
Andersa Wendell, the heir of the Wendell family, the daughter of Bud Wendell, the youngest wolf general in history, after her father Bud Wendell disappeared on the battlefield, this young and talented girl She grew up quickly, and she went to the battlefield as if she wanted to wash away the shame of her family's defeat at the border and avenge her father. She stood on the border where her father was once stationed, and that border was located in the southeast corner of Ansu It is very close to the territory of Silas Loren, the guardian of the east, and also very close to the Dark Mountains.
If His Majesty's infiltration order reaches the front line, Andersa will undoubtedly choose the Dark Mountains as the infiltration route. It is a dangerous polluted wasteland for most ordinary people, but it is a march for elite imperial soldiers. And it can bypass the main line of the Ansu Eastern Defense Army very well. Ferdinand Wendel thinks that if he is still in command of the Winter Wolves, he will choose this route himself.
"If they are unlucky, they will bump into the Duke Gawain Cecil. In this case, we would rather believe that all the legends about the Duke, including his resurrection, are true," said the Earl of Winterhold He said sincerely, "Andersa is a brave and powerful warrior. I have watched her grow to this day with my own eyes, but for the last legendary hero seven hundred years ago..."
"She should know how to measure. As a commander, she won't act personally..." the old duke frowned. Although he said so, he thought of his granddaughter's stubborn character and how she treated Ansu after her father disappeared. The feeling of hatred generated, so I added at the end, "I will remind her not to act impulsively. She has powerful elf rangers under her command. I will remind her and let her send those who are more suitable to carry out the task. "
The two talked for a long time, about the situation of the empire, about the border situation, about Ansu, about the resurrected pioneer hero, both of them knew very well that this might be the last time they met in the imperial capital of Aldernan.
After that, the Earl of Winterhold will return to his Winterhold, and Duke Ferdinand will not leave Aldernan at will. The two old friends on the battlefield who are no longer young know that time is precious, but time is limited after all.
The sun is setting.
The lights of the imperial capital were gradually turned on. Looking at the illuminated city, Grand Duke Ferdinand standing in front of the carriage couldn't help but think of the legend that said that the descendants of the Gondor Empire had fallen into darkness and pioneered in the barbaric wasteland. The age of survival.
At that time, the night was dark, but the heart was bright.
"Tell me, what will the revived Duke Cecil think after seeing this era?" He stopped in front of the carriage and turned to look at his old friend. The once fraternal nations of men...are preparing for war."
"...probably a disappointment to all of us."