Securing a Foothold

Mel and Grev led the army north along the river and quickly captured Matte City. The soldiers from the surrounding cities had already been buried in the previous decisive battle, so they encountered little difficulty.

The resistance they met was even weaker than expected. The few hundred defenders put up little more than a symbolic struggle.

They similarly left behind seven hundred men and handed them directly to Grev. This time, however, there were not so many cavalrymen; Mel could only give him a hundred heavy infantrymen, who had originally been under Grev's command.

Now, they only needed to take Duni City. That would mean claiming a complete, connected stretch of territory.

Upon arriving at Duni City, Mel could tell at a glance that it differed from the waterside cities near the trade routes. It had towering walls without a moat, backed by a massive mountain range.

The entire city had been built against the mountainside, looking like a brick abruptly embedded in the mountain.

Huge ballistae stood atop all three sides of the city walls, while tiered fortresses had been constructed at strategic points on the mountain behind the city. No matter where one attacked from, breaking in would not be easy.

From the surrendered soldiers, Mel easily learned that this was Steel City, a city rich in iron ore. That meant its ability to forge weapons and armor was undoubtedly formidable. As long as he captured it, he would basically achieve self-sufficiency. In the future, he would only need to open up the Grass Plains trade route for stable development.

"The Grass Plains are the territory of the Centaur race. Although they are also within the Gard Empire, the empire's actual control there is not that strong." Mel looked at the map.

"My lord, the people in Duni