Long River Town

This group of horsemen are Gato Raiders, a nomadic people who inhabit the eastern grasslands of the continent and are the most dangerous anarchic armed group.

They are the most notorious and massive bandit group on the entire continent.

They are skilled in archery and horsemanship, and are valiant fighters, but are almost entirely impossible to communicate with—they have established an almost completely closed society in the eastern grasslands, rejecting any diplomatic or trade requests, and will attack any outsiders who attempt to enter Gatu territory.

In fact, they are simply a coalition of tribal warlords who live by raiding.

Their daily lives consist of plundering merchant caravans in the Lionheart Kingdom or the northern Frost Raven Kingdom, stealing women, and sacking villages.

However, ever since Count Oden built Brave Shield Fortress thirty years ago, the Gatu have rarely conducted raids in the direction of Long River Town—small numbers of raiders are blocked beyond the grassland border by the fortress garrison; and when large Gatu armies are deployed, Brave Shield Fortress provides timely warnings.

Incidents like these, where hundreds of Gatu raid the heartland of Long River Town, haven't happened in a long time.

The two hurried towards Long River Town without stopping, finally arriving in the afternoon.

Long River Town is a magnificent city, no less impressive than Lion City.

This once frontier town is now the largest trading city in the eastern region.

Long River Town is backed by a great river, the 'Tongtian River'.

Across the river to the north lie vast wastelands, to the west are dense water networks and swamps, to the south are mountains acting as a barrier, and to the east is the vast Long River Forest. In Long River Town alone, one can experience the diverse landscapes of this continent.

One can also see the various peoples of this continent...

Unlike all other cities, Long River Town has its own unique culture—it is a city built by generations of adventurers and pioneer lords.

The act of pioneering new territories, in fact, has a low success rate.

The vast majority of pioneering nobles perish in their youth amidst constant battles—especially around the Long River Forest and the Gatu grasslands.

However, the opportunity to become a true ruling class can only ever be obtained on the battlefield.

Therefore, even at the risk of their lives, countless adventurers still press forward, eager to earn a bright future with the swords in their hands.

For commoners wishing to rise above their station, the most likely path is also on the battlefield—as mercenaries, earning military achievements under a noble lord and gaining the lord's favor.

As the lord's own territory expands, commoners with outstanding military achievements may also be enfeoffed as knights, becoming part of the nobility.

Such opportunities are, of course, more abundant under a pioneer lord.

Therefore, anyone who wishes to achieve success in the eastern province, whether a commoner mercenary or a pioneering noble, will first come to Long River Town.

Nobles come here to recruit soldiers, and mercenaries come here to seek their future.

Although very few adventurers achieve meteoric success, the merchants of Long River Town can thus make a fortune...

This has led to the exceptionally developed commercial sector in Long River Town, especially the arms trade—arms dealers, horse merchants, and various suppliers of provisions and building materials, uncommon in other cities, are found everywhere.

It is precisely because of its developed commercial environment, which brings in considerable tax revenue, that Grand Duke Alma and Count Oden both covet this territory.

The current lord of Long River Town is actually Duke Elfwan. But unfortunately, he has been bedridden for years, reportedly paralyzed from the waist down.

Although the aging Duke Elfwan has many wives and concubines, he has no children, and he himself has no siblings, so it seems his family line cannot be continued. This naturally leads Grand Duke Alma to harbor some ambitions. Currently, some of the administrative affairs of Long River Town are managed by Grand Duke Alma.

Count Oden, who has achieved great military success, is precisely the one who raised his forces from Long River Town and built Brave Shield Fortress step by step in the north. He has considerable popular support and prestige in Long River Town, so it is inevitable that he also has some ambitions for the town. Currently, the garrison and defense of Long River Town are managed by Count Oden.

Therefore, these two factions naturally engage in a covert struggle over the future ownership of Long River Town.

Exhausted, the two arrived at Long River Town and immediately went to the Long River Town City Defense Force garrison.

This garrison, surprisingly, openly displayed Count Oden's double lion shield emblem—Count Oden made no secret of his designs on Long River Town.

Of course, the administrative hall opposite the city defense garrison was not exactly low-key either—Grand Duke Alma's lion claw emblem flag was hung there.

Li Ang presented his noble insignia to the guards and entered the city defense force garrison.

He was received by a bearded officer, a very imposing middle-aged man.

"Sir, I am Ralph, Knight-Captain under Count Oden. Are you certain you saw a large number of Gatu Raiders nearby?"

"Yes, ten hours ago on the road south of Long River Town, in a no-man's-land."

After hearing Li Ang's "report," the bearded officer clearly didn't believe him: "That's impossible, Your Excellency! The Gatu haven't been able to enter Long River Town for thirty years..."

Perhaps it was because both reporters were nobles that the bearded man didn't simply chase them away.

Li Ang looked at the map of Long River Town hanging on the wall, walked over, and pointed: "I swear by my surname, we saw a Gatu cavalry of over a hundred men at this location."

That no-man's-land, shrouded in thick fog, was in the heartland of Long River Town, more than three hundred li away, and over five hundred li from the border fortress of Brave Shield.

A noble swearing by his surname is beyond doubt, yet the bearded officer still found it hard to believe: "But, Your Excellency, Brave Shield Fortress has not reported any enemy activity! It would be impossible to conceal the Gatu entering Brave Shield's territory, otherwise it would be treason!"

Li Ang and Sarah exchanged glances.

Sarah was clearly surprised, then keenly sensed something was amiss—this socialite, who had long mingled among nobles, was very sensitive to politics. She immediately whispered to Li Ang: "My lord, perhaps a month ago, Duke Alma had Foucher..."

Li Ang gave Sarah an approving look, and Sarah, understanding, fell silent.

Li Ang looked at the map again with renewed seriousness, then took a crumpled sheepskin scroll from his pocket and handed it to the bearded officer.

"This may be related to the matter Count Oden previously entrusted me to resolve... I think you can read this letter first."

Oden had indeed given Li Ang a letter—and had written it in front of him.

This letter served as proof of their cooperation.

In the letter, Oden instructed his subordinates that matters inconvenient for the Fletcher Family to handle could be entrusted to Li Ang.

At the same time, Li Ang could also request aid from Oden's territory if he encountered danger.

The letter contained a line: "Please cooperate with Mr. Li Ang as much as possible."

This was, of course, to allow Li Ang to quickly deal with the 'bandits' occupying his territory.

But the sudden appearance of the Gatu, Sarah having seen Gatu riders at Foucher's place, and the fact that Brave Shield Fortress on the border was undisturbed—when all these circumstances were put together, Li Ang naturally realized that the Gatu's presence in the kingdom's heartland was most likely due to a territorial dispute between Grand Duke Alma and Count Oden.

Since it wasn't a large-scale Gatu invasion but a political struggle, Li Ang naturally intended to seize the opportunity to fleece them—after all, the phrase "cooperate as much as possible" was not easily quantifiable