Fortress Four

The next morning, Ronan, having had a good dream, got out of bed, changed his pants, threw the dirty ones into his backpack, and then put on his light armor before heading to the mess hall for breakfast.

While Ronan wasn't the last to arrive, the mess hall was already half full when he got there.

Walking over to Mario, he unceremoniously grabbed a piece of buttered bread from his plate and popped it into his mouth, chewing with vigorous satisfaction as revenge for being dragged away last night.

If Mario hadn't grabbed Ronan and pulled him out at the last moment, Ronan might have shamelessly stayed at the palace.

Breakfast consisted only of mashed potatoes, boiled beans, and bread. Ronan ate a little to fill his stomach and then left the mess hall. To be fair, the mashed potatoes here weren't as good as the ones made in Ravenwood Town.

He led out Radish from the stable. The horse had eaten a good meal of superior warhorse feed last night and was much more energetic now. Its dull coat from just disembarking had even regained its luster.

Upon seeing Ronan, Radish pulled its head out of the feed trough, nuzzled him, and covered Ronan's face with slobber. Annoyed, Ronan flicked its head twice.

He didn't put a saddlebag on Radish. It was just a journey, and the horse wouldn't have a chance to shine in a siege. He figured it would have to wait until the decisive battle.

Adjusting the saddle, Ronan mounted the horse and rode to the front of his subordinates. Although the Nord warriors weren't skilled in mounted combat, Ronan had brought mounts for them to use for travel.

The ordinary soldiers of the Silver Moon Clan, however, had to march on foot, a rather miserable fate.

The troops quickly assembled. Rexa gave a brief pep talk at the front before leading them out.

Scouts had reported that the main forces of Valantis and the Eredar were consolidating their gains near Fortress One. The road to Fortress Four was currently safe. After the Xinteland forces departed, the troops originally stationed at Fortress Four had split into two groups and garrisoned Fortress Two and Fortress Three, leaving behind only a thousand militia and enough food for everyone to last half a year.

The enemy would likely divide their forces and attack the two fortresses simultaneously. Ronan wondered which lucky location would be spared. However, he believed Fortress Four, with the smallest garrison, would definitely be a target, perhaps even the primary one.

Terra's arrangement likely stemmed from a desire to preserve his own strength. Rexa probably knew this as well, but for reasons unknown, he hadn't raised any objections during the meeting last night and had chosen to obey Terra's orders.

Four days later, the convoy finally reached Fortress Four. Fortress Four was larger than Ronan had imagined, with walls eight meters high and about two meters thick, making them practically impervious to catapults. The entire city had only two gates, east and west, both made of thick, iron-clad wooden doors that wouldn't be easily breached.

Each of the four corners of the city wall had watchtowers about 10 meters high. Battlements were spaced every meter along the wall, creating perfect positions for two guards. In the center of the city stood a tall castle, now filled with supplies and weaponry, with some logistical personnel working inside.

There were three deep wells within the city, all drawing from groundwater, ensuring ample water supply and no risk of enemy poisoning. The open ground within the castle grounds was now covered with tents, housing villagers from the surrounding settlements. There were fewer than a thousand of them, mostly women.

These tents were not safe. Arrows shot by attacking enemies or stones thrown by siege engines could easily kill the people living in them. However, the castle lacked space; it was already at its limit accommodating the soldiers.

Among these villagers were some men who hadn't been conscripted, either too young, too old, or injured, but they could pick up weapons and act as militia if necessary.

The city had been taken over by Rexa. He immediately led his subordinates on a tour of the wall defenses and supply stockpiles, with Ronan following along.

As Ronan had expected, the stored food consisted only of non-perishable vegetables and various dried meats, sausages, and smoked fish. Thinking about eating these for every meal from now on, Ronan's face turned green.

After all, no matter how skilled the chefs were, these preserved items wouldn't be particularly delicious.

The follow-up support from Xinteland was being prepared, and it would take at least three months for them to arrive in full. If they encountered any harassment like Ronan's group did, it could take even longer.

With the troops settled, and due to the limited space in the castle, Ronan had to share a room with Mario and two other Elf soldiers.

Upon arriving at Fortress Four, Ronan also activated his second ring quest:

"Successfully defend Fortress Four from being breached for sixty days.

Reward: 3000 Experience, 100 Gold Coins, Sturdy Heavy Iron Shield (Excellent)"

Time flew by, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye. In the past few days, besides his daily training, Ronan could only help manufacture defensive measures or do odd jobs for the villagers to pass the time.

Unintentionally, he gained some reputation among the villagers, not much, only a few dozen points, but it significantly improved his mood, and he started helping the villagers even more diligently. Over time, he had accumulated considerable popularity in the city.

Ronan also officially gained reputation with Terra.

"Minor Fame (148/1000) (Terra)"

One day, the peace of Fortress Four was shattered by an urgent report. Scouts had discovered that Valantian forces were on the move, their target being Fortress Four. They were estimated to arrive in seven days. The Eredar forces had also begun moving towards Fortress Two.

The atmosphere in the entire city immediately became tense. The villagers living outside were also very anxious. Rexa inspected the military equipment and distributed a shield to every two of them to ward off stray arrows.

The troops began manufacturing defensive fortifications with even greater urgency. Rexa had the soldiers collect a large number of stones from outside, and the craftsmen even felled trees to build two catapults.

The city had ample arrows and oil. Everything was ready; they just needed the right moment.

Facing an enemy three times their size with a force of about 2,500 men, even though it was a defensive battle, it was still a formidable challenge.

The days ticked by. On the afternoon of the eighth day, the Valantians finally arrived near Fortress Four. Outside the range of the arrows, Valantis began setting up camp, and Fortress Four was completely surrounded.

Rexa and the Centurion of the militia left by the Terra people were standing on the east wall, observing the enemy through telescopes. This side of the wall had the city gate and was bound to be one of the main attack directions. Therefore, Rexa personally oversaw its defense, and Ronan and the Silver Moon Clan troops were also assigned to defend this side.

Putting down the telescope, the Terra Centurion, Bamba, turned to Rexa and said:

"The leader is Valantis's youngest and most promising general, Gino-Vol, one of the most trusted confidants of the current Valantian King."

Rexa nodded and then said to Bamba:

"Have the soldiers prepare. There should be a probing attack soon!"

Bamba echoed his words and began arranging the defenses. Ronan, meanwhile, had put on his plate armor, holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, with his greatsword leaning against the nearby parapet.

Beside Ronan were Silver Moon Clan soldiers, also holding shields and spears, with archers behind them. The archers would soon unleash volleys of arrows under their cover.