Taiwei Four

The next morning, Ronan woke from a pleasant dream, changed into a fresh pair of trousers, stuffed the old pair into his backpack, then put on his light armor and headed to the dining hall.

Ronan was not the last to arrive, but by the time he got there, the dining hall was already half full.

He walked over to Mario, rudely snatched a piece of buttered bread from his plate, and chewed it viciously as payback for Mario dragging him away last night.

If Mario had not grabbed Ronan and pulled him out last night, Ronan might really have shamelessly stayed in the palace.

Breakfast consisted only of mashed potatoes, boiled beans, and bread. Ronan ate enough to fill his stomach, then left the dining hall. To be fair, the mashed potatoes here were not as tasty as those in Ravenwood Town.

He led Carrot out of the stables. The horse had enjoyed a hearty meal of premium warhorse feed last night and was much livelier now. Even the dull coat it had worn when it first disembarked had regained its shine.

When Carrot saw Ronan, it pulled its head from the feed trough, rubbed against him, and licked his face full of saliva. Ronan angrily flicked it twice on the forehead.

He did not put Carrot's armor on. They were only traveling, and there would be no chance for the horse to shine in a siege defense. It would probably have to wait until the final battle before it could truly show its worth.

After adjusting his saddle, Ronan mounted up and rode to the front of his men. Although the Nord Warriors were not skilled at fighting on horseback, Ronan had still brought them mounts for the journey.

The ordinary soldiers of the Silver Moon Clan, meanwhile, could only trudge along on foot.

The troops quickly assembled. After Rexa gave a few formal remarks, he led the force out.

According to the scouts, the main forces of Valantis and Eredar were consolidating their gains near Fortress One. The road to Taiwei Four was currently safe. After Xinteland's forces departed, the troops originally stationed at Taiwei Four had split into two groups and moved into Fortress Two and Fortress Three, leaving behind only a thousand militiamen and enough food to feed everyone for half a year.

The enemy would likely split into two forces and attack both fortress cities at once. It was hard to say which unlucky one would be left out. But Ronan believed that Taiwei Four, with its smallest garrison, would definitely be one of their targets—perhaps even their primary target.

Terra's arrangement probably reflected a desire to preserve its own strength. Rexa likely understood that as well, but for some reason, he had raised no objection during last night's meeting and had instead chosen to comply with Terra's arrangements.

Four days later, the group finally reached Taiwei Four. It was larger than Ronan had imagined. Its walls stood eight meters high and were roughly two meters thick, making them nearly impossible to breach with catapults. The entire city had only two gates, one east and one west, both heavy wooden gates reinforced with iron that would not be easily broken.

There were watchtowers roughly ten meters high at each corner of the walls. A battlement stood every meter along the ramparts, with enough space for two men at each opening. At the center of the city stood a tall castle, presently packed with supplies and military equipment, while logistical personnel worked within.

There were three deep wells in the city, all drawing groundwater. Water was plentiful, and there was no need to worry about the enemy poisoning it. The open ground inside the castle was filled with tents housing villagers from the surrounding settlements, fewer than a thousand people in total, most of them women.

These tents were not safe. During an enemy assault, arrows shot into the city and stones hurled by catapults could take the lives of those living in them at any moment. But there was not enough room in the castle; accommodating the soldiers was already its limit.

Among the villagers were also some men who had not been conscripted, either because they were too young, too old, or injured. But if necessary, they could still take up arms and serve as militiamen.

Taiwei Four had now been placed entirely under Rexa's command. The first thing he did was lead his men in inspecting the wall defenses and supply reserves, and Ronan followed along for a look.

As Ronan had expected, the stored food consisted only of nonperishable vegetables, various kinds of dried meat, sausages, and smoked fish. Thinking about eating these things for every meal in the future nearly made his face turn green.

After all, no matter how skilled the cook was, how good could such food possibly taste?

Xinteland's follow-up reinforcements were still being prepared. Even in the fastest case, it would take three months for them all to arrive. If they encountered harassment like Ronan's group had, it could take even longer.

Once the troops were settled, Ronan could only squeeze into one room with Mario and two other elven soldiers due to the limited space in the castle.

Upon arriving at Taiwei Four, Ronan also activated the second stage of the mission.

"Successfully defend Taiwei Four for sixty days without it being breached.

Reward: 3,000 experience, 100 gold coins, Sturdy Thick Iron Shield (Excellent)"

Time flew by, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Aside from his daily training, Ronan could only help build defensive works or assist the villagers with their chores to pass the time.

By accident, he earned some reputation from the villagers. It was not much, only a few dozen points, but it improved Ronan's mood considerably, and he worked even harder to help them. Over time, he built up quite a bit of popularity in the city.

Ronan had also officially unlocked Terra's reputation.

Slightly Famous (148/1000) (Terra)

That day, the calm of Taiwei Four was shattered by an urgent report. The scouts had discovered that Valantis's forces were already on the move, and their target was Taiwei Four. They were estimated to arrive in seven days. Eredar's forces had also begun marching toward Fortress Two.

The atmosphere throughout the city immediately grew tense. The villagers living outside were especially nervous. After inspecting the armaments, Rexa issued one shield for every two of them to protect against stray arrows.

The troops began constructing defensive works with even greater urgency. Rexa had the soldiers gather large numbers of stones from outside, while the craftsmen even felled trees to build two catapults.

The city had ample arrows and oil. Everything was ready; all they lacked was the enemy.

Holding back an enemy force three times their size with roughly 2,500 men would be a difficult battle, even in a siege defense.

The days dwindled one by one. At noon on the eighth day, the Valantis army finally arrived near Taiwei Four. Beyond bow range, they began setting up camp, and Taiwei Four was completely surrounded.

Rexa and Bamba, the commander of the thousand-man militia unit left behind by Terra, stood atop the eastern wall and observed the enemy through spyglasses. There was a city gate on this side, making it certain to be one of the main directions of attack. Rexa was therefore personally stationed here, while Ronan and the Silver Moon Clan's troops had also been assigned to defend this side.

Lowering his spyglass, Bamba turned to Rexa and said, "The man leading them is Gino Wall, Valantis's youngest and most promising general. He is one of the current King of Valantis's most trusted confidants."

Rexa nodded, then said to Bamba, "Have the soldiers get ready. There should be a probing attack soon!"

Bamba answered and began arranging the defenses. Ronan had also put on his plate armor. He held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, while his two-handed greatsword rested against the battlement beside him.

Beside Ronan stood Silver Moon Clan soldiers, likewise carrying shields and spears. Behind them were the archers, who would soon loose a rain of arrows at the enemy from behind their cover.