The news that Baron Ryan's wedding would be held in a month quickly spread throughout the entire Northwind Province. All the nobles offered their congratulations, but some also expressed regret, as they had once acted as matchmakers for Baron Ryan.
Arrangements between nobles are the most popular banquets for nobles to attend. On such a day, the extravagant nobles will indulge in even greater luxury, and they will also meet many other nobles at these banquets.
In this land, only the piety of faith, loyalty to the emperor, the death of a nobleman, and the marriage of a nobleman can attract all the nobles. Those who do not come are considered to lack manners, etiquette, and moral values.
Everything else can be declined, including the coronation of nobles, but these are the only things that can be declined.
These things all share a common core, which is—inheritance.
Your piety signifies that you and your family serve the great Dawn as always, while your loyalty to the emperor signifies that the land you possess will still be called the territory bestowed by Emperor Flor. The death of nobles goes without saying, and the succession of the old and the new is the most obvious. Noble marriages are similar, representing the beginning of the further continuation of the bloodline.
What? A bastard child? If nobles could acknowledge bastard children, then they wouldn't be called bastard children, would they?
Even the emperor wouldn't do it, and even the Deities wouldn't dare to claim sons everywhere.
The nobles would all arrive, and the Frozen Earth Territory would be even busier, with more than 10,000 people who were building cities in the distance being called back to repair the Frozen Earth Territory.
"Hurry up, all of you! You damned peasants, the road from Rhino Horn Mountain to Zero Crossing City must be repaired, and it must be at least wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages!"
Butler Bilder was more serious than ever before, constantly berating the road workers before handing the job over to others and returning to the Frozen Earth Territory to oversee more work.
"These ginkgo trees must be spaced no less than three meters and no more than five meters apart. Be careful. Do you see these golden leaves? This is the blessing of the Deities. They are more precious than your blood."
"They won't wither even in winter!"
The golden leaves of the ginkgo trees adorned the snow-white Frozen Earth Territory, giving the land a golden brilliance.
In the streets and alleys of the Frozen Earth Territory, there wasn't a single snowflake on the houses, and even the ditches were constantly being cleaned.
" The Frozen Earth Territory must greet its mistress with utmost cleanliness. From this moment forward, all of you will go barefoot when you ascend Rhino Horn Mountain. I want to see that your feet are completely free of mud!"
"The trees and flowers planted on Rhino Horn Mountain, with their fallen leaves covering the soil, you must understand that they have always grown here, sprouting because of Baron Ryan's arrival."
Bilder's voice echoed loudly across the Frozen Earth Territory, while on the roads within the territory, knights on tall Northern Warhorse swayed in their metal armor as they headed towards the snowy world to the north. They were there to clear out Orcs the North and prevent Orcs from getting too close to Rhino Horn Mountain.
A month is a bit too short for nobles, but fortunately, Ryan's Frozen Earth Territory has a large population, which can alleviate this pressure.
Ryan became anxious and spent more time in the Frozen Earth Territory than in the Otherworld. But coincidentally, the scout he sent to the the North of the Otherworld returned.
"We found... a living relic."
Living ruins? Ryan frowned, listening to the scout's next description.
"The area was occupied by tens of thousands of hunting dogs. The snowstorm swept into the sky, turning the ground into a tornado that connected the sky and the ruins. We couldn't get in at all, but the hunting dogs could come and go freely."
This is why the ruins are alive, as the scouts said, and they also have a terrible suspicion on their way back.
"Perhaps we have found the Hound Deity."
Ryan wanted to deal with the creature that killed the hound, so the first thing he needed to do was find it. Unexpectedly, by sheer coincidence, the Deities was there, and he was found so quickly.
"Take your men and set up camp there immediately. Don't get too close. Just keep an eye on the movements of the Deities."
Ryan ordered that he must ensure the presence of the Deities remained until he was prepared with all available means.
However, the scout hesitated.
" Lord Ryan, when we returned, those hounds were chasing us. Perhaps, perhaps they have already alarmed the Deities."
When mortals are so close to the presence of the Deities, how could the Deities not sense it?
Ryan went to the Skala City, where there were more people, many of whom knelt on the ground, bowing in fear towards the arena.
" The Deities are punishing us; they have sent their own warriors!"
"It's all over, it's all over. We will be betrayed by anger, and He will kill us all."
Ryan questioned the people and learned that some villagers from outside the city had fled into the city and were attacked by hunting dogs. The hunting dogs, which were originally gentle to them, suddenly became ferocious and their strength and speed doubled.
Many people died unexpectedly.
This result darkened Ryan's expression. Dead people—his own people had been killed, especially those who hadn't even provided Ryan with Spiritual Wealth.
Once you're dead, you can never provide anything again.
You have to understand that only an ordinary human can provide Lord Ryan with a tiny bit of spirituality. He already had little spirituality to begin with, and now he has completely lost it.
Ryan was heartbroken, so he transferred the entire Stag Legion to the Otherworld, leaving the Berserk War Bear Legion to continue clearing the northern foothills of the Frozen Earth Territory.
"No matter where those hunting dogs came from, kill them all."
Ryan gave the order, and thunderous hooves charged in all directions. The hounds could deal with ordinary people like Gam who dared not resist, but against the powerful Northern Warhorse and knights, even the Deities power they possessed could not inflict any casualties on the Stag Legion.
Ryan also brought in Fenrir's people; in this world, he wasn't someone who could be commanded by just anyone.
Fenrir's people, who were defeated on the battlefield and surrendered under the wolf king's orders, brought all of Ryan's spirituality from the very beginning.
"Use your methods to summon the wolf packs on the snow and let them kill those hunting dogs. I think the wolf packs are better at hunting these centuries-old enemies than humans."
Ryan knew that every night before, Gam's people would open the cages and let the hounds go out to hunt for food.
Their prey consists of wolves, because only wolves are likely to venture out at night on the snowy terrain.
Like the people of Gam and Fenrir respectively, they are sworn enemies.
As Ryan gave the order, thousands of hounds were killed, and the remaining hounds disappeared into the snowstorm, their teeth bared, gathering together in the icy landscape.
Beyond Tyrael Forest, as the cavalry departed, a hound emerged from a crevice in the moss-covered rocks, its pointed ears perked up. With a low growl, more and more hounds appeared at the edge of the Forest.
In that instant, the wild beasts in the Forest stopped roaring and huddled in their dens, while the hunting dogs moved nimbly through the Forest, heading towards the Forest city deep within.
The city gates were not closed, and the hounds rushed in. The people of Gam were filled with immense fear as they watched the hounds coldly observing them.
As the hounds arrived, the people of Gam knelt on the ground, daring not to resist even as the hounds began their rampage.
"We beg the Deities to forgive our mistakes."
When Ryan arrived Tyrael Forest City, the city gates were tightly shut. He could smell blood in the air, but the smell did not attract any wild beasts from the Forest.
Ryan didn't speak. He sat astride his warhorse, reached out, and a lance landed in his hand.
Ryan raised his lance over his shoulder, the roar of flames like the song of Dragons, and the lance pierced through the air, carrying flames as it plunged into the city gate.
He continued to extend his hand, and the soldier behind him handed him a lance again.
Without further ado, the terrifying force, carrying a horrific speed, sent the lance crashing down on the wooden gate once more.
One lance after another, Ryan remained silent throughout the entire process, relentlessly pounding his lances against the city gate. Even the hardest stone shattered before his power. After hundreds of lances pierced through the gate, it finally cracked open.
Boom!...
Thick wooden door fragments shattered on the ground, revealing the scene inside: an army of hounds and humans from Tyrael Forest City.
"It seems you have changed your stance."
The hounds roared, and thousands of hounds and humans poured out of the broken city gate. The hounds charged madly at the Stag Legion, their sharp fangs and claws their only weapons.
"Kill them all!"
Ryan drew his Knight's Greatsword and led his legion in a charge without hesitation. Before the two thousand cavalrymen, both hounds and humans died one after another, their bodies forming a path—the path trampled by the cavalry charge.
On one side was the faith in the Deities with no way out, and on the other side were the slaughterers of this war. A whole day passed, and the war ended in a brutal battle. The last hound and the last human were killed. Outside the Forest city, Ryan stood on the pool of blood, amidst the corpses.
He ensured that not a single hound survived, nor was any human still breathing.
Slowly walking towards Tyrael Forest City, this city was even more devastated, even bloody, than the outside world.
Countless Gam citizens who did not resist were brutally killed by the hounds; their flesh was gnawed and torn apart. He came to the outside of the arena, and finally, Ryan went inside for the first time.
There were tens of thousands of corpses outside the city and more than 20,000 corpses inside the city. More than 30,000 people died in one day.
Wars involving Deities are so deadly that there is no chance of survival.
The countless lives lost in the War of the Deities Across Planes than a hundred years ago may now have an answer.
In that instant, he felt an overwhelming malice. The blood that surrounded him coalesced into a ferocious hound that roared at him, trying to devour his soul, but it could not do so.
Ignoring the Hound Deity ' clamor, Ryan kicked open the wooden planks blocking the mine entrance in the arena.
Gradually, survivors crawled out. They had taken refuge here when the chaos ensued. Whether strong or cowardly, none of them dared to face any living creatures that appeared in the city.
" The Deities want to kill you, and you dare not resist, but I am different."
"If He wants to kill me."
Ryan turned around and slashed with his longsword, the fiery sword energy tearing apart the bloodhounds above the arena.
"I'll find a way to kill him first."
Everyone stared at Ryan in terror. They weren't afraid of what Ryan had said, but rather of an extreme terror, a terror so intense that they couldn't even open their eyes or utter a sound.
After Ryan finished speaking, he turned and left, and at that moment his spiritual balance began to increase.
All of Gam's people were relocated to the Skala City. The silver mines could be temporarily abandoned, and the Gold Mine could be mined in the city instead.
Outside the city, Ryan led his cavalry legion on constant patrols, galloping across the snow-covered ground in search of any remaining hounds.
Three days later, Ryan returned to the Frozen Earth Territory and put the plan to suspend the migration of people on hold.
"The original plan was to use the construction of the city to relocate Gam's people and then focus on dealing with the Hound Deity, but that's not going to be done for now."
Ryan wrote a letter requesting to purchase a weapon to kill the Deities, but he did not expect that the ultimate weapon would be brought by Count Clayton himself. Although he did not know what methods he used, it seemed that it was already too late to relocate the population.
Moreover, the wedding day is just around the corner, and the troubles caused by the relocation of 100,000 people cannot be resolved in a month.
Over the next two weeks, the entire Frozen Earth Territory was completely transformed. Even the fences of the goat pens, pig pens, and deer pens were new. Although the town at the foot of the vast Rhino Horn Mountain had no city walls, it exuded a strong sense of prosperity when viewed from above, with countless horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts shuttling back and forth.
In this Otherworld, the hunting dogs weren't completely eradicated. Ryan couldn't understand how so many hunting dogs had suddenly appeared. Where did they come from? They couldn't possibly have been created by the Deities from their own flesh and blood, could they? What would they eat in this icy wasteland? Did they have so many prey to hunt?
There was no other way; the Stag Legion had to keep eliminating the hounds of this Otherworld. Otherwise, the people of Gam would not have the courage to resist them. The will of the Deities could easily kill the humans who had served the Hound Deity for many years.
Wolfskin Ulf was brought before Ryan. He had been to the Frozen Earth Territory, but was brought back to stabilize the morale of the people of Skala.
" The Deities behind the hound is angry, but even in his anger, He can only command the hound to attack me. How much of the original power do you think the Deities who granted you power has left?"
Ryan asked, but Ulf didn't dare answer and stood silently in place.
Ryan held the hilt of the Knight's Greatsword in his hand and ultimately did not force the guy. Having witnessed the extraordinary world for several years, he was well aware of the influence and dominance of the belief in Deities on mortals.
If we're really talking about power, the power of the Deities far surpasses that of the emperor of the Florian Empire.
"I'll give you half a month. You can choose another answer after half a month. But during these half a month, there can be no trouble among the 100,000 people in Skala City. I don't want anyone to collude with the hounds outside to open the city gates."
"You know that the people of Fenrir will guard that gate; they are your enemies."
Ryan got up to leave, but stopped at the door, turned around, and smiled.
"Oh, even if you lead your men to storm the city gate, you probably won't be able to take it over."
Wolfskin Ulf took a deep breath, somewhat angry, but Ryan was right. The blessed Fenrir people had become stronger, their fighting power overwhelming that of the Gam people. Even he himself could not handle dozens of them at the same time.
Moreover, now that he no longer has the Wolfskin, he can't transform into a ferocious beast at all.
The people of Fenrir, on the other hand, enjoyed even greater trust from Ryan, and they guarded all the granaries, city gates, and walls.
"You don't need to be so anxious. In half a month, I will give you a result that will put your mind at ease."
Ryan walked outside, Ulf could only see the sunset shining on him, his back casting a long, narrow shadow on the ground.
He was deeply moved.
"Half a month!?"
He guessed what Ryan wanted to do, but why so quickly, in just half a month? At the same time, he was filled with anxiety and panic.
Making a choice in two weeks? No, those two weeks are probably the time he'll actually have to make his choice.
But Ulf couldn't help but think about what Ryan had just said.
What if... he actually succeeds?
Ulf's heart was filled with rage. He wanted to lead the 100,000 Gam people of Skara in a final counterattack, even if the final result was death, they would fight for the great Deities.
Ulf's eyes turned wolf-like and deep, and at that moment, Ryan's last words also fell.
"If you truly need a faith to validate your goals and beliefs, then put your faith in me."
" Psionic Power you, I can give you too; Deities cannot give you, I can still give you."
Ryan's words stunned Ulf, whose tall frame seemed to lose all its confidence in that instant.
Ryan blessed him, and a terrifying power surged within him; his flesh and bones trembled, hungry, starving.
With only half a month left, it is said that the entourages of Count Clayton and Viscount Melendez are already on their way. It is no small matter for a high-ranking noble to travel in person within the empire, and Count Clayton's actions have attracted the attention of many people in the empire.
Ryan also had to keep the people of Gam in check for half a month, because although Ryan had conquered their land through military war, this conquest had not yet turned into loyalty. The rule brought about by war required strong military power to maintain this rule, so he had to put some pressure on Ulf. As long as this Children of Doomsday did not cause trouble, there would be no full-scale turmoil in Skala City.
Half a month later, the matter did indeed come to a conclusion: either Ryan, along with Count Clayton, who had come under the pretext of his own offspring's marriage but actually to deal with the Deities, would be defeated by the Deities, or they would successfully kill the Deities and devour their Divine Essence.