Carnford

The journey over the next two days went exceptionally smoothly.

Perhaps the brutal feat of wiping out the goblin tribe that night had already spread, intimidating the other potential predators in the wilderness. The group encountered no further trouble and proceeded safely toward their destination.

When the ruined outline standing atop a solitary hill on the distant horizon gradually became clear, the entire group unconsciously slowed their pace.

The air was filled with a complex mixture of emotions: anticipation, awe, and a hint of solemnity in the face of desolation and history.

The first thing that entered their view was the ruins of Kahnford Fortress.

It sat atop a raised hill, occupying a position with tremendous natural advantages.

Three sides of the hill were steep, nearly vertical, as if cleaved by a giant axe and nearly impossible to climb. Only the western side extended into a relatively gentle slope, like a natural passage leading to the summit.

A clear stream flowed slowly down from somewhere on the hilltop, winding along one side of the slope and proving that the hill possessed a reliable water source.

The fortress's defensive system was clearly visible.

Two walls had been built around the hill. The outer wall was lower, while the inner wall was taller and thicker.

On top of the walls, the remains of ruined corner towers and defensive arrow towers could be vaguely seen. Arrow slits remained at intervals along the walls.

At the very center stood the fortress's main keep. Although damaged, its main structure seemed to remain intact. It had clearly been where the former Lord and the garrison commander had lived and made their final stand.

"Carnford... This is Carnford!" Old Morrell suddenly shouted excitedly, his voice choked with emotion.

He stared blankly at the ruins as cloudy old tears instantly welled up and streamed through the creases on his face. "I'm back... I'm finally back..."

The old craftsmen beside him, including Hans, Vali, and Firth, were all visibly agitated as well. Their eyes greedily swept over every familiar broken wall, as if they were looking at an old friend they had reunited with after many years, only to find that friend in a state of utter ruin.

Karl silently watched them, understanding the weight in their hearts.

This place had once received countless hours of their labor and carried their ambitions, yet it had ultimately fallen, becoming the starting point of their lives' descent into the abyss.

He waved his hand and led the group up the gentle slope on the western side.

Traces of the fierce offensive and defensive battles of the past could be seen everywhere along the path.

Huge boulders, rotten battering logs, and pale skeletons scattered through the mud and wild grass, weathered by the passage of time.

From the fragments of broken armor and weapons remaining beside the skeletons, it was possible to tell that some had belonged to the Goldflower Kingdom, while others were the crude bone armor and curved blades unique to the Sauron Barbarians.

The group soon reached the first wall.

Outside the wall was a moat that had almost completely dried up. The living water from the stream flowed through the moat's channel.

The enormous city gate had long since rotted and collapsed. The drawbridge leading to it had broken apart and lay crookedly across the moat, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

The soldiers immediately got to work. They felled nearby trees and quickly reinforced the old drawbridge with ropes and iron nails, ensuring that the main force and its supplies could cross safely.

Beyond the outer wall was a relatively open area. It had originally been meant for stationing troops, conducting drills, and sheltering refugees during wartime.

Old Morrell and the craftsmen had long since been unable to wait any longer. They broke away from the group and rushed to the bases of the ruined walls, touching this spot and knocking on that one. At times they exchanged quiet words; at others they shook their heads and sighed, completely immersed in their professional world.

Karl did not disturb them and continued leading the group toward the inner wall.

The inner city's defenses had clearly suffered an even more devastating assault.

The enormous gate had been completely destroyed. A tremendously heavy cast-iron iron shutter had crashed down and become wedged in the gateway, rusted solid and unable to move.

A large number of skeletons lay piled outside the gate, most of them dressed as Sauron people. It was clear that the garrison had inflicted tremendous casualties on the enemy there.

"This way is blocked!" Richter reported after inspecting it.

"My Lord! Over here!" Roland shouted from the other side. "Part of the wall has collapsed. We can get in through here!"

Everyone hurried over and indeed saw that a section of the inner wall had collapsed from the impact of tremendous external force, forming a huge breach.

Inside and outside the breach, skeletons and shattered weapons were piled up in layer upon layer. The remains of Goldflower Kingdom soldiers were tangled with the bones of the Sauron people, silently recounting the unimaginably brutal struggle that had taken place there.

The soldiers silently cleared a passage. The group passed one after another through the tragic breach and finally entered Carnford's central area.

At the center of the core area stood the three-story Lord's Fortress, surrounded by many similarly ruined buildings.

Barracks, a Blacksmith Shop, stables, warehouses, and even a small abandoned training ground.

Everything had fallen into ruin, covered by weeds, moss, and the dust of time.

The main fortress had clearly endured the fiercest attack. Its walls were covered in enormous impact craters and cracks, while the third floor had almost completely collapsed.

Yet within these silent ruins, a faint trace of life still existed.

In some relatively intact corners of the barracks inside the inner wall, crude shelters had been built against the sturdy walls.

Apparently hearing the commotion, several gaunt, ragged figures cautiously peeked out.

There were more than twenty of them, men and women, even children. Every one of them was skin and bones, their eyes filled with the fear and prolonged hunger.

They were refugees who had survived the Northern Territory war by sheer luck but had nowhere to go. In the end, they had hidden in these vast ruins, struggling to cling to life.

When Karl suddenly appeared before them with a fully armed army flying bright banners, the women screamed and hugged their children, shrinking back into the depths of the shelters, while the men trembled as they tried to protect themselves and their families.

They thought their final doom had arrived. Perhaps the Sauron people had returned, or perhaps new plunderers had come.

But when they saw the Goldflower Kingdom flag fluttering among the troops and realized that Karl and his soldiers, though travel-worn, were clearly not barbarians, their terror instantly transformed into disbelieving bewilderment.

Karl signaled for the soldiers to put away their weapons. He stepped forward alone and tried to make his voice as gentle as possible. "Don't be afraid. We aren't enemies. I'm Karl von Schmidt, the newly appointed Carnford Frontier Lord of the Goldflower Kingdom. We've come to rebuild this place and restore the Kingdom's order."

The refugees stared blankly at him. After a long while, an old man who seemed to be the oldest of them all, thin enough to be nothing but bones, tremulously crawled a few steps forward. His hoarse voice was almost inaudible. "L-Lord...? The Kingdom... The Kingdom hasn't forgotten us? The Kingdom's army has returned?"

"Yes, we've returned." Karl answered firmly and gestured over his shoulder. "We'll station ourselves here, rebuild the fortress, and make this a place capable of protecting everyone once more."

After confirming Karl's identity and intentions, the deathly despair in the refugees' eyes melted like snow. In its place came an almost overwhelming frenzy of joy and gratitude!

"The Kingdom hasn't abandoned us!"

"Gods... We finally lived to see this day!"

"My Lord! Thank you! Thank you!"

The people wept and fell to their knees, kowtowing in Karl's direction and toward the army.

They had struggled to survive in these ruins, living every day in fear and hunger. They had long since abandoned all hope.

Now the Kingdom's army and Lord had truly returned. To them, it was no less than a miracle!

Karl looked at these survivors who had nearly lost all semblance of humanity. His heart felt heavy, and for some inexplicable reason, he felt as though the royal army had finally returned to reclaim the heartland.

"Brendan, arrange for people to start fires and cook at once! Let everyone, including these refugees, have a hot, filling meal first!"

Once the order was given, the soldiers immediately sprang into action.

Before long, bonfires once again blazed in Carnford's long-abandoned central area. Smoke from cooking fires curled into the sky, and the long-missed signs of human life began to drive away the silence and despair that had settled over the land.