Westward Advance and the Interloper

Late March, Sea Origin Calendar 193.

Garratt Duchy, the Cumberland Mountains at the westernmost edge of Georgia Territory, where Evan had first made his fortune.

The original twelve Faletis colonies all bordered the north-south-traversing "Abayachi Mountains" in the north of the continent. This mountain range began in Georgia in the south and extended north to the Abayachi Plateau in Buffalo.

According to geological scholars' research,

this was a true supermassive fold mountain range. Over its geological history, it had undergone at least three orogenic movements and prolonged erosion, gradually forming numerous parallel chains of smaller mountains. Its terrain was extraordinarily complex.

Thus, the Abayachi Mountains had become a natural barrier dividing east from west, blocking Faletis on the Black Sea coast from continuing its westward expansion.

When the Spirit Tide had flooded the land, it had also become the "Abayachi Defense Line," shielding the colonies from having to face the tide's impact directly and allowing them to enjoy living conditions far superior to those of the inland regions.

However, from this day onward, this natural barrier would become history!

A faint layer of golden light suddenly arrived from the east, covering the entire world in the blink of an eye.

Countless runes, spell formations, curse marks, and ring-shaped chains crisscrossed and intertwined within the golden radiance. After colliding, they gradually faded away, yet the world seemed to come alive all at once.

Forbidden Incantation · King's Declaration

"Open the mountain!"

A clear voice softly echoed through the vast mountain range.

Rumble—

The next moment, the earth trembled and the mountains shifted.

A massive pass, over two hundred meters wide and more than five thousand meters long, slowly surged into view before the great army at the foot of the mountains.

The pass cut through this relatively narrow section of the