Magic Web Shows Its Might, 100,000-Strong Army Assembles!

"Lord Bellion, I never expected you to come visit me so late at night!"

Bellion, the Hand of the Kingdom, stared at the king before him in stunned disbelief. Those eagle-sharp eyes, absent for more than a decade, had returned, leaving his mind in complete turmoil.

For a moment, he even thought that the king had already been affected by the curse and entered its violent stage.

But the clarity and wisdom in the king's gaze made him cast that thought aside.

Especially that gentle smile—he could not remember how many years it had been since he had last seen it. How could this possibly be the appearance of someone corrupted by a curse?!

Could it be that His Majesty had successfully resisted the curse?

The King of Dawn seemed not to notice Bellion's astonishment. Smiling, he walked to a nearby table and sat down, gesturing for Bellion to take a seat. "You came here because you have something important to tell me, correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bellion took a deep breath. "Not long ago, I received intelligence from the border..."

Bellion quickly relayed all the intelligence he had received from the Westlands, as well as what the adventurers had discovered outside the royal capital not long ago.

As he spoke, he cautiously watched the king before him.

From beginning to end, the King of Dawn seemed not to notice Bellion's gaze. He merely listened to the report with a calm expression before giving a slight nod. "So it is essentially confirmed that those Orcs will launch an attack against us..."

Before he could finish speaking, the ring on Bellion's finger began to glow.

"Your Majesty, it seems an important message has arrived. Perhaps..."

"Is this the creation of the Technology God you mentioned?" The King of Dawn looked at Bellion's ring with great interest. "Check the message first."

Bellion did not waste words. He immediately activated the Magic Web, and his expression changed drastically.

"The Tiele Chiefdom has sent us a highly unfriendly diplomatic document." The King of Dawn drew a deep breath. "This is the authority I granted to the general of the Westlands border forces. He can open the document directly and relay its contents to us through the Magic Web."

As he spoke, he displayed the information sent back through the Magic Web for the king.

It read—

Esteemed His Majesty Heimdall Franz:

We, the Council of Thirteen Chieftains of the Tiele Chiefdom, on behalf of all the people of Tiele, extend our most sincere greetings to you and the Dawn Kingdom. Along with these greetings, we must express our deep concern and solemn protest regarding a series of recent events.

We solemnly protest the recent interruption of food supplies... We solemnly protest the recent interruption of Iron Ore supplies... We solemnly protest the recent interruption of salt supplies... We solemnly protest the Dawn Kingdom's merchants capturing slaves within the Tiele Chiefdom...

Dozens of solemn protests outright branded the Dawn Kingdom as an evil nation that defied convention, disrupted normal trade, harbored heretics, and tolerated the slave trade. At the end, they declared that if the Dawn Kingdom could not cede substantial benefits, they would have no choice but to use force first in order to preserve the current stable environment.

"They were clearly the ones who cut off the trade! The Tiele Chiefdom itself is the largest exporter of slaves in this world..."

"Lord Bellion, there is no need to explain." The King of Dawn shook his head slightly. "They merely wanted an excuse for war. In that case, then we shall go to war! Under normal circumstances, a griffin messenger needs three days to return to the royal capital from the Westlands border. A round trip would take six days, and another day for a reply. They will not make any major moves for at least seven days."

"You mean we should immediately transport a large number of weapons to the border and rapidly organize more troops to assemble?!" How could Bellion not have thought of that? But before the king, he had to appear a step slower.

"Yes. I'll leave this matter to you. I assume the Technology God has not merely introduced Magic Net Rings, but has also released other new magical items? If there are any suitable for war, send them all to the border."

The king's sudden awakening, along with his remarkably wise and utterly normal words, filled Bellion with excitement.

He failed to notice anything amiss.

As Bellion disappeared from the bedchamber, the King of Dawn's expression instantly twisted. If anyone had looked at the mirror nearby, they would have discovered that he and his reflection did not look the same at all.

"Technology God... At this day and age, there is actually someone still attempting to become a god. Do you think my god would allow a new Magic Goddess to emerge? Technology God, heh. It will not be long before everything you possess becomes part of the war!"

No one knew how much time passed before the King of Dawn murmured once more at the mirror, but no one would ever hear him again.

A great army was gathering in the west.

Beyond the western border of the Dawn Kingdom, seventy to eighty thousand enemy troops had already assembled. Rows upon rows of tents and banners spread across the plains in a bustling spectacle.

By day, it resembled a marketplace even more.

Armies from over a hundred tribes of the Tiele Chiefdom had gathered here. From small tribes with only a few dozen people to large tribes with tens of thousands, every tribe that had received the Council's order had sent soldiers.

Some had sent as few as seven or eight men, while others had sent more than ten thousand. They set up camp according to their own scale, leaving the gathering grounds tangled and crisscrossed in utter chaos.

More than a hundred different banners fluttered in the sky. The various camps formed a labyrinth, while messengers in different armor, carrying different weapons and speaking in all kinds of accents, ran back and forth through the maze-like encampment. From time to time, all manner of beastly roars rang out as well.

Confusion caused by mistaken orders was even more commonplace within the camp!

Ragehorn, chieftain of the Minotaur Tribe, rode his beloved crimson giant bull and stood at the highest point of the camp, looking down over it all with a delighted smile. "The soldiers are gathering quickly! It will not be long before we have assembled an army of one hundred thousand!"

Beside him stood seven or eight Orcs of different races, all equally pleased. "I truly wonder what the Dawn Kingdom can use to resist such an astonishing force!"

"To be honest, I'm starting to regret this. I even think we did not need to summon so many people. Every banner here will take away a share of our spoils!"

"The god's command cannot be neglected." A small, hunched Orc directly cut off their conversation. "The War God ordered us to launch a great war against the Dawn Kingdom. We must give the god the finest response!"

At those words, everyone around him voiced their agreement.