When the Ironthorn Governor's Mansion received Bishop Sevelin's urgent report, dawn had just broken.
Hesta was already standing before the main map. She was sixty-nine years old and had served on the Eternal Night Wall for more than fifty years, rising from an ordinary Legion knight to governor of Ironthorn.
Among the current governors, few had more experience than she did.
But at that moment, the Ironbriar Defense Line in her hands had fallen into a new and grave crisis.
Beyond the northern Great Wall, nests of Large Demonic Beasts were on the move. Several major nest zones monitored by Ironthorn had shown unusual activity at nearly the same time, and High-Rank Werewolves and members of the Blood Clan had appeared.
These Demonic Beasts were closing in on the Great Wall in great numbers. The forward territories had already sent repeated highest-level warnings through their Echoing Platforms.
More unexpectedly, the second highest-level battle report had come from the rear—from Selan.
The once-stable rear had issued a high-level warning. A new kind of contamination had come from Inland, and that alone was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
Hesta laid the two battle reports side by side at the edge of the map.
A southern supply node had been attacked by mutated corpses, a transport convoy had lost contact, and more dangerously, monsters formed from human and livestock remains had begun appearing along the Military Road.
Bishop Sevelin had personally confirmed that these things closely resembled Gray Blood, yet no source could be found.
"Gray Blood? A new kind of contamination from Inland..."
That alone demanded the utmost vigilance from the governor of Ironthorn.
The secretary opened the latest intelligence report. "We lost contact with Southern Military Road Three last night. The fourth transfer station has not responded.
"The