It was a bright, breezy day in Brettel City. The four gates had been cleared and cleaned, and apart from the pitted ground outside them, which could not be restored just yet, no trace remained of the terrible scenes of a few days before.
Under the warm sunshine, the five leaders of the Mountain People around Brettel City arrived with some of their men.
A few days earlier, the earthshaking booms from Brettel City had carried for dozens of miles. From the traces outside the gates alone, the arriving leaders could imagine how fierce the fighting had been. Through messages delivered by Dick, a fellow mountain man, they had learned the details of what had happened and felt both respect and fear toward Brettel City's new young city lord.
Fokalin of Tali Mountain had already witnessed Han Shuo's might and had extended a gesture of goodwill before this battle even began. Otherwise, Valklan would not have been able to bring back the previous shipment of Siege Equipment so easily. The other four leaders were equally well-behaved as Dick led them into the City Lord's Mansion.
Along the way, the complete transformation of Brettel City left a deep impression on them. The imposing Magic Crystal Cannons, war chariots, and other equipment seemed even more menacing after passing through the smoke of battle.
The soldiers who greeted them along the way were the same soldiers Brettel City had always had, yet their bearing felt unfamiliar. Having survived the brutality of the battlefield, they no longer showed their former cowardice and timidity. Their polished armor shone brilliantly, and each wore a calm, restrained expression, with a faint aura of lethal menace.
"Were these really the same Brettel City Guards who used to wear tattered armor and flee faster than the citizens?" The leaders