In Nanpu City, the walls were like a woman who had endured years of abuse, their sturdy defenses broken and scarred everywhere.
At a section of wall bearing obvious traces of battle smoke, Van Razer, the empire's military command genius, directed the busy soldiers and civilians with a haggard face. He even lent a hand himself, helping carry enormous stones to repair that weakened stretch of wall.
Busy among the crowd, Van Razer had long since lost his former vigor. His hair was disheveled, and a layer of dust and sand covered his armor, robbing it of its shine. Had Han Shuo not possessed such an excellent memory, he would have been as hard-pressed as anyone else to recognize him at a glance among the crowd, taking him for nothing more than an aging pauper.
The bitter fighting had placed increasingly unbearable pressure on the people of the Southern Border, but as their guardian, Van Razer bore a burden greater than anyone else's!
"Father, you... how did you end up like this!" Fanny cried in anguish. Her drifting figure reached Van Razer's side in the blink of an eye, crystalline tears already rolling in her eyes, seemingly about to spill at any moment.
"My girl, why have you come to the Southern Border?" Suddenly seeing his daughter, Van Razer looked overjoyed. He called out with a smile and spread his arms to embrace her.
As though suddenly remembering something, Van Razer forcibly stopped himself. The delighted surprise abruptly faded from his face, and he said sternly, "What are you doing here? Didn't I send you a letter telling you not to come? The situation in the Southern Border is so dangerous. I don't want you coming here to face unnecessary risks!"
"You can barely hold on yourself, yet you're still