"Would killing them affect His Majesty's trip to the capital?" Frank Lampard did not stop Brook's order, and only asked after the three King and the leader of the Scarface Knights had been killed.
"Killing one is the same as killing two." Brook shoved his blood-dripping sword back into its sheath with a clang, shook his head slightly, and frowned as he looked at the ravaged, burned grassland in the distance. "If we hadn't killed the other three Knights of the Knights' Hall, letting these few go wouldn't have mattered. Unfortunately... the Knights' Hall won't reason with us. Regardless of who's right or wrong, those high and mighty Imperial Judgment Knight will only recognize one thing—we killed their people. So if we release him now, the Knights' Hall's retaliation will likely come even faster once he returns. Besides, killing these few was precisely for His Majesty's trip to the capital."
Frank Lampard sighed, knowing Brook was right, and said nothing more.
Watching the night wind rustle the grass on the plains, everyone suddenly felt a suppressed, involuntary anger, as if a storm was brewing. Chambord City had no ambition to conquer the lands below; it only wished to maintain its secluded existence. However, in this chaotic and bloodthirsty Azeroth Continent, the desire for peace was thwarted by the relentless winds.
Fortunately, not many people know about this.
Brook glanced at the Chambord City scattered around. There were only a little over a hundred people who had participated in the battle over the past few days. More than eighty of them had been sent away to harass and disperse the Black Cavalry. Only about twenty people actually knew the identities of the four dead -Star Class experts, Imperial Knights' Hall Knights. They were all Chambord people with clean backgrounds and loyal and reliable people. He turned around and sternly ordered that no one was allowed to reveal what they had just learned, or they would be killed without mercy.
Soon, the bodies of Dick and Allen, the experts killed by Lampard and the [ Heng and Ha Generals ], along with the bodies of the three King and the leaders of Guluo and Scarface, were completely destroyed by a great fire. Even their armor and weapons were transported to the blacksmith Samuel's furnace in the back mountains of Chambord and turned into scrap. Even the traces left on the battlefield during the previous battle were carefully cleaned up. Brook was very thorough and meticulous in his work, and the work of destroying the evidence was done in every detail, leaving no clues behind.
"However, His Majesty must be informed of what has happened here as soon as possible. Frank, you rest for the night, and return to report to His Majesty immediately tomorrow!"
The next day, Lampard and his Heng and Ha Generals, along with fifty Urban Management, left Chambord City in a Whirlwind.
Beneath the city gate tower, bathed in the morning sunlight, still stood the two figures who had once seen Sun Fei off. Brook and Best, the two military and political giants of Chambord City, stood on the city wall, silently watching as Lampard and the others disappeared on the distant horizon.
"It's truly unexpected that after more than twenty years of stability in the Zenit Empire, an era of chaos is about to return so soon." Old White-faced Best sighed, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.
"Rumors say that Emperor Yashin's health is deteriorating rapidly, to the point that he can no longer even ride a horse. His princes are all vying for power, the corrupt imperial nobles only know how to indulge in extravagance and frantically amass wealth, and the two hundred and fifty vassal states are stirring again... To make matters worse, according to news from Papacy Magola five days ago, the empire's archenemy, the Spartacus Empire, began deploying heavy troops on the border three months ago, showing signs of invasion... The dark and chaotic era is indeed beginning to show its signs!" Brooke gently stroked the city walls, feeling a cool touch. "If it weren't for the chaos already appearing, the three kings wouldn't dare to repeatedly lead their armies to attack my Chambord City. Now, even the Imperial Knights' Hall is beginning to stir..."
"Once war breaks out, who knows how many countries and cities will be destroyed, how many royal bloodlines will be wiped out? Although Chambord City is located in the Northern Region, it will probably not be spared either. We don't have much time left." Best's past experience was rather special, and a scene of raging fires and piles of corpses seemed to appear in his mind.
"We just need to do what His Majesty left behind. He must have already realized this and made preparations." Brook, a soldier by birth, had a heroic spirit in his bones and was not particularly pessimistic about the war.
Best smiled, then suddenly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, have you found out the identity of that mysterious black-clad expert who appeared out of nowhere yesterday and killed Knights' Hall Master Guluo?"
"I have a slight clue, but I'm not sure yet."
"Speaking of which, Gordon, you should really thank this mysterious expert. Frank told me that if it weren't for the mysterious man's sudden intervention, you would have been in grave danger..."
"Even if he hadn't made a move, I wouldn't have died..." Facing his long-time partner with whom he had a seamless partnership, Brook didn't hide much, leaning against the city wall and laughing, "When His Majesty left, he left me some things, but before I could use them, that person made a fleeting appearance and killed Four-Star Warrior."
After the princess and her entourage left, the Chambord Expeditionary Army did not rush to set off the next day, but instead temporarily camped outside Hot Springs Pass, the capital of Ernst.
Hot Springs Pass is one of the ten most famous cities in the Zenit Empire. It is not only the capital of Ernst Province, but also a well-known economic and cultural hub in the northern region of the empire. Moreover, it is a formidable military fortress, far superior in both scale and military strength to the small earthen Blackstone Fortress Kingdom of Black Rock. Furthermore, Hot Springs Pass acts as a gateway between Chambord City and the outside world, possessing extraordinary strategic significance. Therefore, Sun Fei intends to stay here for a while to observe and wait for Lampard and the others to arrive and join him.
The next morning, the weather was fine and sunny, with a clear blue sky.
After arranging the camp affairs, Sun Fei declined the guards' accompaniment and left the expeditionary Barracks with only Angela and the Loli little girl, Jima, intending to explore Hot Springs Pass. Such a large and magnificent city far surpassed Chambord City in its grandeur and prosperity, and it held a fatal attraction for Sun Fei, a former introvert whose knowledge of the Azeroth Continent was limited to his past life and rumors, and for the two naive young girls who had never experienced the bustling world of a major city.
"You three, stop right there! Outsiders entering the city need to pay import duties."
As soon as they reached the city gate, the soldiers guarding the city looked at Angela and Jima greedily, as if they had discovered a priceless treasure. They blocked their way with their Long Spear. If it weren't for the fact that Sun Fei and his companions were dressed in fine clothes and exuded an air of nobility, making them seem like they were no ordinary people and should not be trifled with, there would probably have been many more stories to tell.
"Import duty? How much?" Sun Fei smiled calmly, without getting angry.
Seeing that the dozen or so soldiers were poorly armored, their ranks were crooked, and their steps were unsteady, he knew they were a group of pampered soldiers who had never seen battle or bloodshed. Even a hundred of these soldiers combined wouldn't be a match for a single Chambord City. From this, he could vaguely tell that the defenses of Hot Springs Pass, one of the empire's ten most famous cities, were not as formidable as legend had it. Years of peace had caused many to lose their vigilance.
"One imperial standard silver coin per person."
"One silver coin? Hey? How can there be so many?" Jima couldn't help but ask. One imperial silver coin was enough to support a poor family for more than a month in Chambord City.
Sun Fei shook his head, knowing that the soldiers were just talking nonsense, but he didn't want to lower himself to their level. He flicked three silver coins with his finger, which fell to the ground, and then walked straight into the city with the two girls, while a group of soldiers scrambled behind them.
After passing through the city gate, there is a barbican; beyond the barbican lies the main city.
The three entered the main city and were immediately struck by its beauty.
Wide, orderly streets appeared. Although it was early morning, the streets weren't yet bustling with people, but they were still several times more vibrant than Chambord City. Many vendors had already set up stalls along the streets, and hurried caravans, dusty travelers, and mercenaries were all beginning their busy day. The buildings lining the streets were mostly stone, varying in height and standing side-by-side, with colorful signs fluttering in the wind. Numerous shops were gradually opening for business, and the aroma of food filled the air...
Angela and Jima were immediately drawn to the bustling scene before them, chirping like two orioles released from their cages, eager to see everything. Everything here was incredibly new and beautiful to them.
Sun Fei followed behind with a smile, protecting the two girls while walking slowly and observing them.
Sun Fei had always been very curious. In a world of high martial arts like Azeroth Continent, where legendary Sun-Rank Venerable possessed the power to move mountains and cleave the sky, city walls were less sturdy than a single hair in their eyes. They seemed capable of breaking walls with a single breath. No matter how strong or magnificent a city wall was, let alone Sun-Rank Venerable or Moon Class experts, even Star-Rank Warrior of a certain strength could leap over it without hindrance. If that was the case, why did the major empires still tirelessly and enthusiastically build city walls and fortresses? It seemed like a waste of resources.
But just now, Sun Fei discovered something interesting.
On each brick of the Hot Springs Pass city wall, there were faint magical patterns engraved. These patterns were not profound. With Sun Fei's rudimentary magical skills learned from Sister Akara and the lecherous old man Cain, he could tell that they were simple magic transmission and earth and stone reinforcement arrays. He secretly pressed his palm against the city wall and found that as long as he released the force, magic would flash within the array. The destructive power below Three-Star Class could not damage the city wall.
Upon entering the city of Hot Springs Pass, Sun Fei immediately sensed unusually active magical elemental fluctuations within the city, seemingly more than twice as strong as those outside. It was simply unbelievable that the difference was so significant just a few steps away.
However, he quickly found the source of his surprise.
Thank you everyone for your support.