"May the God of War bless us!"
"Long live His Majesty the king!"
"Long live Chambord City!"
"May the gods bless the world, may the gods bless the world!"
It was as though time had flowed back to the moment the battle ended beneath the setting sun. Everyone in the palace courtyard was cheering wildly.
Everyone understood what the scene they had just witnessed meant.
The incredible sight had shaken them all as never before. His Majesty really was the God of War's representative, just as the rumors said. He could actually speak with the gods! Didn't that mean the God of War had been watching over Chambord City all along? If so, how could those cruel enemies possibly take the city?
In an instant, the heavy clouds hanging over everyone's hearts began to disperse.
Amid the cheers of the crowd, the incomparably beautiful Angela stood quietly, like a fragrant white lotus.
The beautiful girl looked at the figure basking in cheers and adoration at the center of the crowd, and suddenly felt a relief unlike anything she had ever known. Yet even she couldn't quite tell whether it came from the God of War's blessing upon Chambord City or Alexander's sudden transformation!
Even the little blonde girl Jima, who liked to oppose Sun Fei, had caught the fever, jumping and laughing among the crowd.
Under Brook's direction, the two large basins of bloody water mixed with Minor Healing Potion were soon distributed to every wounded soldier. Laughter of delighted surprise filled the palace courtyard. In just half an hour, many soldiers who had been groaning from their wounds no longer felt any pain, and some of the lightly wounded could pick up their weapons and join a new battle again.
Since four days ago, light and hope had never felt as close to the people of Chambord City as they did now. And the one who had brought them all this was their young king, His Majesty Alexander, who enjoyed the protection of the God of War.
Everyone looked at Sun Fei as though he were a god walking among mortals.
The enemies outside the city did not take advantage of the darkness to attack.
This gave the soldiers and people of Chambord City a rare chance to rest, the first they had had in four days.
After putting on a supernatural show as he treated all the sick and wounded with Minor Healing Potion, Sun Fei left the remaining work to a few of the more capable soldiers. He walked and talked with Brook, the squadron captain of the king's guard, and soon arrived atop the city wall.
In the night, Chambord City's wall looked magnificent.
Sun Fei stood below the gate tower and gazed into the distance, studying the view carefully.
Towering mountains surrounded Chambord City to the left, right, and rear. It was as though the Creator God truly favored this little city, for the mountains guarded it on three sides like insurmountable natural walls.
The terrain on the outer sides of these mountains was exceedingly treacherous, with slopes rising almost vertically. Even Star-Rank Warriors of some strength would have difficulty climbing to the peaks from outside. Strangely, however, the inner slopes of the three mountains were relatively gentle, the exact opposite of the outer sides. Climbing from within Chambord City, even a seven-year-old child or a woman in her seventies or eighties could follow the gentle slopes to the peaks.
This unusual terrain was easy to defend and hard to attack, a masterpiece of nature.
With the mountains surrounding it, the only wall of Chambord City actually built by human hands was the one at the front gate, facing the Zuli River. More than six hundred meters long, it sealed off the only side not protected by mountains. About fifteen meters wide at the base and twelve at the top, it was solid and massive, wide enough for four carriages to travel abreast.
Notably, the wall did not run in a straight line. It had been cleverly designed as a series of slightly inward-curving arcs, eliminating blind spots as much as possible. From any point on the wall, guards could clearly see any changes below.
Three or four hundred meters beyond the front wall, the waters of the Zuli River roared past, forming a natural moat. The river bellowed, its currents surging and splashing. Mist occasionally hung over its thousand-meter-wide surface, and its depths were unfathomable. Without warships, anyone attempting to cross would be swallowed without a trace by the raging current, unless they were a supreme expert capable of flight.
A stone bridge, partly natural and partly carved by human hands, connected the two banks.
According to Brook, the bridge's origins were unknown. Even Chambord City's oldest elder couldn't say when it had been built. It had a long history and was very mysterious.
Sun Fei studied it carefully.
The stone bridge was supported by nine enormous natural stone piers.
From a distance, the nine piers stood like towering mountain peaks thrust upside down into the river. They were certainly beyond human making. They looked more as though a god had used immense divine power to chop off jagged peaks from the distant mountains and hurl them into the river.
The stone bridge was also an advantage of Chambord City's terrain.
In peacetime, it made travel convenient for the city's people. But in wartime, its somewhat narrow surface made it difficult for enemies to send large forces across the river to attack the city at once, and some large siege engines couldn't be transported over it either.
"With terrain this defensible, no wonder Chambord City's fewer than eight hundred soldiers and civilians managed to hold out for four whole days against an army of more than two thousand well-trained soldiers in black armor... This city was practically born to be a fortress!"
After observing for a while, Sun Fei had a clear grasp of Chambord City's terrain.
Though he was no military genius, what he saw still left Sun Fei profoundly amazed.
At the same time, though, Sun Fei found something puzzling.
A construction project of such enormous scale was certainly beyond the present kingdom of Chambord City's financial resources, materials, and manpower. Had Chambord City once enjoyed unparalleled glory? Or did the city have some remarkable origin?
Nothing about it seemed simple.
But Sun Fei knew nothing of its history.
Alexander's original memories hadn't left him much that was useful.
"Brook, a lot of people say I used to be a fool. Is that true?"
As though he had suddenly remembered something, Sun Fei changed the subject and asked in a calm voice.
Hearing the king ask this, Brook couldn't help but hesitate.
He didn't know how best to answer.
It was true that Alexander had once been a fool of such low intelligence that he couldn't even care for himself. Egged on by a few disreputable companions, he had caused no small amount of trouble throughout Chambord City. Although he was king, almost no one in the city truly liked him. If Alexander's position as king hadn't been conferred by their suzerain state, the people of Chambord City would probably have abandoned him long ago.
Even Brook himself, the squadron captain of the king's guard, had felt no respect for such a king before and had even looked down on him a little, to say nothing of the others.
But now, having witnessed Sun Fei's battle on the wall that day and his godlike performance healing the sick and wounded a little over half an hour ago, who would truly dare treat such a powerful man, protected by the God of War, as a fool?
Brook, for one, had completely changed his earlier opinion. Without a doubt, the king standing before him now was absolutely worthy of his service unto death.
"This morning, after an enemy arrow shot me off the wall, my head struck a stone. Perhaps the God of War blessed me, because at that instant, countless things I had never experienced suddenly appeared in my mind, and my head became much clearer..."
Sun Fei gently stroked the moss-mottled battlements, speaking slowly as though to himself.
"Do you know? That blow felt as though I'd suddenly grown up all over again. A lot of things I couldn't understand before are perfectly clear to me now... Heh, it wasn't until now that I realized I'd been a useless fool everyone looked down on... By the way, Brook, can you tell me, did I often do a lot of horrible, foolish things before?"
Listening to Sun Fei confide in him as though talking to himself, Brook finally felt the doubt that had troubled him all day vanish: So it was that arrow this morning. By some strange chance, it actually restored Alexander's mind to normal... I remember that long ago, when the old king was still alive, someone predicted that Alexander had become a fool because of a god's curse... It seems the god has finally lifted Alexander's curse.
Quietly observing Brook's expression, Sun Fei smiled faintly.
He continued, as though talking to himself, "When I was carried back to the palace and fell fast asleep, I kept having this vague feeling that a magical power was flowing through my body. When I woke up, I actually possessed incredible strength. Things I'd never encountered before suddenly felt as though I'd studied them for a long time, and I could easily master them... Strength, and an understanding of certain martial techniques, felt as though I'd been born with them."
Why the young King Alexan had suddenly acquired such peerless, terrifying strength and astonishing axe skills was something he and many of the soldiers had found hard to understand. Now it seemed that all of it was the will of the God of War.
Everything that had happened today-the awe-inspiring battle on the wall, the incredible way the blood in his body had healed the wounded... Aside from calling it a miracle, Brook truly couldn't think of any other explanation that could account for it all.
Sun Fei had been watching Brook's expression closely all along.
When he saw understanding finally dawn on the black-haired giant's face, Sun Fei knew that his stream of nonsense had finally had the intended effect.
At that point, the last trace of doubt in Brook's heart vanished.
Thank you for your support, brothers.
Special thanks to Ming Lucifer, who single-handedly pushed King into the top eleven on Zongheng's sitewide tipping chart. The immense happiness and sense of recognition have left Daozi dizzy.
Thank you, everyone. Daozi will definitely work hard.