After leaving Hot Springs Pass, the Chambord Expeditionary Army Force marched slowly, waiting for Lampard and the others to join them. It took them more than a day to leave the territory of Hot Springs Pass [ Gale Legion ] in the northern region of the Empire.
During this time, although the Soros Chamber of Commerce Guild had already unloaded their goods at Hot Springs Pass, the black-robed manager Redknapp and the elegant young woman in red, Shirley, still found a small excuse to accompany the expeditionary force towards the capital, Saint Petersburg. In the Ivy Cellar at Hot Springs Pass, Sun Fei already knew that the black-robed manager would deliberately spread propaganda about the Battle of Twin Tower Peaks in the capital, and he knew that the Soros Chamber of Commerce must have some ulterior motive. However, the key point seemed to be that they were friends, not enemies, so he still allowed Redknapp and the others to follow him.
"Father, we've already left the territory guarded by Hot Springs Pass. Now you can rest assured?" Shirley said suddenly as she looked at the boundary markers passing by at the back of the group.
"That's really strange. Those two old guys haven't shown up at all. That's not like them, who are usually so protective of their own..." Redknapp exhaled white mist from his red nose, his face full of doubt. "I remember that Night Knight Krud, one of the Ten Judgment Knight of the Knights' Hall, was once chased all the way back to the capital by Ptolemy and Advocaat, those two Mad Dog, for killing an ordinary soldier of the [ Gale Legion ] at Hot Springs Pass. He almost died on his way back to the capital. This time, King of Chambord killed Andrew, the hammer bearer of the [ Giant Hammer Battalion ], and more than fifty soldiers, and also injured Ptolemy's two sons. I didn't expect those two Mad Dog to make no comment at all. It's really puzzling."
"Perhaps they've grown old and lost their former vigor!" Shirley comforted her father.
"That's impossible. Others might be like that, but these two... heh heh, Mad Dog get madder with age. Even many powerful nobles in the capital don't dare offend these two old fogies, unless... they've discovered something I haven't noticed." Redknapp touched his red nose, a habitual gesture when he was thinking. " King of Chambord Alexander, there are too many mysteries surrounding him. Perhaps I should urge Chairman Soros to come to the Zenit Empire as soon as possible."
"Perhaps Mad Dog will only stop when they encounter an opponent who is even madder and more ferocious than themselves." The white-clad swordsman, who had been silent until now, suddenly uttered these words in a low voice, which fell just into the ears of Redknapp and Shirley.
Redknapp's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Is this the capital, Saint Petersburg?
As he climbed the last hill and stood at the Moro Pass, gazing at the magnificent white city twenty miles away, Sun Fei was filled with unimaginable emotions.
This was a magnificent city that Sun Fei had never imagined before. If Chambord City was a rural market town and Hot Springs Pass was a wealthy fortress, then Saint Petersburg was the legendary palace where the gods lived. Below the Moro Pass was a buffer plain about 20 kilometers wide. At the end of the plain, the white city was like a mirage, making people feel unreal!
Although Sun Fei had witnessed countless dazzling and magnificent cities powered by advanced technology in his previous life, he had never imagined that such a grand city could exist on the technologically advanced Azeroth Continent... Towering magic towers, thousands of meters high, soared into the clouds like pillars to the heavens; endless palace ruins stretched to the distant horizon; a majestic mountain sat in the center of the city, its summit topped with a white palace that looked down upon the insignificant beings below like God King; and towering white walls rose from the ground like an insurmountable chasm, with watchtowers hundreds of meters high resembling a dense mass of Giant walking on a sky bridge. This city of gods, once seen, would leave you lost in a dreamlike state... Was this truly a miracle?
"Only true heroes deserve such a white, dreamlike city!"
Riding on his Black Whirlwind, Sun Fei stood at the Moro Pass. A strong wind rushed towards him, scattering his long, flowing hair. The shock in his heart was indescribable. At the same time, an unprecedented desire for conquest began to emerge from the deepest part of his heart. This was the possessiveness hidden in the human soul, which no one could avoid.
Behind Sun Fei, Čech, Torres, and others rode up.
Their reactions were similar to Sun Fei's. After a brief moment of stunned silence, they both saw the shock and desire in each other's eyes. Soon, more and more figures appeared at the Moro Pass. Gazing into the distance, no one could help but be awestruck by the city in the distance. Everyone's eyes widened, and even their breathing became rapid, as if they had seen their dream lover. It was as if a group of country bumpkins who had never seen the world and had only ever rolled in the mud had suddenly and recklessly barged into a temple of gods. Looking at the sacred and solemn scene before them, they were all at a loss.
The group from the Soros Chamber of Commerce was the last to reach the Moro Pass.
They had witnessed this scene countless times—those seeing the imperial capital, Saint Petersburg, for the first time were invariably awestruck by its grandeur. In comparison, the King of Chambord and his entourage appeared relatively normal. Countless others, upon first seeing Saint Petersburg, had stood at the Moro Pass weeping with joy or kneeling in prayer; some had even knelt their way from the Moro Pass to that magical imperial capital in the distance...
"Haha, one day, I will possess a city even more magnificent than Saint Petersburg!"
Sun Fei quickly recovered from his shock, laughed heartily, gave a low shout to rouse everyone, then spurred his Black Whirlwind, galloping ahead towards the plains below the mountain. Behind him, the crowd cheered, following their King as they raced down the slope like dragons emerging from the sea or tigers leaping across ravines...
Redknapp kept Sun Fei's earlier words firmly in mind, lost in thought.
The road from the Moro Pass Moro Mountains the Moro Mountains down to the plain below has a steep incline, making it ideal for cavalry charges. The speed increases rapidly with each gallop, and the Chambord Expeditionary Army, like a black Whirlwind, quickly reached the foot of the mountain. At this time, the plain below was densely covered with tents and camps, with countless troops from vassal states stationed there. Long, colorful banners fluttered like clouds, obscuring half the sky, creating an aura of chilling military might.
Less than half a month before the start of the Martial Combat Competition, more than 90% of the 250 vassal states under the Zenit Empire Martial Combat Competition arrived to participate. Considering the safety of the capital, no vassal state's army was allowed to approach within three miles of the capital. Instead, they were all to set up camp in the open area twenty miles in front of Saint Petersburg. Moreover, the location of each vassal state's camp was predetermined by the empire, with the size of the camp area and its distance from the capital determined by the country's strength and rank. No country was allowed to exceed these limits; otherwise, it would be considered treason.
Meanwhile, four of the Zenit Empire's ten main combat legions—the [ Thunder God's Whip ], [ Fire God's Wrath ], [ Giant Wood Legion ], and [ Blizzard Corps ]—were stationed around the Imperial Capital-level vassal state's camp. Over two hundred thousand elite Imperial troops virtually encircled the camp. Furthermore, six of the ten top-tier Judgment Knight of the Imperial Capital's Knights' Hall were stationed throughout the vassal state's camp, and twenty temporary magic towers were erected within the camp, each manned by a high-ranking Imperial mage. The defensive strength was far beyond anyone's imagination!
As the Chambord Expeditionary Army descended the mountain pass, imperial troops awaited them on the outskirts. After verifying their identities, a knight commander led the group to the camp that had been designated for Chambord City. Passing through the camps of vassal states, Sun Fei saw numerous participating armies from other countries, a variety of strange and standard military armor, camps of all sizes, and burly men of all shapes and sizes. Friendly or hostile gazes constantly passed by...
The entire camp was filled with a chilling, iron-blooded atmosphere. Those who came to participate in the martial arts exercise were all elites from various countries, including many experts and bloodthirsty maniacs. Sun Fei even saw all sorts of strange magical beasts being tamed and used as aids. There were also some belligerent individuals who raised their weapons and challenged and intimidated the newcomers.
Savage, violent, bloodthirsty, ruthless, insane, slaughter... this place is simply a paradise of iron and fire.
First update