Folklore

Because of this battle, Serei and the Magic Empire maintained a very good relationship afterward. The Serei soldiers who had participated in this battle held the Magic Empire in high esteem. When asked about their first impression of the Magic Empire, they didn't describe the wonder of magic or the beautiful scenery of the empire. In fact, whether they were soldiers or officers, regardless of their rank, their answers to this question were basically the same.

Big, extremely big.

Standing atop eight colossal steel legs, its steel body was even taller than the Solid Rock Fortress itself. Faced with this suddenly appearing monster, not only were the soldiers on Serei's side dumbfounded, but even the Lalia defenders of the Solid Rock Fortress were equally stunned. Gods above! They were just a bunch of soldiers! When had they ever seen such a terrifying monster?!

With the appearance of this steel monster, the two armies that had been facing off unexpectedly fell silent. They all focused their attention on this terrifying steel behemoth. Even the commander of the Kingdom of Serei was now somewhat unsure whether the reinforcements mentioned in the order were indeed this strange creature. Although he desperately wanted to contact it immediately, looking at the trembling soldiers around him, the commander knew it was impossible. Furthermore, he didn't know how to make contact. Now, the Serei commander could only hope that this suddenly appearing thing was indeed his reinforcements, or that it did know which side he needed to help.

The magical beam atop the steel fortress swept back and forth between the Solid Rock Fortress and the army of the Kingdom of Serei, seemingly confirming its enemy. Then, with a tremendous roar and a slight tremor, the steel fortress, aided by eight giant legs, shifted its position to face the Solid Rock Fortress built halfway up the mountain.

The enemy and our side have been distinguished.

As Commander Serei finally breathed a sigh of relief, the soldiers of Lalia reacted quickly. Soon, the crossbows and catapults positioned on the city walls began their assault on the terrifying monster, while rockets soared into the sky, aimed at the massive target before them. Although, in terms of quality, they were clearly no better than the steel fortress before them, the enemy was obviously trying to win by sheer numbers, attempting to defeat their formidable foe through sheer numbers.

The steel fortress is certainly thicker than an elephant's hide, but whether these attacks can be as effective as ants is another matter.

Sensing the attack, the magic barrier that was already prepared immediately surrounded the entire steel fortress. As the semi-transparent protective shield appeared out of thin air, the stones and crossbow bolts that were originally shot at the steel fortress all deviated from their aim and fell into the air in strange curves.

Despite the fierce attack, the steel fortress showed no sign of reacting. It simply stood there quietly, illuminating the Solid Rock Fortress before it with magical beams of light. Other than that, it seemed to have no intention of doing anything else, but rather to stand there until nightfall.

Were these reinforcements merely sent to provide light for us?

Just as Commander Serei had this idea in mind and was preparing to gather his army to begin the battle, he discovered that the Iron Fortress had changed for the first time.

The heavy steel armor slowly flipped upwards, and as it did so, huge, pitch-black cylindrical objects appeared within them. Then, the power of magic and the light of lightning once again washed over the strange cylinders, causing them to rotate, stretch, and grow larger. The metal plates, which had been tightly packed together, stretched outwards under the power of magic, like flower buds about to bloom, waiting to reveal the mystery and beauty they contained to the world.

Although neither side knew what it was, human instinct made them sense the danger. The attacks from Lalia's side grew increasingly fierce, like a dying person's last stand before death. The commander of Serei instinctively ordered his troops to retreat to avoid encountering the potential threats—though he didn't yet know what those threats were.

However, it turned out that Commander Serei's choice was absolutely correct.

Beams of light shot from the cannon barrels, striking the Solid Rock Fortress with pinpoint accuracy. The sturdy walls offered no resistance to the destructive power of magic. They were easily pierced by the immense energy, followed by flashes of light and explosions erupting from within the Solid Rock Fortress. For a moment, the fortress seemed to swell like a fat man whose belly had suddenly swelled, then this terrifying outburst exceeded the fortress's limits.

For the soldiers of Serei, this scene was one they would never forget. The incredibly sturdy and formidable fortress had collapsed completely like a poorly constructed building block under a single blow. Rolling dust and flying stones buried the once-impregnable fortress, and then the already crumbling mountainside also collapsed with a deafening roar, boulders tumbling down and erasing the last traces of human intervention.

The fortress that the Kingdom of Serei had been unable to conquer for a whole month was gone in less than ten minutes.

The battle ended quickly.

Gazing at the terrifying steel monster before him, and the mountainside that had vanished completely, leaving only a large crater, Commander Serei felt his hands could no longer grip his weapon. As a professional soldier, he naturally understood what this meant. If his army were hit by that horrible and bizarre thing, not even one person would be left to run back and report. As if confirming Commander Serei's thoughts, the steel monster moved again. Its eight giant claws gripped the ground firmly, and then the entire steel fortress nimbly rotated 180 degrees, facing Serei's army squarely.

Could it be that they want to...?

This sudden change caused all the soldiers and officers, who had just recovered from the shock, to gasp in horror and panic. They didn't even have the courage to mount their horses and run away; they just stood there, staring blankly at the dark muzzle of the cannon, as if death had already wielded its scythe and come before them, and they had no power to resist.

Fortunately, the dark cannon muzzle quickly contracted and was then covered again by thick, gleaming magical armor.

"Call..."

Only then did Serei's commander let out a long sigh of relief. This brave man, who had been hunting wild beasts in the mountains with his father since he was five, was experiencing the fear of impending death for the first time so acutely. If it were merely death itself, that would be one thing. But what left a deep impression on him was the despair of being unable to even resist death. At least when fighting wild beasts and humans, even if he was at a disadvantage, he could still use his strength to conquer and resist. But when even that strength became weak and powerless, what did he have left?

However, Commander Serei shook his head, putting all this nonsense out of his mind. He looked around and then gave the order.

"First, second, and third teams, follow me. The rest of you, stay put! And..."

The commander paused here. He had originally planned to send someone to the steel monster to invite it, but after thinking it over, he decided it was more appropriate to go himself. He hoped that someone was indeed controlling it, and that it wasn't some strange and terrifying monster...

"Alright, first team, follow me."

Ultimately, Commander Serei changed his orders.

As he and dozens of elite soldiers approached the steel fortress, it had already transformed back into the fortress itself from an eight-legged spider. So when Commander Serei stood before the steel fortress and saw the towering fortress with the insignia of the Magic Empire fluttering above it, the burly man was still quite taken aback.

Although its exterior structure differed from that of a typical fortress, even Commander Serei hadn't anticipated the strangeness of this oddity. He and his soldiers circled it two or three times, only to discover, to their dismay, that it had neither doors nor windows; the entire structure seemed to be constructed entirely of steel, inside and out. This left everyone somewhat perplexed, yet amidst their frustration, they also felt a sense of awe.

Even the Five-Nation Alliance couldn't pull off something on such a grand scale, yet the Magic Empire managed to. The Magic Kingdom's reputation is truly well-deserved...

However, as Commander Serei led his soldiers around the building again, hesitating whether to knock on the door, he spotted a figure.

"Greetings, warriors of Serei!"

Yi Aier lifted her skirt and gave a formal maid's bow to everyone. Although such formality wasn't really suited to a maid's nature, before she took it, her biggest concern was Suoxiate's whip...

"Hello, beautiful lady."

Although they were unsure of the girl's origins, the group quickly dismounted and greeted her with a military salute.

"I am the commander of the First Legion of the Kingdom of Serei Army. On behalf of the Kingdom of Serei, I express my sincere gratitude to your esteemed nation, and also..."

At this point, Commander Serei was somewhat speechless. After all, he was just a soldier, and such empty talk was a bit difficult for him. Just as Commander Serei was racking his brains, thinking about how to show respect to the guests before him, Yi Aier smiled gently.

"It would be quite impolite to speak here. Please follow me."

As she spoke, Yi Aier turned around and extended her right hand forward. To everyone's surprise, a steel door suddenly slid open in the wall, which should have been without any gaps. Then, Yi Aier turned back and made an inviting gesture to everyone.

This was clearly an invitation that was impossible to refuse.

Led by the maid, the group entered the steel fortress, which brought them even greater shock.

According to Commander Serei, regardless of its defensive capabilities, such a building would certainly not be very well-ventilated or good for observation. He did not see a single ventilation hole, nor did he see any observation or lookout posts. Moreover, the Serei people's standard of living was still quite low. In such a closed building with poor lighting, it would obviously be necessary to use a lot of candles and lamps, and the exhaust fumes would also be a major problem.

However, after entering this place, Commander Serei realized that what he had thought was not a problem at all.

Although the building was indeed airtight, those who entered did not experience any stuffiness or suffocation. On the contrary, the air inside was incredibly fresh, even better than outside. The Serei took several deep breaths and even sensed the fragrance of fresh grass, which instantly cleared his mind. The temperature inside was also comfortable and pleasant, making the Serei feel that their leather armor was somewhat too heavy. As for the lighting, it was not an issue either. When they entered the corridor, magical light illuminated their way, as clearly as daytime.

Although deeply shocked and astonished, the Serei followed the maid forward. After passing through heavy steel gates and strange guards (especially those terrifying otherworldly creatures— the Serei commander swore to all the gods that he had never seen anything so dangerous), they finally arrived at a much more spacious hall than the others. This was the central area of the entire Iron Fortress.

If the Serei were previously curious about how this steel fortress conducted reconnaissance, then when they saw the clear image in the illusion ahead—so clear that even the beards of their own soldiers were visible—their doubts vanished.

At that moment, Yi Aier also stopped in her tracks.

"Master, I have brought them as you commanded."

"Very good."

A young man's voice rang out.

Only then did the Serei see clearly the person they were facing. It was a young man who, although he did not look very old, exuded an unusual sense of authority. His dark eyes seemed to see through everything as he gazed at the soldiers before him, revealing a kind smile—a smile very similar to that of the important figures in the Kingdom of Serei.

"Hello, nice to meet you, brave Serei."

Li Lin and the others nodded.

"To be honest, when I first heard about this from Princess Shirley, I thought I might not make it in time for the books... but it seems I made it in time after all?"

"Thank you for your help... respected Master."

Although he still didn't know much about the young man in front of him, Commander Serei quickly responded.

"On behalf of the Kingdom of Serei, I express my deepest gratitude to you. Without your assistance, it would have been impossible for us to conquer this fortress."

It seems that on the way here, the commander was finally able to come up with some appropriate lines from his head.

"You're welcome. It's what we should do for our allies."

Li Lin clearly didn't intend to reveal his identity to the other party; he simply waved slightly in response.

"I think, as a commander, you should be aware of the agreements between our country and yours."

"This is of course related to books, esteemed Master."

Considering that he was surrounded by trusted confidants, Commander Serei spoke with less restraint.

"I have learned everything from the King, including, of course, those..."

He paused here, seemingly considering how best to phrase it.

"Please rest assured, our Kingdom of Serei's target is merely the fertile lands of the plains of the Lalia region; we will not invade your country's territory."

Are you kidding me? After seeing such a monster, who would dare to invade the Magic Empire? Even the most elite troops in the entire Kingdom of Serei probably couldn't withstand a single shot from this monster!

The conversation then became much more amicable. Li Lin didn't reveal his identity but simply chatted with the Serei commander. Afterward, he invited the Serei soldiers to stay for dinner. Although he was very worried about the soldiers outside, the Serei commander accepted Li Lin's invitation and attended the dinner.

But it was only at this point that the real work began.

"Sir, please forgive my rudeness."

As Commander Serei and his men were stunned by the lavish-looking dishes on the table, Li Lin spoke up.

"As you know, our Magic Empire has only recently reappeared on this continent. To be honest, our understanding of your country is not very deep. If you have time, could you please tell us about your country's history and culture? I've always been very interested in these things."

Since his master had made such a request, Commander Serei naturally could not refuse. So, he began to tell Li Lin about the founding history of Serei and the development of their culture.

According to "legend" (of course, it's just "legend"), the founder of the Kingdom of Serei was a great warrior who came to this Northlands wilderness to escape persecution by the evil Five-Nation Alliance (this reminded Li Lin of the story of the so-called "evil Magic Empire"). Naturally, ordinary humans couldn't survive in this place. The warrior also encountered these difficulties, but soon he met a woman there who saved his life.

The story that follows is more conventional. After this, the warrior discovered many refugees who had come here to escape persecution by the "evil Five-Nation Alliance." However, they also faced the harsh environment and life of the Northlands. So, the great warrior gathered these people together to fight against the harsh climate of the Northlands. Later, they found a way to survive here (although Commander Serei did not specify what that method was, and Li Lin did not ask further). In the end, the Kingdom of Serei was born.

The story seemed like a typical tale of a hero's adventure, but Li Lin was clearly more interested in something else. According to the commander of the Serei, their nation didn't believe in gods, but had a unique custom: every new moon night, the people would gather in a palace within the Kingdom of Serei to pray and make wishes to the statues inside. It was said that the palace was built for the woman who met the great warrior. After the warrior established the Kingdom of Serei, he intended to marry her, but she suddenly died of illness. This caused the Serei king immense grief, and he subsequently built this palace and its statues for posterity to admire, so that they would remember that the Kingdom of Serei was born because of this woman.

On the surface, it seems romantic, but Li Lin discovered a problem with it.

According to the customs of the Kingdom of Serei, they gather there at the time of the new moon to pray and worship the statue, which is clearly not without meaning. If this woman is human, then she is merely part of a romantic legend.

However, if it refers to deities, then the meaning of this custom is worth considering.