Hammond was dug out by his comrades. Although his charge was ultimately swallowed by the waves of the Sludge Monster, the knights managed to sprinkle him with Holy Water in the end, preventing him from being assimilated by the Sludge Monster.
“Did we win?”
Hammond lay in the middle of the battlefield, watching the rare evening glow of winter in the Northern Border pierce through the clouds.
“We won, Captain.”
Hammond’s subordinates helped him up, and the exhausted knights limped back to the position with the support of their comrades.
Such situations continued to occur on the battlefield. At this time, the monsters had been almost entirely exterminated, with only a handful of soldiers engaged in final extermination tasks. Most soldiers were clearing the battlefield or helping the injured with Holy Water and potions.
Lind quickly wrote a report and sent it, along with some basic arrangements and post-war notes, to Sean, who was stationed at the rear. He also began to commend the soldiers.
Two days later, Lind received a message from White. After reading the letter, his expression remained unchanged, and he turned to Lena, who was recording the merits, and said, “There’s been some trouble in the River Valley. I need to head over to handle it.”
Lena didn’t turn around, responding directly, “Hmm, just leave it to me here.”
Lena didn’t sense anything amiss; after all, the River Valley could be considered the enemy’s main rear, and it was normal for Lind to go there in response to reports of problems.
There wasn’t much for Lind to personally deal with on the battlefield of the Golden Ear Plains anymore; all that needed to be done could be effectively arranged by Lena.
After saying goodbye to his wife, Lind set off for the once most prosperous area in the Northern Border, the River Valley.
On the way, there was not a single sign of human habitation; in fact, not even the crowing of a rooster could be heard. Not even a single animal was in sight. With a heavy heart, Lind arrived at the River Valley.
By the time Lind stepped into the River Valley, the Outer District had also seen few residents. Only a few people remained hidden, not sent to the battlefield by Fang Ge, cautiously peeking their heads out from ruined houses to observe Lind’s army.
The Demon Clan had already shown Graywhite Territory how those Sludge Monsters were produced. From the scale of the Sludge Monsters on the battlefield, it was likely that Fang Ge had already significantly reduced the population of those areas.
While thinking about future immigration plans, Lind unwittingly arrived at the so-called Inner City District. This inner and outer district had been remodeled to imitate the Royal Capital, to differentiate between nobles and commoners.
Although the original River Valley already had a similar distinction, the nobles were simply clustered along a certain street. Fang Ge, in order to highlight the differences between nobles and commoners and to win the hearts of the city’s nobles, directly started gathering land in the city, constructing a luxurious inner city.
The towering white stone walls were adorned with golden decorative edges, forming a stark contrast with the dilapidated scene of the Outer District. At the grand entrance of the Inner City District, there were many intricately designed suits of armor. These suits of armor looked quite ostentatious and were not intended for actual use; they were merely to intimidate the commoners in the Outer District.
Although the commoners might not be present—under Fang Ge’s rule, even survival had become an issue—the nobles seemed to very much enjoy this form of spiritual victory over the commoners.
And on the huge lintel above the door, numerous crests symbolizing noble status were carved. These belonged to the noble families residing in the Inner City District, with every detail revealing the ancient and noble impermissibility of the corresponding noble houses.
However, these ancient, noble, and impermissible nobles were now all kneeling at the entrance. They appeared to have been kneeling for quite some time; some of the younger nobles even seemed to have fallen asleep.
When they saw Lind approaching with his guards, these noble figures lowered their heads even further, not daring to look Lind in the eye. Despite the crowd, there was not a single sound made in the presence.
Everyone shrank their necks, awaiting judgment.
These nobles, counting their servants, likely outnumbered the commoners in the Outer District.
Lind ignored these nobles and stepped onto the wide, cobblestone street of the Inner City District, heading deeper into the Inner City.
Fang Ge’s castle was tall and exquisite, with some towers adorned with magnificent reliefs and stained glass, as if the castle towers themselves were works of art. If Sean’s words were true, before he escaped, the River Valley’s castle still had the classic Lars military fortress style. It was hard to imagine how much Fang Ge spent to transform the castle into its current form.
White’s soldiers had been waiting at the castle gate for some time. Seeing Lind arrive, they immediately stepped forward to offer their respects and led Lind into the castle.
It was evident that White was very professional; upon entering the castle, Lind saw marked and blocked secret passages everywhere, as White had previously defended the Winter Fortress and was thoroughly familiar with these doors within the castle.
The soldiers led Lind further down, to the hidden areas of the castle, which contained dungeons and torture instruments specifically to cater to the special preferences of some nobles, although it was likely that some real criminals were also imprisoned there.
Just like the two men constantly wailing in the dungeon.
“Let me go! I want to see the Governor’s wife! Let me see the Governor’s wife!”
Lind glanced at the two middle-aged men in the dungeon. They were dressed in luxurious cloaks, but those cloaks looked very dirty, as if the two men had rolled on the ground in shackles.
Seeing someone come, the two middle-aged men quickly flipped over from their prone positions to stand up.
Although they had never seen Lind before, they quickly guessed his identity based on his age and the guards around him.
“Lord Governor! Lord Governor! Where is Lena? Did Lena come with you?”
“Lord Governor, please let us see our niece.”
After asking, the two hurriedly bowed to Lind, a gesture of a vassal to a duke, but it was obvious that at this point, they were no longer concerned about the formalities.
“My wife doesn’t have that much time; she’s still busy counting the war contributions in the Golden Ear Plains.”
In facing Lena’s two uncles, Lind decided to waste a bit of his own time to express his stance, lest someone misunderstand his intentions below.
“That’s not acceptable! How could you put Lena in such a dangerous place on the battlefield?”
“Yeah, I even held her when she was little! Lord Governor, please let us see the lady just once!”
Seeing Lind’s cold gaze, it was clear that they had realized they were in a dead-end situation by facing Lena’s husband alone.
Initially thinking that since Lind and Lena were inseparable, they might be able to see Lena when they encountered Lind and then use their uncle status to say a few flattering words and appeal to emotions, perhaps even obtain mercy from Lena, and who knows, possibly even preferential treatment.
After all, they had not been in competition with Lind, and although they had acted like sycophants, they could always claim they had acted out of necessity.
Moreover, given the relationship between Lind and Lena, Lind would also not allow Lena to take on the reputation of killing her uncles; he would surely ensure their survival.
But it did not occur to them that the inseparable Lind had not brought Lena with him this time. His intentions were unspoken.
“Keep them for the trial with Fang Ge.”
Lind’s words, delivered without a hint of emotion, shattered their last fantasy. Hearing Lind’s order, the soldiers also understood what to do, entering the cell without hesitation, thoroughly binding the two men.
