Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
After that, the Orcs organized several more waves of attacks. The Demon army also carved out three new breaches in Erlendara’s city walls, and four of the ten Giant Golems were destroyed by the Hell Three-Headed Dog, leaving only six operational.
Until the early hours of the next day, the Orcs temporarily halted their siege. At the same time, the Demons, baring their fangs, glared fiercely at the beings on the city wall. Under the command of the Hell Three-Headed Dog, they slowly retreated towards the Gate of Hell.
“Is there any way to destroy the Gate of Hell?”
Blitz frowned as he looked at the Gate of Hell, which resembled a lava rift. The day’s assault had yielded no results for the Orcs beyond sending them to their deaths, but this Gate of Hell was extremely disgusting to him.
“Apologies, my lord. We tried to bombard the Gate of Hell with Magic Cannons, but its core is built deep underground, and the surface is also protected by Orc shamans. The Magic Cannons cannot penetrate it.”
The Black Robe Mage reported respectfully.
Blitz sighed. The Gate of Hell could not be closed, and he himself could not go down there. With his strength as a Source Mage, he would be walking into his own death in front of two Legendary beings.
He could only hope that the Orc King would exhaust all his armies and leave on his own. Otherwise, he would have to request reinforcements from the Royal Capital of Kalun, but he truly did not want to do so unless absolutely necessary.
This was because he detested any direct or indirect contact with those mad members of the Truth Council.
…
On the other side.
While the front city walls were engaged in a fierce battle.
Xi Wei, with the help of Ruo Yi and Loli, had entered Erlendara without anyone noticing. They wore cloaks to conceal their faces and sat in a small tavern. Despite the fighting raging outside, the tavern was still lively.
The warm fire crackled, the lamplight flickered on the walls, and the aroma of wine and roasted meat filled the air. It was hard to imagine this was a tavern in a city under siege.
Kalun had also entered winter.
However, the vegetation here was nourished by the Magic Net.
Even in the harsh cold of winter, it remained as lush and green as summer.
“Place your bets, place your bets! Guess when the next wave of Orc attacks will happen!”
“I think half a day from now.”
“I think tomorrow at the earliest. Half of the Orc army has already been wiped out…”
“Victory belongs to Erlendara~”
“Yes~”
The commoners in the tavern chattered amongst themselves.
In the Mage Kingdom, commoners had no status, but they lived well. When disaster struck, the taller ones would bear the brunt of it. Of course, in Erlendara, the term “commoner” had a broader scope, including not only ordinary people without magic or Qi but also all professionals below Tier 2.
Only those who reached Tier 3 were qualified to enlist in the army.
Of course, this requirement would fluctuate based on the country’s situation. When the front-line soldiers were all dead, it would be time for these “commoners” to sacrifice themselves for the Empire. But for now, Erlendara remained as stable as ever, and they still had time to “sing ‘Pleasure Gardens’ across the river.”
After listening for a while in the tavern, Xi Wei returned to the room upstairs with Loli and Ruo Yi.
The isolation spell arrays set up by the two goddesses left no loopholes, allowing them to speak freely.
“By the way, the beef at this tavern is quite delicious…”
Xi Wei smacked his lips. Perhaps due to the developed productivity of the Southern Continent, it was said that magic could already be used to accelerate the growth of livestock and crops. Therefore, food was unusually cheap. Even ordinary people with no power could afford to eat meat every few days with their meager income.
This was something that made Xi Wei, a king, very envious.
However, he was also well aware that the developed productivity of the Southern Continent was inseparable from the support of the Magic Net.
If the same approach were applied to the Northern Continent, it might become a time-consuming and laborious endeavor with little reward.
“Oh? Do you like it, Master? Shall I go down and buy you another portion?”
Loli was about to turn and go downstairs, but Xi Wei stopped her.
He shook his head and sighed, “No need. Actually, what I meant was that this city is not bad. If it weren’t for using the Orcs as bait, I wouldn’t be able to bear to see it destroyed like this. Let’s give these civilians some hints later.”
“Master is truly kind-hearted,” Loli said, hugging Xi Wei’s arm with a moved expression.
In her heart, Xi Wei was such a gentle person, like the sun on the horizon.
“I think so too. After all, I am an enemy of Kalun. There aren’t many benevolent and kind kings like me anymore.”
Xi Wei looked out the window, a satisfied smile curving his lips.
“Ruo Yi, did you empty Erlendara’s treasure vault?”
“Of course,” Ruo Yi nodded seriously. “Including their stored Magic Crystals and weapons, everything has been completely cleaned out, not even a speck of dust left.”
“Good~”
Xi Wei clapped his hands. “I imagine City Lord Blitz must be going crazy with fear by now, but that’s not enough. We need to add more fuel to the fire.”
“Keke~”
As the twilight deepened outside the window, a sinister laugh from the King of Winter echoed in this unremarkable little tavern.
However, only two people would ever hear this laughter.
…
Blitz was indeed on the verge of going mad.
The war had temporarily ceased, but the Orcs could launch another attack on the city walls at any moment.
The most important task at this time was to quickly repair the city walls. Any Giant Golem that could be salvaged should be saved. Magic Cannons needed Magic Crystals, and the spell arrays required worn-out materials to be replaced.
But now, a soldier breathlessly reported that all the supplies in the city’s warehouse were gone.
“Do you know what time it is?”
Blitz, riding a Griffin, hurried towards the warehouse, with the disheveled Logistics Soldier following behind him.
“It’s wartime. If you’ve told me a single lie, I’ll burn you to death!”
“My lord, they’re really gone. I’m not dreaming.”
The Logistics Soldier raised his face in the wind, with handprints on each cheek. He showed his face to Blitz. “Here, my lord. To confirm I’m not dreaming, I even swelled my face. Woo woo woo~”
Blitz’s expression grew even more somber.
Although he was unwilling to believe it, panic was tightening his heart and lungs like a demon’s claws, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Finally, the Griffin stopped at the warehouse entrance.
Blitz dragged the Logistics Soldier to the front of the warehouse.
“Open the door, soldier!”
The Logistics Soldier glanced fearfully at Blitz, ducked his head, and fumbled with his hands.
It took him a while to find the keyhole he knew by heart. He pushed open the warehouse door.
Even though it only opened halfway, Blitz’s face turned pale and he fell to the ground in shock.
The warehouse, which should have been filled with various supplies and materials, was now completely empty.
“Gone? How is this possible?! Who… who did this…”
