Chapter 104 The Fruits of Victory and a New Game "Thump—!..."

"Thump—!!!"

A deep, muffled roar came from the direction of the city gate, causing the entire city wall to tremble violently.

It's a battering ram.

Thick ironwood, its front end wrapped in iron, was repeatedly and violently rammed against the gates of Hope Town by the combined efforts of dozens of heavily armored Red Scorpion Army infantrymen.

"Hold on! Everyone hold on!"

Tie Niu was driven down from the city wall, his eyes bloodshot, desperately bracing himself against the massive bolt used to reinforce the door. Behind him, dozens of equally muscular construction workers gritted their teeth and used all their strength—their shoulders, their backs, and their very bodies—to press themselves into the door panel.

Each impact made them feel as if their internal organs were churning, and their hands were bleeding profusely from the impact. A dense network of huge cracks had appeared on the door, splinters of wood flying everywhere, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.

The battle on the city walls has entered its most intense and fierce phase.

The Red Scorpion soldiers, like madmen, trampled over the corpses of their comrades and the broken ladders, launching wave after wave of relentless attacks. They even began to hold their massive kite shields atop their heads, forming a mobile tortoise-shell formation, enduring the boulders and arrows raining down from the city walls as they laboriously climbed upwards.

"Pfft!"

Gray's spear pierced precisely into the eye socket of a Red Scorpion soldier who had just peeked out, instantly ending his life. But before he could pull the spear out, a soldier who had already climbed over the wall on the other side brandished his longsword and roared as he slashed at him.

In the blink of an eye, Amu, who had been assisting him, roared, raised his shield, and slammed it hard into the soldier's helmet.

With a loud crash, the soldier saw stars, swayed twice, and then fell straight off the wall.

Such scenes were playing out in every corner of the city wall.

Although the defenders of Hope Town temporarily held off the enemy's offensive thanks to their advantageous terrain and superior equipment, the huge numerical disadvantage gradually made them feel overwhelmed.

The wounded began to appear.

A young man responsible for throwing stones was struck in the shoulder by a stray arrow and fell to the ground with a scream. Aunt Leah's medical team immediately rushed forward through the hail of arrows and dragged him to safety.

Another young Silent One, who was stabbing an enemy with a spear, was too weak and slowed down. The enemy slashed his arm with a long knife, leaving a deep gash that exposed the bone. Blood instantly stained his sleeve.

Everyone was in a bloodthirsty frenzy.

Lin Yue stood at the highest point of the command tower, taking in the entire scene. His hand gripped the crenellations of the city wall so tightly that his knuckles had turned white from the force.

He is waiting.

Waiting for the best opportunity.

The clay pot grenade was their last trump card; its quantity was limited, and its throwing range was also limited. It had to be used when the enemy was most concentrated, least prepared, and closest to collapse in order to have a decisive effect.

The time has finally come.

When the Red Scorpion Army's offensive reached its peak*, a large number of soldiers gathered densely at the city gate like ants, frantically ramming the already crumbling gate.

Lin Yue slowly raised his hand and made an extremely simple gesture towards the figure below who had been guarding an inconspicuous corner like a shadow.

“Norm,” his voice, transmitted clearly through a simple ceramic tube, reached the kiln in the armory below, “it’s time to bring in our…new type of fertilizer.”

Norm, who had been squatting in the kiln with sweaty palms, suddenly brightened up the moment he heard the instruction.

He took a deep breath and shouted to the other members of the alchemy team beside him, who also looked tense, "Did you all hear that? It's the mayor's order; it's our turn to go."

"Light the fire and serve the food."

The alchemy team, which was already prepared, immediately sprang into action.

They carefully carried the clay pot grenades out of the wooden crates filled with hay.

The fuse of each grenade is carefully calculated and cut to ensure it burns long enough for them to be safely thrown.

"First throwing team, prepare." Norm's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Target: directly below the city gate, enemy battering ram cluster, three, two, one... fire!"

More than a dozen specially trained throwers simultaneously leaned out from the crenellations of the city wall, and with all their might, threw their lit grenades in deadly arcs into the densest area below the city gate.

The Red Scorpion Army soldiers below the city were taken aback when they saw the black lumps falling from the sky, still sparking, and then their faces showed disdain.

"What the heck? They've run out of stones, so they've started throwing clay pots?"

"Hahaha, have these peasants run out of ideas?"

Their laughter quickly froze on their faces.

"BOOM—!!!"

"Boom—!!!"

A series of deafening roars, like thunderclaps from a clear sky, suddenly exploded in the area in front of the city gate.

The towering flames and thick black smoke, like blooming flowers of death, instantly engulfed the area.

The massive battering ram, in the instant of the explosion, was torn into countless flying wood chips and iron scraps by the violent shockwave and flying metal fragments.

The heavily armored infantrymen around them, who thought themselves invincible, didn't even have time to scream before they were thrown into the air by the huge shockwave and torn to pieces by countless high-speed flying iron and pottery shards.

Limbs flew everywhere, blood and flesh splattered.

The area in front of the city gate was instantly transformed into a hellish place filled with charred remains and the stench of blood.

This unprecedented, divinely punishing sorcery completely shattered the psychological defenses of all the Red Scorpion Army soldiers.

They stared blankly at the hellish scene before them, at their companions writhing and howling in the black smoke, their minds completely blank.

"Demon... demonic magic, it's demonic magic."

"Devil, they are devils."

It is unknown who first let out a terrified scream, but panic quickly spread throughout the entire army like a plague.

The Red Scorpion Army's formation completely collapsed.

The soldiers dropped their weapons and, like headless flies, screamed and turned to run, wanting nothing more than to escape this terrifying place filled with death and fear as quickly as possible.

"Right now."

Gray seized the opportunity: "Go down the city, open the side gate, and charge with me."

An inconspicuous little door, hidden by camouflage netting, quietly opened on the side of Hope Town.

Gray charged forward first. Behind him, dozens of warriors, transformed by Lorian's grueling training, silently merged into the battlefield.

Using the jungle infiltration and encirclement tactics taught by Lorian, they precisely penetrated the enemy's chaotic formation.

In groups of three to five, working in perfect coordination, they used the terrain and smoke as cover to continuously divide, surround, and disarm the terrified Red Scorpion Army soldiers.

Their weapons were replaced with training sticks and ropes.

A bloody chase turned into a capture operation.

Hundreds of Red Scorpion soldiers, who had completely given up resistance, were disarmed, their hands tied, and taken away like sheep.

Ryan stared at the devastated avalanche before him, his face contorted with disbelief and terror.

He hastily and somewhat disheveledly issued the order to retreat.

As the last wisp of smoke dissipated, the afterglow of the setting sun stained the entire battlefield with a tragic, blood-red hue.

Beneath the city walls of Hope Town, corpses lay strewn across the fields, and blood flowed like a river.

The town was filled with the groans of the wounded.

Aunt Leah and Mia's medical team were extremely busy, cleaning and bandaging the wounds of every injured soldier to stop the bleeding.

Even with the overwhelming power of gunpowder, which led to their overwhelming victory, dozens of defenders were still wounded in the fiercest battle for the city walls before that.

Most of them were just superficial wounds from stray arrows or bruises from being hit by rolling logs and stones.

However, Gray's commando team paid a considerable price in the process of capturing enemy soldiers.

Several young soldiers, due to their lack of experience, were ambushed by the enemy who were pretending to surrender, leaving them with several deep, bone-revealing wounds.

The worst victim was Amu. While protecting a young Silent One with his shield, he was stabbed in the ribs by an enemy hiding in the shadows with a poisoned dagger through a gap in the shield.

Although no vital organs were damaged, the dark, poisonous blood was still heartbreaking.

The young Silent One watched as Amu, who had shielded him from the attack, fell, letting out a piercing cry. He desperately lunged at the attacker, but was held back by his teammates—the battlefield needed no more bloodshed.

Fortunately, thanks to the druid's emergency treatment using nature magic and the logistics team's application of pre-prepared antidotes, his life was saved. Mia stayed by his bedside, constantly changing the dressings, her eyes filled with tears.

Even so, the brutality of this battle taught everyone a bloody lesson.

Although the residents had won, their faces showed little joy, but rather exhaustion from surviving a catastrophe and a profound understanding of the cruelty of war.

Some people were silently shedding tears for their wounded comrades, while others were quietly cleaning up the battlefield.

Lin Yue descended the city wall, surveying the casualties. When he saw Amu's pale face, his fist clenched involuntarily. He walked to the young Silent One and gently patted his shoulder: "This isn't your fault. Amu saved you because you deserved it." The young man looked up, tears welling in his eyes, and nodded heavily.

The captured Red Scorpion soldiers were held in a concentrated area behind the breeding farm, bound with tough vines, their heads hanging low like lambs to the slaughter. Construction workers were building a temporary prisoner-of-war camp fence around them overnight.

...

Just as the remaining Red Scorpion Army was fleeing in disarray across the wasteland outside Hope Town.

Dozens of miles from the battlefield, in a quiet mountain forest, a silent hunt was just beginning.

Dressed in a dark green outfit that blended seamlessly into the forest, Elendil stood quietly on an ancient tree branch. His pale golden eyes calmly gazed down at the only pass leading to Blackrock City.

Beside him, dozens of elven rangers, also clad in silver leaf armor, stood silently on either side of the pass. Their elven warbows were already fully drawn, and the arrows, imbued with the blessing of wind, gleamed with a deadly chill in the shadows of the forest.

They are waiting.

Those prey who thought they had escaped and were congratulating themselves on their good fortune walked into this carefully laid death trap.

Finally, the vanguard of the Red Scorpion Army appeared at the other end of the pass.

They abandoned their armor and weapons, their formation scattered, each one like a frightened bird, only concerned with running wildly, completely unaware that the shadow of death had already loomed over them.

"put."

The next second, hundreds of arrows rained down from the sky with a whistling sound.

A one-sided massacre has begun.

Ryan and his companions were deliberately spared by the elves and fled the place in a sorry state.

...

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, deep within the magnificent palace of the human kingdom's capital.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a magnificent robe with gold trim, was frowning as he looked at the diplomatic document presented by the envoy of the Silvermoon Forest. The document was written in an extremely forceful tone, and the silver sacred tree emblem at the end, representing the will of the Elf Queen, was radiating a magical energy that was not cold.

“Kaslan…” The old man, the current prime minister of the human kingdom, slammed the document heavily on the table, a flash of anger in his eyes. “That good-for-nothing fool! I warned him long ago not to provoke those long-eared madmen. Did he take my words to heart?!”

He coldly ordered the attendant beside him, “Immediately draft a royal decree and send it to the Duke’s mansion by the fastest griffon messenger. Tell Caslan to immediately cease all military operations on the edge of the Cursed Lands. If he cannot give Silvermoon Forest a satisfactory answer, he will bear all the consequences himself. The royal family will not shed a drop of blood for his stupidity and greed.”

...

News of the Red Scorpion Army's crushing defeat spread throughout the North with astonishing speed. This was followed by a diplomatic note from Silvermoon Forest and a strongly worded royal decree from the capital.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the overwhelmed Duke Kaslan was ultimately forced to swallow his pride and send an envoy to the place he had recently tried to conquer, for a humiliating peace negotiation. He chose Ryan von Kaslan because Ryan was the only core member of the family with direct contact with Hope Town, and perhaps better able to gauge the appropriate level of negotiation.

Three days later, outside the city gate of Hope Town.

Ryan reappeared on his white warhorse, followed only by Renault and a few guards. He looked up at the battered but still sturdy city wall, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

On the city wall, Lin Yue stood with his hands behind his back, looking at him calmly.

The two stood a hundred meters apart, gazing at each other from afar, as if the whole world had shrunk to just the two of them.

"Young Master Ryan, how have you been? I wonder if you've come to continue your great undertaking of flattening this place, or to discuss... how to quell this conflict?"

A bitter smile appeared on Ryan's lips.

He dismounted, handed his longsword to Renault, and then walked slowly toward the city gate alone.

“Mayor Lin Yue,” his voice was tinged with weariness and sincerity, “I am here on behalf of the Kaslan family to seek a solution.”

The city gate slowly opened, and Gray and Li Ge stood behind it with a team of blue vests, their faces expressionless.

Ryan walked in calmly.

The negotiation took place in the waiting room of Yihaodian, where there were only two steaming cups of barley tea on the table.

“Speak, Young Master Ryan,” Lin Yue broke the silence first. “What does your Kaslan family intend to offer to quell the anger of Hope Town? And what do you intend to offer in exchange for your hundreds of worthless prisoners?”

“Food, gold coins, cloth…” Ryan calmly rattled off a series of numbers. “Whatever you need, whatever we can provide, we can satisfy you. I can even guarantee that for the next ten years, the Caslan family’s army will never set foot in the Cursed Land again.”

"Ten years?" Lin Yue chuckled and shook his head. "Young Master Ryan, do you think I care about ten years of peace? Your promises are worthless to me. You can guarantee it today, but if your brother, who only knows how to fight and kill, takes the throne tomorrow, will he abide by it? And your father, who sits in the castle and treats human life like dirt, will he care?"

He stood up, walked to the window, pointed to the homes outside that were being rebuilt but still bore the marks of war, and his voice turned cold:

“Our people have shed blood and been wounded because of your greed. Our homes have been trampled by your armies. This debt cannot be repaid with a few gold coins and empty promises.”

"So what do you want?" Ryan frowned.

"What I want is very simple." Lin Yue turned around. "I want Blackrock City."

"What?!" Even though Ryan was prepared for an exorbitant demand, he was completely stunned by Lin Yue's shocking request. "Lin Yue, are you crazy? Blackrock City is the territory of the Caslan family, one of my father's foundations. Are you trying to make us your enemy?"

“No, I’m not here to take it over. On the contrary, I’m here to cooperate with you and to manage it.” A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yue’s eyes. “Young Master Ryan, you know better than I do what Blackrock City is like right now. It’s rotten to the core. You need a complete overhaul, and I, and Hope Town behind me, can help you do that.”

"Hope Town needs a stable and secure external environment, a broad market to absorb our output, and a solid platform to pursue long-term development. Blackrock City is the best choice. And you, Young Master Ryan, you also need an opportunity, an opportunity that can help you get out of your current predicament and truly grasp power."

"You still nominally control Blackrock City. You remain the city's lord. However, I must take charge of all economic and social affairs within the city. I will implement the work-point system of Hope Town in the city, establish new factories, recruit refugees, and let them exchange their labor for food and dignity. We will use our technology to repair the city walls and pave roads."

"I want to revitalize this lifeless city, giving people renewed hope for survival."

“And you,” Lin Yue looked at him, his voice full of seduction, “you will no longer be an exiled, powerless second son. You will become a true lord, deeply loved by the people, who can bring prosperity and peace to them.”

"In return, we hope that the town will become your most steadfast ally and supporter. Our food, ironware, and snow salt will be supplied to you first. We can even cooperate to make Blackrock City the most prosperous and unique commercial hub in the entire North. At that time, the wealth and prestige you gain will far surpass that of your incompetent brother."

Ryan's breathing became rapid, but he forced himself to remain calm: "That's just your side of the story. Why should I believe you? Besides, I have no right to agree to such an important decision. Ultimately, it must be decided by my father, Duke Caslan."

“Of course I know,” Lin Yue nodded. “You just need to take my terms back. As for why you should trust me…”

He opened the window.

Outside the window, the residents of Hope Town were busily engaged in post-war reconstruction. Though simply dressed, their faces radiated genuine smiles and hope for the future. This spirit was something Ryan had never witnessed in Blackrock City.

“This is my proof,” Lin Yue said. “I will give you a detailed list of technology and supplies as a token of our sincerity in cooperating. You can take these, along with my terms, to the Duke.”

Ryan returned to the Duke's mansion with the heavy draft of the agreement and several drawings with strange symbols.

Upon hearing the report, Duke Caslan was so enraged that he smashed his most beloved crystal wine glass on the spot. "Arrogant! A mayor from a peasant village dares to covet my city! Does he think that by defeating a bunch of worthless mercenaries, he can challenge the majesty of a duke?!"

“Father, please calm down.” Ryan bowed and said, “Although Lin Yue is arrogant, the conditions he proposed may not be entirely bad for us. Please take a look at this list first.”

The Duke took the list and drawings, his eyes gradually shifting from disdain to surprise and doubt.

“Father,” Ryan explained calmly, “Lin Yue is willing to offer these supplies and tool-making technology, and promises to provide us with a large quantity of Hope Snow Salt at an extremely low price. Moreover, you are aware of the attitudes of the elves and the royal family now; we do need a way to back down. This may be something we cannot refuse.”

The Duke's face darkened: "Are we just going to let some unknown brat manipulate me like this? If word gets out, how will I save face?"

“We can try a different approach,” Ryan suggested. “We’ve already recognized Hope Town’s legitimacy, and Mayor Lin Yue’s position is official. We can announce that Mayor Lin Yue, intimidated by your reputation, voluntarily offered technology and resources in exchange for peace. You appreciated his sincerity and, to recognize his technological contributions, bestowed upon him the title of ‘Chief Development Advisor of Blackrock City,’ to assist us in managing the city. This way, it won’t be us bowing down to him, but rather him voluntarily submitting, and you’ll gain a reputation for valuing talent and keeping your promises.”

The Duke's anger gradually subsided, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

Ryan continued, “Moreover, nominally you still own Blackrock City, and I am still the city lord; he is merely an advisor. You know best what Blackrock City is like now. It's experiencing population loss, barren land, and tax collection problems every year; it's practically a ghost town. Even if we give him the management rights, he won't be able to do anything innovative. We can use his technology and resources to revive the city. When the time is right, it won't be too late to take everything back.”

These words thoroughly moved Duke Kaslan. Looking at his second son, whom he had never truly respected, a barely perceptible appreciation flickered in his usually sinister eyes. Although Ryan had lost the battle, he had secured tangible benefits for the family at the negotiating table; he was a man of principle, capable of both yielding and standing firm.

The agreement was finally signed.

Soon after, the first batch of technical blueprints and supplies from Hope Town, especially a massive amount of snow salt, was presented to the Duke by Ryan. The Duke immediately sent most of it to the capital as tribute.

At this time, the kingdom was locked in a stalemate with the dwarven kingdom to the north, and resources were being depleted at an enormous cost. This timely shipment of supplies, especially the large quantity of snow salt that could be used for military logistics and food preservation, greatly pleased the royal family.

Duke Kaslan thus regained the favor of the royal family. In high spirits, he publicly commended Ryan, not only acknowledging his contributions to this diplomatic victory but also granting him special permission to expand his guard after hearing of the heavy losses suffered by Ryan's personal guard. He also began to formally involve Ryan in the core decision-making of the Duke's palace.

Upon learning this news, Carl was so enraged that he flew into a rage in his room.

A storm powerful enough to overturn the landscape of Blackrock City seems to have come to an end in an eerie calm.

...

The residents of Hope Town were unaware of the power struggles among the higher-ups; all they knew was that they had won and protected their homes.

But this victory also came at a price for them.

Lin Yue, the town mayor who led them to create miracles, fell ill the day after seeing off Ryan and the last group of elf advisors. The intense mental stress and exhaustion of the past few days, as well as the shock from detonating the grenade, finally destroyed his already weak body.

High fever, coma.

For a time, the entire Hope Town was shrouded in an atmosphere of worry.

Lin Yue was placed in his own room at the Lin Family Restaurant, and no one was allowed to disturb him. Only Mia and Aunt Lia would bring him food and medicine at regular intervals every day.

At first, Yili and Tieniu thought the mayor was just too tired and needed to rest. But as a week passed and Lin Yue not only didn't get better, but rarely even left his room, they started to have their own doubts.

"Could something have really happened to the mayor?"

"Yes, I heard from Mia that the mayor has a high fever and has been talking nonsense for several days."

"Could it be that he suffered some unseen internal injury during the last battle? His small frame must have been hurting a lot from the grenade explosion."

That evening, after dinner, Tie Niu, A Hu, and several core members of the construction team became increasingly uneasy and worried. They went to the entrance of Lin's Restaurant again, intending to go in and check on things.

However, he was still politely stopped by the silent youth in charge of guarding the area.

"Excuse me, everyone. The mayor has already gone to bed, and he has instructed that no one should disturb him."

However, the sharp-eyed Ah Hu noticed a faint light flickering in the window of Lin Yue's office.

"That's not right! Why is the light on when everyone's asleep?"

The group exchanged glances, and a terrifying thought simultaneously surfaced in their minds—could the mayor have been placed under house arrest? Or perhaps assassinated? Who would dare to do such a thing!

They pretended to be turned away, but as soon as they turned the corner, they immediately lowered their bodies and, under the cover of night, quietly crept to the fence of the small restaurant.

The group worked together seamlessly, scaled the fence, and then crept stealthily to the window of Lin Yue's office.

As soon as I got close, I heard several people arguing loudly in hushed tones inside.

“…No, I absolutely will not agree to this condition.” That was Ryan’s voice.

“…Young Master, this matter needs further consideration…” This was Renault’s voice.

"...Lin Yue, don't go too far..." This...this is Gray's voice?

The group was shocked. How could Ryan and the others be here? And why was Brother Gray with them?

Just as they were filled with doubt and uncertainty, a voice, filled with fear and weakness, that they knew all too well, came from the room.

"Grey, save me."

He is the town mayor.

"This is outrageous!" Li Ge and Tie Niu could no longer contain themselves. They roared and slammed their shoulders against the wooden door.

"boom--!"

The wooden door was shattered into pieces, and several men, wielding shovels they had picked up from the corner of the wall, roared as they rushed inside.

"Mayor, we've come to rescue you!"

"Release our town mayor!"

However, there was no scene of swords clashing or hostage situations in the room.

Lin Yue was sitting in front of a huge map, full of energy, with a golden-brown roasted chicken leg in his hand.

Gray, Little Finn, Ryan, and Reno sat around him, the table laden with various delicacies and soups.

The scene they mistook for a hostage situation was simply Ryan jumping up in anger at Lin Yue's shameless suggestion, grabbing his collar in agitation, while Lin Yue exaggeratedly held up a chicken leg, pretending to cry for help.

“Uh…” Li Ge stood there, holding the shovel, stunned. The scene was quite awkward.

"So... that battle before... was all staged by you guys?" After hearing Lin Yue's explanation, which was both funny and exasperating, Li Ge and the others still felt like their brains weren't working properly.

“Not entirely.” Lin Yue took a bite of chicken leg and explained, “The battle with the Royal Guard was a performance, but the Red Scorpion Army’s final assault was real. If I hadn’t hurt them and scared them, I wouldn’t be sitting here negotiating today.”

"Fortunately, we had some prior communication, and none of our own personnel were killed."

Looking at these honest men who had almost caused a misunderstanding because they cared about him, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

“I know it was wrong of me to keep this from everyone. But like Young Master Ryan, the fewer people who know some things, the safer it is.”

“But,” he looked around at the crowd, his voice becoming solemn, “I assure you all, this is the first and the last time. From now on, every battle in Hope Town will be one we all face together.”

Looking into Lin Yue's sincere eyes, Li Ge finally pursed his lips and gave a simple, honest smile.