Chapter 104: High-level ritual artifact, the dust has settled (normal medium-sized chapter)

Just as the fourth prince fell, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, Olenna stood in front of Rand, holding the sword horizontally and clamping it with her elbow, ready to block.

Elsa's figure blurred for a moment, and two blood-red daggers appeared in her hands and stabbed out.

Although the Fourth Prince's head was crushed by Rand, it was still twitching, and then it expanded and turned into a bloody multi-headed monster.

His whole body was covered with muscles and his body was as tall as a floor building.

The eyes, blood-red as the skin, with no whites, were staring at Rand.

Obviously not an easy character to deal with.

The rosy red orb of the God of Struggle sect can be transformed back after use.

But the premise is normal use.

But this appearance doesn't look like it can be changed back, and will it have a head if it changes back? Rand is very curious.

At present, it seems that the Fourth Prince, who felt that he had no hope of survival, probably used a large number of ruby ​​​​orbs, or performed some kind of ritual. In any case, this does not look like the normal transformation of the followers of the God of Struggle.

Or, will the royal bloodline of this world bring about different changes? Otherwise, if it could easily transform into a stronger monster, even at the cost of the user's death, and if there was no reason at all after the transformation, the God of Struggle sect would have been invincible long ago.

Judging from the momentum, it should be beyond the level that the highest-level profession can defeat alone, but not by much.

But now, Rand asked Olenna and Elsa to stop. Before the battle, they needed to show their strength, so Taner's identity as the top professional was known to everyone.

Rand and Taner also demonstrated their strength respectively, but now that the fight is almost over, they should hide their strengths, otherwise the strengths of Olenna and Elsa will become known to everyone.

Then when the spoils are divided, you will be feared. If a king is fearful of you, no matter how great your achievements are, they will be useless, and it is possible that you will become too powerful to be recognized by the king.

Therefore, there is no need to feel sorry for a high-level ceremonial vessel; just use it when necessary.

Elsa returned to Rand and looked at him in confusion.

Rand whispered, "I have to hide my shortcomings."

Elsa was not so sensitive about politics, but she still trusted Rand quite a bit, so she retracted the dagger and stood aside.

Then Rand signaled to Olenna to activate the ritual.

If a high-level ritual object comes into contact with too much evil energy, it will explode, and the flames from the explosion will suppress the power of the cult.

But it can also be detonated manually.

Bright flames were ignited along with the crisp sound of breaking. Many soldiers who had originally fled with their backs to them turned back, but more still fled without looking back.

The fear evoked by this silent army was enough to overwhelm their curiosity.

The giant multi-headed monster that was originally moving freely froze under the illumination of the fire, its movement speed suddenly slowed down, and finally froze completely.

Rand motioned to Taner to take action.

Taner is the only top-level professional who is exposed. The ritual vessels of the Torch Church actually have a blessing for Taner.

He walked quickly forward, and flowing flames appeared on the surface of the two-handed giant sword, as if it was burning. He raised it above his head, and then jumped and chopped!

Jump slash has a lot of flaws, but it's just right to use it at this moment.

The monster, which was as tall as a floor, was chopped into two pieces while it was unable to move. As a former paladin of the Torch Church, Taner had a lot of experience in dealing with cult monsters.

After splitting the monster into two pieces, he took a bag of powder whose substance Rand couldn't understand from the Torch Church messenger Fenris beside him and poured it on the monster, looking like they were working in perfect harmony.

Then the monster's body burst into flames.

Fenris also chanted a spell that Rand could not understand, and the fire on the monster's body increased in intensity.

Well, Rand felt his power weakened, but not as much as the night he first met Olenna and Ellie.

It was as if his body was gradually adapting.

Taner and Fenris finished their usual teamwork before they remembered that it was not the Torch Church that was dealing with the demons here.

Taner turned his neck stiffly and found that Rand was looking into the distance, not here, and he glanced guiltily at Fenris who was also feeling guilty beside him.

Fenris immediately understood and recited another spell, and the fire on the monster was extinguished.

He had heard from Taner before that Rand suspected he was a traitor. He wondered if he would be found out this time. Seeing that this cult was full of top professionals, it seemed that he could not escape, not to mention that there was Rand, whose strength was unknown.

Well, since Fenris had always been with Tanr, he didn’t know that Rand’s strength was really that good.

Fenris couldn't help but feel sad when he thought that his mission to persuade Tanr to return to the Torch Church would be aborted.

Of course, Rand didn't know that one of the two traitors in the Torch Church wanted to persuade people to go back together, while the other wanted to trick people into staying together.

As the troops here began to disintegrate, the enemies who were attacking the Second Prince's main force soon realized that the Fourth Prince had been killed.

They immediately dropped their weapons and signaled their surrender. Seeing their lord surrender, their knights and guards also gave up resistance, and then the most ordinary conscripts followed.

Under the warm sunshine of a cold winter morning, one could hear the clanging of weapons and shields discarded on the ground, as well as the slightly dazzling sunlight reflected from the metal on the ground.

It's finally over now, Rand breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that some monster would pop up again.

After waiting for a long time in the cold wind of the winter morning, it seemed that there was really nothing left.

Victory! Rand raised his weapon. Now it was not just him, but all the warriors of the Second Prince's faction raised their weapons.

No matter if it's a high-ranking wizard, the most elite knight, or just an ordinary conscript.

Whether he is a prince, a grand duke, an earl or a baron.

Everyone shares the same joy of victory at this moment.

It's all over at last.

Perhaps only at this time can people of different identities and cultures embrace each other closely and celebrate their survival from the tragic and bloody war.

And they won! Cheers echoed throughout this bloodstained and filthy land of ice and snow.

…

Rand was sitting in the carriage, and after winning the rock-paper-scissors game with Ellie, he successfully gained the right to use Olenna's lap pillow.

Patting his legs, Rand lay down sideways.

The carriage was specially made and wide enough for Rand to lie down, with his head resting on Olenna's soft, flexible thighs.

Then he smacked his lips and took a bite of the orange that Olena handed to him.

This is the life a corrupt cult leader should live. Was that the way he lived during the previous march like a human being?

Now Rand is on his way back with his men. The subsequent distribution of the fruits of victory in the war will require a long debate and no result will be reached in a short time.

Moreover, some nobles who are unwilling to accept punishment may continue to resist, and there will be subsequent local wars to be fought.

But these things have nothing to do with Rand. Anyway, he will definitely get the title of Viscount, and the actual fiefdom given to him will not be very bad.

Although most of the merits in this war belonged to his current title of Earl Black and Brown, Rand also made great contributions due to his excellent command ability and the killing of the fourth prince.

It's a pity that Rand's starting point was too low. When he participated in the war, he was not even a real baron, otherwise he might have gained more.

But it's good now.

Generally speaking, obtaining a title like Lord is the greatest reward for ordinary people. Among the soldiers who have made great contributions in this war, one or two lucky ones will be awarded the title of Lord.

Then there are the knights who have their own fiefs, and they must be distinguished from the wandering knights without a fiefdom.

Some knights also have a lord title.

Next come the barons and viscounts.

When one reaches the level of Viscount, the population of the territory will reach 8,000 or even 10,000. Many Viscounts are deputies of Earls, but Rand will not be like this. He is probably an independent Viscount.

It is worth mentioning here that in this era, if you are a real noble, the title is not an official position, but a proof of property. For example, baron only means that you have a piece of baronial property, and you will be called a baron.

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Therefore, Rand's direct title of Viscount was already a very good privilege, and it was estimated that there would be other rewards besides the title and territory in the future.

I can only say that I have gained a lot.

When in the army, Rand needed to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, so he lived in the barracks most of the time, although there was a small kitchen.

But most of the time, especially when war broke out, he would eat the same dry and hard bread and tasteless soup as his subordinates.

Now that he was going back, there would be no such problem. Rand could lie in the beautifully decorated carriage lined with velvet cushions and enjoy the service of Olenna, who no longer disguised her face.

Olenna pressed her legs together, using them as Rand's pillow, while she held the documents pertaining to the den.

"Once we get back, it won't be long before the spring harvest." Olenna took a look and told Rand.

At this time, Rand was more relaxed and responded, "I just don't know how my three-crop rotation test field is doing."

Rand felt the softness and elasticity of the back of his head and continued, "After returning, the first thing we have to do is prepare rewards for the soldiers and mourning for the deceased, as well as a celebration banquet."

After thinking for a while, Rand said, "At least everyone can share some juice and small pieces of fried chicken."

These things need to be arranged in advance. Rand has already sent an administrative letter back to the nest, and it is estimated that the nest has already started preparations.

"How many people froze to death this winter?" Rand continued to ask.

It is impossible for no one to freeze to death, productivity is far from that level.

"More than three hundred people." Olena turned another page, took a look and said.

"ah?"

This number was too abnormal, so in order to reduce the number of people freezing to death, he distributed firewood.

Olenna said calmly, "The population captured during the war is also counted here. Since many nobles' territories were severely affected by disasters, the process was delayed for too long, and many of the captured people froze to death on the way."

"If it was just the original population of Wanyue Territory, only a dozen people froze to death, and they were all caused by sudden heavy snow that crushed the houses."

Rand breathed a sigh of relief. It was certain that there would be losses among the people they had robbed, not to mention the influence of the Wind and Snow and the Cult of the God of Struggle. It seemed that the losses were quite small.

At least 3,000 people were robbed this time. Although many nobles have realized what was happening and have taken away a lot of people, there are still quite a few in Rand's hands. Excluding those lost on the way and those who were taken away, there are at least 1,500 people.

This number is quite good. You should know that there were only 2,500 people in the entire Crescent Moon Territory before. With these 1,500 people, the population has exceeded 4,000.

After a while, Elsa was outside shaking the snow off her fur coat and then got into the carriage.

Her fair face was a little red from the cold. She glanced at Rand who was enjoying life on Olenna's lap, and Elsa also took a slice of orange from the fruit bowl.

"We are not far from the hideout. You can get ready now."

Rand was not in a hurry. He looked at Ellie and asked, "How is the communication device?"

Ellie expressed disdain for Rand's audacity to call that toy a communication device, although as an inventor she had no right to say anything.

But she didn't know what this thing was used for at the beginning.

Ellie raised her eyebrows and said, "It's improved a little bit. Go back and see if there are any new parts in the ruins. Now, you can go and test the distance with Lisa."

Rand nodded, not blushing at openly discussing strategic communication tools, but Elsa beside him was already blushing.

After Ellie finished speaking, she remembered something and said, "Be careful when you go back. The White King should be here soon."

To be honest, Rand felt a little guilty. After all, he, Olenna and Ellie were all clean. Anyway, he couldn't say that he was innocent.

I hope the White King doesn't go too far.

The carriage jolted again, squeezing the back of Rand's head against Olenna's thighs.

We were probably near the hideout now, as the noise outside was already getting a bit noisy.

Rand sat up, drew aside the curtains, and opened the window of the carriage, and immediately a few rays of sunlight came in.

Looking out from afar, there are welcoming crowds everywhere.

"Such a big scene." Rand smiled faintly.

This was of course what Rand requested. Although the number of people going on this expedition was small, it was also a major victory worth commemorating. At least it should make these reserve officers who would become the backbone of the hideout in the future feel the importance of the hideout.

There are no flowers this season, but the decorations are still gorgeous and warm.

In addition, the girls in brightly colored clothes lined the road, which really made the soldiers dazzled.

There were cheers everywhere.

For many aristocratic territories, the people had no feelings about victory in the war, because war meant only increased taxes, conscription, and death to them.

But this is not the case in the hideout. The outcome of every war will directly protect the interests of the Crescent Moon Territory, the hideout.

Even the most ignorant villagers can feel the improvement in living standards and the reduction in winter mortality rates.

Moreover, Rand has launched a religious offensive, and now there are missionaries in every village promoting the belief in the Mother Goddess and Rand's achievements.

Unfortunately, it is still relatively obscure now, and Rand is anxiously waiting for the Torch Church to collapse.

Therefore, not only the organized ones came, but also many spontaneous villagers, believers in the dens, and adventurers in the holiday villas came to welcome the triumphant return of the army.

Maybe this is the glory.

(This plot is finally over. I am so touched.) (The author is going to take a break today. It is really tiring to update so quickly. It is a good opportunity to celebrate Children's Day in advance. Who is not a baby?)

(ps, wish you all a happy Children's Day in advance) (End of this chapter)