Chapter 307: The Fire Witch, the Troll King, and the Duke's Plan

Snow flakes were flying everywhere, and the candlelight flowing from Jiandong Castle added a touch of warmth to the snowy night.

It is already December, and the cold wind in Morning Frost Ridge is biting, but now is different from the past. The source of the cold wave in the Absolute Ridge has been eliminated, and both commoners and nobles can enjoy the tranquility of the snowy night.

The lord had been conferred the title of Duke, and the news had been sent back to the territory by messengers two months ago. For a time, the population moving into the territory increased dramatically.

In this age of rampant monsters, migrating into a territory protected by a duke is always safer than staying in the countryside or in the mountains.

At the instruction of Lord Yeats, Steward Drake conducted a population census within the territory. The population had grown explosively compared to the situation a year ago when there were less than a thousand people.

Demographics are expensive.

However, the huge profits brought by the monopoly of the whiskey and glass manufacturing industries, as well as the prosperity of animal husbandry and wool textile industries, made the finances of Morning Frost Ridge very abundant.

Currently, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is held by the Witch Society's Golden Oriole. This witch, who has a photographic memory and speed reading ability, was one of the witches Yeats rescued in Sternberg. She has shown excellent management skills, even Drake is ashamed of himself.

The other two members of the Witch Society, Delphinium, is responsible for the internal affairs of Sword Winter Castle, while Firefly, who has the ability to control plants, serves as the agricultural officer of Morningfrost Ridge together with Little Red Riding Hood Ridge.

It is worth mentioning that a month ago, another witch came to join the Witch Society with a letter from Circe. Like the three members of the Witch Society, she also had extraordinary abilities.

The witch's name is Honglu. She is a frail girl with red hair and freckles, but she has the blood power to control fire. She once followed her father, a blacksmith, and mastered excellent forging skills.

Later, she was arrested by the Inquisition because of the awakening of her bloodline. It was the witch high priestess Circe who rescued her and allowed her to return to her father and live in seclusion in the mountains.

After Redhearth's father passed away, he was lonely and helpless again. He contacted Cersei through communication, and Cersei asked Redhearth to come to Dawnfrost Ridge.

Honglu is obviously familiar with Ziying, Cuiqiao and others.

When they arrived, Honglu and the young Ziying hugged each other and cried, which made the older Jinying's eyes red.

The capabilities of Red Furnace were perfectly matched to the territory's steelmaking industry, so Ye Zhi handed the steelmaking task over to Red Furnace.

Originally, the steelmaking area was located in a mine near the main urban area, but recently the new seaport has been completed, so Yeats plans to move the steelmaking industry to the new seaport.

On the one hand, it will drive the development of new seaports and population growth; on the other hand, it will also lay a solid foundation for the territory's shipbuilding industry.

The new harbor, named Gray Whale Harbor, is located on the coastline west of the Snow Forest. Standing on the shore, you can see small whales such as right whales.

[Gray Whale Port] faces the North Sea and can directly reach Oslo, the capital of the North. It will become an important trading port in Morningfrost Ridge.

Yeats had high hopes for the trade and shipbuilding industry of Gray Whale Port.

Yeats remembered that after Princess Theresa ascended the throne, she would vigorously promote the navy and trade, and the shipbuilding industry and firearms would flourish, which was equivalent to the transition from the Age of Chivalry to the Age of Navigation.

With the advent of the Age of Navigation, many maritime ruins and ancient cities of prehistoric civilizations were gradually discovered. Yeats remembered that in the "Lost City" of Atlantis, there was a holy artifact related to the power of the sea god, which in the original work triggered a fierce battle between the Royal Navy and the Ice Sea Pirates. In the end, this holy artifact was returned to the royal family, which greatly enhanced Queen Theresa's prestige and personal strength.

The reason why Yeats developed the shipbuilding industry in the territory was, on the one hand, to prepare for the arrival of a great era, and on the other hand, the spices, gold, treasures, and historical materials discovered by seafaring explorers were of great help even to extraordinary people.

It's late at night.

The dinner party in Jiandong Castle is still going on.

Little Red Riding Hood Riding Hood, Reindeer Knight Lotta, Elf Couple Serin and Irene... Most of the extraordinary people in the territory attended the dinner.

In just half a year, the lord was promoted from baron to duke. The court officials found it incredible when they heard about these legendary deeds.

The Frostwind Witch, who was wearing a fox-white cloak and had ice-blue skin, was surprised at Ye Zhi's speed of promotion.

Before leaving the territory, Ye Zhi was only at the fourth ring level, but now his strength is comparable to that of the High Priest of Frost Winter! Frost Wind Witch was surprised and told Ye Zhi that she decided to stay in Morning Frost Ridge for a while to see what was so magical about Ye Zhi's cultivation method.

Ye Zhi thought that he had never practiced seriously.

The reason for his rapid promotion is… not because of talent, but because of hard work and sweat! The news of the demise of the Scarlet Society had already spread to the territory.

Lisa had accomplished something she had been longing for, and even her pale cheeks seemed to have color back, and she expressed her sincere gratitude to Yeats.

Not long ago, the Duke of Lannister launched an attack on Yeats for sheltering a necromancer. After learning about this, Lisi was ready to say goodbye to Yeats.

But Yeats suppressed the matter and showed full trust in Rich, which deeply moved Rich.

At present, Rich is in charge of the construction of the Medes Lighthouse in Whitefish Harbor and has no time to attend the dinner. He wrote a letter to Yeats to express his apologies and greetings.

On the night that Snowy Owl returned to Morning Frost Ridge, he went to ask Blueberry for advice on magic.

As for Blueberry complaining to Yeats with dark circles under his eyes, that happened later.

The dinner was over and I was a little drunk.

Yeats slept on the soft four-poster bed until noon the next day, and all his fatigue was gone.

There was a cold wind outside the window and the ground was covered with a layer of snow. Yeats stood on the terrace and took a deep breath, feeling particularly awake in the cold wind. He then went to the study in Jiandong Castle and began to handle government affairs.

Ye Zhi's current fiefdom, officially named "Dukery of the North", covers all the territory from White Night City to the foot of the Absolute Mountains.

Therefore, Yeats has a legitimate claim to the duchy, including the City of White Night.

In short, it means "having a legitimate reason" and occupying the moral high ground.

Of course, owning a title does not mean owning a fiefdom.

If you want to get White Night City, you have to go there in person.

The Thomas family has been operating in White Night City for many years. The city is impregnable, and Duke Thomas is not the only heroic extraordinary person under their command.

Although he had a friendship with Yeats, he would never give up White Night City easily.

Yeats had a feeling that the day when he would fight Duke Thomas on the battlefield would soon come...

December, 1459 of the Holy Calendar.

Jiandong Castle stood on a high slope outside the city wall, and the falling snow covered Morning Frost Ridge with a layer of silver.

In the lord's hall, the fireplace was glowing with warm flames.

Yeats was wearing a silver-white snow fox cloak, sipping hot tea, and examining the parchment scroll on the table.

This trip lasted more than three months.

Yeats' personal strength and status have been greatly improved, and he has also gained many treasures including the lyre.

The number of extraordinary people in the territory has not increased significantly. Apart from the witch Red Furnace who came to join him, Ye Zhi has only recruited Axe so far. As a follower of the God of Fire, Axe has already reached the bottleneck of the fifth ring and is one of the important extraordinary forces in Morning Frost Ridge.

As the top combat force of the territory, the extraordinary people mainly compete in the form of "duel" and will not easily attack the army.

When it comes to controlling territory and resisting foreign enemies, we still have to rely on the army.

Therefore, the construction of the territory's military should not be relaxed either.

The Infantry Regiment and the Frostwolf Cavalry Regiment, which are mainly composed of Frost People, are brave and good at fighting. Under the leadership of the Frost People leader, they have repeatedly repelled the monsters that invaded the territory from the Absolute Ridge Mountains. They are currently an important military force in Morning Frost Ridge.

The professional soldiers trained by Phocas, including crossbowmen, spearmen, sword and shieldmen, etc., are the backbone of Morning Frost Ridge.

'Reindeer Knight' Lotta is still a second-ring knight, but in the military operations over the past year, she has developed the ability to lead an independent army. The reindeer regiment she leads is mainly responsible for reconnaissance work.

The Scorpion Lion Regiment led by the lioness Helga is an elite force that excels at fighting in harsh environments. They are currently stationed in a watchtower at the foot of the Jueling Mountains, guarding against the magical beasts from the mountains.

Every winter, Morningfrost Ridge faces severe tests.

Although there is no cold wave this year, there are other hidden dangers.

Ye Zhi put down the parchment scroll, sorted out the complicated information in his mind, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Compared to previous years, this winter, there is no cold wave blocking the way, so it is more convenient for orcs to cross the Absolute Ridge Mountains."

“Thomas is likely to hire the orc tribes in the north to cooperate with the troops of White Night City to attack from both sides.

"But it's not a big problem."

Yeats rubbed his chin.

"Gray and I are already five-ring heroes, and we are also the top forces in the Golden Lion Kingdom. Even if we face enemies from two directions at the same time, we can easily deal with them."

"When Xilude returns from his travels, he will definitely have reached the peak of the fifth ring, or even the power of a sixth ring master... Thomas will have no chance of defeating him, so he can just surrender!"

In general, Thomas's power is far inferior to his own.

The real biggest enemy is the Holy See and the remaining four apostles whose whereabouts are still unknown.

Once we take over the White Night City, we can promote the faith of the Goddess of Art in the territory, thereby weakening the ideological rule of the Holy See, similar to the humanistic light that the Renaissance ignited during the Dark Ages.

"I have started a Renaissance in another world," Yeats murmured.

Standing up, Yeats walked to the terrace with snow-covered railings, looking out at the vast snow scene with a slightly fixed gaze.

Let’s set a small goal first: to take over White Night City before the New Year! *White Night City.

The north wind howled, blowing through the majestic city located at the pass of the Great Wall. The light reflected from the snow was projected onto the cold and hard city walls, making it look like daylight.

In the lord's castle, Thomas was bending over the desk, flipping through a parchment scroll. Under the candlelight, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, his cheeks were shriveled, and he had become so thin that he no longer looked human.

Thomas Calvin stood silently by, looking at his father's stern expression and sighed softly.

Whenever he felt stressed, his voracious appetite would wane, so before each expedition, his body shape would change dramatically.

The Duke of Yeats Brown has undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on his father. He is even thinner than when he was conquering the Duke of Hudson... A trace of heartache flashed in Calvin's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing Calvin's sigh, Thomas said calmly without even looking up, "What's on your mind?"

Calvin hesitated for a while, and the scene of Yeats rescuing him from the snake wizard flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth and said:

"Father, are we...really going to go to war with Duke Yeats?"

The draft blew across the tapestries on the wall, the candlelight flickered, and the room was eerily quiet. Thomas raised his head, stared deeply at the young knight, and said:

"Tell me what you think."

The look in his eyes, as if he was looking at a stranger, made Calvin feel flustered, but he still gritted his teeth and said word by word: "We... and the Duke of Yeats were once allies... His character is beyond doubt..."

"And now, he does have a claim to White Night City... Why don't we move the civilians and industries in the city and leave an empty city to Ye Zhi? In this way, we can retain most of our strength, Ye Zhi won't get too much, and we can avoid a direct conflict with him..."

In fact, Calvin had selfish motives. He had witnessed Yeats' performance at the tournament, and a knight would always show respect to another powerful knight.

Please...you...collect_6Ⅰ9ⅠBookⅠBar (Six\\\Nine\\\Book\\\Bar!)

Yeats had saved his life, so Calvin was unwilling to become his opponent. If possible, he even wanted to fight on the battlefield with Yeats, just like the "Sword of Bronte" Phocas, whom he admired...

Ultimately, Calvin was a knight on the battlefield, not a lord of war.

After finishing his speech, Calvin carefully looked at his father's expression and saw that he smiled calmly.

"Burning down White Night City is indeed a good strategy, Calvin."

Calvin was stunned and thought to himself, I only said that I wanted to relocate the civilians, when did I say that I wanted to burn down the city?

Or are these remarks actually the father’s inner thoughts?

The next moment, Thomas's thin face showed a thoughtful expression, and he whispered:

"When all else fails, I will yield to him... for you, Calvin."

"For me?" Calvin was puzzled.

Thomas remained silent and looked at Calvin tenderly, with doting, regret, and even a hint of relief in his eyes.

In a sense, Calvin and Thomas are completely opposite. Thomas is cunning and deceitful, while Calvin is upright and kind, like a loyal knight, loyal to the king and loyal to the people.

Thomas remembered that when he was young, he was as passionate as Calvin... As time passed, Thomas became an ambitious and forbearing leader, but he still retained his youthful ideals in the education of his children.

Thomas narrowed his eyes slightly, and a cold light flashed in his gloomy eyes.

"We are far from the end of our rope - if you want White Night City, hmph, let Ye Zhi come and get it himself!"

Clang! Thomas unsheathed his sword and slashed at the military map hanging on the wall, splitting the sheepskin map in two.

"Galvin, you must retreat to Wick Harbor. You are not allowed to return to White Night City without my order."

Thomas' eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He said, "Before the Holy New Year... I will give Yeats a surprise!"

Calvin was startled, his eyes fell on the rolled-up parchment letter on Thomas's desk. The wax seal on the letter was unique, in the shape of a wolf's tooth. Only the chieftains of the orc tribes north of the Absolute Mountains were qualified to use this seal.

Calvin was kindhearted, not stupid. He saw the origin of the emblem, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He murmured, "Father... are you thinking..."

"In the southwest of the Kingdom of Northshire, there are four major beast tribes that make a living by nomadism. They belong to the four races of trolls, centaurs, orcs, and tauren."

Thomas said, "Every winter, these tribes suffer from snowstorms and famine... In the past, they were blocked by cold waves and could not cross the Jueling Mountains. But this year, the cold wave did not come for some reason, which gave the tribes a chance to invade southward."

Calvin hissed and said, "Father, are you going to cooperate with those barbarians? This is absolutely not allowed. It is a stain on the honor of the knights!"

“It’s not cooperation, it’s just waiting for the right time.”

Thomas said calmly, "The Beast Tribe has been in trouble recently. Spies reported that the Troll Tribe has crowned a new king who no longer allows the trolls in his tribe to eat humans, and has had fierce conflicts with other tribes..."

"The newly crowned Troll King?"

Calvin was stunned for a moment, and said in astonishment: "It's actually a troll that doesn't eat people. How weird!"

"I heard that he was a troll who was raised by humans. He absorbed some traditions of human society and was crowned after killing the previous Troll King in a duel between trolls and the Mad God."

Thomas paused for a moment and continued, "The current leader of the Orc Tribe, Grim Stormhammer, is a monarch who is committed to unifying the four major races. In order to divert the conflicts within the tribe, he will definitely launch a war externally."

"Even King Harrag Ironbone will not only not suppress these orcs, but will also allow them to cross the mountains and invade the Golden Lion."

"Yeats and his territory will bear the brunt of the attack and will sooner or later face the iron hoof from the north."

Thomas said coldly: "When that happens, I will lead the army of White Night City to the north and attack from both sides. Even if Ye Zhi is a five-ring hero, it will be difficult for him to take care of both ends!"

Thomas's strategic vision is quite long-term, and it seems to be a strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones.

Calvin was silent for a long time, took a deep breath, and said resolutely:

"But father, barbarians are barbarians after all... Even if Duke Yeats loses this war, we should still fulfill our responsibility to fight against them!"

The candlelight flickered, and the father and son looked at each other in the cold and silent room. Thomas's eyes were cold, and Calvin's expression was stubborn.

After a long time, Thomas finally gave in, gently placed his hand on Calvin's bright golden hair, and sighed: "You are like your mother... gentle, kind, and upright... Unfortunately..."

“Isn’t that right?”

“There is no right or wrong, only appropriate or inappropriate.”

Thomas said, "I promise you, Calvin...if Yeats loses this war, I will fight against the barbarian invasion on his behalf."

"On the other hand..." Thomas' eyes were deep, "If I lose, you don't have to beg Yeats for me... Winners and losers, life and death are determined by fate."

"Everything will be revealed on the battlefield!"

*Frosthorn, North.

On the steep cliff, stands an abandoned steel fortress. A goshawk spreads its wings in the snow and flies over from a height of thousands of feet.

A red-haired woman wearing an eagle helmet, with a blood-red cloak swaying in the cold wind, carrying an eye-catching sword on her back, walked through the mountain path along the steep plank road, looking up at the towering building in front of her.

"This is the Frostblood Fortress, which used to be the outpost of the human race against the orc tribe."

Sora followed behind Hildurde, exhaled white mist, looked up at the majestic building, and sighed: "Afterwards, humans were defeated in the battle and evacuated from the Frostblood Fortress. This place was occupied by the tribe... Those orcs didn't know how to maintain the fortress, so this place was gradually abandoned."

Hildre nodded slightly and said, "How far is it from the troll tribe?"

Sora unfolded a sheepskin map, looked up at the towering cliff in front of him, and pointed, "The peak that looks like a dagger is called 'Frosthorn Peak'. It is the gathering place of the Tauren tribe. After climbing over this Frosthorn Peak, you can see the barren rock desert and the vast ice sea... The troll tribe we are going to is on the Gobi Desert next to the ice sea."

It has been a week since Hildreth left the Wolf School Demon Hunter Academy located in the Mist Peak Valley. He practiced greatsword swordsmanship in the Wolf School Academy and his soul power reached the peak of the fifth ring. Now he sets out again.

"The Mad God we heard about at the Wolf School is most likely the one-eyed old man I saw in the Sword in the Tree Trial."

Hildre looked at the mountain and said, "The Troll Tribe has built a sanctuary to worship the Mad God... Maybe we can get some clues about the Mad God there."

Sora closed the map and asked curiously, "You said before that the newly crowned Troll King is an old acquaintance of yours?"

"Maybe." Hild murmured, "From the rumors, it seems like an old friend of Ye Zhi and I... If that troll really became the troll king, our investigation will be smoother."

"Lord Yeats really has a wide range of friends."

Sora said with emotion: "Didn't the dean say that? The current chief of the Tauren tribe is a refined man who loves music and bells and has great respect for bards... If Yeats, the chosen one of art, went to the Tauren tribe, he would definitely be treated as a distinguished guest by the chief!"

All minotaurs are born warriors. Adult minotaurs can crush human knights, their plate armor and war horses with their combat skill "War Trampling".

But today's Bull Head Chief has a special love for music and is very good at playing the bell.

The image is really incompatible with the common minotaur.

"It is not convenient for us to reveal Yeats's identity."

Hildurde said: "Let's take a detour... through the Kodo Valley, and then along the coastline of the Ice Sea to reach the Troll Tribe."

The climate in the North is harsh and cruel, with the cold wind wandering across the snowfield like the god of death, but it has bred a group of magical creatures. As an important beast of burden in the North, the kodo beast has evolved thick white fur, and its appearance is very different from the kodo beasts in the desert of the southern continent.

The humans and orcs in the snowy areas would put up animal-skin tents on the broad backs of the northern kodo beasts, and when the migration season came, they would let the kodo beasts carry the buildings across the vast snowfields.

On the way through the Kodo Valley, Hildre and Sora also saw a magical creature called "Cold-Blooded Ice Phoenix". This giant white bird has a wingspan of ten meters. It blocks out the sun when it flies across the sky. Legend has it that it has the blood of the ancient Ice Phoenix.

In the frozen Wolf Harbor, with the dragonbow warship locked with iron chains, a group of orc overseers scolded the laborers as they loaded the baggage onto the huge kodo beast.

Hildre and Sora held their breath and watched from a distance.

"War is coming." Hildreth said solemnly.

…

(End of this chapter)