Chapter 312: The Price of Power, Departure Ceremony

In the north, the wind is cold and biting.

The silent wilderness was shrouded in deep darkness, and an orc army was quietly surging like a black torrent.

Each orc was wearing heavy leather armor, holding a huge axe or spear, and walking with heavy steps on the knee-deep snow. On their ferocious, indifferent, and numb faces, there was a cold fighting spirit in their eyes.

The faint firelight illuminated the long night. The torches held high stretched out into a long dragon. Looking from the sky, it looked like a fire dragon winding across the wilderness.

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard in the darkness.

A huge kodo beast fell to the ground with a loud bang. Unable to bear the high-intensity march, it collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, no longer able to walk.

The army was in a brief commotion.

A wolf with bloodshot eyes turned back from the front of the team. A burly orc giant about three meters tall turned over, left the wolf, and walked to the fallen kodo.

Grim Stormhammer examined the kodo beast for a moment, confirmed that it had exhausted its last bit of strength, crouched his burly body, and stretched out his palm to cover the kodo beast's eyelids.

The kodo beast seemed to have a premonition of its fate of death and began to struggle violently. It was unwilling to close its eyes. Its hot tears flowed through the gaps between its palms covering its eyelids onto the snow, melting the accumulated snow.

The orc warriors on both sides were somewhat moved by the kodo's pleading.

But it is obvious that it cannot decide life and death.

Swish! A dagger pierced into the kodo beast's head.

Hot blood splashed out and landed on the orc's broad palm, gathering into a handful of blood fountain.

Grim cupped his palm and drank it all, then wiped his lips, baring his blood-red teeth and letting out a loud and terrifying howl.

“Wu——!!”

The long howl echoed in the wilderness, containing the simple syllables of the Orc language, conveying Grim's orders.

The army began to repair on the spot, set up camp and set up a big pot.

The amount of food consumed every day by an orc army of 5,000 people is an astronomical figure, and one kodo is far from enough to meet the food needs.

In addition to freshly cut pieces of meat, the orcs also threw potatoes, goat meat, cliff moss, sea fish and all other edible ingredients within their range into the pot.

Even so, the amount of stew in each orc's bowl was visibly scarce.

Muffled complaints echoed in the night, but no one dared to confront the chieftain face to face. The last orc warrior who disobeyed the chieftain had already been eaten by wolves, leaving no trace.

On a pine tree a few kilometers away from the camp, a raven with black fur and bright red eyes stood on the branch, quietly staring at the fire in the dark night, as if supervising everything.

With the power of revenge increasing its sight and hearing, the raven quickly locked onto its target.

Grim Stormhammer.

At this moment, this tall and burly orc chieftain with a broad jaw and ferocious fangs, with messy hair flying in the wind, wearing armor made of animal bones and metal, with fangs hanging around his neck, stood on a high slope with his arms crossed, revealing the arrogant aura of a tyrant.

Next to Grim stood a towering centaur like a fortress, with a muscular human upper body and a majestic horse body, covered in leather armor, horse armor and a helmet, and holding a huge battle axe in both hands, like the scythe used by the god of death to reap lives.

Emperor Rong Leihoof.

The chieftain of the Thunderhoof tribe and Glem's ally in this coalition.

Since the languages ​​of the two tribes were not mutually intelligible, the two chiefs switched to communicating in the Northern language.

"The new king of the troll tribe is a fool. He will be conquered by our tribe sooner or later."

Dirong said hoarsely: "But I can't understand why Atalia and its powerful minotaur warriors also gave up this expedition?"

The tribe has always respected strength.

An adult Tauren warrior can easily kill an Orc warrior or a Centaur warrior of the same level.

And Atalia is the most powerful chief and warrior in the Tauren tribe in recent generations.

Therefore, the Centaur Chieftain Dirong attached great importance to Atalia Earth Totem and its tribe, but he did not expect that the other party had become a deserter. He suppressed a lot of resentment in his heart and restrained himself from questioning Grim.

Grim's aura was fierce, his mouth showing sharp fangs, and he sneered:

"Atalia is dedicated to becoming a bard and doesn't want to take action against humans who are chosen by the gods of art... How ridiculous!"

Emperor Rong pondered for a moment, and the sound of horse hooves pacing back and forth in the night made a clattering sound.

In the North, poetry culture is more popular than in the Kingdom of the Golden Lion. Perhaps it is because the long nights and cold weather can inspire people to think more about topics such as life and death.

Dirong had heard that Atalia not only liked playing music, but also admired poets. However, he thought it was ridiculous that a minotaur chief who could tear a mammoth apart with his bare hands would believe in the goddess of art.

"What's the name of that chosen one of art?" asked Emperor Rong.

"Yeats Bronte."

Grimm had obviously inquired about the enemy's intelligence, and said in a cold voice: "The lord of Morning Frost Ridge that blocks our route is this human named Ye Zhi!"

Morning Frost Ridge is a strategic location. If the Orc Alliance wants to enter the Golden Lion territory to plunder, they must first razed Morning Frost Ridge as a base, so it is inevitable that they will come into conflict with Yeats Browndi.

"Atalia's reluctance to come...is not a big problem."

Grimm looked at his five strong and calloused fingers, gradually clenched them, and said in a fierce voice:

"When I bring that human to Atalia as a gift, he will know how weak and powerless humans are!"

Emperor Rong frowned slightly.

He felt that Grim was underestimating his enemy. To be a transcendent chosen by the God of Art, even if he was a weak human, he must have power that could not be ignored.

Glem's temper has become increasingly violent recently. Even though Dirong has been friends with him for many years, he still has complaints about Glem's many brutal behaviors.

Centaurs are a race that is both brave and intelligent.

Emperor Rong's ancestor was once a world-famous Centaur wise man who taught countless heroes.

Therefore, in this alliance, Di Rong took on the task of making suggestions and gradually became resentful of the arbitrary Glem.

"I hope that the Art God's Choice is as vulnerable as you said."

Di Rong threw down his sarcastic words and turned to return to the camp. He seemed to remember something and turned back to say, "And... Grim, your witchcraft..."

Grimm's eyes were filled with red flames, revealing a cold and violent killing intent, and he stared coldly at Dirong. His hands were already tightly grasping the rune hammer with the power of thunder, as if he would vent his anger on his ally if Dirong said one more word.

"It's unfriendly to ask a friend about the source of power - what do you think?" Grim said hoarsely.

Emperor Rong said no more, and his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

The wind and snow were howling. Glem stood on the high slope and snorted coldly.

At this moment, he suddenly let out a low roar, his eyes were filled with blood-red light, his body hunched like a shrimp, and he tried his best to suppress the splitting pain in his head.

Stretching out his trembling hands, Glem exerted all his strength to take out a bottle of dark green poison-like potion from his arms, bit open the cork, and drank the potion in one gulp.

The effect of the medicine gradually took effect.

Grimm exhaled slowly, and the violent red light in his eyes gradually calmed down, turning into a deeper dark red glow. He looked down at the tattoos on his body, and saw the runes branded on his arms and chest, glowing with a blazing red light, and then gradually dimmed and disappeared under the skin.

"Power... is so sweet."

Grim's hoarse voice echoed in the cold wind, and he clenched his hands tightly towards the dim crescent moon under the sky.

"As long as I can get what I want, I am willing to go to hell!"

These scenes were reflected in the raven's bright red eyes. It flew silently across the moonlight sky, as if it had arrived silently, crossing the mountains and flying to Morning Frost Ridge at the foot of the mountain.

…

Sword Winterhold.

Lord's Hall.

Ye Zhi looked at the raven flying back from the window and smiled slightly: "You are finally back, did you get any information?"

The raven landed on Ye Zhi's arm and dissipated into a wisp of mist containing memories. Ye Zhi used his magic power to extract this memory, and scenes suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"It seems that there is a wizard behind Grimm who provides him with the green potion that can arouse anger, so that he can gain power by sacrificing his sanity..."

Yeats pondered to himself, and classic lines emerged in his mind.

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

So, what is the cost?

The most skilled in potions among all wizards are the snakemen. Yeats has reason to suspect that a wizard from the snakemen is secretly controlling Grimm through potions.

But what was the purpose of the mastermind behind this? As Ye Zhi was thinking, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and the young maid beside Princess Theresa came in. The candlelight illuminated her rosy cheeks. She didn't dare to look up and said softly:

"Your Excellency the Duke, this is an apple tart with mulled spiced red wine made by Her Royal Highness the Princess herself... She saw that your room was still lit late at night, so she asked me to bring this dessert to you."

Yeats raised his eyebrows and looked at the apple tart in the bowl. The crust was golden and crispy, exuding a sweet aroma mixed with honey and spices. The mulled wine slowly boiled with red wine, honey, cinnamon and other ingredients exuded a warm aroma.

Against Tiangang?

Yeats thought.

I haven't drugged the princess yet, and she's coming for me first? It's easy to understand why Theresa did this. On the one hand, she was apologizing for coming here so suddenly, and on the other hand, she was showing goodwill.

In this long cold night, facing this fragrant dessert, Ye Zhi was somewhat tempted and nodded, saying, "Leave it there, and thank His Highness for me."

The young maid nodded slightly and left quickly.

Yeats tasted a piece of apple tart and was somewhat surprised that the princess's cooking skills were unexpectedly good.

Although she was a princess, Theresa grew up in a monastery and was very good at housework.

Ye Zhi took a sip of the hot red wine and thought to himself:

"It will soon be the day of mobilization. This battle must be won quickly and resolved before the New Year!"

Late December.

The cold wind in the north is getting colder and colder.

Battle reports continued to arrive.

"Your Excellency the Duke, the orc army has entered the hinterland of the Absolute Ridge Mountains and is heading towards the Morning Frost Ridge!"

"Report! Lord Phocas, Lord Axe, and Lord Helga have each led a group of troops to enter Curling Pass to guard the northern line!"

Binghu Pass, famous for its terrain that resembles the mouth of a pot, is a narrow pass where one man can guard the pass against ten thousand.

King 'Ironboned' Harrag personally commanded the siege troops and war mammoths to break through the Curling Pass and invade Morningfrost Ridge.

However, the orc army lacks siege equipment after all, and must rely on manpower to break through the pass. As long as Phocas and Axes, who are guarding this place, can hold out for three days, they can buy enough time for Yeats's surprise attack from behind.

Yeats sat on the duke's chair in the center of the lord's hall, reviewing the battle reports one by one.

Messengers continued to enter the hall, and the wind and snow continued to pour in, blowing the tapestries on the wall. The shield decorated with the honeysuckle emblem shone brightly in the reflection of the fireplace.

"Your Excellency the Duke! The Frostwolves have assembled and are waiting for your inspection on the parade grounds!"

The Frostwolves are stationed in the Snow Forest, and it takes longer to assemble than other formations such as the Manticores and Reindeer Regiments.

Ye Zhi stood up and prepared to set off for the parade ground. Another knight squire came quickly and knelt on one knee to report: "Your Excellency the Duke, Her Royal Highness the Princess asked you whether she is required to attend the review!"

Yeats smiled and said:

"Go back and report. Your Highness, I'll have to trouble you to accompany me!"

Outside Jiandong Fort.

Theresa was wearing a white snow fox cloak and sitting on a horse, with the reins held by her knight and horseman.

The castle gate opened, and a snow-white horse rode out. The young duke on the horse was wearing armor and a cloak decorated with honeysuckle patterns, looking very vigorous.

"Your Highness, please follow me to the training ground and prepare to go to battle!"

Theresa's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she followed Yeats to the parade ground.

I saw more than 800 mighty Frostwolves lined up in a row. The knights stood beside the frostwolves, holding their reins with firm eyes.

This is undoubtedly an army with extraordinary power, just like Hastings' Winged Hussars and the Mammoth Phalanx in the North! This Frostwolf Cavalry, which is composed of Frost People and some of the Territory People, has high mobility and excellent horse archery ability. Even against the Orcs' Wolf Cavalry, it is not inferior!

The knights looked up at the young duke on the platform with enthusiasm and awe in their eyes. His legendary deeds had already spread throughout the territory.

Winning three championships in a row in the competition is the glory that all knights dream of.

And because of his achievements in fighting against the vampires, he was conferred the title of Duke and was respected by everyone in the kingdom!

"The orcs' invasion of Morningfrost Ridge is a trampling on the kingdom, the civilians, and freedom..."

Yeats's eyes scanned the cavalry, and his voice had the power of a rousing song, with an inspiring force.

"We will not retreat. Even if we shed our last drop of blood, we must defend our glory and protect our homeland!"

Bards have a unique advantage in boosting morale.

The sound of military drums echoed passionately, and the soldiers raised their spears high and shouted in unison.

Theresa looked at the tall figure on the podium. Although Yeats was so young, he already had an indomitable character, which made Theresa both admire him and want to learn from him.

In this high-spirited atmosphere, Yeats ordered an expedition, and the Frostwolf Cavalry arrived at Curling Pass that same day.

Theresa also arrived at the front line, feeling the biting cold wind of the Jueling Mountains, and her mood changed quietly.

Ye Zhi stood on the top of the city wall, looking into the distance at the pass, exhaled a breath of cold mist, nodded and said: "Behind the natural barrier is the iron wall!"

…

(End of this chapter)