CHAPTER 674: CHAPTER 47 THE FALL OF LION HEART CASTLE

The farmer was daydreaming about the future while his wife sewed his clothes by his side, the family content and happy together.

Li Yu and Ireya did not stay here for a long time, for no sooner had they heard that Prophet Merlin was coming than the villagers all rushed over.

They brought quite a few gifts, expressing their gratitude to Li Yu in this way, and when someone recognized Ireya’s identity, the people also cheered for the Lady, praising her wisdom and kindness enthusiastically.

When leaving the village, Miss Rabbit felt her steps became lighter.

Afterwards, the two visited a nearby farmstead, where they saw houses under repair and newly tilled fields everywhere they went.

The smiths were working up a sweat, hammering away at the forge, while the militiamen trained hard on the training grounds.

According to the farmstead steward, the place would be even more bustling if they came on Saturday or Sunday, often with dances and banquets being held.

He also showed Li Yu and Ireya the newly dug cellars, including the stored grain inside, to ensure people had a place to hide in case of an emergency.

Ireya specifically inquired about the local security situation.

Because Green Field had recently seen an influx of new residents, normally this would also be accompanied by some criminal incidents.

However, the situation was much better than Miss Rabbit had anticipated, thanks to the rapid development of Green Field, which was recruiting people from all over.

Even strangers with no possessions could quickly find work upon arriving here, able to support themselves, and combined with the fact that militiamen in various localities had also updated their equipment and intensified training, looking formidable, the troublemakers were fewer.

The two later encountered a judge investigating a carpenter who had been reported for overworking his two apprentices after taking on too many jobs.

The young judge did not disturb the parties involved but first visited several households that employed the carpenter and his apprentices to ask about their working hours.

After gathering information, he went to a neighboring village to find a family, planning to hire the carpenter for a few days to see for himself whether he violated the regulations.

Miss Rabbit was quite interested in this matter and wanted to learn more.

But just at that moment, she saw a troop of cavalry galloping from a distance, kicking up sprays of snow.

The person at the front was none other than her Guard Captain, Thomas.

"Miss Ireya," cried the Guard Captain from afar, "something bad has happened!"

The Lady’s heart sank, "Has something happened at Teacup Castle?"

"No, it’s the Royal Capital." Thomas’s tone was tinged with anxiety, "There’s been an incident in the Royal Capital!"

"We’ve just received urgent news from Lion Heart Castle, the Royal Capital has fallen into the hands of the Wing Tribe!"

"What?" Ireya was stunned, "How is that possible, haven’t the two sides been at a stalemate for more than two months now, how could the Royal Capital fall so suddenly, did the Wing Tribe find some way to solve their supply problems, or did some Noble within the city betray us?"

"Indeed, there was a Noble’s betrayal, passing intelligence to those Wing Tribe outside the city, it seems there were also some minor lords who secretly sent a batch of arrows to those Wing Tribe, but what really turned the tide of the battle was the Dragons."

"Dragons? Another Dragon has appeared?" Miss Rabbit exclaimed in shock.

As the Dragon Slayer Hero of the West, no one knew better than she just how terrifying those creatures covered in scales, capable of breathing fire and flying, were.

Although the Lady had previously killed one, the process was not easy, and in the end, even Li Yu had to take part personally to slay that Dragon.

"Not one, but three," said Thomas, "Redio saw them with his own eyes. According to him, those three Dragons were stronger than the one we hunted before, nearly twice the size of that Black Dragon, and they came from the south."

"The South?" Irelia thought of something, "The Elf Kingdom?"

"Yes. Those long-eared fellows have also formally declared war on us today. Their forces have left the Eternal Green Forest, set foot on the lands of the Empire, and have already clashed with the local nobility."

The continuous stream of devastating news had left Miss Rabbit somewhat numb.

After a while, she regained her composure and continued to inquire, "His Majesty, is he..."

"Junlin Tower has been completely reduced to ruins. Lord Redio is inquiring, but for the time being, there is no news of His Majesty. He should be... still alive, right?" Thomas’s last words were in a questioning tone.

It was clear he wasn’t very optimistic about Gars surviving this disaster; even if he was still alive now, the Wing Tribe had already conquered Lion Heart Castle, and capturing Gars was only a matter of time.

The Lady realized the gravity of the situation and had no more inclination for leisurely strolls. She immediately returned to the castle with Thomas and the others.

Miss Rabbit rummaged through the study for quite some time before finding a map of the Empire, which appeared to be several hundred years old.

But in these times, maps were rare commodities, especially maps of the Empire; having one was fortunate enough, and it wasn’t the time to be picky.

The Lady laid the map out on the table.

She located Lion Heart Castle first; losing the Royal Capital was nothing short of a disaster for the Empire.

And what was more fatal was that this was not the end, but just the beginning of the disaster.

Miss Rabbit shifted her gaze to White River City, which was roughly a two-day journey from Lion Heart Castle.

At this moment, forces from all over the country had gathered there, and their numbers were quickly approaching a hundred thousand!

Such military strength was undoubtedly substantial, but this time they were facing an unprecedented opponent.

Duren, the former Imperial Forest Guard Captain, was also in the room and spoke up, "If I were the commander of those Wing Tribe forces, I would immediately send the giant dragons to strike at White River City.

"Once they crush the hundred thousand reinforcements in the city, there will be no one left within the Empire with the power to stop me."

The Lady’s heart was also anxious. Upon hearing this, she said, "We must notify White River City immediately." She asked Li Yu, "Does the Double Rest Sect have a contact in that place?"

Li Yu shook his head. "The number of radios is limited. White River City is quite close to Lion Heart Castle, so I did not make additional arrangements for personnel there; and even if we inform them now, there wouldn’t be enough time."

In White River City, an army of a whopping one hundred thousand had amassed. While this was indeed a formidable military force, such a large number of people could not be mobilized quickly when moving together.

Even if they were willing to heed the warning of the Double Rest Sect, they wouldn’t be able to travel far in a short amount of time; in contrast, those three dragons were incredibly mobile.

Despite the discrepancy in numbers, the Lady wasn’t optimistic about the reinforcement army. She looked toward Li Yu, "Is there really no other way?"

The Prophet of the Double Rest Sect slowly shook his head.

Miss Rabbit stared blankly for a moment before asking Duren again, "If White River City falls too... where would those Wing Tribe people go next?"

"They would probably take Red Plain first, wait for that large Elf force to come over, and after that, they have a lot of options. They could turn back to conquer the new land, or they could continue to push west, seizing both Elk Valley and Golden Valley."

Duren paused for a moment, "What I’m most worried about is the morale on the Empire’s side. With the fall of Lion Heart Castle, and if White River City suffers a great defeat, some people might start wavering and reconsider their stance.

"The number of the Wing Tribe’s forces is not large, they cannot occupy too much land. If they wish to rule this continent, they will ultimately need to rely on allies."