The communication spell didn't last long. This secret talk quickly ended as the mirror's halo dimmed, and the room fell silent, leaving only the faint clamor from outside the tavern.
Chen Yu now had one piece of good news and one piece of not-so-good news.
The good news was that, following Princess Louisa's plan, with coordination from both inside and outside, the possibility of rescuing Arthur and Galvin was indeed quite high.
The not-so-good news was that this princess was smarter than he had imagined. It couldn't even be ruled out that she had long harbored the idea of using the Slime Kingdom.
Count Bran covered his beak with a wing, avoiding Belly, and muttered in a low voice, "Your Majesty, this Count feels they are not good people."
"How can you tell?" Chen Yu was somewhat curious.
"Caw, of course, by their eyes," Count Bran stated with certainty.
Um...
The mirror was all foggy, how could you see their eyes?
"As long as Storm Fortress is breached, the gateway to the Golden Tassel Plain will be wide open. By then, who gets to decide matters on that land might not be them."
However, before that, in order to gather sufficient strength to participate in the upcoming Magical Tides and to prevent the vampire clan and the Goblin Army from stabbing them in the back with a sneak attack.
He needed to capture the Graystone Bulwark before the storm arrives, and even push forward all the way, completely taking the Evernight Domain.
Once the Evernight Domain was under control, bringing the entire Dark Realm into the Slime Kingdom's sphere of influence would be just a matter of time.
Then, they could participate in the Magical Tides with peace of mind.
"Count Bran, I'll leave the task of contacting the Blade of Vengeance and searching for the Crown to you here. I need to return and make preparations."
Count Bran immediately puffed out his chest, slapping it with his wings with loud thumps, and confidently guaranteed, "Caw, Your Majesty rest assured, with this Count's unparalleled eloquence and wisdom, finding a crown is as easy as a breeze."
"What are you two whispering about?" Belly put away the hand mirror that had already lost its magical luster and looked suspiciously at Count Bran and the slime who were "conferring in whispers."
Count Bran immediately flapped his wings, hopping onto Belly's shoulder, striking an old-fashioned and pompous pose. "Little one, that fellow Arthur is a retainer personally certified by this Count. If we talk about seniority and rank, you should respectfully address me as Count."
"Tch." Belly rolled her eyes, not intending to pay him any mind, and lifted the curtain, walking out of the underground tavern.
Count Bran continued to chatter incessantly. "Speaking of which, this Count is actually quite interested in the whereabouts of that crown. You see..."
"No, unless you let me personally hand the crown to Arthur," Belly mercilessly refused.
"Hey! You're the first one to dare not give this Count any face."
"What face does a crow need?"
"Wrong, this Count is a noble aristocrat, not some ordinary crow."
"Fine, such a noisy crow is indeed rare."
Listening to the meaningless bickering between the human and the crow, Chen Yu felt that the whereabouts of the crown wouldn't be found anytime soon.
...
The internal affairs of the White Horse Kingdom were temporarily handed over to Count Bran, so Chen Yu's consciousness returned to the swamp to begin preparations for the assault on the Graystone Bulwark.
Although entrusting such important tasks as finding the Crown and maneuvering among the major powers to Count Bran sounded extremely unreliable, and in fact, it was indeed worrying.
But who told those two fellows, Arthur and Galvin, to get captured?
Slime feeling worried.jpg
Look on the bright side, Count Bran's peculiar luck sometimes did bring unexpected gains.
In contrast, the preparations for attacking the Graystone Bulwark in the territory were proceeding much more smoothly.
Anvil sent good news through the gel network: in two days, the last batch of Gray Gravel Crystals would be used to forge two fixed-position Ripper artillery emplacements.
And there was also good news from Eserin's side. Ten Oak Guards had completed their ritual, transforming into Arcane Ancient Trees. They could then accompany the main army to the front lines of the Rubble Wastes.
Now, they just had to wait for the time to come.
...
Two days later.
Rubble Wastes, Graystone Bulwark.
Under the dim light, this magnificent city wall lay coiled upon the desolate, ruined plain like a slumbering black dragon, its engraved notches and gaps giving a sense of heavy age.
On the wall, rows of bonfires blazed fiercely. The leaping flames barely dispelled the thick darkness near the wall, allowing the stationed mercenaries to vaguely see the movements of the magical creature army in the distance.
However, compared to their tense state from a few days ago, these mercenaries now appeared much more lax. They were squatting or sitting in the lee of the wall ruins, yawning, wiping their weapons, or simply dozing off against the battlements.
Only when patrolling vampire nobles passed by would they perk up slightly, pretend to stand up, and walk about the wall in a crooked, slouching manner for inspection.
"Hmm... how many days has it been now?" one mercenary stretched lazily, letting out a big yawn.
"I think, those magical creatures crawling out of the swamp probably won't attack anymore."
"Who cares, take it one day at a time. We get a hefty bounty every day. Where else can you find such a good deal?"
"It'd be best if these magical creatures just keep surrounding us without attacking. We could keep collecting money."
Another mercenary leaned against the wall bricks, poured the gold coins from his money pouch, and carefully counted them again in the firelight, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Hmm... keep it down..."
The mercenary dozing off while leaning against the edge of the battlement muttered a complaint in his sleep, his head nodding heavily downward as sleepiness overcame him.
Just as he was about to enter dreamland, his blurry vision seemed to see a figure slowly walking over.
He was instantly startled awake, hurriedly scrambled to his feet, and alerted his companions around him. "Get up, quick, the patrol is coming."
The previously lax mercenaries immediately stood up in a flurry, grabbed their weapons nearby, and pretended to be vigilantly surveying their surroundings, pacing back and forth on the wall.
When the vampire noble in the dark red formal attire approached, the mercenaries bowed one after another, paying their respects respectfully. "We greet Lord Casimir!"
"Hmm."
Casimir glanced at them, seemingly not caring about their lazy appearance. His footsteps only paused slightly before he continued forward, detouring around a pile of broken rubble and patrolling along the wall in a casual manner.
What were these mercenaries like? He knew all too well.
Lazy, greedy, utterly lacking in discipline.
If a real fight broke out, they'd definitely be the first to drop their weapons and run.
However, he didn't care.
He was here to slack off anyway. The stockpile of Life's Blood from before was almost depleted. His mind was now completely filled with thoughts on how to obtain new Life's Blood.
Every time he recalled that intoxicating flavor, that peculiar texture, he felt an itch all over his body, an unbearable restlessness. He wished he could sneak into the magical creature camp opposite right now.
Thinking this, Casimir stopped, put a hand above his eyes like a visor, squinted, and gazed into the distance at that massive camp hidden in the deep darkness.
Even from this far, one could vaguely sense the astonishing scale of that camp, like a giant beast lurking on the dark wasteland, eyeing the Graystone Bulwark covetously.
Ever since the few probing attacks launched by the magical creature army were easily repelled days ago, this camp had fallen into a deathly silence.
No more annoying poisonous bees were seen flying out, nor were the heavy footsteps of treants heard.
Casimir always felt things weren't that simple. These magical creatures were probably secretly brewing some plot.
But what did that have to do with him?
Absolutely nothing.
He shrugged indifferently.
If it weren't for Dunlan keeping an eye on him, he would even wish to open the city gates right now and welcome the magical creature army inside.
Even shake hands and cooperate with those slimes to earn a steady stream of Life's Blood...
His thoughts drifted further and further away. When he snapped back to reality, a pitch-black crow had already silently landed on the battlement in front of him.
The black crow smoothed its feathers with its beak, then tilted its head, staring at him with empty, lifeless blood-red eyes.
"Casimir, what's the situation on the front line?" Dunlan's voice came from within the crow.
Casimir quickly composed his expression, switching to his usual smile, and replied, "Very quiet. Those magical creatures seem to be at a complete loss against the Graystone Bulwark, not daring to launch another attack."
Dunlan said nothing, only giving a light "Hmm."
Casimir even suspected he detected a hint of disappointment in his tone.
He felt he was understanding this guy's thoughts less and less.
On the other hand, several vampire elders listening on the other end let out relaxed laughter.
"This magnificent bulwark once withstood the assault of the White Horse Army and also blocked the southern advance of the orc horde."
"Although these magical creatures suddenly emerging from the swamp are fearsome, the Graystone Bulwark remains impregnable."
"Perhaps in a few more days, they will retreat naturally. By then, we might be able to find a way to recapture the lost great valley from before."
Casimir shook his head slightly, sighing inwardly at the foolishness of these old-timers.
Couldn't they see it yet? The actual rulers of the Dark Realm were no longer the vampire clan, not even Salacha, but the Greater Demon behind the Golden Radiance Valley.
They were truly stupid beyond belief.
These old fossils probably slept too long in their coffins, their brains stuffed with soil and earthworms. Just thinking about it made one laugh.
He was beginning to feel bored with this meaningless meeting and was just about to find an excuse to leave and continue enjoying his leisurely time.
Right at that moment, a mercenary responsible for lookout suddenly ran over in a hurry, his face tense.
"Lord Casimir, mages just detected an anomaly. There seems to be some other movement within the magical creature army's camp."
"What are they doing?" Casimir felt an inexplicable surge of joy inside, but on the surface, he furrowed his brow, pretending to be serious as he asked.
The mercenary swallowed hard. "Judging by the commotion... it seems they are assembling, preparing to attack the city."
"Hmm?" Dunlan's interested voice came from within the crow.
"Casimir, keep a close eye on them. Report the situation at any time. We'll be there soon."
The communication was instantly cut off. The black crow serving as the communication medium made a soft "pop" sound, exploding into a small puff of drifting black smoke that quickly dissipated into the air.
Not long after, in the gloomy night, Dunlan indeed led several vampires to the front line, then slowly descended the wall with the aid of vampire clan magic.
"What's the situation now?" Dunlan inquired directly of Casimir as soon as he landed.
Casimir motioned for him to come forward. "You'd better see for yourself. This time, these magical creatures seem to be serious."
Dunlan quickly approached the thick battlement and looked out into the deep darkness in the distance.
The next moment, he finally understood why Casimir would say that.
In the previously silent magical creature army camp, suddenly, massive oak trees emitting a soft glow appeared. They stepped out with heavy strides, crushing over the ruins as they slowly emerged.
"Ten War Treant saplings?" Dunlan's gaze sharpened, feeling somewhat incredulous.
Even though they were all just saplings, being able to dispatch so many ancient trees to war at once was enough proof that his previous speculation was absolutely correct.
These magical creatures suddenly emerging from the swamp were definitely inextricably linked to the elves.
Or, to put it bluntly, these magical creatures were secretly supported by those elves from the start.
"Fortunately, they are only saplings."
Several vampire elders who had followed observed for a while. Their originally tense expressions relaxed slightly, and some even let out a soft sigh of relief.
If they were mature War Treants, forget ten, even just one would be enough to forcibly breach the vampire clan's pride, the Graystone Bulwark.
Just as they were still secretly congratulating themselves, Dunlan suddenly said, "No, that's not right. These treants don't seem to be the main force attacking the Graystone Bulwark."
"What?" The vampire elders were inwardly startled upon hearing this and hurriedly looked again carefully.
Sure enough, they saw that after walking a distance out of the camp, the ten glowing Arcane Ancient Trees did not advance directly towards the bulwark. Instead, they retreated slowly with heavy steps to the sides of the battlefield.
As if... making way for something.
Immediately after, under the gaze of all the vampires and mercenaries, a massive, pitch-black figure slowly emerged from the depths of the camp.
Its body was composed of countless huge, pitch-black rocks. Its joints flickered with earthy yellow mana radiance. With each step it took, the ground issued a dull, heavy rumble, as if unable to bear the weight.
"A giant?"
"No, more like an Earth Elemental, and not an ordinary one."
"Wait, there's something else."
The Earth Elemental Giant strode forward. Its tall figure cast a shadow upon the wasteland ruins. Even from a bird's-eye view, it still gave a considerable sense of oppression.
And behind it, an equally massive Ice Elemental boar walked out. It exhaled icy white mist, pulling two pitch-black artillery emplacements out from the camp.
The metal, illuminated by the ancient trees' glow, reflected not a shred of light, as if it could even swallow rays.
All the vampires immediately realized these strange constructs made of pitch-black metal were not simple.
"Don't let them approach the bulwark."
"When they enter effective attack range, prioritize destroying those black artillery emplacements and that giant Earth Elemental," Dunlan issued the command.