Three days after the second prince arrived at Broken Dragon Fortress.

"The messenger sent to the Lombard camp has returned."

Standing on the wall of the fortress, Commander Sonia Satherley looked at the front of the fortress with a serious face:

"Charmaine replied that he is waiting for the arrival of His Royal Highness."

"I'm afraid you have to leave for the north today."

Thales was lying in front of the observation port on the city wall, looking at the broad snow-colored plain to the north.

In the field of vision, a series of broad military camps can be vaguely seen, with the iron fist flag representing the Lomba family of the Black Sand Territory erected. There are also many military camps hidden out of sight, with smoke rising from the kitchen in the distance.

"With tens of thousands of people waiting for my 'arrival'?" Thales sighed: "I turned out to be so popular."

The Flower of the Fortress turned her head and said to Thales: "Charmaine Lombard is the Grand Duke of Exeter who borders the stars. After the assassination of the Exeter delegation, he quickly mobilized the vassals of the Black Sand Territory. In a few days,

Within a short period of time, more than 10,000 troops were gathered and approached the border."

"They have been stationed there for two weeks. At first they were just watching and deterring, but in the past three days, Lombard began to send small groups to clear the surrounding arteries, and even looted two villages and fought with our patrols several times... We

We have to reduce the scope of the Sentry Cavalry and retreat to the perimeter of the fortress."

Feeling the biting cold, Thales rubbed his hands and exhaled a breath of warm air into his palms: "I have arrived at the fortress, and the nine-pointed star flag of the Brilliant Star has also been raised... Why hasn't he withdrawn his troops? Obviously there is no invasion of the stars.

Excuse."

Putilai, who was behind Thales, raised his eyebrows: "From the perspective of Charmaine Lombard's special life, he is a standard gambler. One of the characteristics of a gambler is that even if he loses at the last moment of leaving, he will still be able to win.

Don’t want to look back.”

"So my arrival has no impact on this gambler?" Thales snorted: "Even if it is a sure-losing situation, he still wants to place a bet?"

"That may not be the case," Putilai replied seriously:

"What we were most worried about was that the other two archdukes who were also bordering the stars - Trudida of the Reconstruction Tower and Oresius of the Welland Territory both sent troops. The three archdukes and even more vassals of Exeter

They gathered their forces to oppress the lonely old tower, watch tower and cold castle that were mutual aids to the fortress. When they were unable to rush for reinforcements, they attacked the isolated Broken Dragon Fortress at all costs - Exeter's soldiers regardless of physical strength and quality

, are more adaptable to the cold winter than our reinforcements heading north."

"If they capture this place, they only need to wait for the coldest cold to pass," Sonia took over from Putilai: "Wait until next spring, when they will use the fortress as a base to move south in large numbers - just like ten

It was like one or two years ago."

Putilai nodded:

"But with your mission to the north, the two Grand Dukes have not appeared now... This shows that our mission has been completed less than half: Under the coming extreme cold, the Grand Duke of Lombard cannot rely on his own more than 10,000 people.

Take the fortress before supplies run out."

"He has already lost."

Putilai said calmly.

"So, the other half of our mission - to completely eliminate the war trouble between the two countries, I'm afraid I have to go to King Nun in person to complete it, right?" Thales shrugged helplessly:

"First I have to pass through the military camp of the Grand Duke of Lombard - and there are more than 10,000 strong northern men with nowhere to vent their energy waiting for me."

Putilai shook his head: "Lumba does not dare to endanger your safety... Attacking the fortress to annex the northern territory, and murdering the heir to fight against the Kingdom of Stars are two different concepts."

"Lumba may not dare, but his opponents may be happy to see such a thing... We still have to be careful," Sonia said with a hearty smile: "Alaka will bring his angry guards to escort you to Lumba's military camp.

Doorway."

"Alaka?" Thales thought of the aggressive and dangerous man and the disdainful look in his eyes when he looked at him, and shook his head: "Are you sure he is willing to do this?"

"I don't deny that I hate him," Sonia snorted coldly: "But he is indeed the guy who has fought the most with Exeters on the battlefield."

"Moreover, this is what he insisted on himself - originally I planned to let Miranda..."

Thales couldn't help but be stunned.

Insist on escorting me?

He began to recall the appearance of that man again... Alaka Mu.

It's a really familiar name.

I must have heard it somewhere.

At this moment, a black-haired female swordsman walked up to the city wall slowly, put her black gloves on her left chest, and gave Sonia a slight salute with an expressionless face: "The team of the mission is ready. Please invite your Highness."

People will do the final confirmation."

Although the female swordsman addressed herself as Your Highness, she never glanced in Thales' direction from beginning to end, nor did she salute him.

"Yeah." Sonia nodded and turned to look at Thales and Putilai.

Putilai on the side sighed: "I'll go with you...Miss Arend."

Thales was startled again.

Arend...

The female swordsman Miranda Aronde nodded stiffly, and she and Putilai walked down the city wall.

Still didn't look at Thales.

"Don't mind," Sonia said with a faint smile: "Miranda is the only daughter of Duke Arend. Her father was imprisoned in the royal capital, and the family was humiliated. It is normal for her to have a grudge against you."

"Oh," Thales nodded awkwardly and said, "I think I heard Huai Ya say that there is a very famous female terminator swordsman in the fortress. I heard that she is some kind of 'seed' from the Tower of the End..."

"It's a 'seed'," Sonia looked at Miranda's back and sighed: "The Tower of Ending preserves a large number of various combat skills and inheritance of the power of ending before the end of the war - among which swordsmanship is the most important.

Its inheritors are still constantly developing new swordsmanship, techniques and even the power of termination, cultivating generations of masters of the power of termination for the human world - and only a few of the best students can obtain the 'seeds'

title, such as Miranda."

"They are people with hope and the mission of inheriting the power of the end."

Thales looked at Sonia and frowned slightly.

The power of ending.

The extraordinary power awakened by human beings.

Another news worthy of attention.

Does it have anything to do with my kind of fluctuation?

Sonia didn't know what Thales was thinking. She continued helplessly: "But even so, Miranda's situation is still very difficult recently."

"After Duke Arlend was imprisoned, the Northern Territory was managed by several of her father's most trusted vassals, waiting for her to return after the crisis was over... But several of Arlend's cousins ​​and nephews were all interested in the North.

Duke Jing’s succession is closely watched.”

"Fortunately, although Val Arend is in prison, he is still the Duke of the North - His Majesty did not charge him with treason, nor did he deprive him of his title and territory, but only accused him of murdering foreign dignitaries.

It’s a little bit of comfort.”

Sonia sighed deeply: "It's just that I didn't expect that he would do such a thing. You know, Val has been our backup for more than ten years in Broken Dragon Fortress."

"He's a coward!"

At this moment, a deep yet unsettling voice came from afar.

"Compared with his heroic brothers, Val Arlend is a complete coward, and has disgraced the face of his blood brothers... They defend His Highness Horace to the death and never retreat a step." Only Arak was seen.

·Mu’s figure walked up slowly from under the city wall, his face full of impatience:

"In comparison, twelve years ago, that Duke of Val was scared out of his wits by the bastards of Exeter... and he actually believed in someone like Lombard."

"I would say that the only good thing he did was to kill the prince of Exeter."

"At least this time, you said that after Miranda left," Sonia covered her forehead and sighed: "Should I thank you for your thoughtfulness and taking care of her mood?"

"Her mood?" Alaka snorted: "Do I seem like someone who would consider this?"

Thales rolled his eyes in his heart: Why does this guy always act like someone owes him money?

Sonia snorted lightly: "What's the matter with you?"

Alaka gave her a disdainful look.

"I'm here to find this kid," Araka looked at Thales with a fierce look, making the latter slightly nervous: "The three hundred men of the Fury Guard are ready... If you really want to go to Exeter to die,

At least don't keep me waiting too long."

"It seems that you are not satisfied with my trip north, Baron Mu," Thales couldn't help but ask: "Then why are you sending me to the military camp in Lombard?"

Sonia let out a breath.

Alaka looked at Thales steadily, making the latter feel a little uneasy.

"Because I owe Canxing a favor," he said slowly after a while, "and you, annoying little brat, happen to be named Canxing."

After saying this, Alaka turned and left without looking back.

"We'll leave in the afternoon."

"Don't dawdle."

Thales and Sonia watched Araka's figure go away.
To be continued...