Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 412 The Guide

"Difficult." Woodroffe sighed and uttered a conclusion that made Duke Arnold very uncomfortable.

"The 30,000 men His Highness Lucia brought to the north are the top elites selected from the Scorching Sun Legion and the Storm Dynasty Army. They are elite soldiers who can defeat a hundred of them in ordinary troops. Moreover, His Highness's fighting style now mainly relies on interspersed surprise attacks. Before he meets the main force of the Giant King's Court head-on, how can those newly civilized beasts be his opponent? If not, there would be no frequent quick reports as soon as the battle started."

"That damn dragon always has such good luck!" Arnold cursed.

"When he was in the capital, he stirred up disputes between the two emperors and took the opportunity to play both sides. When he came to Gaileid, he took advantage of the battle of Starshatter to get his hands on our most elite Scorching Sun Legion. If it weren't for His Highness Godwin's kindness, His Majesty should have issued an imperial edict to order him to go to the Northern Expedition. Why did he lend the Scorching Sun Legion to him?"

"My Lord, be careful with your words!" Woodroffe looked around in astonishment, leaning in and whispering, "It's fine for me to talk about this, but there are countless people with ulterior motives out there who are dissatisfied with your achievements at such a young age. It's hard to guard against all kinds of overt and covert attacks. It's not appropriate to be so frank about matters concerning the several highnesses and even His Majesty!"

Arnold looked at the sincere concern in Woodroffe's eyes, snorted softly, and said, "I know what's going on. But you, who have been guarding the West Asia Altar for so many years, should have been full of the iron-blooded and upright spirit of a soldier. How come you have become as timid as those pedantic people?"

"Yes, your Excellency has taught me that." Woodroffe's eyes darkened as he sighed sincerely, "I have been a little scared by the disputes between the two parties over the years."

"Although His Majesty Radagan is gaining power, which is a good thing for you and me, His Majesty Marica is also our lord and the only god in this golden age! Every time I think of my colleagues attacking each other for some political disputes, or even being used by outsiders to cause the tragedy of the exile of Duke Duoris's family a few years ago, I can't help but tremble with fear!"

After hearing this "heartfelt advice", Arnold had to suppress his usual arrogance in front of lower-ranking nobles. He frowned and sighed, "There are not many people as loyal and kind as you above the rank of Marquis."

"You just said it very well. During the 50 years of the Golden Age, it is not unusual for our dynasty to have some disputes and disagreements regarding the future direction of development. Looking back at the past dynasties, which dynasty has not had such disputes? As long as it is properly controlled, it is not a big deal, let alone a bad thing!"

"His Majesty has told me more than once that he would never give up trying to resolve the conflict between him and Majesty Marica - let's call it a conflict - peacefully as long as there is a possibility of resolving it. In fact, Majesty Marica often does so. Otherwise, the two majesties would not have gone against the public opinion and jointly supported Lord Duoris to serve as the guardian of the northern border."

"Perhaps in another ten, fifty, or a hundred years, when the wise men of the dynasty have resolved the conflict between the original doctrine of the Golden Tree and the new fundamentalist policy and found the most suitable way forward for us, we will all eventually be unified. By then, it doesn't matter if we are under the command of His Highness Godwin, His Highness Michaela, or even His Highness Marlenia who has lifted the curse. The two parties will unite, and this will always be our own business! But Lucia Shanks, who is he?"

"A bunch of dragons, beasts, and storm survivors who should have been eliminated by the times, coupled with the lowly slaves he plundered from the entire dynasty, how can such a bunch of filthy things have the qualifications to jump up and down in my dynasty?"

"What did your majesty's generosity and tolerance bring you? Only constant encroachment and shameless betrayal! It wasn't enough that he pushed Lord Duoris away at the beginning, but now he is interfering with military power and openly seizing the eastern border. What is he going to do next? Swallow the northern border, occupy the southeast, and then raise an army to rebel?"

"If it weren't for the thousands of years that His Majesty the Dragon King had protected the border area before his death, our dynasty should have exposed the childish lies that 'the Dragon King is still sleeping in the storm of time and space'! Look at what those giants who were once as famous as the ancient dragons and were invincible are doing now? They are now called mountain goblins! Apart from occasionally causing a few minor rebellions, they can only serve as livestock pulling carts! Fam Azra doesn't even have the qualifications to form an equal alliance with us. The so-called ancient dragon priests and ancient dragon princes are only worthy of being used as mounts by a few highnesses, not to mention the numerous crimes they have committed now. It is not excessive to kill him!"

Listening to Arnold's impassioned speech beside him, Woodroffe just buried his head in drinking tea, wishing he could bury his head in the teacup.

This tea is very strong. Really very strong.
He is very ashamed now. He just told lies to test him and pretended to be sincere. It is not a matter of shame to lie to such an idiot. The key is that you dare to say it now. I am almost afraid to listen!

These words only existed in the period before the battle of Nagarjuna, when some heroes who thought they were invincible after defeating the giants dared to mutter them secretly. But after the battle of Mount Carolwell, when Lance Shanks killed twelve golden heroes in three days, those who had been on the battlefield would have to slap themselves twice in the face if they had such thoughts in their dreams when they woke up, in case they told them in their sleep one day.

Do you really think that the two majesties are showing "leniency" to the Ancient Dragon Dynasty out of consideration for their status and the constraints of the covenant?
They say they are lenient, but that's just a way they say behind the scenes to save face for themselves. In the final analysis, they still can't win, so aren't they all compromising with each other?
Even if they have to fight, Esti in her heyday couldn't take down the entire Sky City. It would cost a fortune for the Golden Dynasty to take it down. If they really break in, what if the Dragon King really wakes up?
Is this Everqueen, this King of Elden, still going to do it?

Even now, no matter how much of Lucia Shanks's Star-Severing Sword is her true strength, the fact that she can attract so many god-level beings including her own queen to help her is a kind of strength in itself!
Now, the ancient dragon quasi-king has already surpassed the two ancient dragon priests and become the new banner of Fam Azra. If you don't try to kill him with a borrowed knife, you can't just rely on your two mouths to destroy a country at will.
Woodroffe even began to wonder if His Majesty had specially promoted such a person to be the Duke just for this purpose?

"Lord Woodroffe—"

Arnold's voice suddenly sounded, and Woodroffe choked violently. He patted his chest and coughed, "What do you want, sir?"

"I got a little too excited just now and went off topic. Let's continue with the news you received from the north. We are thousands of miles away and cannot intervene in the war, but if we can do something in Rodel, it would be helpful to relieve your majesty's worries." "Yes, yes. Actually, the news is very simple. Some of our spies who are still active in the north have infiltrated the giant army and risked their lives to send back some information. It is said that the new giant king Calerius has personally led six ancestor giants and mobilized nearly 200,000 troops to the southern part of the ice field to encircle Lucia's 10,000 troops who are alone and deep in the ice. It is expected that the two sides will have a head-on collision in the next few days."

"What is the specific quality of their founding Titan?"

"It is said that their strength is even greater than that of our sixteen Crucible Knights. I believe that only the two chiefs, Otaupis and Siluria, can surpass them by half a step."

"Oh, most of them are just stupid beasts that have just been civilized and don't know how big the world is. They are just a few tribal chiefs, but they think they are invincible!"

"The lord is right."

"Good news. Overall, it's good news. If those giants can kill Lucia, even if we lose 15,000 Scorching Sun Legion soldiers, it will be considered as eliminating a great threat to our dynasty. Even if they can't, it would be good to weaken their strength a little bit."

At this point, Arnold shook his arms in a depressed mood and said helplessly: "It's still what I said just now. The distance is too far. For such a war alone, although we are willing to share your worries, we are really powerless."

At an angle that he had not noticed, a gleam of light flashed in the depths of Woodroffe's eyes.

I have been leading you on for so long, aren't I just waiting for you to say this?

"Sir," Woodroffe lowered his voice again and said solemnly, "We are not completely powerless. You have been busy with government affairs all year round. Although marching and fighting are easy for you, there are some tricks involved. With your open-minded character, I'm sure you don't know."

"Oh?"

Woodroffe leaned close to Arnold and whispered something.

"This?!" Arnold was a little flustered. "Is this really useful for the war in the north?"

"Your Excellency, you may not know that when you are on a long expedition, especially when you are alone and deep behind enemy lines, you must be careful not to damage the morale of the troops. I heard that His Highness Lucia was very strict in disciplining the troops after the Battle of Broken Star, so he must have taken precautions in advance. But once this plan is implemented, even he will be shaken, let alone the soldiers under his command?"

"But even if it works, such a big move, His Majesty..."

Woodroffe cursed inwardly, but his expression remained calm. He said, "I am just a small marquis. How could I have the guts to plan such a thing? How could I rashly contact you? Since I have found you, I need a prestigious and trustworthy official to handle this matter. The reason why I am here to inform you is because my position is related to military intelligence, so I know the details first. The people above me cannot come forward directly."

Seeing that Arnold still had a hesitant look on his face, Woodroffe opened half of his coat and showed him the golden vine pattern that was half-protruding from the inside pocket.

"My Lord, do you really not know who trusts you the most?"

Arnold was struck by lightning. After a moment, his pupils, which had shrunk to the extreme, gradually dilated. He took a deep breath and said, "I understand."

"Please tell that person that I will do whatever you have to do, even if I die."

"Your Excellency is too kind. A loyal minister like you who is devoted to the country will surely serve as the pillar of the country in the future and lead us to witness a new era under fundamentalism. This time, it is just a prelude to the new era, nothing more."

(End of this chapter)