Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 504 Light in the Night
Karen’s administration building was converted from Hector’s central fortress. The main building was a five-story tower. After Clever took office, he removed all the luxurious and extravagant lord’s suites and converted all five floors above ground into office areas. He also excavated two underground floors for strategic material storage and military secret meetings.

It can be said that since taking office as Karen, Claywell and his deputy Alvins have been doing everything they can to prepare for this Northern Expedition against the volcano. It has been four years since then. It is precisely because of such well-thought-out preparations that Kalia and Sky City have the confidence to advance their plans and fight this battle to the end.

The second basement level was brightly lit, with a huge map of the North Gmir region hanging on the wide curtain wall. Dozens of senior staff officers sat around several long tables, which were covered with various drawings, documents and draft plans. The hall was filled with the sound of dense and orderly discussions.

Lani sat at the far end of an empty long table, her alabaster-white fingers interlaced, gently supporting her beautifully curved chin. Her deep blue eyes were as profound as the ocean, leading anyone to believe she was contemplating some momentous issue concerning the fate of the two great dynasties of Longyue. One could only marvel at the unwavering resolve and far-reaching strategies of the Moon Princess, qualities truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.
"Damn it, Monger! The engagement ceremony hasn't even been held yet—pfft—it's not even certain whether it will be held or not, and he comes up here spouting all sorts of nonsense, calling me 'brother and sister-in-law' right off the bat. Wait until Lucia comes back and see if he'll even acknowledge you as his brother!"

As her thoughts raced, heavy footsteps echoed from the conference room entrance. Lani sat bolt upright, patting her face lightly with her hands, which radiated a chilling aura. She glanced calmly to her side, cleared her throat, and said, "I've been waiting for you two for ages. Come sit here."

Monget strode to the conference table and sat down, looking apologetic. "The people of Karen are too enthusiastic. It took a lot of effort to set up the soldiers' camp. I'm really sorry."

Monger sat down casually, glancing at Lani with his large, round eyes. He had a feeling that his sister-in-law was two-faced, but since he had just been severely punished by his brother outside, he didn't dare to be presumptuous. He simply took out a list from his pocket and handed it to Lani.

"This is the detailed configuration of the troops we brought this time. Would you like to take a look, Princess?"

Lani glanced at him sideways, snorted coldly, and grabbed the list to look at it.

"Eight thousand sons of the ominous sign, including one thousand formation breakers, two thousand assault troops, four thousand heavy axemen, and one thousand assassins. Hey, aren't you called the Knights of the Night in the military order of the Ancient Dragon Dynasty? Why do you still call yourselves ominous signs? Don't the soldiers feel uncomfortable hearing that?"

Monger, always with an absurdly good attitude, waved his hand and said, "Hey, names are just appearances. We were born as ominous signs, there's nothing wrong with admitting it. Just like back then, the Golden Royal Family called our power 'cursed power,' and I wasn't offended at all, but rather proud of it. Others want this kind of power but don't have it! They can't beat us on the front lines, but they can curse us to death by hiding behind the scenes and muttering a few words?"

Across the long table, Mongot, who had once suffered greatly because of his cursed power and considered himself a disgrace to the Golden Royal Family, no longer felt inferior when discussing this topic. He smiled slightly and said with a calm gaze, "People used to despise us as omens, implying evil and calamity. We were confined underground from childhood, never seeing the light of day, and we considered ourselves cursed, living in constant fear. It wasn't until I moved to the Far East and lived in the Ancient Dragon Dynasty for four years that I understood that it wasn't that omens were intolerable to the world, but rather that the 'perfect' order that once enveloped us could not tolerate even the slightest 'imperfection' flaw."

“Lucia once told me that even the son of an omen can live uprightly in the sunlight. Now we also want to tell the world that if we must give an omen a precise definition, then it is by no means an evil omen imposed on innocent people, but rather an omen of defeat that befalls the enemy—no matter who the opponent is, encountering us is indeed their misfortune.”

Lani glanced sideways. Four years had passed, and the changes in Montgomery were nothing short of earth-shattering. These words alone were something he could never have uttered after just emerging from the Rodel underground sewers.

The former Montgomery was like a dusty sword, incredibly sharp, yet ashamed to show its edge because of its dilapidated appearance.

He was now more composed and open-minded, seemingly having concealed his sharp edges to the core, yet like a majestic and righteous mountain, unshaken by external storms. She couldn't help but wonder, if Lucia and several demigods hadn't lent a helping hand back then, ensuring the brothers and tens of thousands of children of ominous signs migrated to the Far East, would Montgomery have been able to grow to his current level?

Judging from his extraordinary demeanor and indomitable spirit, he probably will.

However, that would probably take up even more time. On the other hand, a born king would not dare to call himself a king. Even if he played a stunning resounding tune in this world, it would probably be a tragic song that lasted only for a fleeting moment.

The Rodel underground sewers could not contain the Son of Omens and the King of Omens, just as the Pharos Fortress, which once stood in the Gelid Dragon Tomb, could not contain the three thousand ancient dragons that fought for the king. Before those wings that were more resilient than steel, all cages were useless.

Now she understands that Lucia's true significance to the ominous signs is not a helping hand in their predicament, but a ray of light in the darkness.

The children of evil, blessed by the furnace, are born sparks. As long as someone leads them to see the true light, the darkness can no longer be silently endured with gritted teeth and blood. When they stand tall and face the world, they will naturally transform into a raging fire that burns away the night.

Lani thought of the cheerful, lively, proud, and confident Omen warriors she had met in the city, who embraced the world with equanimity. Everything that had happened to them was the same as what happened to Mongot and Mongo. Lucia named them the Night Knights, presumably for this reason.

She breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of the burden that had been weighing on her heart for so long, and spoke frankly: "Then let's get straight to the point. To be honest, I was a little hesitant at first about letting you go into dangerous territory for the first time in the war, but now it seems there's no need for that."

Monger shook his head and chuckled. Monger whistled, then, with his hands behind his head, adopted a knowing, shrewd demeanor and said with a grin, "It should have been like this a long time ago!"

Lani rolled her eyes, not wanting to continue arguing with this clown. She put down the list and said, "Your main target this time is the Serpent God Cult. These heretics have been entrenched in the volcanic region for hundreds of years, and they are deeply rooted. I'm not worried about your individual combat strength, but in this kind of harsh environment, mobility is more important than combat strength for long-distance raids. Have you had any equestrian training in the Far East these past four years?"

Mongot replied, “The Storm Knights have sent over a hundred instructors to train us. We have also been trained in horsemanship. However, the Sons of Evil are too heavy when paired with the Black Steel Heavy Armor. Even Sky City cannot breed super-large dragon-scale horses suitable for 20,000 Evils in the short term. Therefore, the entire Night Knights are currently infantry.”

Lani shook her head and said, "I believe you can conquer Gmir on foot, but there isn't enough time. Although the main force of Radagan is still tied up on the Dikedas front, the envoy has definitely already secretly extended his reach to the heretical tribes of the volcano and the Serpent God Cult. This time, Kalia has prepared five thousand Frostmoon Wolves. You have at most two days to learn how to control wolves. You will practice the coordination of mounted and infantry battle formations slowly during the northward march, and the specific tactical plans will be formulated as you go."

Monger and Monger exchanged a glance and both said seriously, "No problem."

(End of this chapter)