Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1953 1925. Nature

"There's something I need you to do, Lan En."

The siege, initiated by the demigod alliance outside the city, had been going on for several days. Today, Gideon Ofnir specifically sought out Lann and spoke to him at the foot of the city walls of Rodel.

At this moment, on the magnificent city walls of the royal city, the sounds of fierce battle shouts, the fluctuations of magic and prayers, and the roar of colliding forces continued unabated, showing no sign of stopping.

The earth and air trembled. If it weren't for the Golden Dynasty's taboo against fire and its reluctance to develop its power, it would be the fire watchers and the high-ranking officials of the Volcano Mansion who were using it.

Otherwise, not only would there be tremors, but the temperature around the battlefield would likely rise dramatically!

Even so, the ground outside the walls of Rodel was already riddled with holes.

However, this is only on the surface; the everlasting wall, blessed by prayer, still shows no signs of damage or being overwhelmed.

Even the aftershocks of a clash of forces outside the city walls did not reach the inner side of the city walls.

The city wall is indeed as sturdy as described in the legends.

Faced with Sir Hundred's seemingly anxious request, Lan En looked surprised and pointed to the city wall: "Now?"

"Now!" Gideon Ofnier nodded firmly. "There's no time to lose!"

The Witcher raised an eyebrow.

To be honest, the intensity of the current battle between Rodel is not that great.

The reason this has caused such a commotion is mainly because it is, after all, a war between gods.

Both sides in the war were armies from the Age of Gods, and these armies were filled with heroes from that era. In the normal world, these would be figures who would be included in mythological epics and remembered by posterity.

Their clash of forces is bound to be spectacular.

Putting everything else aside, the trolls who served Gevya in the team that came from Nymgford alone would be considered formidable figures even in the ordinary world. Warriors who could defeat trolls could easily earn a title.

Something like "Mountain Demon Slayer".

But on this battlefield of attack and defense between the demigod alliance and Rodel, they were merely auxiliary troops.

A large scale of clashes does not necessarily indicate a high intensity of war.

Just like now, several days have passed, and thanks to the advantage of the city walls, no one in Rodel City has yet suffered a fatal wound. They are trapped in a painful situation where they want to die but cannot.

The demigod alliance outside the city was equally experienced and powerful. However, only a few dozen of them suffered fatal wounds.

The injuries of the others were all within the range that could be treated with normal medical care.

The two demigods outside the city, along with their renowned knights, have yet to enter the fray. On Rodel's side, the Blessed King has yet to show himself, but the number of powerful warriors is far greater.

The faded ones were just taking their regular shifts on the city wall; there was really no urgent situation.

People can get used to war over a long period of time, just like they get used to daily life.

Sir Hundred Wisdom assumed that Lann had already agreed, so he continued walking with him.

They even cleared space on the road to make it easier for the logistics personnel who were carrying arrows and grease to move around.

Overall, the situation was busy but not chaotic, a valuable experience accumulated by the immortal races after experiencing war.

"Now that the war has begun, I think you should know what we fear most."

Bai Zhi's voice was as deep and husky as ever, making people unconsciously listen attentively.

"What else could it be?" The Witcher said calmly, revealing the truth in one sentence, "Rodel has to face the entire border region."

Gideon Ophnil immediately grabbed the Witcher's arm and lowered his voice as well: "It's so relaxing to talk to smart people, but there's no need to be so loud, right, Lann?"

“I thought Knight Rodel would remain steadfast until eternity,” the Witcher joked. “Besides, these mere rumors?”

Bai Zhi stared at Lan En for a while, then sighed with a hint of deeper meaning: "If it were in the past, when Queen Marika upheld the Golden Law and bestowed grace, then no matter how dangerous the war or how long the battle, Knight Rodel would never have wavered in the slightest."

"Whether there is a king consort or not? It doesn't matter. Whether there is a war king or not? It doesn't matter either. The King of Elden is merely a sharer of glory under the Queen's radiance. But the current situation..."

Gideon Ofnier said only half of what he meant, but the two intelligent men knew the rest.

The eternal life and stable cycle of the people of the Golden Tree have collapsed along with the collapse of the Law and the Law.

Now, all that's left is the path of suffering in a state of neither life nor death, even if one survives to the end.

Nothing is more demoralizing than a predetermined tragic ending.

It's true that the Knights of Rodel swept through the borderlands back then. But ultimately, they also had to rely on morale and willpower.

"The demigod alliance only has two members now, but if there are more, it will be really difficult to deal with."

Sir Hundred Wisdom leaned on his cane, his palm constantly rubbing the round ball at the top of the cane.

Lann looked down at the guy's helmet, which was completely dark inside, and suddenly said, "You want me to go to Sunshade City?" Gideon Ofnir looked up sharply.

“…Lan En,” he said after a moment of silence, “Although it’s easy to talk to smart people, sometimes it’s best not to say anything too shocking.”

The Witcher remained calm: "This is just normal reasoning and analysis; it has nothing to do with whether it's surprising or not."

"How many demigods in the border region still have the resources to intervene in the Rodel area? You can count them on one hand."

“Ratan is a member of the demigods’ relatives, so he will definitely stand with Raccard. And since Geffia is already blocking the entrance to Rodel, he must have taken control of the Dikedas elevator as well. Ratan will inevitably arrive sooner or later, and there’s no point in arguing about it.”

Lan En tilted his head and continued his analysis.

"Then the most crucial forces that can be influenced are Marlenia, who moved to the Sacred Tree, and Michaela."

"The Sacred Tree is located in the far north of the border. To the north of Rodel is the Giant Snow Mountain, and after leaving the Giant Snow Mountain, you have to go north by sea for a distance to reach the Sacred Tree."

“If we were to travel by land, the people of the Sacred Tree would have to traverse the snow-capped mountains and descend Rodel, which would be the most convenient and fastest route. But as things stand now…”

Lan En spread his hands and spun around. Around him lay the royal city, now completely engulfed in war.

Regardless of which side the twins of the sacred tree are on, it is unlikely that they will take this path to reach the center of the border.

The Rodel Grand Elevator, which connects the Asian Altar Plateau to the snow-capped mountains, is still under Rodel's control.

If the Twin Trees already harbored hostility towards the newly emerged Blessed King of Rodel, then descending this path would mean heading straight into the enemy's lair.

If the Gemini's attitude is still unclear, then at this tense and critical juncture, attempting to directly enter Rodel would be risky. Even if the people of the Sacred Tree don't overthink it, it doesn't stop the people of Rodel from being suspicious.

Therefore, in any case, this land route is actually an unusable option.

Since the land route is unavailable, the only remaining option is the waterway.

They descended directly from the sacred tree overseas, following the coastline of the border region to the vicinity of the Asian Altar Plateau.

But this path also has problems.

That is: the formation of the entire boundary area was deeply influenced by the impact of the golden meteor that served as the source of life at the beginning of life.

The terrain varies greatly.

The Altai Plateau has no gentle coastline for the legions to land; it is all towering cliffs.

Except for one place... a castle located on the northern edge of the Altan Plateau, Sunshade City.

That was a fiefdom bestowed by the Golden Dynasty upon the Mare family, a family of professional executioners.

It's unclear how many generations have been granted this fiefdom, but because it's located near the coastline and has been managed by the Mare family for so long, it's perhaps the only place on the Yatan Plateau that could have a high-altitude harbor.

The reason Lann said "perhaps" or "maybe" is because the port was not reported to the Golden Dynasty, but existed as a private development property of the Mare family.

“The Mare family is usually inconspicuous. Their Sunshade City is just an insignificant castle.”

Sir Hundred Wisdom remarked with emotion.

"But things are different now. At this critical juncture, he has become the key to whether the two demigods will arrive in Rodel to join the battle."

"So at this point," Lann pointed again to the still bustling city walls, "what do you expect me to do? Destroy Sunshade City?"

Lan En spoke in a joking tone, but his brows were furrowed.

“You’re not the kind of person who can act without any scruples, so I’m just giving you a suggestion.” Bai Zhi remained noncommittal about Lan En’s performance. “Whether it’s wiping out Sunshade City, just exterminating the Mare family, or even a gentler approach, it’s all acceptable.”

"Although I can't think of a gentle way, I don't care about the process as long as it's effective."

When Sir Hundred-Gate spoke of the life and death of everyone in Sunshade, he spoke with the same calm and detached indifference as if he were talking about the Herba Salad he had eaten that morning.

He was indeed as his tone suggested, completely unconcerned about how Lann planned to treat Sunshade City; he only cared about the outcome.

As long as the result is satisfactory, he can accept everything else.

Lan En looked at Sir Hundred Wisdom and clicked his tongue: "You really are... tsk, quite straightforward."

He was certain that this was Gideon Ofnier's true nature: a rational calculator and seeker of knowledge.

Sir Hundred Wisdom was able to maintain friendly communication and a friendly attitude towards Lann because Lann was one of the few intelligent people who could keep up with his intellect and thinking.

On the other hand, it was Sir Elsa who first discerned the Witcher's personality and style, and then, after weighing the pros and cons, chose to communicate with him in this way.

Lan En was even certain that Bai Zhi had made things so clear this time because, after careful consideration, he believed that a less intense conversation would not significantly affect his relationship with Lan En.

So, for the sake of efficiency, we decided to just say it directly.

(End of this chapter)