When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1246 Going and Returning

By the end of October 1460, the weather had cooled down, and the soldiers inside and outside the city of Branden had changed into woolen uniforms.

These uniforms were transported to Flowerhill City via the Ibe River, and then transported over by the Black Legion's fleet of beggar ships, passing through small islands near the coast.

In fact, this is where Guillermo del Toro’s courage to defend this isolated city to the death came from.

Imprint City is a bay city, situated at the corner of a semi-circular bay.

Thanks to its extremely long coastline and extensive waterways, supplies can be easily transported in by sea.

Thanks to the small transport team of sea beggars and the nautical charts and near-shore navigation experience accumulated by the people of Windmill Land over the years, Imprint City is not lacking in channels for transporting goods from the outside world.

These volunteer boat teams from Windmill Land transported wounded soldiers out of the area and then brought in passionate young people from Windmill Land.

The entire city of Brand is like a giant furnace, constantly forging new weapons for the Black Legion.

In fact, after the Gurwood massacre and the Lemington assassination of the governor, Branded City and the Black Legion had become spiritual beacons for the people of Windmill Land.

All the Windmill Landers who want to rebel will choose to flock to Brand City.

Meanwhile, the Brotherhoods throughout Windmill Lands are also constantly expanding their influence, with Brand City as their core.

Whenever vampires oppress humanity, a large number of humans choose to join the Brotherhood of the Holy Path Sect.

Especially in the autumn, a large number of royal soldiers and officers gained territory in the windmills and began to force humans to take happiness potions.

This led to a massive exodus of people from the windmill region, who either fled to nearby islands or to Fran.

Only those who have absolutely no other choice are left to stay put, either joining the Brotherhood or accepting their fate.

It is thanks to the help of these windmill dwellers who refused to accept their fate that Gilles and others have been able to hold on until today, and perhaps even continue to do so.

The tunneling tactics outside the city have been going on for almost two weeks, but due to the mediocre tunneling technology, they have not yet achieved good results.

Even Gilles had a feeling that they were actually practicing tunneling tactics rather than actually trying to attack the city.

This even annoyed Gilles. He had thought it would be a head-to-head confrontation, but instead, this happened.

Especially recently, he received news that vampire soldiers had left by boat and that Prince Vladislav had appeared in Dam City.

Hearing that Koniaz has arrived, he's prepared for a bloody battle.

I thought you guys were going to do something big, but in the end, it was big, but it was just poop.

The senior officers of the Black Legion within the city were baffled and only came to a conclusion after several meetings.

It's estimated that the tough challenge of Brand City delayed the official deployment of troops.

So they simply placed a portion of their forces here to contain the Black Legion of Brand City, while their main force continued eastward.

In other words, the most intense siege battle is finally over, and now we've entered the rewards phase.

Looking back at this battle, although several strongholds on the perimeter were destroyed, the enemy's current strength was insufficient to pose any threat.

Through the sea beggars, they could also provide support and command for uprisings throughout Windmill Land.

They held on, and finally, after a summer of battling vampires, they were finally able to get a normal good night's sleep.

The starlight rustled the doorway, causing the bed curtains to ripple like waves, but Gilles stared wide-eyed at the floral bed canopy, unable to fall asleep.

Perhaps it was because he was used to it, or perhaps it was because his biological clock hadn't adjusted, but he was wide awake.

After tossing and turning for a long time, Gier finally got up, put on his coat, slipped on his soft-soled cloth shoes, and wandered in the corridor.

But as he walked, he still felt no sleepiness. He happened to pass by Todd's room and stopped.

"Knock, knock, knock." Gier knocked on Todd's door.

No one answered, so Gier knocked again, and after a moment the door opened.

Wearing his pajamas, Todd asked sleepily, "What's wrong? Did the vampires attack at night?"

“No, I just can’t sleep.” Guillaume grabbed Todd’s arm to keep him from running away. “You’re still awake, come with me for a walk.”

"...Do you know you're dead?"

Gier paused, then said, “My mother died before I could remember, I know that.”

“…Oh dear, alright, I’ll go with you.” Todd pulled out a coat and draped it over his shoulders, then drew a military knife, and accompanied Gilles up the city wall.

Standing atop the city wall, after checking each sentry post and confirming that everything was in order, Gilles felt slightly relieved.

Branded City, once known for its slaves, is now the largest settlement of free men. Gilles is not yet thirty years old, but he is already the number one figure in the Black Legion, although Todd handles most of the military affairs and Gilles only assists him.

After only a few months of siege, he already felt inexplicably anxious.

As far as the current conflict is concerned, this is only the beginning.

Good heavens, the turmoil has lasted for fifty years since the first Battle of Windmill Land. When will it finally end?
Lemington is dead, his brother Mattis's fate is unknown, the family is scattered, and vampires are slaughtering them indiscriminately.

Why do these things always have to be directed at the people of Windmill Village?

Standing atop the wall, Guillermo del Toro didn't speak, but simply stared at the sea, as if trying to release the pent-up frustration in his heart.

Todd didn't speak, but simply looked up at the starry sky and the slowly drifting clouds.

The sea shimmered under the starlight, washing over the shore again and again, as if it had remained unchanged since ancient times.

Gradually, the confusion and unease in Guillermo del Toro dissipated as the seawater washed over him.

The tranquil night and the soothing sound of the tide are like a symphony that calms anxieties.

Only when Guiller's lungs were filled with the moisture of the sea breeze did his anxious heart finally calm down.

"Let's go back." The waves soothed Gilles, and he finally felt a little sleepy.

But Todd beside him remained motionless, still holding his head up.

“Hey, you didn’t fall asleep standing up, did you?” Giel nudged Todd.

Todd remained unmoved, simply raising his head: "Does anyone here raise eagles? The kind that are raised in flocks?"

"No way, can eagles be kept in flocks?" Following Todd's gaze, Gilles's view of the blue water was replaced by the starry sky.

But when he looked up, he saw shadows resembling eagles hovering hazily in the clouds.

Eagles, no, there aren't any eagles that big. What are they holding in their talons? It looks like a bird as big as him.

No, no!
Gilles immediately took the binoculars off his neck and looked at the flock of eagles by the moonlight.

Damn it, that's not an eagle at all!
That's a sand sculpture!

The giant sand eagle, a strange creature from the southern desert of the Western Continent, which appeared during the Battle of Black Mountain.

As for what they were holding in their claws, it was not other prey, but a group of vampires that glided with their wings spread.

"Ring the bell, ringing the bell! Enemy attack! It's not the south gate, it's the north gate!" Todd shouted first.

Gilles felt all the blood rushing to his brain, and all he could hear was the pounding of his heart.

He realized what was happening when the giant eagle flew over the sea.

As the enemy advanced, he deployed a large number of troops to the land outside the city, while the sea was guarded by a few coastal defense guns.

He thought he was absolutely certain of success, since the sea was completely open and anyone who tried to get close would be discovered immediately.

Even if vampires can fly, they would be exhausted after flying such a long distance.

Neither Gilles nor Todd expected that vampires would use giant eagles to carry people.

They never expected that the tunneling tactic was just a ruse, and that the vampire soldiers who left by boat never actually left.

The soldiers on duty raised their wind-up pistols, but they didn't know where to aim them.

The clockwork gun has a kill range of only about 200 meters, while the vampire and the giant eagle are at least 1000 meters in the air.

"Shoot, shoot!"

The lead bullet, piercing the night sky, vanished into the deep starry expanse, as if nothing had happened.

In the blink of an eye, holes suddenly appeared in the clouds.

Like rain, streaks of black shadows fell continuously toward the direction of the several gun emplacements.

They want to control the gun emplacements and the water gates!
This must mean...

With a trembling heart and trembling hands, Guillermo del Toro looked out through the binoculars toward the sea.

Red sails obscure the azure sky.

In the moonlight, a dozen large ships circled the reef island, gathering winds as they sailed toward Branding City.

(End of this chapter)