Knight and Wand

Chapter 225 Blood Curse

The wings of several lion scorpions rumbled in the mountains. They flew over the above-ground ruins of Steelforge Castle and finally landed on the nest platform on the top of the mountain.

Untying the reins, the sturdy Hem led the dwarf warrior back to the stone platform, and walked into the cave pulling the iron chain that tied the manticore.

The animal trainers and sentries who had been waiting for a long time put away their big pipes that were puffing smoke and walked quickly forward.

"It's a pleasure to see you back safely. May Omroth bless you, Elder Hem. Did you have a smooth journey?" The dwarf guards the entrance to the mountaintop greeted the ancient tribesmen in front of them.

Hem accepted the warm embrace of his compatriots, patted each other's arms, and replied: "My companions will be able to return to Steelforge soon."

"That's great. I heard that the long-bodied people are always shameless, especially their noble lords. I'm afraid those elders will be detained and can't come back." The guard said, calling his companions to drive the beasts behind the tribe back to the nest and arrange for feeding: "You should go back and rest quickly. I believe His Majesty must be waiting for your good news."

Hem nodded, and walked into the depths of the lion scorpion's lair with everyone, leading the returning dwarves into the passage.

Walk down the long spiral staircase, onto the elevator platform, and push the switch lever hard. As the chains and gears turn, the platform slowly descends on the column along with the counterweight at the bottom.

The elevator rattled.

After leaving the mountain trough, everyone completely entered the hollowed-out rock mass. The view in front of them suddenly became clear and their vision was not affected too much.

Several giant solar arc arrays that receive sunlight, at clever angles, refract the bright sunlight from the caves outside the mountain alternately throughout the vast space, like a narrow light in the valley, illuminating the magnificent city inside the mountain.

However, the empty ancient cliff stone chamber and the suspension bridge were full of dust and covered with a lot of desolate vegetation. There seemed to be few traces of dwarves living there for a long time. There were only a few dwarf soldiers carrying revolving crossbows, patrolling around casually while sucking on their pipes. When they saw Hem and his party returning, they greeted them loudly from afar.

Shuttled between several cliff platforms, taking elevators back and forth, Hem went lower and lower.

The gurgling spring water converges along large channels within the mountain, forming numerous clear waterfalls of varying sizes. The rivers above and below the ground circulate endlessly due to the ancient dwarfs' urban projects.

A few dwarves walked the encircling walkways and bridges of earth and rock steps, tending gardens of rare vegetables.

Passing through countless rock pillars that looked like giant stalactites, and through the carved stone chambers and suspended corridors embedded in them, Hem entered the underground city area, which is also the middle level of Steelforge Fortress.

The light grew dimmer, and the lighting in the dwarven city was gradually replaced by braziers and torches.

The occasional glimpse of acres of planted plants has also turned into a variety of mushrooms and geothermal potatoes.

In the enclosure made of pure metal, there are burrowing carps covered with scales and thorny shells.

These animals, which were raised to be unusually fat, were lazily picking at the feed in the trough with their sharp claws. There were not only butchers who were looking after the animals, but also other dwarven residents who were gradually increasing in number around them.

The spacious middle-level urban area is still not very lively, but the sounds of conversations and footsteps add a lot of life to it compared to the urban areas on the ground.

We walked across the long bridge guarded by guards and took the elevator deeper into the deep rock gorge to the darker lower city area. The faint sounds of rising fires and pounding hammers began to become apparent.

Instead of reaching the more unfathomable underground factories and mining areas, the platform carrying everyone finally stopped at a magnificent square supported by giant stone pillars.

Following the crowned longbearded guards, Hem entered the Heraen Palace of this era and met the current king of Steelforge, Gorim, again.

"I hope Lord Feru has not made things difficult for you, Elder Hem. Have you brought back good news for our compatriots?" The Dwarf King did not sit on the throne. He came up directly from the hall to greet them warmly.

Hem bowed his head and did not correct the other party's address as he did when they first met.

This is not just because I came from more than a thousand years ago.

When he first met the other party, Hem looked at the color and length of the contemporary dwarf king's beard and felt that the other party was much older than himself, at least around 280 years old.

He thought that the other party called him "elder" out of respect for each other's generation and seniority.

But after knowing the inside story, Hem was stunned.

His Majesty Gorim is only 172 years old now.

He is fifty years younger than me.

However, at the age of 172, which should be the prime of life for the Heran people, the Dwarf King's face already shows the appearance of an old man.

This situation is not unique to His Majesty Gorim.

As far as Hem knew, such a short life span was a common phenomenon among the tribesmen of this era.

"I have good news, very bad news, and some news that I don't know whether it is true or not, your majesty," Hem sighed.

He tells today's ethnic leaders about his experience on this trip
After hearing the first two pieces of news from the ancient elder, Gorim's mood went through ups and downs.

The first piece of news made him feel at ease. Those tribesmen who were still living outside were truly priceless treasures of Steelforge Castle.

Not only because these ancient survivors who mysteriously awakened from their long sleep in the spirit-like land possessed a large amount of lost Heraen knowledge and skills.

Moreover, these fifty-one pure bloodlines of ancestors who returned have not yet suffered the "curse" that the current ethnic group is enduring.

The truth behind the so-called curse is actually very simple. Even as a descendant of ancestors who have never seen the ancient times, Gorim is well aware of the reason.

"Steelforge Castle" and the "Wild Mountain City" that fled to the mountains east of the Wound of Omros two or three hundred years ago, all belong to the same lineage. The current number of the tribesmen is probably less than 20,000, and they are all descendants of the earliest hundreds of Heraen ancestors.

Our ancestors naturally did not have any taboos on inbreeding, but in small ethnic groups, there had been no foreign blood for many generations, and today the blood curse still appears among the tribesmen.

Today, the life expectancy of the descendants of the Helan survivors is decreasing with each generation, and is less than two-thirds of that of their ancestors. No one can live beyond 220 years old, let alone the longevity of more than 300 years that their ancestors had.

Moreover, looking at the next generation of the ethnic group, the life span is getting shorter and shorter, and we don’t even know when it will stop. Or will it stop until one day, they become as short-lived as other races, or even become extinct?

If Hem had not dissuaded him, Gorim would have even wanted to lead his troops through the underground webway himself to forcibly reclaim the nine ancestors who were left behind.

He was not at ease with the "short-lived species". Those short-lived people were the best at betraying their trust. Hundreds of years ago, they had done a despicable thing by trying to confine the remnants of Heraen as slaves. The ancestors who could not find their own people were weak and alone. If they had not been lucky enough to escape the pursuit by taking advantage of the complexity of the underground network, and escaped to the old place of Steelforge in the north and closed the mountain gate, they would probably not know what kind of situation they would be in now.

Unfortunately, later, when the fourth King of Steelforge, his grandfather, saw that the tribe had the ability to take revenge more than two hundred years ago and wanted to lead his troops to avenge their ancestors, he found out when he went out of the mountain gate to inquire.

The Kingdom of Norse actually destroyed those Norse people who betrayed the ancient covenant. They had long been driven out of the Western Continent by the Feru people. The rest were either killed or assimilated into the Feru people and could no longer be distinguished.

If they continue to declare war on the Kingdom of Orland, which has already unified this area, it would undoubtedly be an inexplicable and absurd act. If they want revenge again, Steelforge can only wait until later to build a ship and go out to sea to find the so-called "Nosnia" island.

As for the second undead disaster, Gorim couldn't help but frown and asked, "Lord Orland, isn't he trying to bluff us?"

"We did see what he described with our own eyes before we came back," Hem replied.

Seeing the other party's affirmation, the Dwarf King paced back and forth.

"A disaster for all the people on the continent? I find it hard to believe. Perhaps it is another fight between a short-lived tall noble and their wizards.

Since he at least helped wake you up, I can give him some compensation, but sending troops south? He can forget about it. I can't waste the precious lives of my people on his alarmist talk. "The dwarf king shook his head and refused.

"I think you should listen to the last news from that lord before making a decision." Hem reminded quickly.

Only then did the Dwarf King calm down.

However, after hearing about the whereabouts of the ancestors, he immediately blew his beard and glared: "? The gate to the realm?"

The kings of Steelforge have thought of various answers, but this is indeed the most incredible situation.

"Whether we believe it or not, we have to send someone to take a look," Hem suggested.

Our ancestors did not encounter any collective misfortune, but simply left this world as a whole clan?
There is another "world" besides this "world"? Having received this hope, Gorim suppressed his shock and said without hesitation: "Where is that 'gate'? Tell me quickly!"

The Dwarf King did not hesitate too much. Just as the elder said, no matter whether it was true or false, Steelforge would have to send someone or he would have to go to the location indicated on the map himself to take a look.

Fifty or so ancient bloodlines joined the tribe to harmonize the bloodline, but it was obviously still only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. If we could find the huge tribe of our ancestors, it would probably be the real way to solve the blood curse of our people today.

However, they had to pass through a barren mountain on this trip, and Gorim suddenly became conflicted. Should he tell those hateful cousins ​​about this?

The blood curse of short life is not only wreaking havoc in Steelforge
At the end of August, the temperature in the central part of the Western Continent was slightly higher, and King Orland did not continue to stay in his military tent.

Logically speaking, this was not a suitable time for a major war, but Ledwin knew very well that neither he nor his "colleague" Kantadar, who was trying to usurp the throne in the south, would easily let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Under the shade of the sunshade awning, he sat on the royal chair and deduced the battle plan with Trosa and other confidants on the map of Usato provided by the new king of Kantadar.

Casso bet everything on his choice. The map provided by the Kantadar royal family had been surveyed and revised for hundreds of years and was very accurate.

The previous kings of Kantadar who ordered people to draw maps in the past would never have imagined that this confidential survey map, which was hidden in the palace and not allowed to be disclosed to outsiders, would now be handed over to the Orland people by their own descendants for use.

As for the validity of the map, the Pegasus Knights from Kronia have also confirmed it from the air in recent days. Now, some simple golden indicators that symbolize the armies of both sides are being placed along the river where the two armies are confronting each other.

Under Ledwin's command were nearly 20,000 elite troops directly under the Crown of Kronia.

A coalition of 10,000 lords from across the Greyshank Valley.

Three thousand reinforcements from Lord Wester were dispatched from the Western Front.

Finally, there is the new king of Kantar, Kaso, his two thousand Kantar guards and four thousand royal city militia.

A total of 39,000 troops were assembled north of the river bank, with countless local laborers forcibly conscripted in the rear. The various camps and flags stretched as if there was no end in sight.

Far away south of the river bank, the scene of the Kantadar "rebels" was even more exaggerated than that in the north.

However, through the probing and frontline fighting between the two armies over the past few days, Ledwin had roughly figured out the enemy's strength.

The so-called 100,000-strong Kantardar army was actually only half of that.

However, in addition to the Duke of Aberle's 30,000 troops, the other 20,000 Uriah allies, their huge cavalry group should not be underestimated.

The grasslands rich in horses gave the Uriah people an exaggerated number of cavalry. The Southern Army's cavalry was probably more than twice as many as their own.
Having said that, it was not enough to make Ledwin and Trosa have any intention of retreating.

Despite the disadvantage in terms of troop strength and the fact that the number of cavalry was far less than that of the enemy, in terms of the morale and quality of the soldiers, the army under Orlando was far superior to the opponent at this moment.

The Eastern Expedition Army that Aberle recalled had already started the campaign last year and had been on the move for nearly a year. It only took a short rest before heading towards the royal city. It was obviously a spent force.

Although the Uriah people of the grassland were fierce, they had also been conquering other areas for a long time and could not sustain their military campaign.

Orland's expedition to the south had only been going on for a short time. After two or three months of fighting, he had taken advantage of the civil unrest in the south and had not suffered any defeat. The troops he led had won battle after battle, their morale was high, and their military strength was abundant.

Of course, without long-term and sufficient logistical preparations, Orlando's troops could not withstand the unsustainable consumption of food and fodder and remain in a long stalemate with the Confederate Army, and could not truly take advantage of the situation to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.

Fortunately, this battle does not require the complete defeat of the enemy. As long as Aberle can be forced to withdraw from Usato, it will be a victory for the Northern Army.

Ledwin stroked his beard and sighed in his heart. Aberle must have thought the same thing at this moment, which made the Orland people retreat in the face of difficulties.

"The focus is still on the Uriah army. We might as well try to attract the enemy if we can make the Uriah people voluntarily disconnect from Abel's army." Trosa thought.

If it weren't for the huge grassland cavalry, even if the Orland army took the initiative to attack, it would be confident of defeating Aberle's 30,000 troops head-on.

"If you can't attract the Uriah people, try to attract Aberle himself." Ledwin pondered for a moment and said, "There must be spies in the north of the river, otherwise he wouldn't have sent the secret letter so quickly.

Let Casso and his troops go to your camp in the next few days to raise the flag higher, move his troops and flags to the front and show more. I wonder how long Abel can endure it."

(End of this chapter)