Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 432 Giant
Wilderness, high cliff fortress.

Brestina and Tiffany were gathering the leaders of High Cliff Castle to discuss widening and redirecting the Rushing River.

As Gaoyabao developed into a more and more prosperous place, Banyuegang, far on the coast, was not left behind, and now 20,000 to 30,000 wilderness people have been relocated there.

The Benyong River is a river that passes through Gaoyabao, but it suddenly turns in another direction halfway to Banyuegang.

The reason for changing its course is to allow small boats to travel directly from Gaoyabao to Half Moon Harbor via the river, which will save a lot of time and effort, with numerous benefits.

The only difficulty is that this is a huge project, so when Li Wei is not around, everyone in Gaoyabao naturally needs to discuss it together.

Unfortunately, before a result could be reached, an unexpected event occurred.

"Madam." Gus walked in from outside the door with a gloomy face, but because he was too tall and burly, almost no one looked up to see what expression the centaur leader had.

It walked over to Tina and Tiffany and lay down on the floor, but even so it was still much taller than the two women. Gus whispered, "Something happened at the Frogman tribe. Now all the Frogman elders have come to High Cliff Fortress. They were just brought in from outside the city. Many of them were injured, and a few died on the way."

After Zart left, the taciturn commander of the cavalry took over the position of commander of the High Cliff Fortress garrison.

The two women looked at each other, both with expressions of disbelief.

The Frogmen tribe recently joined the High Cliff Fortress. Although these frogmen are only slightly better than the thin and weak rabbitmen and goatmen in terms of strength and martial arts, they are almost born with the ability to control a water elemental magic called "Water Arrow".

The older frogmen were more proficient in water elemental magic, and their skills were stronger.

Those who remain in their hometowns and refuse to come to Gaoyabao are all elders among the frogmen, and each one of them is a formidable character.

In the wilderness, where the formidable military might of Gaoyabao is awe-inspiring, what other force could possibly threaten the lives of these elders?

The centaur leader's angry voice was enough to terrify the rabbitmen, so even though he tried to lower his voice, it was still clearly audible in the hall.

Both Elder Tang Jin, the top official in charge of Gaoyabao's administration, and Van Gogh, the naval commander, heard everything clearly. However, since the other party had no intention of speaking to them, the turtle and the fish naturally pretended not to have heard anything.

The two chatted about the food at Gaoyabao.

"Who hurt them?" Tina finally noticed that the centaur leader's expression was rather unpleasant.

You should know that although the other person is usually taciturn and treats people in a serious and formal manner, and seems to be easy to talk to, he is actually very arrogant. He won't even bother to look at anyone he doesn't think much of.

The fact that Gus looked so serious meant they must be a group of formidable opponents.

“This…” Gus hesitated for a moment: “Why don’t you meet those frogmen yourselves and let them speak to you, Madam?”

That news was so shocking that if hundreds of people hadn't all been telling the same story, and if some hadn't died, they probably would have all been arrested as spies deliberately spreading panic.

“Elder, Commander Van Gogh, we can talk about the river diversion another time.” Tina, who had already transformed from a young girl into a lady, already possessed the demeanor of a former lord. “Gus, lead the way, let’s go see the frogman elders.”

“Yes, madam.” Gus immediately stood up.

Tiffany followed Tina closely and said to everyone in the hall, "Everyone, come with us and see what happened."

Elder Tang Jin stood up, leaning on his cane. Van Gogh also dropped his relaxed expression from discussing the food. Along with several other important leaders of High Cliff Fortress, they all stood up and followed the two ladies and Gus with solemn expressions.

The injured frogmen were housed in a spacious wooden hut inside the inner fort of Gaoyabao. It was originally a warehouse, but was later converted into a medical room.

A strong herbal smell mixed with the fishy smell and a faint smell of blood hit the air, making one's heart tighten.

Pushing open the door, I found the room filled with gloom and despair.

A dozen or so frogman elders of various shapes and sizes lay on a bed covered with white bedding. Their smooth skin had mostly lost its luster, and was covered with frostbite, bruises, and even terrible lacerations. Pale green mucus seeped from the wounds, which were wrapped in rough bandages.

Low groans echoed, and several frogmen were barely moving, their chests rising and falling slightly, silently telling the story of the carnage.

Several elven female healers from the Whisperwind tribe were frantically treating the injuries.

In fact, the elven girls had treated some of the wounds, but the frogman elders' injuries were simply too severe.

The thighs looked like they had been ripped off alive, and there were even arms that had been crushed.

In their imagination, it was as if the ugly giant who had just walked in had crushed it with his hands or torn it off.

Seeing Tina and Tiffany bring in the key figures of High Cliff Fortress, the surviving frogman elders felt a complex mix of emotions: relief at surviving a disaster, grief at losing their companions, but more than anything, a deep-seated fear.

"Your Highness Tiffany." The frog, who had been lying in bed groaning in pain, jumped off the bed in surprise upon seeing the person who had arrived.

It's Her Highness Tiffany!

They actually came to see the frog in person.

Tiffany smiled and gestured for the other person to rest well.

The frog was captivated by the beautiful smile and immediately lay down on the bed, dumbfounded. No matter how the elf girl called for it to raise its arm to bandage, it didn't react. Finally, the elf girl had to grit her teeth and slap it to wake it from its sweet dream.

In fact, Tiffany didn't recognize the other person, but seeing the badge on his chest, she knew he was the frogman navy trained by Van Gogh.

An elderly frogman, relatively large in stature, missing an arm and covered in bandages, struggled to stand up and bow, but Tina quickly stepped forward and pressed him down: "Elders, there's no need for bowing. You all need to rest now. If you have anything to say, just stay in bed."

"Good day, madam. My name is Dudley, and I am the elder of the Frogman tribe," the old frogman said with some shame.

He had insisted on staying in the tribe back then, but now he was seeking the protection of High Cliff Fortress. His pride naturally began to get the better of him.

“My name is White Steiner, the lady of High Cliff Fortress. This is Tiffany, just like me. The lord of High Cliff Fortress is not here, so we are in charge here. Now tell us, what exactly happened? Who attacked you?” Tina took the little hand of the mermaid princess beside her and raised it, then said seriously, “We will stand up for you.”

"Madam, giants, giants!" The old frogman gave a bitter laugh, his tone so bitter it could make any child's face contort in pain. "The prophecy we've followed for generations has come true. Giants have crawled out from the bottom of Emerald Lake and are beginning their revenge." "Excuse me, old man," Tang Jin, who had been listening nearby, couldn't help but speak up. "Since the elemental tides arrived, the giants, being top-tier magical creatures, disappeared thousands of years ago due to the fading of their magic. How could they possibly appear now?"

“Elder Dudley, it’s not that I’m trying to refute you, but this is simply too incredible. The shock it has caused is enough to make people all over the medieval continent restless.”

“I know, I know it’s unbelievable, but it’s true.” Dudley wasn’t angry. Even it wouldn’t believe the tribe’s prophecy would come true if it hadn’t seen it with its own eyes.

"It was the earth frog that discovered them first. They were a group of frost giants who emerged from the bottom of the Emerald Cold Lake. Their towering figures blotted out the sky. This centaur was already quite tall, but compared to them, he was like a child. Their punches and kicks were enough to shatter a small mountain, and their mastery of ice elemental magic was enough to freeze all life."

“If their target hadn’t been in the south, not us, we wouldn’t have been able to escape to Gaoyabao alive.”

As the frogman elder recounted his story, the hall fell into a deathly silence, and the leaders of Gaoyabao all paled.

The power of giants needs no further explanation. These creatures were a dominant race in ancient times. The storm giants, who lived in Thunder Cliff, could even wrestle with dragons. Their innate mastery of lightning and storm magic caused the dragons a great deal of trouble.

Giants are divided into upper-rank giants and lower-rank giants. Upper-rank giants are Storm Giants, Cloud Giants, and Frost Giants.

The lower-ranking giants were stone giants, hill giants, fire giants, and so on.

Although the Frost Giants are far less powerful than the Storm Giants, they should not be underestimated, even though they are both high-ranking giants.

Most importantly, the frost giants are an utterly evil race. They enslave humans and even treat them as food. Although they are intelligent, they are almost impossible to negotiate with, and any encounter with them will most likely result in a fight to the death.

"Your Highness, do you think the wilderness is so cold because of these frost giants?" Van Gogh, the orca warrior who was a top student, was indeed quick-witted and inadvertently revealed the truth of the matter.

“The more powerful a creature is, the more it can influence the surrounding environment. Perhaps it really is related to these giants.” Tiffany nodded.

Just like the areas where dragons live, they can subtly transform other creatures in their territory into dragon vein creatures, and even grow many priceless dragon vein plants. Top magical creatures all have the ability to change their environment.

"How many are there?" Tina's voice remained calm, but her clenched knuckles were slightly white.

If these frost giants are too numerous and attack High Cliff Fortress, with Levi absent and Sophia asleep, High Cliff Fortress's current strength will likely be insufficient to withstand them.

“I don’t know.” Elder Dudley the Frogman shook his head: “Anyway, there are many, many. Every time they walk, it causes the earth to tremble.”

"Sister Tina, what should we do?" The mermaid princess looked at Tina beside her.

Although she is much older than Tina in human terms, Tiffany is only a young adult in mermaid terms.

“Although Elder Dudley said that these giants seem to be heading south and there is no High Cliff Fortress on their route, I’m afraid they might change course midway.” Tina rubbed her temples, feeling a lot of pressure.

"Elder Tang Jin, please send a message to Duke Flina and His Majesty Harland." After thinking for a while, she said, "Tell them about the appearance of frost giants in the wilderness, ask them to support High Cliff Fortress, and at the same time prepare for the frost giants to bypass High Cliff Fortress and head south."

"Commander Gus, the defense of High Cliff Fortress is in your hands. Gather the warriors of High Cliff Fortress to guard it. Hogg, you are in charge of leading men to investigate the movements of these frost giants. There is no need to get too close. They are large, and you should be able to see them even from dozens of miles away."

"Gentlemen, now that Li Wei is not here, Gaoyabao can only rely on you."

Tina glanced around at the leaders of the high cliff fortress.

"Madam, as you wish!"

All the leaders of Gaoyabao clattered their heels together, clenched their fists, and slapped their chests in salute.

"What about us, Sister Tina?" Princess Aishilu raised her little hand from the side.

"Let's go contact Li Wei together!"

After Tina finished speaking, she led the group of girls to run off to get the Alchemy Communication Magic Disk.

……

"Let's save people first; there's no rush to deal with these demons," the lord replied in response to Ansuna's question.

“You are very honest, and honesty is a precious quality.” Li Wei’s gaze swept back and forth between the two demons, making them feel uneasy.

He suddenly smiled kindly: "My lord, I'm in a good mood today and will spare your two little scoundrels' lives."

"My lord, is it true?" the two Soul Eaters asked hesitantly.

In reality, they were overjoyed. This human was such an idiot for letting them go like that. If it were them, they would have tortured them all to death. Anyway, they had gotten the information they wanted.

“However, I have a gift that you need to give to your demon lord.” Li Wei’s voice rang out again. He took a palm-sized wooden box from his inventory and tossed it to the two demons.

The two Soul-Eating Demons examined the unremarkable box in their hands. It was made of wood and had a copper lock on it, and it had no value whatsoever.

They thought to themselves that even if they abandoned them halfway through, this human wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"Don't even think about giving up halfway." The lord seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. He snapped his fingers, and two halos of holy light were placed around the necks of the two demons. They were like red-hot irons, burning the necks of the two demons, making them howl in pain.

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee your heads won't get burned," Li Wei said with a grin.

This is an extremely low-level divine spell, but it's enough to deal with two demons.

That damned Holy Light Knight!
The two Soul Eaters were cursing each other in their minds in the abyss slang.

"Then get out of here right now."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two Soul-Eating Demons tumbled and crawled away like stray dogs, plunging into the depths of the thick fog without looking back, leaving behind only wisps of black smoke scorched by the holy light and the pungent smell of sulfur.

"Your Majesty, what is this?" Ansuna couldn't help but ask as she watched the demon's figure disappear into the black mist.

(End of this chapter)