Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 519: War is about to begin
"The Earth-loving One" Olde Coffman waited for half a month before receiving Harvey's official reply from the Spellcaster Forum.

The reply letter indeed politely rejected Kofman's marriage proposal - the excuse was just as Kofman expected, with the other party using the high-sounding reason that as a spellcaster one should pursue the truth and devote oneself to the way of magic.

Fortunately, although he was rejected, Harvey's tone in his reply did not reveal disgust or anger. He still accepted the olive branch that Kofman took the initiative to extend. At least in the short term, basic cooperation could be achieved in dealing with the church and foreign enemies.

"What a shame... A political marriage doesn't involve personal feelings. This was originally a golden opportunity. I heard that the nobles of Saint Valen will no longer have the power to share fiefdoms and command the military. If we can be completely tied to Mr. Kel'Thuzad, this dictatorial king with unpredictable power and tough tactics will become the sole supreme noble in all of Saint Valen... The Barclay royal family will undoubtedly benefit greatly from this marriage alliance."

Dinah was quite pleased with this, and teased with a smile, "My dear great-grandfather, the two marriage partners you chose for me don't seem very suitable... From the previous Grand Duke Saint Valen who died suddenly, to this mysterious King of the North."

"No, these two people are completely different in nature!"

"What's the difference? It's just the former king who was forced to abdicate and the new king who just took power..."

Olde shook his head, stood up, and walked to the window. "The previous Grand Duke was unable to break free from the control of the Church, struggling to maintain his shaky rule between the two forces, and ultimately ended up in his current situation. This is enough to show his shortsightedness and recklessness... And this new King of the North, hehe... have you ever heard of his failure?"

Looking back at the various ways he had quietly developed and accumulated strength in the North over the years, and the sudden momentum he displayed when he swept across Saint Valen with the power of thunder... this was not something a commoner spellcaster who didn't even come from an ordinary noble family could achieve. Could it be that all this was the result of the forum's secret support behind the scenes?

"At all costs, we must not antagonize the Principality of Saint Valen. Since a political marriage won't impress them, we must fully cooperate with all his actions... Resources, land, wealth, and population—these derivatives of power must have an equivalent exchange value. Let's see what he's most attracted to."

The young Queen Kofman frowned, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Great-grandfather, why are you so afraid of that Northern Lord? Is it simply because of the elite troops and magical weapons he wields? Or is it because the Federation allied with him is putting pressure on him from behind?"

The Principality of Barclay is not a weak secular country in the central southern region. Although it has not openly sided with either the Federation or the Holy See, it still has a permanent seat in the High Council of the Seven Wizarding Nations and is rich in mineral resources... The Maple Leaf Knights under Diane's command are even more powerful and are not completely powerless.

"You don't understand. The power Harvey Floyd possesses, and the mysterious existence behind him... are not something we can easily contend with. Perhaps before long..."

Before Olde could finish his words, the carved crystal glass window was suddenly blown open by a breeze, and a blue-gray shadow rushed into the room like lightning, and suddenly spread its wings to reveal its body.

This is the owl spirit tamed by Olde. It can travel between reality and the magic network faster than spell messengers, and deliver letters and messages more secretly and quickly.

Olde took the letter from the owl's claws and unfolded it, unable to help but let out a long sigh.

"Just yesterday, the fortress of Isengard, Wolf's Fang, was breached by the army of the King in the North..."

Wayne and a group of officers hurried into the main fort of Langya Ridge. Seeing the mess inside the hall, he couldn't help but frown.

"The logistics department has limited artillery ammunition reserves, but those guys in the artillery squadron are so wasteful? They recklessly pour precious ammunition on the enemy's main fort, which has no strategic value at all!"

Dave also grinned and tutted his displeasure. "The artillery squadron set up their bombardment position halfway up the side peak. They were probably first-time operators of portable artillery, and they weren't sure where to target and where to explode... Besides, our soldiers were fighting fiercely with the guards near the city gate at the time, so they were probably afraid of accidentally injuring their own troops."

Wayne poked the pile of swords, spears, and halberds on the ground with his foot and said helplessly, "Send a messenger to warn the captain of the artillery squadron. The battle is urgent along the way. No matter how many enemy strongholds we capture, we won't get any supplies... Every bullet must be carefully calculated!"

Because of the Northern Army's special weapons and equipment, they have no way of "fighting to support the war" and rely on the spoils of war after each victory to supply themselves. In the case of cross-border expeditions... the longer the front line and the longer the war lasts, the more difficult it is to supply. If the deployment is not good, it is very likely to become an "isolated army" with no ammunition or food.

Military advisor Tommy soothed them, "Don't worry too much about it, as it will affect our offensive progress... His Majesty said that if there's an emergency with insufficient supplies, we can simply set up a teleportation array on site and receive supplies directly from Spark City. As for when we reach the Gap Canyon in the Divine Ridge Mountains, we can dispatch a second airship to deliver the teleportation equipment..."

Wayne suddenly felt embarrassed and snorted, "Isn't this equivalent to a failed operation? Your Majesty entrusted me with such an important military mission, how could I be forced to ask for help from the headquarters halfway? It's simply shameful!"

He pulled out a document stamped with a bright red top-secret seal and said with a sinister grin, "The intelligence department just delivered important information. Perhaps we can find a way to find a new supply route after entering Isengard without consuming the only teleportation array equipment we have!"

That mysterious deputy chief of intelligence, the secret police officer codenamed 003...rumors say he disguised himself and sneaked into Isengard months ago. When the General Staff just decided on the plan for this military operation, he had already contacted a secret spellcasting organization within the country. This secret group hidden in Isengard just happened to control a continental teleportation array that could replace the long-distance transmission function!

Wayne carefully unfolded the intelligence document, took a quick glance, and couldn't help but frown. This secret spellcasting organization, with which they had just recently established contact, had a rather strange name...

"Stoneheart Hermitage? It doesn't sound like a serious spellcasting organization." Dave came over and muttered.

But on second thought, it is normal. A religious country like Isengard with a strong belief in the church has always openly resisted and expelled spellcasters. It is also the main area where a large number of witch hunters from the Holy See's Divine Punishment faction are entrenched. Any spellcasters in the country probably dare not reveal their identities easily. These few wizards who huddle together for warmth must also be secretly forming associations and operating in secret.

"Their association is located in Glenmore Highland City, not far from the border. Although it's not in the direction of our main attack route, it's definitely worth capturing it in one fell swoop and turning it into a mid-way supply hub!"

(End of this chapter)