Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 723 Border Turmoil
Wolf Fang Ridge, border of Eisengard.

As one of the three major passes on the southwestern border of the Kingdom of Hussars, Wolf Fang Ridge is much quieter than the other two pass cities... The main reason is that Saint Valentine prohibits open human trafficking. Slaves and mine merchants from Eisengard can only detour through Daus to avoid their slave caravans entering Saint Valentine and incurring taxes and exploitation by the royal families and nobles along the way.

But ever since those alien monsters invaded through the Great Rift of Godspine and wreaked havoc in the northern part of the Kingdom of Eisengard, refugees fleeing south have gradually gathered in the border area, turning this once deserted border city into a bustling and prosperous place.

Every day, a large number of people fleeing from the Highlands and Steelrock areas arrive, driving cattle and horses, or pulling wheelbarrows with their families. The wealthy can rent a simple stone house in the city for temporary shelter, while the relatively poor can only stay outside the city... setting up simple tents for shelter.

In just a few months, from early spring to midsummer, nearly 100,000 people have gathered in Langya Ridge and the surrounding border towns, and the local grain price has increased several times over.

Despite the constant threat of famine due to the inability to afford expensive food, the people who had fled thousands of miles to this place had no intention of returning. They could find food in the surrounding mountains and forests even if they were hungry. But if they left the border area and headed north to return, they would easily run into the southward-moving foreign tribes and lose their lives.

The troops stationed at Langya Ridge by the neighboring country of Saint Valen are the last straw these refugees must grasp for survival. If the foreign tribes really invade the border area, regardless of whether these Saint Valen people are willing to fight back, at least they can feel a little more at ease staying under their noses for now.

It is rumored that Emperor Saint Valen's magical army has already defeated those terrifying alien enemies many times in the depths of the wasteland north of the Divine Ridge Mountains. It would be a piece of cake for them to resist the monsters that invade Eisengard.

……

Wood rubbed his hands nervously, looking at the horse dealer with a hopeful expression. "Don't worry, this horse is very healthy and has never been sick. You can tell by looking at its coat and teeth..."

The horse merchant pursed his lips and shook his head with dissatisfaction, saying, "This is a draft horse from the northern highlands, and it is indeed very well raised... but it is not my choice. It is a bit old and eats too much."

Wood hesitated for a moment, then said urgently, "Please reconsider! After all, you only need to bring one child..."

Seeing that the horse merchant remained unmoved, he quickly added, "If you agree, I... I'm willing to include the harness and the cart as well."

Before the other party could reply, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old suddenly tugged at Wood's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle, maybe we shouldn't sell Old Graythorn? It looks too pitiful!"

Wood frowned and said in a low voice, "If you don't sell the horse, how am I going to get you across the border? Small groups of alien races have already started to appear near Highland City. Before long, they will reach the border area. Even if you hide in the fortress of Wolf Fang Ridge, you won't be able to escape... Those monsters kill anyone they see and leave no survivors."

Although Wolf Fang Ridge is currently under the actual control of the Saint Valen people, they do not seem to have any intention of completely opening the border to accept refugees from Eisengard. Instead, they have supported a local minor nobleman of Wolf Fang Ridge to temporarily manage the pass city for them. Only a few merchant caravans with travel permits are allowed to pass after undergoing strict checks.

As a result, many people began to try to bribe merchants to slip through the gates by taking advantage of the caravan connections... after all, only when they reached the territory of Saint Valen could they be considered truly safe.

The horse merchant Wood approached was a Darth Vader merchant with a travel permit. Bringing a child along wasn't considered a huge risk, and he offered only his last remaining old draft horse. After this brief delay, the horse merchant shrugged and turned to look at two other horses for sale… Times had changed. While the Kingdom of the Flying Cavalry did indeed produce excellent horses, everyone was trying to sell them off quickly, hoping to secure a chance to cross the border with a caravan.

The old draft horse snorted, seemingly pleased that it had escaped a disaster... The boy who had just tried to stop Wood from selling the horse also patted the horse's neck and stubbornly said, "Why does Uncle insist on taking me there? If you don't come with me, I won't go anywhere!"

When they escaped from Steel Rock City, the once complete family was reduced to just the uncle and nephew, along with a strong draft horse they had raised since childhood. It was thanks to the horse that the two were able to travel south in a wheelbarrow and reach the border region without suffering too much hardship.

“We’re running out of food and money. Rather than waiting to die here, we might as well save as many as we can.” Wood looked around uneasily and whispered in the boy’s ear, “If there’s a food shortage and famine on the border, the two of us alone won’t be able to save Old Graythorn’s life. Those hungry bastards will steal it and kill it for meat.”

The boy couldn't help but shudder. "Let's find a way to leave together! Let's take Old Graythorn with us..."

"Without a pass, you can't get through the checkpoint. Those Saint Valens will stop you directly. Going around through the mountains is too dangerous. Even if you're lucky enough not to be eaten by wild animals, you'll fall off a cliff and die... If you're caught by the border patrol soldiers, you probably won't survive."

Wood suddenly recalled the various rumors he had heard about Saint Valentine along the way, paused, and then continued in a low voice, "I heard that... the new emperor of Saint Valentine is... a wizard by birth, who extremely dislikes the church and has even passed laws to ban the belief in gods. They are mostly unwilling to accept believers like us."

As he spoke, he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm, revealing a conspicuous sun emblem tattoo on his wrist... This is a baptismal mark that only devout believers of the church would bear, and it is extremely common in Eisengarh.

Jacob, the nephew, was originally supposed to be branded after his baptism when he was twelve years old. However, Wood's brother happened to offend the parish priest at that time, and the priest delayed the matter as a form of revenge... Unexpectedly, it has now become Jacob's greatest chance of survival.

Without the tattoos of devout believers, it was easier to join caravans, slip through border passes, and arrive in Saint-Valéon to start a new life.

The uncle and nephew were discussing in hushed tones when a low buzzing sound suddenly came from above.

The crowds in the market looked up and discovered that, without them noticing, hundreds of strange objects resembling sailboats had suddenly appeared in the sky, slowly ascending and crossing the refugee settlement of Langya Ridge, before heading north at an extremely fast speed.

"What's that? A sailboat that can fly in the sky?"

"My God! There are so many of them that they can block out the light of day!"

"I know! That's...that's His Majesty Emperor Saint Valen's magical army! Are they heading north to fight those alien monsters?"

(End of this chapter)