Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 726 Stubborn Individuals
"This damned sandstorm!" Count Julian complained impatiently, standing on the castle balcony and gazing at the gloomy, yellowish sky in the distance. "The wind will pick up by tonight at the latest... It couldn't have come at the worst possible time!"

The Twin Cities, located less than 100 miles from Langya Ridge, are also near the border mountains. However, due to the large pastures and mines in the surrounding mountains, they are frequently attacked by hurricanes and sandstorms, especially in the summer and autumn seasons. Sandstorms often come without warning, causing great trouble to the local herders.

But the count's mood was not solely due to the bad weather; there was also a letter from Langya Ridge.

"My lord, how do you intend to respond to Baron Peyton?" The old steward read the letter several times before cautiously asking, "Should we cooperate with him to relocate the city's inhabitants to Saint Valen to avoid the invasion of the northern barbarians?"

"Cooperate with him?" The count sneered, rolling his eyes in disdain. "That shameless Peyton, at the critical moment when the kingdom was under attack by foreign invaders, immediately switched sides to Saint Valen like a weather vane, and even dared to shamelessly persuade me to abandon my religion and betray the country like him!"

The steward was taken aback, and after a moment, he whispered, "But...but the strength of the Saint Valen people is simply beyond our reach. If we don't comply with their demands, I'm afraid..."

"What's there to be afraid of? Twin Cities are already prepared to fight against the northern barbarians. If the Saint Valens want to invade first, I will not compromise in the slightest!"

He paused, then continued, "I have already dispatched a cavalry unit to the mountain mines to gather the miners and guards. Then we will lead the entire city's military and civilians into the mountains, and we will fight these invaders to the death!"

The count grew angrier as he spoke, his voice rising considerably, carrying far from the castle balcony and drawing the attention of many servants in the courtyard below.

The old steward hurriedly stepped forward, trembling as he reminded him, "Sir, please be quiet! Those guys from the Stoneheart Hermitage have been openly operating in the city for a long time. They are all surveillance agents kept by the Saint Valen people. We must not let the news leak out in advance!"

Count Julian immediately blushed, realizing his slip of the tongue... His main force was stationed in the mountain mines, guarding a large number of miners and slaves. Normally, the Twin Cities only had a little over a thousand cavalry guards at their disposal. This was not a problem for suppressing the people in the city and maintaining order, but it was a bit of a stretch to search for foreign spies in a city with a population of nearly ten thousand.

No matter how angry or dissatisfied he was, he couldn't directly provoke the Saint Valen people who were so close by. Before he had completely retreated into the mountains, he couldn't possibly contend with the magical armies under the Wizard Emperor.

He couldn't afford to offend them... but he certainly couldn't surrender. Twin Cities was a fiefdom that his family had managed for over a hundred years. Every inch of this land belonged to him. He wouldn't back down an inch, whether it was the Saint Valens or the northern barbarians who came to attack.

For now, we can only wait and wait for the right opportunity. Once all the supplies in the city have been moved to the mountains, he can lead his troops to defend the strategic passes and surely find a way to resist the enemy attacking from both sides!

……

Not long after, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted the count's plans.

The guard staggered in, knelt on one knee, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"

"Has the cavalry unit that went to the mining area returned?"

"No...no, it's from the sky. Suddenly, many floating sailing ships appeared in the sky. A high-ranking wizard flew directly to the city gate and asked the captain of the guards...saying that a sandstorm was coming and they needed to land in the city to temporarily avoid the storm!"

It's those damned Saint Valens! Only they possess these bizarre magical artifacts that can lift sailboats into the air and let them sail freely.

Some time ago, cavalrymen patrolling outside the city spotted faint traces of these magical creations in the sky from the hills. They hadn't expected them to arrive at Twin Cities so quickly. "Have you confirmed their identities and origins?" Count Julian asked, somewhat flustered, but still persistently, "How many are coming?"

“There are nearly thirty flying sailing ships, and the number of people is still uncertain, but there must be wizards mixed in among them.” The guard said with his head down, “Their identities have been verified. They are indeed Saint Valen people. The black and gold emblem is engraved on those sailing ships, and it is very conspicuous even from a distance.”

The old steward stepped forward and whispered, "Have they already entered the city?"

"...Not yet, it just floated in mid-air above the city gate. Only one wizard came, and he wasn't arrogant at all; he was even quite polite."

The count struggled for a moment, his mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure of what to do. It was only after the old steward whispered a few words of comfort in his ear that he managed to squeeze out the words through gritted teeth.

"Clear out that threshing ground in the west of the city and make room for them... their magical creations to land and rest."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another guard hurriedly walked in.

“Your Excellency, the high-ranking wizard who asked us for temporary shelter has... has again requested to see the city lord... He... he wants to see you!”

The head steward exclaimed in horror, "What does this mean? A meeting with the Earl... what does he intend to do?"

The priests and knights of the Inquisition who were originally stationed in the Twin Cities had already set off to the north to defend against the enemy during the time when the alien races invaded Eisengard. The few who were left behind later received news of the attack on the holy city of Goris and chose to return to its aid without hesitation.

Currently, the only beings in the entire city who can be considered extraordinary are a handful of healing priests in the parish monastery. They are no match for the heretical wizards, let alone the ordinary church knights under their command.

The low-ranking bloodline warriors kept in the city lord's mansion are no match for high-ranking wizards. Moreover, it is still unclear how many heretical wizards are mixed in with the other party's airship. Rashly refusing may directly escalate the conflict and give the other party an excuse to resort to violence.

Whether to see him or not... it seems that it's no longer entirely up to Count Julian himself.

He could only shake his head dejectedly and wave his hand, saying, "What other way is there? Tell that high-ranking wizard that I can meet with him at any time."

At least for now, there hasn't been an open falling out. Since the other party wants to meet, there's no harm in meeting... These wizards, who are always arrogant, won't attack him on the spot.

The soldier saluted with his hand on his chest, and after receiving the order, he got up to report back.

The count seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "Did that high-ranking wizard give his name?"

"Yes... He called himself Colonel Phil Horden."

(End of this chapter)