Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 460 Aomine's Dilemma: Negotiations with Rukawa
Green Pine City, the capital of the renowned Green Pine Kingdom, is situated on a vast plain on the north bank of the Crystal River.

This city was once one of the most important satellite cities of Silvermoon City, the Elven capital, and the main gathering place for the Druids on the Crystal Plains. Over the long course of history, these "Tree Shepherds" planted eighteen giant pine trees here, which surrounded the city, hence the name Pine City.

Even the name of the Kingdom of Green Pine evolved from the city of Green Pine.

The airships of Hanhai have captured the magnificent scenery of this city more than once. The trunks of these giant trees are over 15 meters in diameter, and the bark is cracked, with the traces of time deeply engraved in every crevice.

The top of the giant tree is a huge canopy. Sunlight shines through the thin clouds and falls on the eighteen towering pines, casting dappled shadows that stretch for miles.

When the last surviving Druids, the "Guardians of Nature," retreated into Silvermoon Forest with the main line of elves, Archdruid Videlran, the then leader of Green Pine City, made a painful decision.

He knew that if these giant trees were allowed to retain their consciousness, then any human invaders entering this area would inevitably encounter their frenzied attacks.

Faced with these evil humans who could not even defeat the elven army, these giant trees were destined for death.

He couldn't bear to part with it.

These giant trees are the ancestors, companions, and guardians of the druids. They have protected this land countless times. When Vidalan's palms pressed against these tree veins full of life, tears streamed down his face as he felt their angry heartbeats.

The only way to ensure the survival of these trees is to allow them to return to their original, unconscious form.

So, on a desolate moonlit night, Vydelran led the druid elders in a solemn and silent ceremony, where they personally retrieved the "hearts of the tree people" from the eighteen giant trees.

The process of extraction was slow and painful. The branches and leaves of the giant tree moved without wind, emitting a low, mournful cry, like the dying gasps of a soulless beast.

When the last heartwood was removed and sealed in a specially made box, all the giant pines seemed to "freeze" instantly.

They remain majestic and verdant, but their inner radiance has been extinguished. The mournful spirits of light wept as they left the canopy, and from then on, these trees became ordinary, "extraordinarily large" trees, returning to their most primitive plant form.

The druids carefully preserved these Heart of the Tree Caskets, awaiting the day when the elf druids would return and awaken these ancestral trees.

This wait lasted for more than three hundred years!
The above information comes from the epics of the elves and from Vydelran's own account.

Over the centuries, the eighteen pines continued to grow, becoming a landmark wonder of the Green Pine Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Green Pine also made some modifications to it, building spiral staircases on the trunks to create natural lookout posts and mage towers; suspended corridors and courtyards were built between the thick branches, connecting them into "upper areas" for the kingdom's nobles, mages, and high-ranking professionals to live, rest, and socialize.

Of course, the Kingdom of Green Pine also created its own legends for these giant trees.

The bards sang over a dozen versions of the story, all with similar content. Legend has it that at the beginning of the kingdom's founding, the first king of Green Pine, Tas, led his tribe to migrate here. They were besieged by the local "savage native elves" and "bloodthirsty evil beasts." The weather was freezing cold, and they ran out of arrows and food. More than half of the tribe's warriors were killed or wounded, and they had no choice but to retreat to a high ground by the river, where they awaited their fate of destruction.

That night, Gustav received a divine revelation in a dream and was given eighteen seeds. When he woke up, his hands were empty, but eighteen seedlings sprouted around the camp overnight.

Following the divine guidance, Gustav cut his wrist and personally led the way in watering the sapling with his blood. Within three days, the sapling grew into a towering tree. Its intertwined branches formed a natural barrier, keeping the monsters at bay; the resin secreted from its trunk provided warmth for the kingdom's warriors in the cold nights; and the fallen fruit from the tree restored the warriors' strength to their grip on their swords.

Thanks to this divine miracle, the tribe was able to catch its breath and, based on this foundation, gradually encroached upon the surrounding areas, eventually becoming a kingdom.

Year after year, this legend was embellished and strengthened, sung far and wide, and woven into the collective memory of every generation of Greenpine people. Today, throughout the Greenpine Kingdom, from royalty to commoners, no one remembers the past when this land belonged to the elves.

To package one's past of aggression and slaughter as a resume of victimization and resistance—the highest level of deception is to believe it even in oneself.

The Kingdom of Green Pine has already reached this level.

In the center, surrounded by these enormous tree canopies, lies the ground-level city where countless green pines reside.

The city no longer bears any trace of the Druids' reverence for nature, but instead exhibits distinct militaristic characteristics.

The lower floors of the city buildings were mostly made of stone, while the upper floors were a mixture of wood and stone. The windows were narrow and high, and the roofs were mostly gentle slopes with skylights, which could be transformed into watchtowers for archers to defend at any time. Each important street intersection had a stone barricade base, and in wartime, only crossbeams and iron bars needed to be erected to quickly build a defensive line.

In the days after the elves retreated, without the protection of the groves, the unrestrained and raging monsters ran rampant across the plains. It was by relying on this fortress-like city that the Green Pine Kingdom gained a foothold and eventually laid the foundation for its centuries-long rule.

A wide, straight main road, large enough to accommodate six carriages side by side, runs through the city and leads directly into the royal palace, connecting to the central pine hall.

On either side of the entrance to the main hall, every ten steps or so, there is a bronze statue of a king from different dynasties, holding different weapons, solemnly looking down at the royal officials who are climbing the steps.

The current king of the Green Pine Kingdom, Kruger XI, sat on a wide throne. He was about fifty years old, with half-gray hair, but still quite upright. He wore a dark green robe embroidered with gold patterns, and gripped the scepter in his hand so tightly that his knuckles trembled slightly.

King Kruger XI was so agitated that all the civil and military officials standing on either side of the steps lowered their heads and looked down, none daring to meet the king's gaze.

"Dongguan Pass... seventeen 'heavy fortresses,' over 42,000 veterans, 600 members of the mage corps, and 3,000 elite guards directly under the royal city's command..."

Kluge XI's voice echoed in the hall, each word deliberate and strained, as if squeezed out from between his teeth:

"You report daily that the defenses are impregnable and unharmed! The enemy has suffered heavy casualties, losing their armor and weapons!"

"The results of it?"

Kruger XI's voice suddenly rose, like the roar of a wounded beast.

"How did we suddenly get surrounded? Can't we get out? Are we trapped in a dead end?"

"How did the enemy cross the valley defense line? Can they fly?"

"what--?!"

"Speak up!!!"

The entire hall fell silent, and finally, under the intense pressure of everyone's gazes, Minister of War Harold was pushed out.

Harold's facial scar twitched a few times, and he stepped forward with difficulty to reply, "Your Majesty is wise and insightful, able to discern the truth even before seeing it; you are truly a genius."

He first offered a compliment, as was his habit, even though he knew it was useless at the moment.

"The enemy has indeed flown over the defensive line of the Crystal Valley in Kedi Territory!"

"They had a large number of flying troops who, taking advantage of the intense fighting at the front and the fact that the front was too busy to pay attention, suddenly bypassed the defense line from high altitude and landed at Eagle Beak Mountain, more than 30 kilometers behind Liuli Valley, cutting off the road from Kedi City to Liuli Valley."

"Currently, the land route to the front line is cut off, and the Dragon Eagles have been repeatedly intercepted and killed. In the past two days, only one message has been sent out, saying that the enemy's offensive is in full swing and our army... Our army is relying on fortifications and is holding its ground!"

Green Pine has a strong martial spirit, and the Minister of War is a highly trusted and powerful figure who can barely withstand the king's wrath.

But that's all it can withstand for a moment.

Seeing that the king's anger had not subsided, the Minister of Military Affairs quickly tried to make amends.

"Your Majesty, although that treacherous bandit from the vast sea succeeded in his scheme for the time being, the kingdom's soldiers are exceptionally loyal and brave, and with the protection of the magic array, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven for the enemy to break through!"

"That Lord Chen Mo of the Vast Ocean is arrogant and domineering, making enemies on all sides. In the north, there are beastmen who are his mortal enemies, and the Divine Court Qingkong has a long-standing grudge against him. In the south, he has instigated the elves to invade Xiyue, and there are even many disputes with the Emerald Duchy from which he was granted a title!"

"Just a nobody who's abandoned by everyone!"

"As long as the kingdom is united and holds firm, the surrounding situation will surely change. At that time, the armies from all sides will attack from both inside and outside, and will surely defeat them in one fell swoop, taking that little thief's head to celebrate His Majesty's victory!"

These words were spoken with great passion and fervor, and King Kruger XI was momentarily dazed.

"Take...the head off that little thief's neck?"

"The last person to say that was Marquis Zircon Monroe!"

“I remember that guy telling me, ‘Han Hai is just a bunch of desert refugees; we can take him in one fell swoop, and we can retrieve Chen Mo’s head within a month…’”

"Most of you were there at the time, weren't you?"

The hall fell silent once again. This time, no one knew how to respond. After all, this was like a new knife reopening an old wound. Marquis Monroe's campaign not only cost the kingdom tens of thousands of elite troops and many knights, but also severely hampered Green Pine's expansion momentum, making it arguably the kingdom's biggest setback in recent years.

Now that this has been brought up again in front of everyone, in such a calm tone, no one knows how furious His Majesty the King, whose temper is by no means good, will become in the next moment.

Some clever guys had already started to quietly retreat, to avoid getting themselves splattered with blood if something went wrong ahead.

Fortunately, the worst did not happen. On the throne, Kruger XI closed his eyes and slowly recovered, accompanied by heavy breathing.

"Rescue!"

He waved his hand, "No matter what it takes, rescue the kingdom's warriors first!"

"This is the foundation of the kingdom, and it must be preserved! If this main force is lost, what use will it be if you pile the heads of everyone in the entire Han Hai before me?"

The pine tree was still conscious.

Because of its martial spirit and its emphasis on military might, Green Pine understands the value of force all the more.

The force besieged in the valley defense line was not only large in number, but also consisted of the kingdom's battle-hardened elites.

If the last attack by Marquis Monroe, the Zircon Lord, on the Vast Sea had flattened the kingdom's offensive against external expansion, leaving Greenpine without the resources for large-scale expansion for a period of time, then this latest heavy blow to the army is tantamount to severing the foundation of the kingdom's defenses.

Whether Crystal Plains can defend itself from this point on remains to be seen.

Urged repeatedly by King Kruger XI, the entire pine tree seemed to awaken from a deep sleep, recovering from its previous astonishment and beginning to wriggle frantically.

In the north, letters pleading for help from the Holy City of Azure Sky poured in, each word filled with anguish.

The Azure Sky Holy City also responded positively. On one hand, it pushed the Holy Knights of the Holy City to the border of the enemy territory, making a grand show of being ready to cross the border and move south at any time. On the other hand, it sent letters to the Rainbow Holy City one after another, with the same meaning: Green Pine is my Azure Sky's henchman. It has been fighting for the Divine Court's cause for so long. I will protect it. Give me some face!
After receiving the letter, Rainbow City forwarded it to Han Hai without even removing the sacred emblem that sealed the envelope.

This gesture was executed quite well, clearly conveying several messages: First, Qingkong is putting pressure on me; second, we have a good relationship, I'm ignoring him, and I don't care what he says; third, I need to let Hanhai know about this, so the information is transparent and you can make a comprehensive consideration; fourth, how to handle it is up to you, I have no objections!
Within its borders, the Green Pine Kingdom launched its third major conscription.

It must be pointed out that in such a feudal kingdom and a country with a feudal lord system, maintaining a large standing army was extremely extravagant and unrealistic.

The usual pattern is that the royal family maintains a limited but absolutely loyal elite guard; major lords and major cities maintain a group of semi-professional "reserve" troops who receive regular military training; and a large number of "backup troops" who are engaged in mercenary, guard, and hunting professions in peacetime and can be quickly conscripted in wartime.

Previously, in the face of the first wave of attacks from the Vast Ocean, Green Pine made its first conscription; as the Elf and Stream Moon armies gathered at the border under Chen Mo's command, Green Pine made its second conscription.

Now, the bad news that the main force of Dongguanlingkou is surrounded has arrived. The Green Pine Kingdom has finally been cornered and has no choice but to launch the third, and theoretically the largest, "full-scale conscription".

Once the order is given, all professionals within the kingdom who meet the age standard and have basic mobility will become combat soldiers, while non-professionals will become auxiliary soldiers. The allocation of resources and tax collection in each territory will be fully shifted to a wartime track.

Mobilization of this scale has a tremendous impact on the domestic economy. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wants to suddenly find themselves in a situation with no way out.

Previously, Hanhai was not prepared for a total war, and Green Pine had no intention of fighting this war that would affect the entire nation.

Now, they have no choice.

The kingdom's last royal guard, along with troops assembled from various territories, poured into Violet City and from there marched north to begin their assault on the outer defenses of the encirclement constructed by the Han Hai paratroopers.

In addition to pressure from the Blue Sky and military means, Green Pine has not given up on its last diplomatic efforts.

The Kingdom's Foreign Minister, Winston, known for his experience and tact, led his negotiation team, changing horses but not people, working day and night, and successively crossed the Han Hai Airborne Defense Line and their own Liuli Valley Defense Line, arriving at the Han Hai Front Command Post located in Dongguan.

Here, they met Chen Yuanfeng.

At first glance, Winston was almost taken aback.

Standing before him was a young man who looked like he was still quite young, with a few soft, budding stubble hairs just beginning to sprout on his chin. His eyes were bright and sharp, filled with the fearless curiosity and scrutiny unique to young people.

By Winston's standards, this child is probably not much older than his own grandson, who is still playing with knight figurines.

However, the other party's introduction was clear and unambiguous: this was the general leading the army, whose authority was second only to the nominal lord's wife.

The longer a country's regime remains stable, the older its leadership tends to be; this is a universal law of nature.

Even if a young person or two occasionally rises to power, looking up at them, wow, it's still the same group of familiar old guys.

Even in countries as aggressively expanding as Green Pine, this trend has inevitably emerged.

Kehanhai...

Everyone is still in the first generation of striving; the second generation hasn't even been born yet!
Take this kid in front of me, for example. He probably hasn't even touched a woman yet, but he's already a military commander, a key figure in the region, wielding a large army, and is currently beating Green Pine's elite main force to a pulp...

Winston scrutinized Chen Yuanfeng from head to toe for a long time before finally exclaiming in admiration, "Truly a heroic young man, extraordinary indeed!"

"I've heard that when the pioneering lords fought their way across the land to expand the living space for humankind, their ranks were always teeming with young talents, as if a geyser of fortune had sprung up. Now it seems that the Vast Ocean truly has the spirit of pioneering its territory!"

Chen Yuanfeng chuckled, "Old sir, you're putting the cart before the horse..."

"No one is willing to expand territory in the first place. There is a shortage of capable people. They have to carry knives and fight the enemy every day. They die quickly and are replaced quickly."

"Once most of the old Deng Zhongdengs are dead, the young people will naturally be forced to take over."

"This isn't some kind of luck, it's blood luck!"

"For example, the reason I was able to rise to power is precisely because your country both attacked and bribed, sending away all the old guys with some seniority in Hanhai!"

Winston's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his smile: "The general's words make some sense. So, the fierce fighting and the indiscriminate use of swords are really not a good thing."

"General Chen is so young, yet he has already reached such a prominent position as the commander of the Han Hai army. He must have gone through many hardships. In my opinion, if there are fewer unnecessary life-and-death battles in the future, and if there is no more of that 'blood luck,' wouldn't that be a blessing for the human race, a blessing for the Han Hai, and a blessing for the general as well!"

Chen Yuanfeng was leading the way forward when he heard this and shook his head slightly: "What you're saying is not something we can decide for ourselves, whether or not a war is fought."

"Take this misty land in front of us, for example, what's it called now... 'Ke Di Ling'? Could it be that it wanted to change its name itself?"

Winston's eyes narrowed.

If he had been somewhat flattering just now, after a few words, he now truly felt how capable this little guy was.

He is skilled in both literature and martial arts, quick-witted, and sharp-tongued, always getting to the heart of the matter!

Regardless of family background, she would definitely be considered outstanding among Green Turquoise.

And it's not just this one.

As far as the eye could see, all the generals of the vast sea were incredibly young children, each with a straight posture and full of vigor, which made Winston let out a long sigh in his heart.

Could it be that the small fortune of the pine tree overwhelmed the declining jade, but collided with the great fortune of the vast ocean?

Taking a few quick steps to catch up with Chen Yuanfeng, Foreign Minister Winston lowered his voice and said in a tone just loud enough for those around him to hear:
"General Chen, names can be changed back if they can be changed back!"

"Whether it's the Enemy Territory or the Cloud Mist Territory, it all depends on the whim of those in power."

"To be honest, General, we have come with the utmost sincerity. Liu Chuan, the son of the former Lord of Cloud Mist, is a heartless and ruthless man who murdered his father, betrayed his country, bullied his younger sister, and poisoned the land. His crimes are so obvious that he has been captured by Green Pine and is being held outside the camp."

"The ancestral badges, seals, household registers, and documents from the former Cloud Mist Territory have all been prepared. We await only your word, and this land can once again be called 'Cloud Mist'!"

Chen Yuanfeng paused, turned slightly to look at the smiling old man.

Rukawa... well, in the words of his own lord teacher Chen Mo, he is an unforgivable number one war criminal, which is undoubtedly good news.

However, Chen Yuanfeng was still somewhat unaccustomed to Green Pine's ruthless act of betraying his teammates.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yuanfeng gave his reply.

"This matter concerns the deputy commander-in-chief; I need to report it immediately!"

"Please wait!"

(End of this chapter)