Cornflower Witch

Chapter 227 The Steel-Breaking Holy Blade
Iron Wall High Cliff Base
The once disciplined military outpost is now in disarray, with all the watchtowers lacking manpower and some simply empty, while the sanatoriums within the outpost are full of people.

The once elite soldiers and cadets now seemed to have aged many years, their bodies weak and afraid of the cold, huddled under their blankets, some coughing, others shivering under the covers.

They kept shouting that they were hungry, and even after eating anything, they still couldn't relieve their hunger. They could only go to the toilet repeatedly, and then continue eating.

This situation is common in the base, but the degree varies from person to person. Generally speaking, the first and second tiers are particularly severe, the third tier has some resistance but is also extremely tired, the fourth tier is in a milder state, and the fifth tier can barely resist.

Inside the headquarters hall, the commander, dressed in black armor, paced back and forth, looking at the figures lying on the floor, his heart filled with anxiety, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

The veil force field exerted by the 'Castle' aspect can alleviate the symptoms, but only by 10%, which is not enough to play a decisive role.

He could fight alongside his colleagues against powerful and terrifying monsters, but he felt particularly powerless and uncomfortable when faced with this intangible illness.

"How much longer until the support from the association headquarters arrives?" He stopped again and asked the knight beside him.

"We have dispatched three rescue teams, each heading to the nearest base with a teleportation point via three different routes. We have also released more than twenty messenger birds, all of which will carry the message to the outside world."

“But…” he paused for a moment before continuing his reply.

"However, our act of reporting the news will also bring great danger to others, causing this strange 'mud' plague to spread, and once it spreads to the entire woodland outpost, it will be an extremely terrible disaster."

Upon hearing this, the commander fell silent and said nothing more.

"Alright, I understand." He waved his hand, dismissing his men.

"I'm going back to my room to rest for a while. If anything happens, please let me know immediately."

"Yes."

He turned and left, heading to a stone chamber on the side to rest; the commander hadn't slept for several days.

Hurried footsteps crisscrossed the fortress corridors as armored warriors carried letters and medicine powder to the center of the camp, searching for their commander.

A few minutes later, he almost stumbled into the hall.

"Where is the commander? Urgent intelligence report! Extremely urgent! Extremely urgent!" He repeated it several times to emphasize the situation to those around him.

"What happened to him in the rest room?" A knight guarding nearby helped him up and led him inside.

"The town of Lantern has dispatched a rescue team. They brought... and they've discovered 'gray,' the visible powder of the plague," he replied, breathless.

"Really?" The knight who was being helped was extremely surprised, but there was no time for him to react. The door in the corridor suddenly opened, and the commander rushed out anxiously.

"Are you telling the truth? Where's the powder? Let me see it." He grabbed the messenger soldier as if he were a chick.

"In my arms." The soldier knew the situation was urgent and quickly handed it over.

"Okay." After taking it, the commander hurriedly opened the medicine packet, picked up a small portion, and sprinkled it around the environment.

As the misty fog spread, small, silver-blue gradient dots and traces began to appear on the walls, ceiling, and floor.

"Here, and here too, I didn't expect the infection to have spread everywhere?" He looked around in surprise before calming down and looking at the letter that came with the medicine package.

"It's a letter from Zalia." The commander felt reassured, thinking of the renowned knight under his command.

He skimmed through the letter almost instantly, quickly understanding the whole process and situation.

"I never expected this, I never expected this, I really never expected this." He couldn't contain his emotions, and he wanted to suppress his elation so that he wouldn't lose his composure.

“You all go immediately… no, I’ll go myself, and all those accompanying me must be at least fourth rank.” He now realized that only high-ranking knights could resist the erosion of the 'Gray Mud' plague.

"We're going to receive that batch of revealing powder. Now you all get ready immediately. Divide the personnel in the base into 20 separate areas. Then use high-temperature flames to treat the connecting areas to eliminate the hidden 'ash.' After that, we'll bring the revealing powder to inspect."

"By separating us, we can deal with the situation step by step and reverse the current situation."

"Got it? Let's get started right away!"

"Yes!"

Subsequently, the commander led six elite fourth-tier knights and headed straight for the watchtower guard post outside the fortress.

That night, just as Hilti and her companions had settled into the abandoned camp and were about to get some sleep, they heard a troop of cavalry rushing towards their camp at breakneck speed through the snowstorm. It seemed she wouldn't get a good night's sleep. She got up from her tent, put on a thick coat, and then slipped on her light, soft, furry deerskin boots.

Sure enough, not long after she lifted the tent flap, the group of knights braving the wind and snow rushed up the hillside in front of the camp and came to her.

The imposing knight at the head of the group dismounted, and even before he reached Hilti, the massive and heavy 'castle' phase scale pressed down on the girl like a boulder, making it hard for her to breathe.

The opponent must be at least at the fifth rank, and an extremely strong individual among those of the same rank; Hilti immediately sensed this.

If the difference in sexual phase order exceeds three, it will have an overwhelming effect, which even she will find difficult to overcome.

"You must be Hilti, right?" Upon seeing the girl standing in front of the tent's lamplight, the other party spoke, and withdrew the 'castle' aura force field that was spreading around her.

“Yes, I just came from Lantern Town.” The girl folded her hands in front of her and then bowed.

"No need for such formalities, I should be thanking you." He shook his head, looking at the girl as if trying to remember her appearance.

"The situation at our base is critical right now, and we don't have much time for small talk. Please, Siltia, deliver the supplies to me as soon as possible."

“No problem.” Hilti nodded, then gave some instructions to the students who came out behind her, and soon several boxes were unloaded from the carriage.

“This is one batch. There are still three-quarters left on the carriage. If you need them urgently, you can take some back first, and then take the rest back by carriage,” Hiltiya thoughtfully suggested.

“You’re right.” The other party nodded and instructed the four knights to immediately take some of the boxes, load them onto their horses, and leave.

He glanced around at the wagons in the camp and noticed some supplies.

"Those are?"

“These are the food crops produced by our camp. I thought that ‘mud’ would consume energy and nutrients, and you would definitely need to replenish your food, so I brought some food reserves as well.”

"Rachel, you and a few others bring some over so the adults can take a look."

“Yes, Tia.” Rachel beckoned to two knight squires to unload two bags of flour and a bag of vegetables and place them in front of the commander.

With a light poke of her finger, she took out a small amount of flour, placed it in her palm, and showed it to the commander.

“This is 'perfect' quality wheat flour that I grew. I think it should be able to meet the supply needs of the members inside the Iron Wall Cliff.”

For high-ranking knights and professionals, ordinary food is not very efficient at replenishing nutrients; only high-quality food can provide the necessary nutrition.

Upon seeing these things, the commander took a deep breath and slowly nodded, his profound gaze fixed on Sylvia, like a bright candle in the darkness.

"You've thought this through very thoroughly, very good, very good."

"Goethe, Morang, come with me and transport these supplies back to the camp." He called to the two remaining fourth-tier knights beside him.

"I need some help to pull the carriage to the guard post on the plank road. We can handle the rest ourselves."

“No problem.” The girl nodded and helped arrange the manpower.

While the knights and cadets pulled the carriage, the silver-haired commander unsheathed his broadsword from his waist.

"To express my gratitude, I'll leave this sword with you for now." He gripped the hilt, channeling his spiritual energy at a strange frequency. The scabbard gleamed slightly, then opened, revealing a snow-silver, cold blade.

"Now you can take it out."

"Several combat techniques are engraved in this sword. If you have enough talent and ability, you should be able to master them."

"Take this for now. I'll come back to you later with a gift to thank you."

[Broken Steel Sword] (Tier 5 - Perfect)

The legendary sword of the Knights of the Ironforge is said to have been forged by the fairies of the Heavenly Courtyard and bestowed upon Emerson, the founder of the Ironforge. He wore an iron crown and led the Knights of the Steelforge, renowned in the early Ninth Age, swearing to guard the borders of civilization against the monsters of Twilight. The Iron Knight class he created, though not powerful, is currently the most widely used knight class.
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Effect 1: Grants the user three abilities: [Iron Body], [Sharp Blade], and [Unified Mounted Combat]. (These three abilities are essential for the 'Iron Knight' class.)
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Effect 2: Casting [Iron Wall Curtain] can shield against the erosion of other elemental forces and resist attacks.
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Effect 3: Unleash [Steel-Splitting Holy Blade], revealing legends, consecrating weapons, and temporarily elevating their rank. (An oath must be sworn before casting this effect.)
Effect 4: Unleash the [Sword of Amores], a powerful sword strike, usable once every three days. (Amores was the sister of the founder, Emerson, who died in an attack by the Twilight Beast. Emerson named her after her in memory.)
Holding the incredibly heavy sword in both hands, the girl's eyes were filled with astonishment and surprise.

Such a precious sacred object, are you really going to entrust it to me for safekeeping so generously?

(End of this chapter)