Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 373 Rules for Newcomers

"Crunch~ Crunch~"

A massive catapult, propelled by counterweights, was gradually approaching a critical point, the magical light emanating from it foreshadowing an incredibly terrifying power.

Next second,
"Whoosh!"

With a tremendous whooshing sound, a round, rough stone bullet, enhanced by magic, traveled a full five kilometers before finally landing in a field that had already been smashed to pieces. Broken, green wheat seedlings mingled with mud and water, splashing up to form a spectacular curtain of mud.

Here, the distance to the city wall is less than 35 meters.

On the city wall, Socrates watched this scene with a calm expression, unmoved even when a splash of mud hit his armor.

Yes, this is his territory, and he is currently under siege by the Ice Duke's army.

No one expected that the Ice Duke would be so adept at strategy and tactics. This feint attack was something that could be studied for a hundred years.

But no matter what, he had to hold on.

Fortunately, he has a solid foundation and knows a lot about certain secrets. So far, everything is progressing smoothly. The three-star tavern, the two-star temple, the two-star magic mine, and the three-star enchanted blacksmith workshop—the four essential special buildings have been completed. Even the one-star mage tower… sigh, if only he could have another six months.

Even so, he was not afraid at all. There was no way around it, because he really had powerful backers. Every month, he recruited twenty mercenaries in the tavern, some of whom were his own people. They would carry some important resources within the limit, such as magic power. Heh!
He has so far accumulated 100 units in the magic mine and has 50 units left.

The Ice Duke still didn't understand. He thought he wasn't a plot NPC, but in reality, it didn't matter what he thought. If someone said he was, then he was!

"Let this battle be my claim to fame. Outsiders will only think I won't survive until the radiation storm erupts, but little do they know—"

Just as Socrates was thinking this, another stone projectile crashed down. This time, although it still failed to hit the stone wall, it was closer, and the number of catapults on the other side would only increase, so it was just outside the radiation range of their own magic mine.

"Damn barbarians!"

A shadow crossed Socrates' eyes. This must be an enchanted catapult, with excellent range and power. Theoretically, only a barbarian crossroads could deliver the blueprints to the Ice Duke.

However, it's not a big problem. Even if enough catapults destroy his level 3 walls, we still need to deploy troops to attack. 150 units of magic power can wipe out about 3,000 troops. Do you, Duke of Frost, dare to do that?

Are you sure that the benefits you gain from conquering my territory will outweigh your costs?

Don't forget about Li Wei and Zhao Kewu! We'll see how you handle this situation then.

As these thoughts flashed through Socrates' mind, a nationwide proclamation suddenly appeared before his eyes. After reading its contents, the feeling of frustration was like being fed excrement!
"Li Wei? Hathaway! That bitch really did have ulterior motives!"

Socrates finally couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. He had intended to forge a three-way alliance, so he went to visit Ron first to try to persuade him, because there was no need for them to fight each other. They could form an alliance, not target each other, build their own cities, obtain the status and territory of viscounts, and complete this stage of accumulating experience. That would be good enough.

But to his surprise, Ron was clearly taken aback, speaking with a simple, naive air.

With no other option, he sought cooperation from Hathaway, hoping to strike first and join forces to eliminate Ron and strengthen their respective powers. However, while the bitch outwardly agreed, she made various excuses and procrastinated, dragging things out for a month until the Frost Duke's army arrived at the city gates and quickly pushed forward, completely trapping him in his territory.

"However, Hathaway probably suffered an unexpected setback this time. Tsk tsk, a vassal lord, not even an ally, this is a gift from heaven! How delightful!"

"This Li Wei is quite formidable. Although Hathaway has lost Night Owl's support, her abilities are no less than mine. The fact that she's been relegated to a vassal position in the alliance's power balance basically means that his personal strength and the overall development weight of his territory are at least three times that of Hathaway! 75:25."

"Damn it, if I survive this ordeal, I need to find a way to make friends with them. Even if we can't be friends, I don't want to become enemies."

Socrates, upon reflecting on this, felt relieved. He wasn't afraid of losing because he had enough resources to make a comeback. Dying once wouldn't be a big deal; the key was to continuously accumulate experience and lessons, and he could start again ten years later.

However, failing to learn from experience is tantamount to courting disaster.

At the same time, far away in the East, Zhao Kewu also looked at the announcement that appeared before him with a complicated expression. Then, with a bitter look on his face, he picked up a strange potion and swallowed it. A few seconds later, his face changed drastically. He grabbed his neck and retched violently. After a long time, he vomited out a half-meter-long thing with two heads and dozens of tentacles that attached to it, which looked like a combination of a snail and a leech.

"Alright, now that this has been spat out, the problem is solved. I just hope you'll learn your lesson. I've already told you that the Ice Duke is a hidden boss that's very difficult to trigger. You actually dared to go and chat with him and even had lunch with him. Do you think you're Bart?!"

The speaker was an old woman, but it was only after Zhao Kewu spent two months sending the intelligence back to ask for help, and then recruiting the spellcaster sent over in the second month, that they were saved.

"Grandma is right, I won't do it again next time."

Zhao Kewu smiled bitterly, feeling even more terrified. He had almost ruined himself this time, but fortunately he realized something was wrong in time. As soon as he sensed something was wrong, he immediately had his most trusted companion tie him up completely. Every day, except when they brought him food and water, his mouth was gagged and covered with a black cloth to prevent any contact with the outside world. At the same time, they tightened their defenses and prepared for battle.

As expected, the Frost Duke's army besieged the area a few days later. During those days, he kept hearing his own thoughts and felt that the Frost Duke was a truly good person, and that it wasn't impossible for them to create a glorious future together. In the end, after several probing attacks, the Frost Duke found that the defenses were strong, the organization of offense and defense was effective, and the key magic mine had a new spellcaster in charge, so he chose to besiege it without attacking.

The standoff has now lasted for almost three months, which has not only delayed the farming season, but also put all the tasks and plans for this year on hold, which is equivalent to standing still for a year.

"Li Wei is really lucky!"

"They're not just lucky, they're really capable. Anyway, let's not worry about others, let's take care of ourselves first. Starting tomorrow, let's regroup and fight our way out!"

"But--"

"There are no buts. The Ice Duke's main force isn't here. That guy is a very cautious person. After realizing he couldn't achieve a quick victory through you, he chose to besiege you, betting that you wouldn't dare to fight. In reality, he should be attacking Ron or Socrates to the west right now. You and that Socrates are smart, but you always lack a bit of insight, or rather, you lack a sufficient sense of crisis. You always think you have powerful backers, and that at worst, you'll be fine in this or that way. You lack the decisiveness needed in a life-or-death situation!"

"In this respect, Hathaway is far superior to you all. Given time, she might very well become the next Night Owl..."

The old woman gazed into the distance, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

"So, Grandma, what do you think of Li Wei?"

"I haven't had any contact with him, so I won't comment. But if he's unaware of the risks, his future downfall will inevitably begin with Hathaway."

-

At this moment, outside the riverside fortress, the bright sunlight of the setting sun shines on the verdant wheat fields, a scene teeming with life.

Li Wei and Hathaway's convoy successfully reached its destination.

Li Yue came out to greet them personally, and then she saw a very incongruous scene—Hathaway with red, swollen eyes from crying, and Li Wei, carefree and laughing foolishly while sitting on his warhorse.

Is it really that big of a deal? He's just a vassal lord, it's not like he'll be sold off for the rest of his life!
Sure enough, a bitch is just being pretentious!
Without even asking why, Li Yue muttered to herself, and gave him a cold look. Who do you think you are, pretending to be some innocent green tea b*tch? You haven't even reached the level of surpassing your master yet. You should learn more from your master, Night Owl!

"Hathaway, this is Aunt Yue, whom I mentioned to you. She's been very kind to me."

Li Wei then dismounted and, in a gentlemanly manner, helped Hathaway down. He then introduced her to Li Yue. In fact, the two should have known each other long ago; it would be strange if they didn't.

But it doesn't matter. On this occasion, they must get to know each other again based on their relationship with Li Wei.

"Hello, Aunt Yue." Hathaway forced a smile. She wanted to laugh, but she couldn't. She felt it was incredibly ironic. In fact, the look and expression of that old bitch Li Yue across from her were pure mockery.

Even if she's incredibly thick-skinned, she just can't keep up the act!
Damn it, how did Li Wei manage to recruit these two old bitches? Poison Scorpion Li Yue is just cold and cruel, but that Widow Yang is a notoriously sharp-tongued shrew; she could probably break her defenses with just a few words.

Although she was now defenseless, the smiling man beside her, who seemed so easy to fool, was practically turning her into a sieve.

“Aunt Yue, this is my friend, Baron Hathaway of the Black Mountain. She trusts me very much and is willing to travel thousands of miles to come and seek refuge with me. Therefore, I would like to trouble you to host a welcome dinner and take charge of the specific arrangements.”

Li Wei smiled at Li Yue again, completely ignoring Li Yue's aloof expression. But strangely enough, Li Yue suddenly smiled at that moment, as if all the sharp edges and barbs had never existed. The smile bloomed on the corners of her mouth, making even the setting sun seem gentle and even stunning, like a painting.

Li Wei swears that even when he and Li Yue had the best relationship, she had never smiled at him like that before.

"Xiaowei, look at you. You've been traveling for a month, covering tens of thousands of miles each way, and you've lost weight. Alright, don't worry about these things anymore. Leave everything to me."

"Go on, go wash up. You're covered in sweat and stench. No wonder you made that young girl cry."

After saying that, he slapped Li Weiyi and told him to get lost.

At that moment, Hathaway felt her hair stand on end and desperately wanted to cry for help.

Li Wei also felt this was inappropriate. "No way! This is our ally, or rather, our vassal."

Thinking about it that way, he found it quite reasonable.

He nodded at Hathaway, ignoring her pleading look. "Stop begging for help. Didn't you want to weigh the power of Scorpion and Widow before?"

At least you're still a vassal lord for now. If you really become a territorial advisor, your status will drop another level. Just wait and see how Thomas and Zhao Xuanxuan get dealt with.

(End of this chapter)