Mage Lord: The Tech Tree is Skewed by Me

It's been another boring and long winter day for Lord Eli Wynn of Greywater Keep.

As winter comes,

Prey in the mountains and forests has become increasingly scarce, so much so that even hunting, the most common recreational activity in the Andal Kingdom, has become boring.

The sudden blizzard a few days ago also brought to naught the noble banquet that the middle-aged earl originally planned to hold.

A glass of wine,

In the Earl of Graywater Castle's mind, he couldn't help but recall the swaying figure of Lady Metallon.

Although Mrs. Metalon is a married woman, this is quite normal in the circle of nobles.

after all……

Even though the Earl of Graywater Castle is over forty,

His fat body weighs about two hundred pounds, but he is an earl!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but hate the sudden snowfall even more.

If it weren't for this snowfall, he would definitely be able to renew his relationship with Mrs. Metallon.

Damn it! Where's the wine?

Looking at the empty wine glass in front of him, the earl couldn't help but cursed.

Just when I was about to scold again,

But a knight stumbled into the banquet hall.

Lord Earl! It's not good!

how?

While asking, the Earl of Gray Water Castle had to take the wine bottle on the table and fill it up for himself.

Hounds! Many, many hounds...

The intruding knight shouted breathlessly.

Hounds? It's already snowing. It's time to stop hunting and let others take care of the hounds. They are all my treasures...

The Earl of Graywater Castle burped, his hazy eyes showing obvious dissatisfaction, as if he was unhappy with the knight in front of him who interrupted his drinking.

It's not your hound, it's a plateau hound, a plateau hound from the south!

Seeing that his lord was still half drunk and half awake, the knight quickly said anxiously.

Highland hound?

right!

The knight nodded repeatedly and emphasized:

The plateau hounds of Antolia, those plateau hounds with sharp fangs and black manes!

Plateau Hunting...what?!!

In an instant,

The fat Earl seemed to have remembered something, and his drunken face was gradually replaced by a feeling of fear and confusion.

Originally, Mrs. Metalon was almost overflowing with thoughts, but upon hearing this, she suddenly trembled.

Although Gray Water Castle is adjacent to Antolia, the creatures that wreaked havoc in Antolia have never appeared in the land he ruled.

Over the years, when the Antorians were fighting highland hounds and struggling to survive in the harsh natural environment, Graywater Castle was a place of luxury.

Noble banquets, social dances, hunting trips, knight competitions...

There are a lot of various activities. Except for the hungry and cold civilians who are cowering outside the city, the winter in Graywater Castle can be considered peaceful.

And now,

Those plateau hounds that caused heavy casualties to the Antolian people actually appeared in their own territory? !

Even though he has never seen it with his own eyes, Eli Wayne, Count of Graywater Castle, has heard about those frightening monsters from the mouths of mercenaries and Antolians.

Nonsense! Don't those things only stay in Antolia?

I don't know for sure, but traces of those monsters were indeed found in the territory...

The knight said in panic: I went to check today and found that many serfs had been bitten by those hounds until they were left with nothing but bones...

Hearing this, the Earl of Gray Water Castle was immediately shocked:

Close the city gate! Close the city gate quickly! From now on, no one can enter the city!

But the people outside the city...

I want you to close the city gate immediately!

The fat Earl suddenly stood up and slapped the long table in front of him. The wine glass instantly tipped over, and the deep red wine soaked into the tablecloth.

yes!

Seeing this, the knight quickly claimed that it was.

As for the lives of the people in the territory...

Nobles and commoners are two different worlds. At least in the eyes of the Earl of Graywater Castle, the safety of the nobility is the only factor that needs to be considered.

As for the unarmed civilians living outside the city, what awaits them is the slaughter of plateau hounds.

However,

Simply closing the city gate obviously cannot stop the invasion of plateau hounds.

Compared to the Antorians who had experienced hundreds of battles, the nobles in the north even lacked the most basic understanding of plateau hounds.

This city does not have a wall as strong and thick as the Thorn Territory, nor does it have soldiers who are good at fighting.

It was a question whether the pot-bellied knights could even lift their swords, let alone wear armor and hold swords to fight those ferocious monsters up close.

Even though the Earl, who was worried about his life, had sent extra soldiers to patrol, that night, the swarming hounds still climbed into the city without any hindrance.

all night long,

This small city was almost completely enveloped by the howls of hounds and the howls of civilians.

When the dim light of the morning finally dispelled the pitch-black night, the air of Gray Water Castle was already filled with the smell of blood.

The attacking hounds had receded, but Eli Wayne, Earl of Graywater Castle, no longer had any thoughts of drinking.

After the city wall was breached by the hounds, he could only huddle in his lord's castle under the protection of the knights.

As for the citizens of Graywater Castle...

Those with strong skills can still wait for opportunities to escape, but more people can only huddle in their rooms, or have already died under the bite of hounds.

Eli Wayne looked out the window and saw countless corpses lying in a pool of blood. Just overnight, Gray Water Castle, which was peaceful yesterday, had become like a purgatory on earth.

vomit……

Looking at the situation outside the window, Earl Eli Wayne felt his stomach churn, and then he violently vomited.

The undigested food and bile in the stomach were scattered in a puddle on the carpet, exuding a disgusting smell.

Lord Earl, what should we do now?

The faces of the knights were full of panic, and the horror of last night had already been deeply engraved in their hearts.

Although the hounds are retreating now, the strong fear has already destroyed their will to fight.

Find the reinforcements! Find the reinforcements!

The Earl of Graywater Castle said in horror.

where to?

The leading knight asked quickly.

Go anywhere!

Go to the Sunken Wood Forest! Go to Antolia! Go to Parma City to find the Duke of Galicia!

The Earl of Graywater Castle shouted angrily.

He didn't know where the hounds were not attacking, let alone where he could move reinforcements.

Does the appearance of plateau hounds mean that the southern thorn territory has been destroyed? Have other nobles suffered the same disaster?

Eli Wayne doesn't know.

To be precise, he had never known anything about plateau hounds, nor had he expected that these ferocious monsters would leave the land of Antolia.

Throughout the winter, he was intoxicated by alcohol and enjoyed noble delicacies in his castle.

so,

At this moment,

The earl's brain had stopped functioning long ago, and all that was left was endless panic.