The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 964: Volume 31 The Hand That Conceals the Sky - 8 Battle Clouds

Chapter 964: Volume 31 The Hand That Conceals the Sky Chapter 8 Battle Clouds

Flanders had almost never had a garrison, even after the Gdansk Fortress was successfully handed over and rebuilt. This fortress functioned more as a toll station than a fortress, with a few tax officers becoming its masters. This situation persisted until the Rock Corps and the Bright Torrent Knights took up station there.

The influx of over two thousand people instantly filled Gdansk Fortress to the brim. If preparations hadn’t been made in advance by the local authorities of Flanders in terms of logistics, the sudden surge of so many people into the fortress would indeed have been troublesome.

Ilot stood on the city wall of Gdansk Fortress in a contemplative mood. The thickness and height of the fortress walls were said to be much weaker than those of the original Gdansk Fortress. However, as the key path for mortals to travel to the Barbarian Territory, the strategic importance of such a fortress was still pivotal. Ilot also believed that with an army as defensively robust as the Rock Corps stationed here, the barbarians, no matter the cost, might not be able to take back the fortress easily.

Sometimes, Ilot also felt sorrow for these barbarians. Such a vast and formidable group was firmly constrained by humans, dwarves, and harsh natural conditions on the Cordillera Wilderness, launching assaults towards the south day after day, year after year, attempting to break free from their shackles. But no matter how hard they tried, no matter how much glory they had once gained, in the end, they could only retreat in gloom back to the wilderness to quietly lick their wounds.

Komer once said that the desire of a race or nation for a better life is always right and unstoppable. The question is how much they are willing to pay for it.

In Ilot’s eyes, these barbarians were undoubtedly the most tragic group, and now their tragedy was compounded with the bleakness behind their ignorance. Striving for a better life, because of the different paths and methods each sought for a better existence, this race had to follow the path of internal strife, and he himself had to play the role of further fueling this infighting.

Seeing Ilot alone on the city wall, staring into the northern dusk, lost in thought, Dragumo’s great enthusiasm quieted somewhat. Being involved in such a war had long been a desire for Dragumo and the brothers below; even though the Rock Corps couldn’t all take part in this good fortune, it still left Dragumo quite satisfied.

However, Lord Komer was vague about his intentions for this southern campaign, and the exact purpose remained unclear; probably only Ilot, as the Commander in Chief, would know. Dragumo was eager to know what the bottom line of this war was; he truly hoped that they had not traveled thousands of miles just to serve as a deterrent or a threat. Such idle play would be utterly meaningless.

"Mr. Ilot, what are you doing here? Is the view particularly nice?"

These barbarians, devoid of any sentimentality—even finding a topic of conversation seemed difficult; such direct and simple questions were hard to arouse interest in. Ilot glanced at the excited Half-Beastmen Commander, "The view? Not particularly. I was just pondering how we should fight this battle, when to engage, and how to secure victory."

"Hehe, Mr. Ilot, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask. Lord Komer didn’t tell me exactly what our goal and purpose in this war are. He just mentioned that some disobedient Mountain people needed a lesson, but he did not specify who we should reprimand or to what extent. It seems only you are privy to what we need to do. Can you tell me where our stopping point is?"

"Stopping point?" Ilot paused, as if pondering something, "Komer didn’t tell me about any stopping point; he only conveyed what the minimum objective is, meaning what we at least need to achieve with this trip to Flanders."

Dragumo felt an intense surge of elation, unable to contain his joy he asked, "Mr. Ilot, do you mean to say that we only have a starting point for the war, and the end will be determined by the outcome of our battle achievements?"

"Hmm, that’s about the gist of it. The Mountain people are diverse but also have their own schemes. What we need to do now is to watch and see how these fellows fight each other, to observe the extent of their battles, and we will only intervene when necessary. Our intervention must undoubtedly achieve our goals." After pondering, Ilot added, "I hope these fellows fight even more fiercely."

"That’s truly exciting. To utterly defeat these dull-headed Mountain people would prove that the Rock Corps is not only impregnable in defense but that we are also unstoppable in offense," Dragumo declared, taking a deep breath and grinning broadly.

"I hope we all can witness that scene. By the way, have our scouts been dispatched?"

"They have been sent out already. The Ghost Weasel Corps and people from the Bright Torrent Knights are already itching to act. I guess representatives from the Carlo Tribe and the Cabo Tribe should be contacting us by now."

"Dragumo, we cannot trust those people; they will, of course, try their best to pull us onto the battlefield as soon as possible. But Komer warned us not to intervene rashly. We need to join the fray at the most suitable and pivotal time," Ilot said with a smile on his lips, "Once we step in, I believe the war’s conclusion will be within reach."

Just as the army of Nicosia entered the Flanders Valley to formally take over the defense, the clouds of war over the South Cordillera Wilderness had already gathered, fraught with impending storm. The Carlo and the Cabo Tribes’ strong response garnered the full support of the Sanya Tribe, while the Sanwa Tribe’s joint actions received a response from the Carlo Tribe. Conflicts in the buffer zones previously inhabited by smaller tribes quickly escalated and soon ignited into all-out war between two opposing factions.

From initial skirmishes to the conscious deployment of regular troops for conflicts by both sides, both quickly realized that this war left no room for retreat; any withdrawal would mean a complete defeat and an incredibly harsh winter for the tribe involved. Only by defeating the adversary and making them submit could they secure everything needed. (To be continued. For the continuation, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters are available, support the author, support authorized reading!)