Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 973 - 680: Bottomless Pit (Part 2)

"Duke! I think... the Elf Clan might have dispatched a Legendary Expert, perhaps even a Mythical One. Didn’t rumors say that those sent by the church to the Elf Forest encountered a demigod? Otherwise, the city wouldn’t have been breached so quickly!"

Seeing Count Misi’s excited expression, Duke Borrenzia gave a light chuckle and nodded:

"It’s possible... It’s said that the God of Dusk and Sunset is a recently revived Evil God, with a terribly disordered faith, probably unable to activate the divine arts defense barrier. Fengye Territory also lacks a legendary mage, so defending the city is inherently disadvantaged."

"Otto brought out all his main forces and was caught off guard, which is normal."

Receiving the Duke’s approval, Count Misi became even more enthusiastic:

"Exactly! I think so too!"

Then, he continued excitedly:

"Duke! This is an opportunity! Since the elves have joined the battle, we should seize the chance to counterattack! With the elves participating and our cooperation, we can quickly reclaim lost territory and eventually defeat the Evil God’s army!"

Count Misi looked anticipative.

However, upon hearing his words, Duke Borrenzia’s reaction was somewhat indifferent, seemingly not very interested.

"Duke?"

Count Misi called out again.

Duke Borrenzia glanced at him, smiled faintly:

"Why rush? Lost territory will eventually be reclaimed. Now that the elves have entered, we must not act recklessly."

"Why, Duke? Are you just going to watch as the empire’s people continue to suffer under the Evil God’s oppression?"

Count Misi said somewhat urgently.

The rebels invaded the Western Domain, and a third of his territory had already fallen.

Now seeing the chance for restoration, Count Misi naturally wanted to seize it, the sooner the better.

Yet Duke Borrenzia just glanced at him:

"Why panic? Haven’t most of your vassal nobles already retreated? As for the remaining... they’re just some ignorant commoners. If some die, it’s nothing serious; some oppression might even be beneficial. After the territory is restored, our generosity will be better appreciated... You can even have a reason to strip the fleeing nobles of their titles."

"Rest assured, what’s your territory will remain your territory. I have no interest in the impoverished Western Domain."

Upon hearing his words, Count Misi opened his mouth but said nothing.

"Then... when do you plan to counterattack?"

He questioned again.

Duke Borrenzia slightly narrowed his eyes, glanced at the map showing the position of the Elf Forest, chuckled softly, and said:

"No hurry, let the elves and rebels fight for a while. It’s also a good chance to gauge the elves’ strength."

"The Elf Forest has developed too fast these years. Even though we’re far from the Western Domain in Borrenzia, we’ve long heard that some novel items from the Elf Forest have gradually become popular in the Imperial Capital Mania; they shouldn’t be underestimated."

"This is an opportunity, not only to see the elves’ strength but also to let the rebels deplete their power. After all... a different race is ultimately different."

"Once the rebels and elves are both grievously wounded, and the Evil God and the Goddess of Life settle their score in Fengye Territory, we can then reclaim the territory. Isn’t it better?"

"By then... the remaining nobles in Fengye Territory should mostly have been purged, and most who fled to you would have lost their foundation, providing us participants with chances to gain more territory through merit."

"Heh, Fengye Territory is very prosperous."

Count Misi paused briefly, then joyously nodded:

"You’re thorough in your thinking!"

...

As the two Imperial Nobles fantasized about sharing the spoils post-reclaiming Fengye Territory, on the other side, the former border count, now the Red Maple King Otto, also led his army back hurriedly to the Western Domain’s border.

At the junction of the Western Domain and Fengye Territory, beneath Augus City.

Otto von Kapadocia stood atop a hill, squinting slightly at a leaflet filled with declarations in common language.

In front of him, a scout respectfully reported:

"Your Majesty, according to reliable information, the Elf clan organized an army of two hundred thousand. After taking Augus City, they’ve split into three, heading towards the nearest three other cities from here."

Upon hearing this, Otto’s expression didn’t change, but one nearby high and thin noble’s face did: 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Nearby cities? Wait, what about Zelolan?"

The scout hesitated for a moment, then replied:

"Zelolan is indeed one of the elves’ targets, and it’s said to be their main force’s direction."

Hearing this answer, the high and thin noble’s face turned pale.

He looked at the Red Maple King Otto and said urgently:

"Your Majesty! We mustn’t let the elves capture Zelolan! Zelolan’s terrain is perilous! If it’s breached, Fengye Territory is lost entirely!"

Otto glanced at him coldly:

"Zelolan is important, but isn’t Augus City too?"

The high and thin noble was momentarily speechless.

Otto no longer looked at him, instead tossing the leaflet onto the ground, his voice slightly disdainful:

"Carl, look at it, you’re far worse than your half-sister."

The high and thin noble paused, then instinctively picked up the leaflet. After reading the declarations on it, his face quickly became grim as he said through gritted teeth:

"Sofia! That damn wench! She actually led the elves’ army here!"

Otto didn’t bother continuing with him.

He glanced at Augus City, where red flags were raised on the city walls, with a glimmer of apprehension in his eyes:

"A mysterious sky fortress... these long ears of the Elf Forest are indeed adept at coming up with new tricks."

After saying this, he turned to the scout:

"What’s the situation in Augus City?"

The scout respectfully responded:

"Your Majesty, there are about five thousand elves defending the city, and their average strength should be somewhat stronger than our warriors, but there shouldn’t be any high-level professionals."

"Is the information reliable?"

"Reliable, we extracted information by interrogating several people who left the city."

After getting the answer, King Otto didn’t react immediately, but the high and thin noble named Carl, who heard about the number of garrison troops, instantly exclaimed joyfully:

"Your Majesty! Only five thousand men! And without high-level professionals! Doesn’t this mean we can easily reclaim the city?"

Otto glanced at him coldly, uttering a single word:

"Foolish!"

The high and thin noble instantly closed his mouth, his face turning pale.

Otto snorted coldly, continuing to look at the scout:

"What about the temple in Augus City, is there any news? Are there any life believers preaching?"

The scout continued to reply:

"Yes, it’s reported that the Elf Clan placed a statue of the Goddess of Life in the temple, and the city has started propagating the faith of the Goddess. While spreading the teachings, they’ve been distributing various supplies to the citizens, even allocating the properties of nobles in Augus City to impoverished civilians. It’s said that many in the city have converted."

Upon hearing this, Otto took a deep breath:

"Then the divine arts defense barrier should be fixed, and the teleportation array constructed."

He then coldly laughed:

"Able to resurrect, having constructed a barrier, and possibly capable of teleporting repeatedly, haha, five thousand men... this is by no means just five thousand; it’s virtually a bottomless pit!"

"It’s said Lord Anos acts without restraint, but I see that the one in the Elf Forest is not much different!"

After finishing, he turned around, looking at the still somewhat tense high and thin noble:

"Bring the High Priest over."

With Otto’s order, shortly after, a middle-aged man in a gray robe was summoned before him.

Yet, facing Otto, the highest-ranking cleric in the Twilight and Sunset Church seemed rather timid and submissive, entirely unlike a church leader.

Otto casually glanced at him, saying:

"High Priest, arrange the offerings, communicate with Lord Anos, and ask Him to intervene."