Chapter 379: Chapter 331: The Convention Begins_2
"Now... the Silvermane Principality has secretly allied with the Snow Elves, allowing both to form a pincer attack against the Barbaric Orcs. The Principality has also obtained Alchemical Weapons from the Thunderous Swamp and will soon be able to eliminate the enemies on the Empire’s northern border. At that time, His Majesty will no longer have to worry constantly about the northern borders and can sleep very soundly at night."
High Priest Lancelot could tell that every word spoken by Marquis Anderson was dripping with irony. If the Silvermane Principality resolved the threat of the Snow Elves and Barbaric Orcs, and also possessed powerful Alchemical Weapons, then the entire Empire might have to worry constantly. They would fear the Silvermane Principality turning its aggression towards them, causing His Majesty to lose sleep every night. Currently, the Empire and Marquis Anderson needed each other. Speaking in riddles and playing mind games served little purpose.
The High Priest, partially revealing his thoughts, said to Marquis Anderson, "According to our spies within the Principality, the Silvermane Principality has already ordered its feudal vassals to assemble and train their armies during the winter. This large-scale military mobilization is clearly preparation for a massive war. The military readiness of the Silvermane Principality has already caused panic in neighboring regions. We all hope that the Silver Mane Duke is assembling his troops to attack the northern Orcs, but we all know this possibility is slim. Duke Silvermane is highly likely to have been beguiled by Lady Karol and is planning a military gamble with the Alchemical Weapons from the Thunderous Swamp. And for the Silvermane Principality to gain a free hand, they must first deal with the Wildwind Highlands."
Marquis Anderson had his own intelligence network in the Principality. ’Shortgun’ might not be as pervasive as the Empire’s spies, but it could still detect large-scale military movements and policy changes. The tense situation in the Wildwind Highlands was gradually radiating outwards.
Just as Count Theodore had said to him, "You’ve accepted the weapons from Cloud Tower and broken the secular world’s rules of conflict."
He had opened Pandora’s Box. All the world’s powers, willing or not, would be drawn into it.
Marquis Anderson said to High Priest Lancelot, "Your Excellency, I know what His Majesty wants, and you know what I want. I cannot leave the Wildwind Highlands; to leave would mean certain death. The Silver Mane Duke cannot afford to lose the Wildwind Highlands. Possessing it would give him the leverage to make the Orcs and Elves concede at the negotiating table. Whoever controls the Wildwind Highlands offers the greatest benefit to the Empire. I believe His Majesty is aware of that. What I want to know is what His Majesty can offer me. I need a certain and clear answer."
After speaking, Marquis Anderson looked at Lancelot. The charcoal in the fireplace crackled, and the two men in the room sat silently.
「 」
While Lancelot and Anderson were engaged in secret negotiations for cooperation, the General Assembly of Thunderous Swamp Clan Leaders was grandly convened in Blood Crown Mountain City. Although Yan Xing’s second invitation letter contained only a brief sentence and didn’t reveal the outcome of the war for Heize City, anyone with a little intelligence could guess Ironhead’s fate. If one couldn’t even discern that much, their intellect would soon disqualify them from the centers of power in the Thunderous Swamp.
It was better if they didn’t come!
「The day of the great assembly arrived.」
Inside and outside Blood Crown Mountain City, gongs and drums clamored, firecrackers constantly exploded, banners flew everywhere, and a sea of people had gathered. It was extremely lively.
Within the Thunderous Swamp, there were over a thousand registered Werewolf and Lizardman Clans. Each clan had a Clan Leader, and each leader brought ten to several dozen attendants. Adding the residents and Elves already living in Blood Crown Mountain City, the city’s population surged to over one hundred thousand in a few days. They also brought their Poison Flies, lizard mounts, Snakehide Buffaloes, and Bipedal Flying Dragons—all additional mouths to feed.
Fortunately, transportation between Blood Crown Mountain City and Eternal City was convenient, and Lord Yan Xing was both generous and wealthy. A continuous stream of various supplies into Blood Crown Mountain City was necessary to meet the daily needs of so many individuals. Moreover, Lord Yan Xing’s demands didn’t stop at merely "being fed." They had to eat well.
The standard meal for attending Clan Leaders consisted of four dishes and a soup—two meat, two vegetable—with fruit and milk available. If meetings ran late, a late-night supper was mandatory. The attendants accompanying the Clan Leaders could freely enjoy large pots of stew and unlimited egg soup. Each Clan Leader received two sets of standardized conference attire and Grain Tickets equivalent to one thousand catties of grain. Attendants each received Grain Tickets for one hundred catties, which they could use to buy whatever they desired in Blood Crown Mountain City.
Naturally, they had to be shown what prosperity was, what a high-quality life entailed, and what it meant to consume. When these Werewolves and Lizardmen, many of whom had never witnessed such sights, learned that working for Lord Yan Xing earned them Grain Tickets, and that these tickets could buy anything they wanted within Blood Crown Mountain City, why would they ever want to return to their destitute clans? The high standard of living in Blood Crown Mountain City, and its associated costs, would inevitably attract high-caliber individuals from the swamp. Be they hardworking or capable, these were the talents indispensable for the Eternal Domain’s development.
Once the swamp’s elite became integrated into the Eternal Domain’s economic system, achieving financial independence from their clans, the Clan Leaders’ power could be dissolved effortlessly and without bloodshed. It could be said that from the moment these swamp Clan Leaders stepped into Blood Crown Mountain City with their people, they had effectively been disarmed.
Chief Qiao She, Lianzu Chieftain, and others—as the first Clan Leaders to "disarm" and align with the Eternal Domain—were responsible for receiving the invited Clan Leaders. Every visitor was properly accommodated. The living areas for Werewolves, Lizardmen, and Elves were segregated. Duan’er, leading the Southern Camp, was responsible for maintaining security in Blood Crown Mountain City.
Then, before the assembly began, all Clan Leaders received a notice: The Eternal Domain would hold a grand military parade in Blood Crown Mountain City to celebrate the first General Assembly of Thunderous Swamp Clan Leaders. At that time, the Eternal Domain’s main legions, which had participated in exterminating the Heize Werewolf insurgents, would parade one by one along Thunderous North-South Avenue, cutting through the heart of the city. Following the parade, the captured Heize Werewolf insurgents would also be marched along Thunderous North-South Avenue to begin their forced labor in the Eternal Domain.
This was the Eternal Domain’s first public confirmation of the outcome of the Heize City war. Although the attending Clan Leaders had all guessed the Eternal Domain had won, this notice signified more. The Eternal Domain hadn’t just won; it had won decisively. This wasn’t a mere defeat, surrender, or any other conventional victory. It was a battle of annihilation. The Heize Werewolves had been completely wiped out.
Counting from Yan Xing’s declaration of the Heize Werewolves as insurgents to the dispatch of the Eternal Domain’s second invitation, the entire war had lasted less than five days. The actual combat, if isolated, was even shorter. The Heize Werewolves had amassed forty thousand soldiers, and Heize itself was renowned as a natural fortress within the Thunderous Swamp.
Even that all-consuming Blackwater District, surely it couldn’t be breached in just five days? Moreover, Ironhead was formidable, backed by many powerful Werewolf Heroes. His tribe was the largest Werewolf Tribe in the Thunderous Swamp and had controlled Heize for generations. The swamp Clan Leaders puzzled over this, unable to comprehend. Setting aside the difficulty of defeating forty thousand entrenched Werewolves, even capturing forty thousand pigs scattered across Heize would take longer than that, wouldn’t it?
The swamp Clan Leaders grew even more fearful of the Eternal Domain’s military might. Simultaneously, their curiosity surged regarding the main legions capable of annihilating the Heize Werewolves so swiftly.
Tomorrow, when the assembly begins, all shall be revealed.
「Snow began to fall during the night.」
The snowflakes melted into water upon touching the geothermally heated ground, then flowed into the city’s drainage channels. Amidst the snow, Blood Crown Mountain City was dotted with braziers. Werewolf soldiers, clad in steel armor and armed with steel flails, marched in formation down the smooth streets. Drones, their red lights blinking, hovered slowly in the sky above the city. For conference security, a curfew was imposed after ten o’clock, and a significant force was deployed to maintain urban order.
In the relatively dark city, the Lord’s Mansion, illuminated by electric lights, stood out with exceptional brightness. Inside an interrogation room in the Lord’s Mansion, Yan Xing and Erelado sat side-by-side behind an interrogation table. Donna, accompanied by a team of fully armed special operations heroes, ensured their safety. Before them, a Jackalman, his fur entirely white with age, was restrained in a metal chair.