The orc army has launched a surprise assault! Silvermoon City is under siege!
Now *this* was the truly earth-shattering piece of news — the very intelligence Tifa had relayed to Lei Lin moments ago.
As a Legendary powerhouse of the shadow world, the intelligence network under Tifa's control had actually gotten word before Kaslai even did.
This was the very assurance Lei Lin had relied on to cast all caution to the wind!
After all, the so-called military law, the so-called rules, the so-called Silvermoon nobility — all of it rested on the premise that Silvermoon City still existed. But... what if Silvermoon City was gone?
Even granting the most optimistic scenario, even if the siege could be successfully repelled, the ravages of war would inevitably spread. In times of chaos like these, what did the death of one or two knights amount to?
As a regional power player, those people in Silvermoon City might even swallow their pride and look the other way — if it meant getting Lei Lin to march his troops to the king's aid. They might even shower him with lavish rewards and titles.
"Still, it seems the Goddess of the
Lei Lin murmured thoughtfully: "Then again, she is at least a Greater Divine Power — she'll almost certainly emerge unscathed in the end. Eltara, with her status as Chosen, will undoubtedly be spared as well. The ones who suffer the most in any war are always the common folk down below..."
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Malfoy.
Poor Sir Malfoy, upon hearing what Lei Lin had just said, had fallen into a state of complete stupor.
It wasn't until the guards began dragging him away that Sir Malfoy finally erupted: "Ah... spare me! Please forgive me, Lord Lei Lin! Lord Lei Lin!!!"
"Silvermoon City needs you! I swear, if you take me back, I'll make sure my father gives you everything you want — *everything!* Ah—"
After a brief cry of pain, Malfoy's voice cut off abruptly.
Lei Lin's subordinates had grown entirely accustomed to such scenes and showed no expression whatsoever. Only Rafinia's face bore a look of unmistakable distaste.
In her eyes, no matter how detestable the man had been, Lei Lin had gone a bit too far — and it left a small shadow over her heart.
"What did he mean by Silvermoon City at the end?"
Since Lei Lin had whispered the earlier words directly into Malfoy's ear, the young woman had no clear understanding of the situation.
"Utter nonsense, that's all!"
Lei Lin smiled, utterly unconcerned. "My steward has already given me the latest news, thank the goddess. Those simple-minded Beastkin have at most occupied the Dark Forest and might come out for a raid, but they have no interest in joining forces with the Beastmen to destroy the Silvermoon Alliance..."
"Thank the gods!" Hearing this, Lafinia also breathed a sigh of relief. She truly didn't want this beautiful city to be destroyed like this.
"Since that's the case, then what did you mean earlier about the Nether Mountains?"
"Nothing much. Since there's no great danger here, I'm planning to do some personal errands—to open up a ruin I discovered before!"
Lei Lin's face was full of a relaxed and comfortable expression as he flicked the reins sharply. "Didn't you hear my earlier order? Change direction! We're heading to the Nether Mountains!"
Over the past year or so, Lei Lin's authority was no joke.
Even in an ordinary army, obeying a superior's orders was essential, let alone with a commander like Lei Lin.
Those Silvermoon soldiers originally didn't want to fight the Beastkin to the death. With Lei Lin's private soldiers egging them on and coercing them from the side, they quickly obeyed the command.
The large column of troops turned and headed west toward the Nether Mountains.
"Casley... I hope you like the gift I left behind..."
Lei Lin chuckled coldly to himself. Under the current circumstances, it was truly hard to say what the Beastkin's mindset really was.
Moreover, once his main force withdrew, Casley would face the full pressure of the Beastkin army head-on.
At that point, would he fall back to Silvermoon City for reinforcement, or stay and face the Beastkin? Lei Lin was very much looking forward to his answer.
"He... has changed..."
Lafinia watched blankly as column after column of troops marched past her, a look of disbelief still on her face.
That Lei Lin just now was vastly different from the one she knew before.
Although just as handsome and affable, just as politely courteous, he was filled with an overbearing air! Or rather, a wild and unrestrained charisma!
"It's like he's a completely different person! Why..."
Lafinia's mind slowly went blank, and a great fear rose in her heart.
"Commander! Are you alright?" A knight beside her noticed something was wrong with Lafinia and came over to ask with concern.
"I... I'm fine!" Lafinia managed to say through gritted teeth, urging Nick forward to catch up with the main column, but the furrow between her brows only deepened.
……
The Nesser Mountains — a peculiar north-south range in the northlands. It was not nearly as vast or imposing as the Sunrise Mountains, which stretched from east to west and separated the northern lands from the endless barbarian wilderness beyond, but it remained an important boundary line, firmly walling off the Dark Forest and the Beastkin territories on the other side.
Throughout the Nesser Mountains, terrifying magical contamination and energy isolation zones were scattered everywhere.
Even the Weave grew fragile here; in some places, one could sense no power of the Weave at all. These regions were known as 'Dead Mana Zones' — whether wizards or priests, anyone who entered them was rendered completely helpless.
And due to the horrific contamination, the plants and animals within the Nesser Mountains had undergone strange mutations, becoming not only far more powerful but also more vicious and bloodthirsty.
According to legend, this devastation was the remnant of a battle between two divine avatars — sages of immense power. The geography had been utterly reshaped, turning the area into a forbidden zone for all life.
Yet today, a human legion had boldly ventured into this wasteland. Cutting through obstacle after obstacle, relying on the combined might of powerful spellcasters and warriors, they had pushed deep into the heart of the mountain range.
"The Weave here has partially recovered — much better than those Dead Mana Zones we passed through before!"
As night fell, Lein summoned all of his officers to the command tent at the center of the camp.
Lein's noble retainers and the Silvermoon City officers stood on opposite sides, the divide between them stark and unmistakable.
"I've gathered you all here to discuss our objective: an adult red dragon!"
Lein's gaze rested on the enormous map of the Nesser Mountains pinned to the wall, his voice low and measured.
At these words, Tifa's side showed no surprise whatsoever — they had clearly known about this for some time. But the Silvermoon City officers, with Lafinia at the forefront, erupted into uproar.
"An adult dragon — that's a Legendary-class creature!" Lafinia could never have imagined that Lein harbored such a mad notion. He actually intended to slay a dragon?
A dragon at the [Legendary] realm! Those were often even more formidable than ordinary human [Legendaries]!
"Hmm! It's not as though we lack Legendary-level power on our side!"
Lein gestured toward Tifa, and the latter immediately released a terrifying wave of pressure reminiscent of a dragon's aura — like the roar of some primordial beast.
"Legendary Domain?!"
Lafinia's mouth fell open. She stared at Tifa, then turned to Lein, and a bitter taste suddenly rose in her chest. "So this is what you've been scheming toward all along? Chasing the wealth and glory of dragon-slaying?"
"And besides, I only need you to deal with some of the surrounding dangers and provide long-range suppression. There's no need to face them head-on. What do you think?"
Lein felt a moment of sentiment.
Without the strength of this nearly thousand-strong professional legion, breaking through the Nesser Mountains would truly not be an easy task.
Just the endless stream of monsters along the way would be enough to annihilate any small adventuring party.
"As you command, sir!"
The officers from Silvermoon City exchanged glances. While a military commander using their subordinates for private business wasn't unheard of, someone as brazen and unscrupulous as Lein was truly rare.
However, after glancing at Tifa—who had retracted her aura and now appeared as an ordinary butler—and the squad of imposing personal guards, these officers still chose to submit.
In reality, this was largely thanks to Lein having confiscated all communication devices from his subordinates right away, and due to the geographical nature of the Nesser Mountains, this unit's contact with the outside world was temporarily severed. Otherwise, once they learned that Silvermoon City was under siege, there would likely be a collective mutiny.
While it wouldn't be impossible to suppress them with his private guards at that point, it would clearly weaken his own combat effectiveness.
"Very good! Then I'll assign the tasks now!"
Lein, extremely satisfied with this situation, nodded with a smile, then issued his orders without any hesitation.
After the meeting ended and the other officers had all left, Lafinia stayed behind alone.
"You still haven't answered my question!"
The Knight girl's eyes were fixed on Lein.
"Oh? That!" Lein nodded in sudden realization. "I originally came to Silvermoon City to acquire sufficient spell data, and after learning of the Red Dragon's existence, I set my sights on it. Is there a problem?"
Lein's straightforwardness actually left Lafinia somewhat at a loss.
In that instant, she felt as if a piece of her heart was missing, a very painful sensation.
The Knight girl bit her lip and said, "Fine! I will help you this time, but after that, I'm leaving!"
"This little miss, has she finally learned the cruelty of reality?"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lein's mouth. "Of course, no problem! Additionally, I'll give you a share of the dragon-slaying treasure!"
"No need! Just go die with all that filthy wealth!"
Lafinia threw open the tent flap and ran off, leaving Lein behind scratching his head. "She's learned how cruel the world can be, but she's still not realistic enough…"
Regardless, Lein's plan continued to be carried out as intended.
With a legendary powerhouse holding the fort, combined with the honor and riches of slaying a dragon, the officers and their subordinates mustered up quite a bit of enthusiasm.
Before long, good news arrived — the red dragon's exact location had been pinpointed.