Chapter 44: You've Mistaken Me
Western Region, Eda Grand Canyon.
Viewed from above, a spectacular scene unfolded. Due to the dry season, the river within Eda Grand Canyon had dried up, revealing a riverbed covered in cracks.
The terrain of Eda Grand Canyon was not treacherous. The winding mountain ranges on both sides were severely weathered, crumbling like coal ash when stepped on, so there was no worry about ambushes hiding on the canyon slopes.
At this moment, the Wolf Cavalry Legion was marching along the dry riverbed, their route bypassing the central region to reach the Northern Territory.
The Western Region was now their own territory. Or rather, from now on, any foreign force stepping into the Western or Southern Regions would be considered a provocation against the Chaos Legion and would be met with encirclement and annihilation by the Grey Orc forces.
The shortest route for the Wolf Cavalry Legion to reach the Northern battlefield was, of course, through the central region, but the Duin Empire would never allow the Wolf Cavalry Legion to enter its territory.
Given the Wolf Cavalry Legion's marching speed, aside from Duin's Holy Emblem Knights, other legions could only eat their dust from behind.
This also meant that once the Wolf Cavalry Legion was allowed into the territory, if they harbored ill intentions, it wasn't impossible for them to directly attack Duin's royal capital. At this time, Duin's Holy Emblem Knights were already at the front lines.
Detouring from the Western Region to the Northern Territory didn't bother Su Xiao. His trip to the Northern Territory this time was such that unless it was a very important battle, he didn't intend to go all out. Duin and the Northern Territory wearing each other down was the outcome he most wanted to see.
Thus, even with the Wolf Cavalry Legion's marching speed, it took a full two days to reach the border of the Northern Territory.
Northern Territory Border.
The temperature here wasn't cold. They hadn't yet reached the "Yatade Wall," commonly known as the Great Ice Wall. Only after crossing the "Yatade Wall" would one officially enter the Northern Territory.
The Extreme Ice Lord naturally wouldn't place the main battlefield on his own turf. Therefore, the main battlefield between Duin and the Northern Territory was located thirty kilometers in front of the Yatade Wall, a wide horizontal stretch that was the war zone.
It had rained the night before, leaving the ground muddy. Interestingly, beyond the Yatade Wall, the temperature dropped to below -40°C, while outside the "Yatade Wall," it was around ten degrees above zero.
Sitting cross-legged on the dragon's back, Su Xiao looked ahead. As far as the eye could see, there were countless military tents of the Duin forces, densely packed together.
Bang.
A signal flare shot into the sky. Orc Hero Wobol discarded the metal tube in his hand as the red signal flare exploded high above.
Soon after, a green signal flare rose in the distance—a signal from the Duin side. The two armies were about to converge. Without prior notice, contact between forces of this scale would cause many problems.
From among the distant tents, soldiers rushed out, quickly forming ranks. Led by two individuals, they advanced toward the Wolf Cavalry Legion.
When the two sides were a few dozen meters apart, the wolf cavalry halted. On the opposite side, the Duin infantrymen were somewhat stunned. This was their first time seeing wolf cavalry, and their aura was completely different from the Grey Orc troops they had fought before.
Standing at the front of the several thousand infantrymen were a man and a woman. The man was an old acquaintance: Diplomat Difton.
Diplomat Difton's ability to reach the front lines so quickly was likely due to the power of sorcery.
The female officer standing beside Diplomat Difton was named Off, the chief physician of the Holy Emblem Knights.
Don't underestimate her. In the Holy Emblem Knights, angering Legion Commander Tult would at most result in punishment. That commander was famously protective of his subordinates. Though born into high nobility, he was usually easygoing with people, yet extremely iron-willed in war. He was both beloved and feared.
But if you angered the "frail" Chief Physician Off, it was best not to get injured, or you'd have an unforgettable experience. The injuries would be healed, but the process would be excruciating.
The black dragon descended from above with a thunderous crash, splattering mud everywhere. Barbatos lowered his dragon wing, and Su Xiao walked down along it.
A few dozen meters away, Chief Physician Off took a deep breath. She was a mid-to-high-ranking officer in the Duin Empire, but now she had to face the ruler of the Chaos Legion.
Although the Chaos Legion had four Great Lords with no hierarchy among them, all factions believed Su Xiao was the true ruler of the Chaos Legion. The territory the Chaos Legion now occupied, a third of the entire Canglong Continent, had been reclaimed by Su Xiao.
Chief Physician Off and Difton both stepped forward. The two sides, once hostile, were now united by the changing circumstances.
"Great Lord Bai Ye, we've been waiting for you. The front lines urgently need your assistance."
Diplomat Difton stepped forward with a smile. After the previous negotiations, his rise to prominence in the Duin Empire was inevitable.
Su Xiao ordered the 600,000 wolf cavalry to camp here, then took Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha toward the tents ahead.
Five minutes later, Su Xiao, Diplomat Difton, and Chief Physician Off were seated. Meals had already been prepared.
Through Difton's narration, Su Xiao learned the general situation on the front lines. On the main battlefield, Duin had 3.2 million soldiers, while the Northern Territory had 3.15 million. This was just the front line; troops from other war zones weren't counted.
The forces of Duin and the Northern Territory were far from limited to this. Both sides had been accumulating for too long.
Apart from the main battlefield situation, Duin's Holy Emblem Knights had already charged into enemy territory. Duin had used sorcery to breach a section of the "Yatade Wall," and the Holy Emblem Knights took the opportunity to attack inside.
Duin's intention was for Su Xiao's Wolf Cavalry Legion to quickly cross the main battlefield, enter the Northern Territory's domain, rendezvous with the Holy Emblem Knights, and intercept between the main battlefield and the Northern Territory's Fierce Winter City, cutting off their supplies, thereby causing the enemy's main force to collapse.
Ideals were full, but reality was harsh. The Holy Emblem Knights, led by Legion Commander Tult, had breached the Northern Territory two days ago. They had cut through everything in their path. Just as they were about to sever the enemy's supply lines and harass them with their mobility, they were taught a lesson by a heavy hammer unit.
If the Holy Emblem Knights weren't elite enough, they would have been permanently left there. That heavy hammer unit consisted of soldiers averaging four meters in height, clad in armor two fingers thick, covered in frost.
Their weapons were hammers over four meters long, with hammerheads nearly two meters in size. They were a bunch of super iron-headed fools.
Even more absurdly, these super iron-headed fools each had a pair of thick black feathered wings on their backs, looking as if they had been drenched in petroleum. They were strong and tough, and these super iron-headed fools could fly.
The hammers falling from the sky had truly stunned the Holy Emblem Knights. Even Legion Commander Tult was injured. If it had been any other Duin unit, they wouldn't have had a chance to retreat; they would have been completely annihilated by this heavy hammer unit.
"They can fly? They have an air force too?"
Baha looked at Diplomat Difton and Chief Physician Off. The two remained silent.
"Tough situation."
Baha spread his wings, indicating that the Wolf Cavalry Legion couldn't do anything either. In reality, of course, that wasn't the case. Unless Duin offered something substantial, the Wolf Cavalry Legion wouldn't set foot in the Northern Territory.
Just as the negotiations were at a stalemate, a figure walked into the tent. She carried a war scythe on her back, wore a backless leather top, and had smooth short black hair. Her pupils were so dark they seemed to pierce the soul.
The newcomer seemed to have considerable prestige in the Duin Empire. She walked in with a composed demeanor, but upon seeing Su Xiao, she suddenly turned around, pretending not to have seen anything, and strode toward the tent exit.
"Hey, you look a bit familiar to me."
Baha spoke up. Amu beside him took out the Dragonheart Axe, hoisting the large axe onto his shoulder as cold air rose.
Pastoral Owl's footsteps halted. With her back to Su Xiao, she lowered her head slightly, thought for a moment, and then said:
"Familiar? My name is Patricia. Have we met before?"
Pastoral Owl kept her back to Su Xiao, slightly tilting her head, only letting Su Xiao see her profile. She felt she might be done for here.