# Chapter 4: Border Fortress Blood Lion
The area Su Xiao was currently in was the war frontlines, while Bubu Wang was inside Saint Dragon City, which was the capital of the Dragon Soaring Empire.
After contacting him, Su Xiao learned that the team searching for the World Core consisted of fifty people, all agility-type contractors, serving as scouts.
The scout team's mission was to find the World Core and bring that thing to a designated location. As for the subsequent guard work, that would depend on Su Xiao or the various adventure groups.
However, before that, the first priority was to ensure stability on the war frontlines between the Empire and the tribes. Once the frontline was breached, there would be no need to look for the World Core. Most contractors would die under the tribal army, and even if they survived by chance, they would be forcibly executed for mission failure.
Su Xiao marched with the Imperial army. The soldiers near him were all silent. The brutality of cold weapon warfare was imaginable, but these soldiers showed no fear, only numbness on their faces—a numbness that came from being indifferent to life and death.
Becoming an Imperial soldier, there was a saying among the common people: soldiers were noble lords, tiger-beasts, and dogs.
Noble lords referred to soldiers who, after receiving their pay, drank and whored, living quite freely, just like noble lords.
Tiger-beast was what commoners called tigers. Commoners feared soldiers like they feared tigers, which was why they described soldiers as tiger-beasts.
As for dogs, when war broke out, a soldier's life wasn't worth a dog's. They lived for today with no guarantee of tomorrow.
Because they were marching on the plains, over a hundred thousand troops formed several square formations, vast and mighty. Wherever they passed, wild beasts fled in terror, and the ground trembled slightly.
After the army had marched for half an hour, Su Xiao vaguely saw a black "mountain range" appear ahead. The mountain range cut across the plains, separating the Empire from the tribes, an exceptionally spectacular sight.
When he got closer, Su Xiao realized this was no mountain range at all—it was a war defense line, similar to the Great Wall in the real world.
Seeing this war defense line, Su Xiao silently cursed "what the hell" in his heart, and the war channel of Reincarnation Paradise also exploded.
Su Xiao was very puzzled. With this kind of geographical advantage on the Empire's side, how had the tribes managed to breach this defense line and occupy it?
Ahead was the Black Earth Fortress. The entire fortress divided the Black Earth Plains into two sections. If viewed from high above, the Black Earth Fortress looked like a winding black river splitting the Black Earth Plains.
The Black Earth Fortress was 176 kilometers long, entirely built from stacked obsidian. The entire fortress was reinforced with 6,782 magical imprints, making it tougher than metal. Even the "Storm Knight" battering ram made by dwarves couldn't break through the Black Earth Fortress. The fortress separated the Empire's territory from the tribes' territory. Inside the fortress was Imperial territory; outside was tribal territory.
The highest point of the Black Earth Fortress was 60 meters tall, with an average height of about 40 meters. Standing below the fortress and looking up, it was a heavenly wall that had stood here for 3,600 years, renovated no less than 30 times, roughly once every hundred years.
"This thing... can we really attack it?"
A contractor near Su Xiao looked up at the Black Earth Fortress, feeling like ten thousand grass-mud horses were stampeding through his heart.
Not to mention the contractors' reactions, Marquis Mark at the rear of the army was also looking up at the Black Earth Fortress. He hadn't been here for nearly 20 years.
"Marquis, this is the soldier count statistics and the storage of military rations, weapons, etc. The weapons promised by the Moon Elf tribe haven't arrived yet. Many soldiers' weapons have severely chipped edges, and there's not much food either. As for water sources..."
The deputy commander of the Iron Blood Legion knelt on one knee before Marquis Mark, who was riding on his horse.
"I know."
Marquis Mark was somewhat impatient. He was a middle-aged to elderly man with white curly hair, a small beard on his chin, and a somewhat overweight body. He wore a black coat with gold threads woven into the collar and cuffs.
"But..."
Deputy Commander Carlos looked at Marquis Mark in surprise. Carlos was a burly middle-aged man wearing blood-colored armor, his bloodthirsty aura no weaker than Su Xiao's.
"Carlos, you just need to tell me whether you can retake the Black Earth Fortress before sunset."
Marquis Mark, still on his horse, looked at Deputy Commander Carlos with a complicated expression. He didn't like this man. He usually assigned low-profit tasks to him, like the hard work of guarding the border fortress. Although he didn't particularly like him, he needed this man now.
"Wh... what."
Carlos was stunned. He suspected he had misheard.
"The Marquis asks you whether you can retake the Black Earth Fortress before dark."
An Imperial official beside Marquis Mark spoke. Although his official rank was lower than Carlos's, he looked at Carlos with some disdain, the reason being that Carlos was the son of a noble and a prostitute.
"Marquis, that seems... quite impossible."
Carlos lowered his head. He really wanted to drag the fat bastard riding on the horse three meters away, step hard on the face of this waste who inherited the Marquis position through hereditary succession, and make him take a good look at what kind of war fortification the Black Earth Fortress was.
Not to mention one day, even if Carlos were given a week, he wouldn't dare say he could retake the Black Earth Fortress. When the tribes captured this place, they had killed nearly 120,000 orcs + dwarves + goblins + trolls, fighting non-stop for half a month. In the end, the corpses piled up level with the Black Earth Fortress, and the tribal side had climbed up stepping on the bodies.
"If the war goes very smoothly, it would probably take about ten days to retake the Black Earth Fortress."
Carlos was actually exaggerating a bit. Even if things went smoothly, half a month to retake the fortress would be good, and that was based on the Empire continuing to send more troops to the Black Earth Plains, using the same corpse-piling method to retake the fortress.
"Ten days, too long."
Marquis Mark was very dissatisfied.
"I'll give you a week. If you can't retake it, bring your head to see me. I've already become a laughingstock in Saint Dragon City. If you can't do it, I'll find someone who can to replace you."
"Understood."
Carlos's steel teeth ground together with a cracking sound. He knew in his heart that no matter what, he couldn't be replaced. Absolutely not. This wasn't about status or personal desires. Once he lost his position as deputy commander of the Iron Blood Legion, the Black Earth Fortress would be finished. He had been guarding this place for twenty years. Back then, he was just a squad leader. He had devoted everything in his life to this place. His achievements were too numerous to count. People called him the Border Fortress Blood Lion.
"Marquis, I have a request."
After saying this, Carlos took a deep breath. This deputy commander, who had killed who knows how many enemies, actually hesitated.
"Speak."
Marquis Mark had already guessed what Carlos was going to say. It was nothing more than asking for promotion and reward.
"The war on the Black Earth Plains needs more troops."
"Oh?" Marquis Mark was somewhat surprised. This was different from what he had imagined. He stroked the beard on his chin and said, "How many do you need?"
"At least two hundred thousand."
Carlos's fists were clenched tightly. He was already prepared to use human lives to retake the fortress.
"Impossible. Other Imperial defense lines also need troops. At most fifty thousand."
Hearing Marquis Mark's words, Carlos raised his head with a whoosh, his armor clattering. Marquis Mark was startled by his momentum, a chill rising in his heart.
"Carlos, what do you think you're doing!"
Marquis Mark roared with a bluster that betrayed his inner fear. Several hundred of his personal guards beside him drew their long swords from their waists, surrounding Carlos in a circle.