NABC Page 83
Page 83
She didn't use her sword to strike directly, just so as not to break her promise; otherwise, it would have been over.
"Admit defeat, you are no match for me."
Lydia said matter-of-factly that after two rounds of fighting, she had completely figured out the difference in strength between herself and the one-eyed bear. If she didn't use her rune equipment, she would probably be slightly inferior, but if she was in full armor mode, the one-eyed bear would only be able to struggle for survival.
Like right now.
Upon hearing Lydia's words, the one-eyed bear felt a surge of resentment, fear, and rage. He absolutely refused to become a plaything only good for paying for his semen; he had to win! Even if it meant breaking his promise and risking his life!
Ultimately, he was never a good person! A dark light suddenly flashed in the empty eye socket of the one-eyed bear, striking Lydia's helmet unexpectedly!
Then, with a bang, the helmet, which contained nothing, flew out, and the surroundings fell into dead silence.
The one-eyed bear hadn't expected his [Gravity Ray] to be so effective; it was clearly just his last struggle! But after a moment of surprise, he burst into unrestrained laughter: "Ha, ha, ha ha ha ha! I won! I! Won!!!"
His laughter awakened the soldiers, who roared and shouted in protest. The knights reined in their horses and turned back, not to flee, but to create space for a charge—they were going to crush this bastard!
However, it's no longer needed.
Lydia punched the one-eyed bear in the face, denting his right cheek and leaving a distinct red mark from her iron gauntlet. Then she pierced his shoulder blade with her sword, pinning him to the ground. She then walked to her helmet and picked it up.
The one-eyed bear, lying on the ground, watched as a pair of iron boots entered his field of vision and picked up the empty helmet—devoid of blood and head. He angrily rebuked, "You liar! You clearly said you'd use human form!"
Lydia, holding the helmet, stared blankly at the one-eyed bear: "Even in human form, my head isn't a vital organ. Besides, you were the one who struck first, weren't you?"
The one-eyed bear couldn't argue, and could only plead, "Then kill me! Kill me!!"
Lydia put on her helmet and shook her head: "If you had said that before, I would have granted your request, but now... the Digging Bear is a rare bloodline here, and I think many people would be willing to pay a high price for you."
After saying that, Lydia kicked the one-eyed bear in the head, knocking him unconscious, and then looked at the chaotic group: "Everyone! Line up! Head to Shattered Stone Castle!"
At this moment, a group of people gathered in Shattered Stone Fortress.
The author says:
Author's Note: A new month, a new day. Last month I updated a total of 19 words, and my right hand even developed tendonitis from overwork—it's so tough! Also, please note that the monthly tickets I personally voted for donate donate to the bounty, so my update progress is: Monthly tickets 49/50, urging tickets 40/50, and bounties 800/5000.
Chapter 207: Stealing the City
"Are you all ready?"
Jack glanced at his companions, his rough face displaying a contradictory mix of apprehension and excitement.
"All the brothers are here, Jack. Those bastards Farrar brought are all gone. Only seven or eight gatekeepers are left!"
"Let's do it, Jack! Maybe we can even get a reward when the adults come after us!"
"That's right, Lord Zhuang Sen is a level three bloodline user. Dealing with these guys who aren't even fully armored should be a piece of cake."
"No matter what, it's better than continuing to be bullied by those bastards! As long as we take out those soldiers who stayed behind, the castle will be ours!"
Amidst the chatter, the group's identities were naturally revealed: they were the inhabitants of the area surrounding Shattered Stone Fortress. As "advanced villagers" who could live next to the castle, their knowledge and abilities were slightly higher. For example, most of them had participated in peasant-soldier training and even possessed weapons other than hoes and pitchforks. They knew how to operate the hinge mechanism of the city gate and were familiar with the layout of the castle's outer walls.
However, being relatively wealthy, they also suffered the greatest losses during the invasion. Many went from being "rich peasants" to "vagrants" overnight. Therefore, they deeply resented the One-Eyed Bear's mercenaries and even more so the Faroese who supported him. Now, seeing both groups mobilized in full force, they couldn't help but feel the urge to resist.
Just as they said, there are now no more than ten soldiers left in the entire Shattered Stone Fortress, and they are all mercenaries. As long as they can enter the castle, they will win by sheer numbers!
With that in mind, Jack no longer hesitated: "Then let's proceed according to plan. John, Hans, you two go push the cart. The rest of you, put on your face wash! Follow me!"
Soon, a dusty caravan appeared before the gates of Shattered Stone Fortress. The soldiers guarding the outer wall, not seeing the familiar eagle banner, were puzzled and, wary, did not open the gate. Instead, they shouted down from the city wall, "Stop! Who are you!"
Jack swallowed hard and replied in a Farau accent, "We are a caravan from the Golden Flower Territory! We're here to do business!"
Jack's accent was very authentic, because he was a businessman who traded in Falaine. The soldiers on the wall relaxed their guard a bit after hearing him, but before they opened the gate, they asked, "Where's your flag?!"
“Didn’t they say there was an attack by the Leonians? We’re afraid something might happen…” Jack said timidly, pretending to rummage through the truck for flags, but what was revealed first was the honey they had painstakingly collected, several jars of strong liquor that had been buried in the ground to avoid being stolen, and the white breasts of the “prostitutes” in the group. The soldiers on the wall couldn’t resist Jack’s leisurely movements.
"Alright, alright, stop wasting time, open the door!"
The drawbridge was lowered and the gate was raised. Only four guards rushed down the wall, even helping Jack and his men drive the truck through the gate. During this time, they did not completely relax their vigilance. After the truck entered, they had the two soldiers in the hinged room lower the gate again to prevent any enemies from suddenly rushing in.
Then, with lewd grins, they reached out to grab the prostitutes. The better ones only went to grab the wine jars first, completely ignoring the cowardly merchants dressed in simple clothes, whose only weapons were large wooden clubs.
Jack subtly gave his companions a few meaningful glances, and they tacitly formed a circle, blocking the four soldiers from all sides. Then...
"Be careful!!"
Suddenly, a loud shout came from the stairwell on one side of the wall opening. It was the guard from the hinged room who had rushed down after closing the door. From his angle, he could clearly see the daggers that Jack and his men had pulled out of their crotches.
However, his warning came too late and instead became the order to begin the operation.
Jack and his group consisted of twenty-two men. Each of the four guards was stabbed an average of more than a dozen times, all in vital areas, their necks were ripped open like showerheads—ordinary soldiers like these did not have such excellent equipment as plate armor to protect their necks.
That's all there is to say.
Twenty-two men grabbed what was hidden in the truck, and some even took the soldiers' weapons and swarmed at them. The few remaining soldiers were powerless to fight back and died on the spot.
"John, Hans, go open the door. Mary, Anne, you and Henry go and call the rest of you in! Just in case!" Jack wiped the blood from his axe. "The rest of you, don't just stand around either. Go and arm yourselves. If any spineless cowards try to cause trouble, don't hold back!"
After successfully completing the plan, Jack's reputation was greatly enhanced, and everyone subconsciously obeyed his orders and began to act. Jack himself did not slack off. Although this was the first time the businessman had killed someone, and such a thrilling one at that, his heart and stomach were churning, but he still suppressed the urge to vomit and began to rummage through the weapons and armor he could wear.
Soon, news of the castle's fall spread, and at the urging of Mary, Anne, and Henry, most of the Stonehenge people rushed into the castle. But Jack's mood did not improve; in fact, it worsened.
Because Mary and Anne brought back bad news: "Jack, we saw an army coming down the road in Farau, carrying a flag that looked like a golden poppy!"
Mary's flustered words caused a huge uproar. The "refugees" who had just been jubilant suddenly became tense again, remembering their miserable past few days. Fear gripped their throats once more. Meanwhile, the "Leon traitor," who had been frightened by Jack's fully armed gang, immediately jumped up and advocated abandoning the city and fleeing, saying they could cover their retreat...
puff.
Jack pulled his longsword from the heart of one of his distant cousins, his expression icy: "Don't you know what those Farau people are? Do you still want to live the same life you've had for the past few days? To let those Farau people steal your last bit of food and treat your mothers, wives, and daughters like prostitutes and livestock?"
No one answered. Jack's face was contorted with rage, and his longsword was dripping with blood. He was no longer the gentle and composed man he once was. No one, whether they knew him or not, dared to meet his gaze, let alone refute him.
"John, Hans, you two take men and guard the section of the wall near the hinged house. The rest of you, go light a fire and boil all the dung in the outhouse! Hmm, Hank, you take the ones who know how to use a bow and go guard the outer wall too. Shoot anyone who comes!"
Jack's speech wasn't very effective, but the Fara people's performance over the past few days greatly enhanced his persuasiveness, so the crowd stirred up again. When the golden poppy banner arrived at the castle, the first thing they smelled was boiling excrement.
"Damn it, those fishmongers from Jinhe were always unreliable!"
Baron Jin Hualing stared at the sharp, broken stone banners that had been raised again on the city wall and cursed his allies!
Chapter 208: Defending the City and Breaking the Siege
Baron Golden Flower never imagined that his good neighbor would be so stupid as to allow a bunch of lowly people to seize an intact castle! Now, he has to figure out how to take down this damned castle without causing too much damage—otherwise, it won't have the effect of threatening Leon's territory!
Of course, he couldn't damage the castle now, because as reinforcements arriving later, he hadn't brought any siege equipment. Building it on the spot would be neither time-consuming nor costly, not to mention he hadn't brought any engineers with him. So, after much deliberation, he felt there was only one option to take the castle.
Even if he, the second-awakened [Purple Wing Butterfly], were to take action himself, he certainly couldn't directly destroy the city wall. However, he could easily climb the wall with the help of [Butterfly Wind]'s ability. Naturally, the lowly people on the wall were no match for him, a fully armed level two bloodline user!
The only thing he was wary of was the boiling molten gold on the wall. Regardless of its lethality, if he got even a little bit of it on him, he'd probably be called the Baron of Molten Gold from now on... Just to be on the safe side, he'd better have his men cover for him.
"Golden juice..." Baron Golden Flower's order was quickly relayed. The infantrymen, who had trekked all the way, were in low spirits, but under the whips and scolding, they still miserably held up their large shields to cover the archers as they approached the city wall.
……
On the city wall, as the enemy approached, cowardice and fear spread. No matter how much Jack and his men encouraged them, these defenders, who were just ordinary villagers a few hours ago, could not maintain their composure. The reason they had not yet collapsed was entirely because the fear Jack instilled in them was closer and stronger.
Just as Jack was gritting his teeth, wondering whether to kill another person to establish his authority, the sound of flapping wings caught his attention. A raven flew across the sky and landed in a distant raven coop. Looking at the raven, a daring idea suddenly popped into Jack's head. He immediately put on a gleeful expression and loudly proclaimed to those around him, "Don't be afraid! The Earl's army has arrived! Did you see that raven just now? That was the Earl's messenger! Those thugs have already been defeated by the Earl. As long as we hold on, those few hundred men outside are no match for the Earl!"
The literacy rate among commoners was very low, and Jack, as a merchant, was already one of the few "educated people" in the entire Shattered Stone Territory. Therefore, he wasn't afraid of being exposed at all, and he didn't even bother to look at what the messenger crow brought. He was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be able to maintain his act so convincingly. After all, in his understanding, the Earl's army couldn't possibly arrive quickly; just assembling, arranging, and coordinating logistics would take a long time!
His thinking wasn't wrong, but Zhuang Sen had already made preparations to take action, and with the army's high level of organization, everything happened much faster than expected.
But in any case, morale is at least much better. Given a choice, the villagers would naturally prefer to maintain their freedom and dignity, and preserve their familiar way of life.
However, the morale on the city walls was high, while the soldiers below naturally became somewhat demoralized, wondering if the enemy had some special tricks up their sleeves. Even Baron Golden Flower himself felt something was amiss. But seeing the infantry and archers advancing, and the soldiers below only managing to retaliate with sparse arrows, without any special tactics, Baron Golden Flower decided to make his move.
Purple scales appeared around him, slowly lifting his body. The speed wasn't too fast, roughly the same as an average adult man running at full speed. But the walls of Shattered Stone Fortress were only ten meters high, and he reached the top of the wall in just two seconds, piercing Hans, who was trying to attack him, with a single sword strike.
"If you surrender now, I might let you..." Baron Golden Flower looked at the terrified commoners huddled together, a smug smile playing on his lips, "...let you die a quick death."
The slender rapier blurred into a blur in the eyes of the villagers, piercing the throats of three or four people in the blink of an eye. Only Jack was lucky enough to block the blow with his longsword, but he was also knocked back.
Jack collapsed to the ground, staring at the nick in his sword, his heart filled with despair. The power gap between him and the bloodline users was too great; he was utterly powerless!
Even if they capture the castle, it will only force the noble lord to intervene personally. And in doing so, he might end up killing most of the village…
Baron Golden Flower was very satisfied with Jack's expression. He could tell that this commoner was probably the leader of this group of commoners, which was why he deliberately didn't kill him. This kind of troublemaker needed to be tortured properly to intimidate the rest of the commoners. How could he let him die so easily...
Suddenly, Jack and Baron Golden Flower both looked up and gazed at the other side of Shattered Stone Castle. On the city wall, they saw billowing smoke and dust, and they also saw the yellow flag with black crows raised high!
Earl, the Earl has really arrived?!
Compared to Jack's straightforward joy, Baron Golden Flower was filled with nothing but terror. As a qualified noble of the bloodline, he naturally knew how to discern the number of people on the battlefield. Even with just a cursory glance, he could tell that there were definitely no fewer than two thousand. Moreover, he finally understood why Baron Golden River had lost Shattered Stone Fortress. That guy probably went out of the city to meet the enemy and was then completely crushed and defeated.
Thinking of this, Baron Golden Flower immediately retreated and jumped off the city wall. Now, he had only one thing on his mind—escape!
"Everyone! Retreat! Retreat immediately!!!"
Baron Golden Flower's abrupt order puzzled the army, whose view was obstructed by the castle, but their doubts were quickly resolved. As mentioned earlier, after passing Twin Mountains, the area leading to Shattered Stone Fortress was flat, with only Shattered Stone Fortress being slightly higher, but it was merely a gentle slope. Therefore, the cavalry did not need to slow down at all; they could simply charge forward!
"A flock of crows cawed loudly—"
A truly deadly cry ripped through the sky, followed by a roar like the howling of crows: "The feast has begun!!!"
The Ravenwing Guards followed Lydia, who was leading the charge, and charged directly into Baron Golden Flower's army of several hundred men. Wherever they went, they were invincible and completely crushed the enemy!
Baron Golden Flower, who was running away at breakneck speed, watched this scene from afar, his heart breaking. These were all his elite troops whom he had raised at great expense. He would not have brought them out if it weren't for the prospect of making a fortune this time. In the end, they all died at the hands of the Leon people before they could achieve any merit.
Damn it!! If only they could get into the castle, if only those lowly commoners weren't there, if only Baron Golden River hadn't been so foolish as to engage so many cavalry in open battle—
Baron Golden Flower fled in a disheveled state.
Chapter 209: Relentless Pursuit
"Ledya has already recaptured Shattered Stone Territory and Longleaf Territory, and she asked me if we should continue the attack. She's confident she can at least take Golden River Territory. What do you think?"
In Zhuang Sen's room, the small Zhuang Sen held the [Shared Book] in his hands, flipping through it, while looking at his wives in the room. Dantalian lay lazily on the thick carpet, one hand blocking the entrance to the snake's nest to prevent the precious essence from leaking out. Her appearance was luxurious and alluring, making the already erect Zhuang Sen, who had just ejaculated, get hard again.
“Since Lydia is confident, let her do it. We can’t just sit here and do nothing.” Lady Lydia slid off her seat and took the large, perky penis into her mouth. Her smooth, delicate breasts enveloped the part she couldn’t swallow, and she rubbed the seed sac with her cherry.
Lady Lia was too busy talking to pay attention to anything else, so Ange, who was sitting next to Zhuang Sen, added, "Moreover, the Farau people have been looting extensively in the area and causing serious damage. Of course, we have to get our money back. Let's take as much as we can before it snows."
Zhuang Sen stroked Lady Lydia's golden hair and chuckled, "Speaking of which, Lydia also said she'd send back a level-three bloodline mercenary she captured to make money. It should be a decent income. By the way, does this mean Lydia has been corrupted by you?"
"Then they should be learning bad habits from Leah's mother!"
Ange stretched out her white silk stockings and gently rubbed them against the inside of Zhuang Sen's thigh. The feel of the stockings was extremely comfortable, stimulating Zhuang Sen's sensitive areas and making his body tense up. Zhuang Sen became even harder and more erect, filling Mrs. Liya's mouth.
Zhuang Sen exhaled softly, slowed down, and changed the subject: "You're so good at talking, have you counted the ransom for Mann Farau and the other two?"
Yes, although the Falau family launched an attack, they didn't forget to send the ransom. It seems like a complete split, but it's actually a very common practice. War is war, and trade is trade. Even though people are fighting like idiots on the border, they can still raise a glass together at a banquet—that's what makes a proper nobleman.
Johnson didn't intend to make things difficult for Mann Farau. After receiving the ransom, he transferred them from Colm's Secret Garden back to the dungeon, averting their chastity crisis. He even kept his promise and gave them 20% of the Screaming Chicken and Crimson Hound's profits. However, although they had now paid the ransom, they still had to stay in the dungeon obediently until the war ended.
"Of course everything's ready." The Minister of Commerce, who was probably the busiest person next to Zhuang Sen, pouted. White silk ice cream ran up her thigh and towards Zhuang Sen's mouth. Happy's beautiful legs were long and firm, yet had the tenderness and softness of a young girl, and also exuded a faint fragrance.
Zhuang Sen caught the unruly little foot with one hand and licked the clean, pink toes: "What about Lydia's logistics? The Stonecutter Territory and the Longleaf Territory probably can't supply her, right?"
"The people from the Zhuang Sen Merchant Guild are already on their way, and so is the Bloodline Cult... hmm~"
Anjie's little feet tensed up, her pink feet turning as red as her face. They tensed up in a tingling, pleasurable sensation, just the right size to fit into Zhuang Sen's mouth. The light blue triangular fabric was instantly soaked, forming a small puddle on the chair.
At this moment, Lady Lia buried her head deeply, almost completely pressing it into her ample breasts, forcibly swallowing Da Zhuangsen. A moment later, she abruptly raised her head, her dignified face flushed and alluring, her lips still glistening with silvery moisture. Her tone, though serious, couldn't conceal her captivating charm: "I can handle Lydia's situation, but I don't know where the Falao family gets their confidence to launch a direct invasion against us. Even with the Bloodline Cult instigating them, it shouldn't be like this. I've already instructed the Dark Side to investigate as quickly as possible… Ham~"
Zhuang Sen entered the warm mouth again, and he seriously considered what to do next: should he stop here or continue to pursue?
Stopping now aligns with the original plan. They could simply wait for Princess Serafina to arrive and wreak havoc, achieving three goals at once, while significantly conserving resources and minimizing troop casualties. The downside would be a minor setback. A relentless pursuit, on the other hand, would require far more logistical support and manpower, but would offer a much-needed sense of relief and allow for the immediate capture of the Farau family's territory…
It seemed like a dilemma, but Zhuang Sen made his decision in a moment. Giving up so easily wasn't his style. Since the Falao family wanted war, Zhuang Sen would give them war! Moreover, relentless pursuit wouldn't necessarily only result in greater losses; the territories and wealth seized could recoup the losses and bolster their influence, weakening the Falao family from another angle. Furthermore, the Bloodline Order had already been partially "recruited" by the Falao family. According to Bishop Came's subsequent report, they had also instigated the Falao family to initiate war and were prepared to inform them, but the Falao family hadn't notified them of this attack.
In other words, the Bloodline Order is not currently trusted by the Farau family, but this trust can be easily remedied. The worse the Farau family's situation becomes, the deeper they will "collude" with the loyal Bloodline Order, and the greater their gains will be when the eldest princess comes to explore the map.
In other words, if handled well, the benefits of relentless pursuit are no less than those of stopping, only requiring a higher price. However, compared to allowing the Falao family to continue to develop, Zhuang Sen is more willing to contribute some resources!
After the decision was made, Zhuang Sen's tense body relaxed, and he was completely released in the mouth of Mrs. Liya, who was working hard.
"Honestly, you should have said something." Lady Lia covered her mouth and turned her head, shooting out a spider silk to pull a wine glass. Only then did she let go, brushing aside her disheveled hair, and spitting the essence that she had accidentally swallowed halfway into the glass. Of course, it wasn't because she was disgusted; she couldn't wait to eat more. But now she had to save it for Dantalian, who had already woken up, to enhance her strength as soon as possible.
As Lady Lia turned her head, Ange had already pulled back her white silk ice cream, spread her wings, and landed on Zhuang Sen's lap. Her pert, round buttocks pressed against the somewhat tired Zhuang Sen, who had just finished ejaculating, and she rubbed against him, saying, "Finally, it's my turn~"
"Your turn, really."
Zhuang Sen kissed the little guy's sweet face: "You do it first. I'll write a reply to Lydia. By the way, hurry up. I need to go see Aunt Lilith later. Since we're going to attack Farau territory directly, she can come in handy."
"Then it seems we need to hurry."
The door was pushed open, and Mira, Lyme, Hanna, Nia, Lani, and Lysander walked in together, then locked the door behind them.
"Phew, is it possible to reconcile?"
The author says:
作者的话：进度更新：月票10/50，催更票40/50，打赏1000/5000
Chapter 210: The Cruelest Torture