The Kingdom of Cold Flame, in the far north, has a fortress that never falls.
Under the cold moonlit night, this large fortress built by directly hollowing out half of the snow-capped mountains looks like a giant sitting and lying in the sky. It can be said to be extremely majestic.
On the front of the fortress, a thick snow-white anti-magic coating is applied, making the entire fortress almost blend into the majestic snow-capped mountains.
For a moment, it was hard to tell which was the battlement and which was the mountain. They were all a blur of white.
The city gate in front of the fortress is extremely thick. Judging from the thick snow piled up at the door, it is obvious that it has not been opened for a long time.
Magic light balls flickered everywhere on the towering battlements and arrow towers. Even the garrison soldiers were wearing thick white cloaks, completely wrapping their armor in them.
A large number of guards were seen either standing in rows or patrolling in columns. The dull footsteps of the standard snow boots could be heard endlessly. As pairs of sharp eyes moved, they looked nervous and solemn.
It's no wonder, after all, opposite the fortress is the territory of the Pars Empire. After this ancient and huge country lost its northern border, it has been thinking about making a comeback, trying to turn this place into a scorched earth again.
In the past year alone, the two sides have fought more than a dozen small-scale battles. Although the outcome has not been determined, the other side's ambitions have been clearly revealed.
In sharp contrast to the heavily guarded front of the fortress, the back of the fortress has the city gates wide open and a busy scene.
I saw a large number of burly soldiers and relatively thin magicians, clearing the snow on the road under the orders of their respective commanders.
Since the internal fighting in the royal capital began, in order to prevent the Pars Empire from taking advantage of the situation or making some small moves, the other party's business travel was completely cut off without leaving the fortress, and supplies could only be carried through the interior of the northern territory.
Therefore, this passage, which symbolizes the lifeline of the fortress, must naturally be kept open at all times.
"Phew, this damn heavy snow has finally stopped."
At the edge of the snow clearing team, a tall young soldier who had taken off his battle helmet wiped the frosty sweat on his head. While breathing heavily, he said happily: "If this continues,
Not only the crops were frozen to death, but even the villages may have been completely covered by snow.”
Compared with the soldiers in the eastern region, this northern soldier looks much bulkier. In addition to wearing a thick white frost sheepskin cloak outside the armor, the armor is also lined with thick cotton clothes, plus he has a burly figure.
, looks like a white bear.
"That's right. The ordinary villages in the rear don't have a perfect snow-melting array like the fortress, which makes such a huge fortress always snow-free."
Another middle-aged magician, also wearing a white cloak but wearing a cotton wizard hat, panted heavily and walked hard with the help of his staff, creaking and struggling towards the waist-high thick snow in front of him.
Go.
Judging from the red texture inlaid on his mage hat, he is a fire magician.
Because he was also wearing cotton clothes under his cassock, and the snow was extremely thick, he looked quite clumsy like a prairie dog blindly plowing through the snow.
Arriving at the center of the snow, I saw a middle-aged magician whose face was red from the cold, raising his staff and starting to chant attentively.
"The Searing Ring!"
Not long after, following the middle-aged magician's loud shout, a ring of fire rippled out from his body. Wherever the ring of fire expanded, the snow quickly melted and evaporated until the mud was revealed.
The colored frozen soil is still steaming.
"As expected of the veteran who killed the opponent's scout squadron leader with one blow last time on the battlefield."
The tall young soldier had already retreated to a safe distance. While smoothing away the remaining snow with a snow shovel, he exclaimed with admiration: "I'm so envious of you, senior, for being personally commended by Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline!"
"Shh, I've told you so many times that General Caroline doesn't like others calling her Princess. It makes her look like a lady."
The middle-aged magician shuddered involuntarily, curled his lips and said: "Don't forget that two reckless recruits from the same batch as you were caught a few days ago, and were severely beaten by General Caroline.
I was whipped several times!"
"I understand the truth, but why should I reward them?"
The tall young soldier looked like he was beating his chest, which made the middle-aged magician speechless for a while.
"Senior, what do you think about the current temporary shortage of food in the north?"
After the surrounding snow was cleared, the young soldier put away his smiling face and continued to step forward with the middle-aged magician while frowning and asking again.
"It's become very obvious."
The middle-aged magician stomped on the remaining snow on his boots and responded: "The princes and royal highnesses are obviously afraid of my 50,000 northern border troops, which is why they have been reluctant to open the warehouse to release grain."
"But Princess Carolyn...the general has no intention of competing for the throne. Why are we still being targeted by those big shots?"
The young soldier looked puzzled and clenched the snow shovel in his hand: "If this continues, not only this Fortress, but also the residents in the north will not be able to survive this violent winter."
"I heard that some remote villages have already begun to eat snow and swallow felt."
The middle-aged magician shook his head helplessly and sighed: "But so what? Those big shots have long been blinded by the desire for power, how can they care about the life and death of this barren land?
"
"As for why the other party is afraid of me and General Caroline, the matter is actually very simple."
"What they are afraid of is not that General Caroline will fight for the throne, but that the General will fall to a certain camp."
The middle-aged magician walked hard in the snow, dragging out a long snow mark: "After all, Lady Caroline has always maintained absolute neutrality. Even though several princes took turns to send out envoys to coerce and induce, she did not waver even one bit.
millimeter.”
"For this reason alone, do you want to disregard the life and death of the residents of the northern border?"
The young soldier's snow shovel made a faint squeak when he was holding it, and then he was unable to let go. He sighed heavily and said, "Is there no other way?"
"According to my cousin who is an intelligence staff officer under General Caroline, the general also turned to three noble families for help. The mountains of food in their fiefdoms are enough to solve the urgent needs of the North, especially the merchant family.
It can be done easily.”
The middle-aged magician stopped in the center of a thick snow, shook the snow off his body, and said helplessly: "But now the cold flames are surging, and the three noble families who have also chosen to protect themselves wisely, how can it happen at this time?
How many princes have you chosen to stand up and offend?"
"Senior makes sense. These high-ranking dignitaries are really all for their own interests. How can they care about the life and death of us northerners? Fortunately, the general did not stand in the camp of these guys, otherwise we would also become the accomplices of the tiger.
A pawn?"
The young soldier thrust the snow shovel into the snow and said through gritted teeth: "If His Majesty the old king could still be in charge of the overall situation, he would never allow this to happen!"
At this point, the young soldier seemed to have remembered something, his eyes lit up and he said: "By the way, I heard that the fifth princess just took control of the entire eastern region with the assistance of the guest minister? If the fifth princess
If Her Royal Highness is willing to help, she will surely solve the difficulties in the north!"
"Unfortunately, your information is out of date."
The middle-aged magician who was about to cast a spell slowly put down the staff in his hand, shook his head helplessly and said: "It is true that the eastern region can be called the granary of the kingdom, and it is indeed extremely rich in reserves."
"Furthermore, the Princess Keqing, who is honored as the Shadow Lord, really turned the tide. With incredible achievements, she defeated the noble armies of His Royal Highness the First Prince and His Highness the Second Prince, and even included the White Knight and other princes.
A victorious general."
A trace of sincere admiration could not help but appear on the middle-aged magician's face that had gone through many vicissitudes of life, and he continued to express his thoughts.
"What is even more admirable is that Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess and the Guest Minister not only kindly forgave the soldiers who once raised sharp swords against them, but also treated them favorably."
"This broad mind is comparable to that of the king of a country. It is enough to be recorded in the history of Leng Yan Kingdom and praised by future generations. I have to say that I really want to see this mysterious guest minister with my own eyes, even if I just take a look.
It will be something I will remember forever.”
Hearing the middle-aged magician say this with reverence, the young soldier also nodded and said: "To be honest, senior, this guest minister who has once again lifted the shackles of the free farmers has already become the object of worship for us recruits.
Woolen cloth."
"What about us veterans? If the Northern Territory can be controlled by Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess and Your Excellency the Guest Minister, coupled with the protection of General Caroline, how can we end up in this almost unsolvable dilemma?"
The middle-aged magician's eyes, covered with a few crow's feet, were filled with brilliance for a moment, and then quickly dimmed.
"Unfortunately, things have gone against expectations. According to the latest news I have, the 300,000-strong army of His Royal Highness the First Prince and His Highness the Second Prince will be approaching Wangxing City in the near future, and the 250,000-strong Holy Night Army led by the Saint of the Moon Palace will also arrive at Wangxing City in the near future.
Advancing menacingly towards the mountain fortress."
The middle-aged magician looked dejected and said helplessly: "Either one of these two armies is enough to raze the eastern region to the ground. Her Royal Highness the Fifth Princess and Lord Keqing are already too busy to take care of themselves. How can they help us?"
?”
"What a misfortune. I hope these two big shots can turn the crisis into a disaster and at least save one life."
At this point, the middle-aged magician obviously lost hope completely and sighed heavily again.
"Unfortunately, Your Majesty the Magic Knight, your news is also out of date."
At this moment, a young man with a gentle face stood quietly behind the two of them.
"How is that possible? My cousin is General Caroline's intelligence officer!"
The middle-aged magician proudly held up the knight logo on his chest and turned to look at the source of the voice. Only then did he realize that the speaker was also a young man wearing the uniform of an ordinary northern soldier.
The visitor was none other than Lei Xiao, who had just arrived through Crystal Blue City.
In order to deceive others, under the influence of Erza's illusion, the two sergeants were naturally unable to detect Lei Xiao's illusion disguise.
The other main subordinates, including Ariel, stood beside Lei Xiao. Of course, they were all in an invisible state.
As for Crystal Blue City not far away, it has also entered a state of alert. Coupled with the complete invisibility and the tricky location chosen by Lei Xiao, there is no possibility of being discovered.
"Whether it's outdated or not, I'm sure the Magic Knight will know soon."
Lei Xiao looked at the middle-aged magician with an unhappy face and smiled lightly.
"What a good boy, you actually pretended to be a wolf with me."
The middle-aged magician frowned, and immediately asked in confusion: "Recruit, which squadron are you from? Why haven't I seen you?"
As the captain of the elite magic squadron, this middle-aged magician with a knighthood has served in the Fortress for fifteen years. There is indeed no new recruit he does not know.
"I believe it won't be long before Your Majesty the Magic Knight will get to know me."
Lei Xiao still maintained a faint smile and said politely to the middle-aged magician: "Your Excellency, Magic Knight, can you take me to see your commander?"
After finishing speaking, Lei Xiao's mind moved, and a small silver token with a black lion pattern appeared on his palm.
This is a token that can only be possessed by the herald of the Royal Legion, and it was obtained by Lei Xiao from Bert before.
Of course, Lei Xiao has other higher-level tokens on his body, but in order to deceive others and confuse people, this kind of token that is common to the royal family can undoubtedly play the greatest role.
As for why Lei Xiao didn't directly enter the Fortress, the reason is actually very simple.
After all, the attitude and position of the third princess are still unclear. Sneaking into the other party's hometown without permission is obviously not a wise choice, and it shows a lack of sincerity. The consequences can be imagined.
And once the opponent's detection barrier is triggered, the outcome will be even worse.
No matter what, the other party, like Ariel, is a true member of the royal family, a type who would rather die proudly than grovel.
Therefore, Lei Xiao will naturally not neglect these details.
Lei Xiao has only one purpose for this trip, and that is to persuade the third princess to form an alliance with him to fight against the armies of the two princes.
"Is this the herald token of the Royal Legion?"
The knowledgeable middle-aged magician immediately recognized the object in Lei Xiao's hand, and said with some surprise: "I understand, your Excellency, please come with me."
Although the middle-aged magician had a suspicious expression and did not take Lei Xiao too seriously, he would never have thought that the person appearing in front of him was the guest he had longed for!
After that, under the guidance of the middle-aged magician, Lei Xiao, as the herald of the royal legion, quickly met the deputy general of the legion responsible for clearing the road, and secretly handed the other person a second token for delivery.
To the third princess.
It was a small brocade box, which contained a pair of beautifully crafted silver earrings. It was a gift given to Ariel by the third princess after she sneaked out of the palace one time.
"Understood, the fortress is currently under total martial law. Before your identity is officially confirmed, please wait for a moment at the entrance of the fortress to look at Haihan."
The deputy general with gray temples nodded to Lei Xiao, turned around and went to report.
It didn't take long, and with the sound of footsteps shaking the ground, an extremely tall figure, surrounded by a group of elite guards, strode out of the fortress and walked straight to Lei Xiao.
"Is it really King Kong Barbie?"
Looking up at the other person's face, Lei Xiao swallowed involuntarily.