In the dark hall of Blackhammer Castle, Bear Knight Captain Sibes walked up to Lord Rhodes with a melancholy look on his face, but hesitated to speak.
Seeing this scene, Rhodes couldn't help but feel nervous. He probably guessed the result.
"All the rangers have not come back... We sent out a rescue team, and they only brought back this..."
Sibes said and asked the attendants to carry the coffin in. Inside was the chief ranger's regret.
With a heavy heart, Rhodes walked to the coffin. What was displayed in front of him was a completely frozen corpse. It should be said that it was a mutilated corpse... The chief ranger's regret was divided into five pieces and put into the coffin.
In this coffin, due to the low temperature, his skin and internal organs were completely preserved, but the skeleton of his body was in pieces and in a pulverized shape. You can imagine how he died. A sudden and extremely powerful cold current.
It crushed his body and shattered his complete body in an instant. The rescue team members may have collected the bones from all around and pieced them back together...
There is no doubt what kind of cold wave can have such a powerful impact. In addition to the dragon's breath, what kind of cold wave can break a human body into pieces in an instant?
After seeing the corpses of the rangers, Rhodes only felt that his mood became heavier and heavier. The collapse of the Great Wall has not yet been resolved. No one in the vast northern border can give an explanation or answer. And now, an entire team of rangers is missing on the Great Wall.
To the north, this has undoubtedly aggravated the panic among the people.
As a commander-in-chief and a great lord, Rhodes is well aware of the serious relationship between them. If he cannot give the people an answer and quickly quell the rumors, the consequences will be disastrous. The Great Wall will stop construction, and the people will become more and more fearful, leaving no one to settle south of the Great Wall... even
Affecting the entire Northern Territory...
A heavy pressure suddenly pressed on Rhodes. Although he resigned as King of the North, Rhodes knew that the entire North still obeyed his orders.
"We must go there ourselves."
After pondering for a long time, Rhodes slowly expressed his decision.
"From all indications, the monster that attacked the Great Wall and the patrol has fled north, towards Norsca. Moreover, my lord, is it too risky for you to go out personally? Isn't it necessary?"
Sibes expressed his worries honestly.
"If I don't go, no one will go. It should be a powerful creature, so powerful that ordinary weapons cannot kill it. No matter how many rangers are sent, it will be the same. More people should not be buried in the north."
Rhodes said thoughtfully——
"This matter is very important, and people's words are terrible. Panic cannot continue to spread. Work on the Great Wall has been suspended for several weeks. If work is not resumed, then how should we explain the assistance we applied to the empire?"
After finishing speaking, Rhodes stared at his right-hand man. When he left, he left half of his staff in Kislev City to guard Dennis, along with the best and most loyal knight Virgil.
In the city of Rhodes, at this moment, only Sibes, Serta, and Yeskovic were left beside him. As for the dwarves, Rhodes knew that he had no authority to order them.
Of course, Rhodes knew that Bogul would be very happy to track the frost dragon northward...
"Then when do we set off?"
Sibes asked with a stern face.
"Let's set off as soon as we're ready. We can't rush, but we can't delay either. We have already ruined a patrol, and we don't want to see anyone die on the way. But we don't have much time to prepare. Every minute we delay
, that beast may be thousands of miles away from us."
Sitting on the cold stone chair, Rhodes said calmly——
"I will send out invitations to my former comrades. At the same time, we need some allies. The dwarves, they are the most suitable candidates."
"I'm afraid there are not many dwarves in the city who can actually fight."
Sibes replied.
"I'm not talking about the dwarves living in Blackhammer Castle, but the dwarves in Dulong City."
Rhodes looked out the window. He had not been to Dulong City for many years. But this would not make the friendship fade away. Rhodes knew that dwarves valued love and justice. If there were even dwarves in this world,
They are all treacherous, and there is no one who can be trusted.
"If they are willing to form an expedition team to lead the way, our task will be much easier. We have to admit that these dwarves are much stronger than us, and at the same time, their enthusiasm for exploration is also better than ours. The dwarves of Dulong City are very interested in
The situation in the north is also clearer than ours. Bogul was a ranger back then. He had done a lot of hunting large beasts."
Rhodes explained.
…
A few days later, the team was assembled. Eight bear knights, six senior hunters, sixteen Norscan veterans, as well as Celta, Bogur and Sibes. The team was not huge, but they followed Rhodes.
He is an elite who fought all the way.
The troops traveled in a low-key manner. Rhodes understood very well that the purpose of this trip was to find the culprit who destroyed the Great Wall, kill it, and drag the body back to calm the people's fear. Even if he couldn't kill the beast, he still had to find others.
The remains of dead ice dragons or mammoths were brought back to eliminate the panic in the people's hearts.
The road from Black Hammer Castle to Dulong City is not unfamiliar to Rhodes, but walking back to the old place brings a bit more desolation and memories. The dark forest to the north of Black Hammer Castle is still densely covered with dead trees, and the sunlight is scarce. The forest path can be seen at a glance
There is no end in sight. Looking back, back then, a battle took place here between the Norscan invaders and the defenders of Blackhammer Castle. In the end, relying on the terrain and traps, the coalition forces of Blackhammer Castle, Heidelberg, and Iron Ring City barely won.
Killing many northern invaders, the Bloodspear clan became enmity with Blackhammer Castle. This led to the subsequent invasion of the North by a 20,000 Norscan army...
The traces of fighting on the battlefield are now vaguely visible. Those fortifications and large traps have been preserved to this day, as if to tell the cruelty and ruthlessness of the years. The bodies of the thousands of Norscans who died tragically here have long been burned. There is no trace left.
Rhodes only stopped to hastily remember the Black Hammer Fort soldiers who died here, and then continued north to Dulong City.
The temperature is getting lower and lower, and the forest slowly turns from black to silver. Once you leave the dark forest, you will reach the kingdom of trolls. It can also be said that the dark forest is the true north. There is no year there.
There are four seasons, and there are only the north wind and eternal winter that never stop. Just like the Great Wall, to the north of the high wall, there are only snow-capped mountains and wilderness, and to the south of the high wall, there are only places where human beings live.