Chương 172: 172：The Ironpeak Delegation

Atop the towering stone keep, the first rays of morning dawn pierced through the thick, layered clouds. Oak logs roared in the fireplace, the crackling flames chasing away the biting, damp chill unique to the northern frontier, bringing warmth to this heavily fortified military stronghold. Old General Rodman sat upright at a velvet-draped mahogany table, partaking in his breakfast.

His silver cutlery sliced neatly into a thick cut of black-pepper roasted venison, while a brass goblet of warmed fermented goat's milk steamed softly beside his plate. As the Silvermoon Kingdom's grandmaster defensive tactician, every deliberate motion Rodman made mirrored the meticulous, stoic, and structured way he commanded troops on the battlefield. Hum— At that moment, the magical communication slate resting at the corner of the table abruptly pulsed with urgent arcane light. Rodman paused his chewing.

He drew a silk napkin from a white porcelain plate, dabbed the corners of his mouth, and swept his deerskin-gloved right hand gently over the slate. Magical ripples bloomed across its surface, and the voice of the kingdom's border commander echoed from within:"General Rodman! We've just received an official magical transmission from the neighboring Ironpeak Duchy.

They claim their military wishes to immediately dispatch high-ranking officers directly to the Crimson Moon Knights' defense sector in the Misty Swamp for an 'observational study tour'." Hearing this, Rodman narrowed his eyes, a flicker of mockery flashing in his gaze. He did not reply immediately. Instead, he lifted the goblet of goat's milk wine and took a slow, deliberate sip."' Observational study'?" Rodman slammed the silver goblet onto the table, letting out a cold sneer.

From the corner of the room, his personal adjutant frowned, stepping forward to offer an analysis.

"General, the Ironpeak Duchy's territory is barely a fifth of our Silvermoon Kingdom's. Their overall national and military strength pales in comparison to ours.

"Yet, because they rely on the Holy Halycon Empire as their backer, their usual attitude toward our kingdom is incredibly arrogant.

"For them to suddenly lower their heads and request a 'study tour'… this move is highly suspicious." Rodman used his silver-tipped cane to stoke the coals in the fireplace. Amidst the scattering sparks, a knowing, omniscient smile appeared on his weathered face.

"What is so suspicious about it? These bastards are as cunning as they are well-informed!

"They usually think so highly of themselves, relying entirely on the supposedly impenetrable defense of their heavy infantry battalions.

"But that battle report Soren produced at Lone Cliff… it didn't just deal a heavy blow to Warchief Blackstone. It also scared the high command of the Ironpeak Duchy into a cold sweat!

"Using an abysmal number of troops, in less than an hour, he completely annihilated five hundred Black Iron Orcs of the Bloodaxe Battalion who were holding advantageous terrain! Such a feat severely shatters the tactical understanding of the Ironpeak Command!

"They're terrified. They fear our Silvermoon Kingdom has developed a secret tactic or a new type of weapon capable of rapidly exterminating enemy legions. That's why they're in such a rush to use this 'learning' excuse. They want to probe Soren's bottom line!"

"Shall we deny them entry then?" the adjutant suggested.

"No. Approve their entry for exchange." A cunning, calculating glint flashed in Rodman's eyes. He turned to his adjutant and issued his orders:"Not only will we approve it, but we will also grant them passage with the highest military honors the Silvermoon Kingdom can offer.

"For the task of receiving these Ironpeak generals, I will not dispatch any bureaucrats from the cabinet. The Commander of the Crimson Moon Knights, Leona, and the military priestess, Elena, will personally act as their escorts!" As the old general spoke, he walked to the window. Gazing out toward the distant, miasma-shrouded Misty Swamp, he muttered to himself:"That kid, Soren… His forces are growing stronger by the day, and his methods are becoming increasingly ruthless.

"He greedily swallows every ounce of supplies I send him, yet he completely ignores the envoys I dispatch.

"If I tried to probe his current strength directly, he'd definitely find some excuse to shut my people out." Truthfully, deep down, Rodman himself found the total annihilation at the Battle of Lone Cliff utterly inconceivable. Hindered by the vast distance, he could only read the cold numbers on the battle report, entirely blind to the actual tactical details. He was intentionally dumping this errand onto the Crimson Moon Knights. Firstly, the Crimson Moon Knights were nominally Soren's direct superiors.

With his commanding officers personally introducing foreign envoys, Soren would have no valid military or diplomatic excuse to refuse a meeting. Secondly, Leona was straightforward and hot-tempered, while Elena was meticulous and observant. Having the two of them visit Greywater Village would serve as the aging general's eyes. They could see exactly what kind of trump card Soren had forged in that swamp—one capable of wiping out five hundred heavily armored Orcs!

Several hours later, the Ironpeak Duchy received the Silvermoon Kingdom's official approval for passage. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. From the capital of the Ironpeak Duchy, an escort detail of over thirty heavily armored cavalrymen immediately set off, riding relentlessly toward the Misty Swamp. The high-ranking officer leading the detachment was Commander Cedric.

This burly man with a thick, bushy beard was not merely the undisputed paragon of the Ironpeak Duchy's military; he was the commander in charge of the nation's most elite heavy infantry legions. Cedric sat inside a rumbling, heavy carriage, staring out the window at the increasingly muddy road. Whenever he thought of their destination, a faint shadow of unease coiled tightly around his heart. In truth, Cedric harbored a dark, clandestine identity.

Just a few months prior, he had bypassed the Silvermoon Kingdom's checkpoints to secretly collude with Alaric, the son of the Grand Duke of the Holy Halycon Empire. Together, they had conducted multiple illicit arms deals. The Ironpeak Duchy provided the silver; Alaric provided standard-issue Imperial armaments. Both sides took what they needed.

However, one particular shipment—a batch of exquisitely crafted Imperial military longbows made from compressed recurved cudrania wood—had been hijacked by a vicious band of Orcs while passing through the Misty Swamp. Because it was smuggled contraband, Cedric had been forced to swallow the bitter pill in silence. He simply couldn't risk mobilizing an army to publicly reclaim the stolen goods. Those longbows were magnificent weapons capable of piercing Orcish iron armor. They cost a fortune.

For them to fall into the hands of those savages is an absolute travesty, Cedric thought to himself, grinding his teeth in silent frustration.

"Commander! Ten more miles and we will enter the main defensive sector of the Crimson Moon Knights!" his adjutant reported loudly from outside the carriage window. Cedric suppressed his distracting thoughts regarding the smuggled arms, his gaze turning cold and stern once more. He reached into his coat and pulled out a crumpled, hand-drawn topological map. It was a sketch of the Lone Cliff highlands that he had managed to scrounge up.

Staring at the treacherous, steep drops depicted on the parchment, he let out a long, heavy exhale. Such perilous terrain, defended by five hundred heavily armed Black Iron Orcs... Just what kind of tactical sorcery did Soren use to achieve total annihilation? Meanwhile. In the Misty Swamp, at the Crimson Moon Knights' Command Post. Inside the large military tent, an inescapable, lingering stench of damp earth permeated every corner.

Leona sat on a wooden stool in front of a brazier, one long, powerful leg propped casually up on the edge. Her fiery red hair was tied back in a messy tail. She was flipping through several pages of recently delivered supply manifests, trying to make sense of the camp's severely depleted inventory ledgers.

"What?! The men from the Ironpeak Duchy are already here? And they're being led by that inflexible blockhead, Cedric?" Following the guard's report at the tent flap, Leona abruptly stopped what she was doing. Smack! She slammed the ledger hard against the uneven surface of the stone table. Absolute disgust was written all over her face.

"I'm not receiving them! Let that bastard freeze out in the mud for an hour first!" Leona stood up irritably, pacing back and forth.

"Leona, General Rodman's secret orders strictly commanded us to prioritize the bigger picture." The fabric partition of the inner tent was gently pulled aside, and the military priestess, Elena, slowly walked out. She was dressed in the pristine, pure-white clerical robes of the Church of the Bright Moon, her pale golden eyes radiating a gentle calm. In this swamp completely defined by death and slaughter, Elena's presence felt jarringly pure and ethereal.

"The bigger picture? Elena, are you seriously lecturing me about the bigger picture?" Leona whipped around, gnashing her teeth as she glared at the empty space in front of her, as if Cedric were standing right there.

"Do you remember that defensive campaign three years ago?! When the human nations formed a coalition to hold off the Blackstone Warband!

"Our Crimson Moon Knights held the central front! We dug into our trenches and bled for three whole days and nights! We lost nearly four hundred of our finest knights!" Leona's voice rose, her rage boiling over.

"According to the pre-battle deployments, that bastard Cedric was leading his heavy infantry to secure our right flank!

"And the result? Just because a few dozen Orc wolf cavalrymen appeared on the perimeter, Cedric grew paranoid that his precious heavy infantry formation would be disrupted. He took it upon himself to order his lines to retreat a full fifty meters!" Leona clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"That goddamn fifty meters! It caused the entire coalition's flank coverage to completely collapse!

"The Orcs' sword-and-shield vanguard flooded through the gap. Sylvia had to plug that breach herself! She took an axe to the back and nearly lost her life in the mud!

"And now, these cowards who act as nothing more than lapdogs for the Holy Halycon Empire have the utter gall to come here and claim they want an 'observational study tour'? Does he even deserve to step foot here?!"