“You can destroy any place, but not the hot spring on the mountain,” stated Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stood atop the mountain and commanded the soldiers setting up camp on the mountain. The main camp was situated on the mountain of Troy City. The heavy artillery was also set up there. The infantry camp was built around the mountain. Halfway up the mountain was the supply camp’s location. A path had been made specifically for supplies to be sent from the North. Just when we set up camp, the first batch of supplies had already arrived. According to Mom’s wishes, supplies could come at any time, but they were to never stop. There was a team of cavalry armed with guns that was designated to guarding the supplies. Actually, they were tasked with guarding the supply route. That was precisely why the red uniform army was never defeated due to lack of supplies.
The entire mountain became an army camp. The infantries at the foot of the mountain were also done with preparations. The sun was setting. The fire torches at the bottom were already lit up. The field of dye had been overrun with a sea of fires. It was a great pity, but it was an acceptable loss in war. However, even if they weren’t destroyed, there’d still be an issue with the dye.
Spring had departed, so the flowers should have had buds. In other words, it was time to carefully tidy them up. The flowers weren’t remotely neat. It looked as though they were abandoned after the last harvest. The elven dye was Troy City’s income. If the people abandoned their income, then the people in the city had fundamentally given up on pursuing things in life.
I gazed in the direction of the city from atop the mountain, wondering what had happened in the city. Though Troy City that never slept as Hilles City was, it shouldn’t have been that dark at night. I couldn’t see a single light even when I used my enhanced vision. I had no idea if there were sentries atop the city walls or not. The city doors were tightly shut, and not one person exited.
I mused, “How are Ling Yue and company doing in the city? What does the new church want? What exactly has happened to Troy City? What’s the status quo inside the city? Why did this happen to the city Karana called The City of Freedom? I know that there are serious issues inside Troy City, but it shouldn’t be oppressed, right?”
Mommy Elizabeth glanced at me and then peered at Troy City: “Son, do you really want to attack the city? The city is named after you. Even the plaque above the city door has your name on it. You did so much for this city, so it’d be a real pity to just destroy it. I believe you still have a chance. I doubt the people from the new church want for this city to be destroyed. While it should now be considered their bargaining chip, you should forgive a few people for the sake of Troy City.”
“I’ve already sent someone. The response I received was to let them come over in the morning for a negotiation.”
Mom scrubbed my head. With a smile, she said, “Son, it’s all right. We’ll ensure the safety of Troy City first. Then, we’ll kill them after. Whether we want to kill those people or protect Troy City, this is the best approach. Don’t mistake our temporary compromise as being soft. We still have a chance afterwards.”
“However, it’s soon to be a full-moon night. As a matter of fact, it’s tonight.”
I looked up at the sky.
Time flew this month. I was also really strange. I never understood why misfortunes happened whenever I was around. Fortunately, it didn’t happen to Daisy. I was glad that what the two churches did hadn’t affected Daisy.
“Your Majesties.”
Nier came up to us from behind while adjusting her cape. Elizabeth turned her head around to look at Nier. Smiling, she expressed, “Has Daisy fallen asleep? She must’ve had it hard on this journey. She’s so young, yet had to accompany us on this long journey.”
“She is all right. She is not suffering much or crying. She has had her meal and is asleep.”
“Daisy will soon be one year old, right? She’ll stop breastfeeding soon, then. Has Daisy’s food for when she stops breastfeeding been prepared?”
“Mom, there are still months to go.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being prepared sooner.”
Nier quietly giggled. She then looked at me with a cold expression and indifferently said, “Well, there’s a fox. Can she speak already? That fox is in the city at the moment, right? Otherwise, you would have attacked the city without a second thought by now. Your Majesty, judging from your behaviour, you seem to like Liu Yue more. You’re always having guards send her gifts, yet I’ve never seen you give Daisy any presents.”
Mommy Elizabeth’s stern gaze shifted over to me: “Oh? I didn’t know about this. Son, you need to provide an explanation, don’t you? Are you really in a relationship with that fox when you were married? Let’s put Troy City aside for a moment. Don’t you feel that you wronged Nier, who’s always been there for you?”
I took a step back with a helpless smile. I prepared to flee at the drop of a hat. I found it easier to deal with an army than the two women.
“Hey, put a pause on your jealousy and spats for now. I have something more important I need to ask you,” demanded the woman in my head.
The undertone of joy as a spectator wasn’t there. To the contrary, I could discern that the woman wasn’t relaxed but serious and tense. I stood on a boulder to look at Troy City and think. I questioned, “What’s the matter? Is there something you want to do?”
“Where do the two rivers that flow to Troy City originate from? A full-moon night is coming right up, correct? I sensed mana activity in the two rivers…”
“The two rivers start in the elven lands. Isn’t mana normal on full-moon nights?”
“Obviously, I knew the rivers start from the elven lands. What I want to know is if it’s from the eastern forest. If it is, then the two rivers are Troy City’s source of drinking water, right? In that case, the citizens of the city drank the water that contains mana, didn’t they?!”
“But they drank the same water in the past, as well. The two rivers have always had mana in them. Humans never underwent any changes as a result of drinking the water. Could they change this time?”
“Normally, mana won’t affect humans no matter how strong the mana is. With that said, you mustn’t forget that the mana in the eastern forest isn’t normal mana but mana that an elf created. I can’t say for sure if the mana will have an effect on humans; however, I can affirmatively tell you that humans will never be able to return to being normal humans again if mana has altered them. If you have a plan, you must enter Troy City tonight! You must do it before the full-moon appears!”
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