...
The gunboat slowly docked at the pier. Roland stepped out of the cabin, immediately captivated by the scene before him.
Curved cliffs extended from both sides, enveloping the entire town like a pair of giant hands. Looking up, the sky was reduced to a mere sliver, no wider than five fingers, through which sunlight streamed down, resembling a wall of gold.
Countless vines cascaded down from the base of the rocks, like strands of verdant hair. Some of the thicker vines even reached the ground, beckoning one to climb them.
As the light filtered through the dense branches, leaving dappled patterns on the ceaselessly flowing river, Roland felt as if he were standing in an untouched jungle. Yet, the place was not entirely deserted. Along the silent river, various man-made structures extended on both sides. Townsfolk weaved among waist-high broad-leaved plants, plumes of smoke rising gently, creating an indescribable sense of harmony.
Due to the sunlight conditions, the temperature here was several degrees lower than outside, and the colors of the plants were much richer. It was easy to understand why it was called Silent Valley Town.
Roland and the witches stepped onto the moss-covered pier, where a group of people were already waiting. The three leading figures were naturally Iron Axe, the general commander of the First Army, Duke Calvin of the Northern Lands, and his daughter Edith.
“We meet again, Your Majesty,” Edith curtseyed. “Congratulations on winning the first battle.”
“I heard the report while on the ship. Well done,” Roland nodded approvingly. “Iron Axe told me that you ensured a sufficient supply of food and ammunition, and your work in luring the enemy was also excellent.”
“This is what the Kant family should do,” she said with a light smile. “The merchants of the Northern Lands are very willing to serve you.”
However, only half a year ago, the master here was still Tyfecco Wimbledon, Roland thought. The merchants probably had rarely even heard his name. The so-called willingness to serve was probably Edith's way of driving the merchants of the three cities to complete this plan. Her control over the Northern Lands was indeed extraordinary.
After encouraging her, he looked at Iron Axe. “Have the battle results been tallied?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Iron Axe saluted. “The detailed report has been placed in your office.”
“Off…ice?”
“I have negotiated with Earl Hale. During your stay in Silent Valley Town, his castle will be your palace,” Edith added. “Also, I have ordered people to renovate the room, rearranging it according to the layout of Border Town and knocking down a sun-facing wall to install floor-to-ceiling windows. I heard from Maisie xiaojie that you like bright and open rooms.”
“Is that so?” Roland asked with interest. “What about the Earl himself?”
“To avoid interfering with your work, he will stay in his mansion outside the town,” the Pearl of the North paused. “Do you need me to summon him to court?”
“No, if he doesn't like participating in these political affairs,” he waved his hand. “Let's go to the castle first.”
“Yes, please follow me.”
Is this the taste of power? Roland smacked his lips. Experiencing it occasionally is quite nice.
...
Walking into the renovated room, he momentarily thought he had returned to Neverwinter City. Even the spacious mahogany table and the tea table and reclining chair in the corner of the room had been replicated. The only striking difference was the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows: one was the gloomy Impassable Mountains, and the other was the quiet valley covered in green leaves.
He wondered what the original owner, Earl Hale, would think after he left.
Roland returned to the table and sat down, starting to review the battle results.
Although he had already learned about the battle process beforehand, he still felt a strong sense of excitement when he saw the Church's casualty report.
This was definitely a victory worth remembering.
One hundred and fifty-six God's Punishment Warriors were killed, fundamentally eliminating his concerns about the God's Punishment Army. These infinitely powerful killing machines that felt no fear were not invincible; their bodies made of flesh and blood were still no match for steel and gunpowder. Considering that the God's Punishment Army needed witch blood to transform, their numbers would inevitably not be too high. According to Agatha's estimation, as long as the Red Moon had not descended, this special army should not exceed fifteen hundred people.
A tenth of the battle losses should make the Church feel the pain for a long time.
In addition, more than three hundred Judgment Army soldiers died, twenty were seriously injured, and four commanders were captured... These results were just icing on the cake. Although Judgment Warriors were mostly determined and had superb combat skills, they were essentially no different from knights. Roland did not take them seriously.
Fortunately, this defensive battle did not encounter any troublesome Purity, otherwise it would have been uncertain whether they could gain any advantage relying only on Sylvie and Iffy. In fact, the machine gun squads that focused on key targets according to Sylvie's instructions were used to deal with the pervasive Purity.
“What about the casualties of the First Army?” Roland closed the report.
“Two killed in action, twenty-one seriously injured,” Iron Axe said in a low voice. “All losses came from the spears thrown after the God's Punishment Army approached. Now the injured have recovered and returned to the team.”
After learning that the Church had dispatched forces, Lightning immediately sent Nana Wall to Silent Valley Town. In terms of post-war rescue, the ability of Angel xiaojie was irreplaceable.
Roland tapped the table. “Arrange a ship to send the remains of the sacrificed soldiers back to Neverwinter City for burial.”
“Yes.” After Iron Axe responded, he hesitated for a moment. “Your Majesty, what do you plan to do with Danny, the captain of the Fourth Sharpshooter Team?”
“The old hunter who shot five God's Punishment Warriors?” He picked up his teacup and took a sip. Hmm... even the taste was the same as the royal palace's top quality that he was familiar with. “What do you think?”
During the search and rescue process, Brian immediately noticed the report that Danny's and the Protector's injured positions were inconsistent with the arranged positions. During the battle summary that night, Roland received the news through the Listening Sigil. However, considering that the battle had just ended, the First Army was still in a celebratory mood, and the Protector was seriously injured, he only asked Iron Axe to take care of the injured first and discuss the matter after he arrived at Silent Valley Town.
“I think that although Danny left his defensive position without authorization in violation of regulations, he also achieved fruitful results. His achievement of killing five God's Punishment Warriors single-handedly is enough to make him a star in the army, and the two should be able to offset each other,” Iron Axe said slowly. “In Iron Sand City, such warriors would also be rewarded by the master, so...”
“But the First Army is not an old-fashioned army that rewards based on heads,” Roland interrupted. “Do you remember what I taught you in the first training class?”
Iron Axe swallowed. “Discipline, Your Majesty.”
“Only discipline is the foundation of a strong army,” he stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. “I hope you will always remember this. Now tell me, what is the correct way to deal with it?” (。、，Your support is my greatest motivation.) 17-02-2805:31:12