doitstory Chapter 328: The Complex Situation of the Northern Territory, Interception
Chapter 328: The Complex Situation of the Northern Territory, Interception
Li Wei stood on Dragon Fall Slope.
He gazed down at the valley below.
The entrance to the Secret Realm was no longer visible.
The Secret Realm had vanished.
He tried to find the entrance, but failed.
It was as if it had never been there.
Not a single trace was left behind.
Li Wei encountered a Mage patrolling Dragon Fall Slope.
"When did the Secret Realm at Dragon Fall Slope disappear?" Li Wei asked.
When the young Mage saw the Tier Three Magic Badge on Li Wei’s chest, his expression immediately turned respectful.
He was utterly shocked to see that Li Wei was even younger than him.
He quickly replied, "The Secret Realm has been gone for several months. I’m not sure of the exact date."
Li Wei asked, "Then what are you doing here?"
The young Mage answered, "The Mage Association has been searching for the Secret Realm’s entrance, trying to reopen it. I’m just carrying out a mission for the Association."
Li Wei nodded. "I see. Thank you."
"You’re welcome. It is my honor to be of assistance to you, Lord Mage," the young Mage said hastily.
Li Wei circled Dragon Fall Slope a few times but found nothing.
Just as he was about to leave, a thought struck him.
He found a deserted spot and took out the Dragon Heart.
The moment the Dragon Heart appeared...
...the Dragon Corpse inside the hidden Secret Realm at Dragon Fall Slope trembled slightly.
...the Fire Dragon Soul on the Seventh Floor of the Maple City Mage Tower quivered, sensing the heart that had been carved from its body.
"ROAR!"
The Fire Dragon Soul let out a roar, battering against its seal.
It thought the Mage who killed it had returned.
Torresta appeared on the Seventh Floor, glanced at the incredibly stable Sealing Array for a moment, and then turned to leave.
He paid no more attention to the rampaging Dragon Soul.
Holding the Dragon Heart, Li Wei sensed a faint disturbance in the valley of Dragon Fall Slope.
He hurried over and found the familiar pool of blood in a corner.
However, the pool of blood before him was empty.
’Is this the weakest point of the Secret Realm?’ Li Wei wondered.
He put away the Dragon Heart and marked the location.
For now, he was still unable to open the Secret Realm.
Even at its weakest point, it involved spatial Power.
Li Wei didn’t know any Magic of that nature.
Nor did he have the relevant knowledge.
But at least he had confirmed the Secret Realm was still here; only its entrance had vanished.
As long as the Secret Realm still existed, he could find a way to open it.
A smile appeared on Li Wei’s face. He glanced at the spot, which had fallen eerily silent after the Dragon Heart disappeared, and turned to leave.
The young Mage patrolling nearby didn’t notice anything unusual.
The disturbance just now had been too subtle.
If Li Wei hadn’t been holding the Dragon Heart, he wouldn’t have been able to sense it at all.
「By the time he returned to Maple City, it was already noon.」
Li Wei met up with Lilith and Evelyn, ready to set off for the Poison Dragon Cave.
The Poison Dragon Cave was located in the southern part of the Nanzhe Kingdom. Reaching it required crossing nearly the entire kingdom.
Flying Flower City was in the far north of the Nanzhe Kingdom, making it the city closest to the Beixuan Kingdom.
The Beixuan Kingdom and the Macher Kingdom both bordered the Nanzhe Kingdom.
The Nanzhe Kingdom’s territory was larger than that of the Beixuan Kingdom and the Macher Kingdom combined.
After all, the Beixuan Kingdom had split off from the original Macher Kingdom.
And the original Macher Kingdom had already been smaller than the Nanzhe Kingdom.
However, despite its larger territory, the Nanzhe Kingdom’s combat strength was inferior to the Macher Kingdom’s.
The Macher Kingdom was in a state of perpetual war with the Beastman Race, and its soldiers, forged in battle, were exceptionally powerful.
The Nanzhe Kingdom also had a relatively large number of independent cities within its borders.
Furthermore, they were quite scattered.
The "Poison Dragon Cave," a no-man’s-land, alone occupied one-fifth of the Nanzhe Kingdom’s total area.
This was what led to the situation where the Nanzhe Kingdom, though larger than the Macher Kingdom, was actually weaker.
However, after the Beixuan Kingdom became a threat, the Macher Kingdom, which had always looked down on the Nanzhe Kingdom, began to establish diplomatic relations with it.
They hoped to become allies and deal with the Beixuan Kingdom together.
While the Macher Kingdom sought to join forces with the Nanzhe Kingdom against the Beixuan Kingdom, Otz was also contacting the City Lords of the Nanzhe Kingdom’s independent cities, seeking the support of more allies.
He himself had started out as the City Lord of an independent city, so he knew what those people wanted better than the King of the Macher Kingdom did.
Thus, although no open war had broken out between the Macher Kingdom and the Beixuan Kingdom, their blades were already crossing on the soil of the Nanzhe Kingdom.
The two sides were engaged in a bloodless war.
They were constantly trying to win over new allies while simultaneously undermining each other.
Li Wei didn’t have a clear understanding of the current situation.
All this was explained to Li Wei by Evelyn on their way to the Poison Dragon Cave.
"After a little while longer, we’ll be leaving the territory of the Beixuan Kingdom.
Along the way to the Poison Dragon Cave, there are cities that support the Beixuan Kingdom and those that support the Macher Kingdom. We should do our best to avoid the cities that support Macher to prevent any unforeseen trouble."
Evelyn said.
Li Wei asked curiously, "Which side does Flying Flower City support?"
Evelyn replied, "Originally, it supported the Beixuan Kingdom. But then the Macher Kingdom offered better terms, so it switched its support to them."
Upon hearing this, Li Wei just smiled.
’It’s all about personal gain.’
"Then you’ll be alright staying in Maple City, won’t you?" Li Wei asked.
Evelyn shook her head and said, "It’s not like I’m on the same side as the current City Lord of Flying Flower City."
"Strictly speaking, Flying Flower City is now split into two factions. The old City Lord’s faction, which I lead, supports the Beixuan Kingdom.
The New City Lord’s faction, led by Kira, supports the Macher Kingdom.
As a condition for our support, once we find the old City Lord, the Beixuan Kingdom will help us retake Flying Flower City."
Lilith glanced at her, then turned her gaze to the grasslands outside.
She wasn’t interested in such matters.
Li Wei shook his head, feeling that the relationships involved were a bit complicated.
’Flying Flower City’s decision to side with the Macher Kingdom might even be related to Evelyn’s old City Lord faction.’
The connections were too complex, and Li Wei couldn’t be bothered to think about them.
’All this scheming and plotting is just pointless.’
Li Wei preferred a more direct approach.
’If you run into someone who won’t submit, just crush them.’
The carriage traveled across the Wind Plains.
The Wind Plains were immensely vast; Flying Flower City was merely situated in one of its corners.
The carriage crossed more than half of the Wind Plains without incident.
’The carriage, bearing the emblem of the Mage Association, was proving quite useful.’
Ordinary people didn’t dare to even approach it.
Let alone try to rob it.
「Until they entered the Flower Territory.」
The Flower Territory was the domain of Flying Flower City, occupying only a small part of the Wind Plains.
CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP! CLANG, CLANG!
Li Wei heard the sound of hooves and clashing metal approaching.
He opened the curtain and looked outside.
He saw a troop of Knights heading their way.
Li Wei initially thought they were just passing by.
Unexpectedly, as they drew near, they surrounded the carriage and forced it to a halt.
The lead Knight rode his warhorse up to the side of the carriage.
The Knight Captain shouted, "Lady Rose, if you please. The City Lord invites you to return to Flying Flower City."