Chapter 609

Chapter 609: A Gradually Calming City

After losing the protection of the walls, the garrison inside the city found themselves in dire straits.

Early muskets were not fast to load, and without good discipline to maintain their lines, sporadic shooting was not very intimidating. In subsequent street battles, the army of Clancia advanced like a breaking bamboo, first rushing onto the city walls and occupying key points before looking down at the inner city and gradually pushing towards the center.

“Move! Idiot.”

A soldier threw down his musket, trying to pull a comrade along, hoping they would leave together, but this former comrade seemed to have lost his hearing in the bombardment, mechanically repeating the loading and firing actions, sending bullets into the unknown.

Just as they struggled, a group of warriors carrying steel shields charged up the wall. The bullets hit the shields with a clinking sound, yet they continued forward.

Many of the garrison, seeing the overwhelming tide of soldiers pouring in from all sides, could no longer bear the collapse of morale and surrendered, dropping their muskets and weapons with nowhere to run.

Meanwhile, many mages on the city’s clock tower and high buildings still resisted, controlling golems and exploding flames to attack any approaching enemies.

“Do not worry about that golem, aim for the mage.”

The officer below commanded, then raised black crystal guns and aimed them.

“Fire!” Short flashes of light appeared, and blood blossomed on the mage’s body, falling from the high building to the ground, staining it dark red.

Since defeating the Frost Union several times, Clancia had seized many intact crystal guns. After two months of training, these soldiers could use them effectively.

War is a rapid learning process, and after several battles with the Frost Union, Clancia gradually built up its own musket forces. They were even more efficient than their enemies and had better discipline and stronger wills.

The muskets fired in the streets, smoke enveloping the city. Everywhere there were shattered glass, wood, and walls, and the ground was covered in dust and rubble.

After a series of exchanges, soldiers wearing neatly polished boots marched over the stone tiles toward the central clock tower, which was precisely the heart of Mozwa.

The entire city was shaped like a clock face, with twelve towers at the directions of the hours, representing the early twelve universities of Rourna. Although some declined or merged over time, leaving only eight, these eight universities represented the largest eight schools of magic and domains within the nation.

At the center of the clock face stood the Inscribed Tower, where daily work and meetings took place.

———

As the main force entered the city, Lolan Hill rode her horse closer to the magnificent city. The walls were marked with gray stones, and faint traces of moss and water stains could be seen in the crevices.

In the distant past, Rourna was not a powerful kingdom but a small coastal one. After the fall of Oz Country, many mages migrated westward and settled here. They built their own towers and alchemy workshops, began taking in apprentices, and gradually grew stronger.

Centuries ago, the twelve most numerous and powerful factions united, reorganizing the nation’s power structure and selecting Mozwa as the capital.

Thus, the capital was designed with a futuristic aesthetic appreciated by mages, orderly and neat. The outer walls could be seen as a circular shape divided into 36 segments, with multiple layers of internal walls dividing the city into sections for easy management. Around the central Inscribed Tower were twelve grand universities.

“Your Highness, there is a situation ahead that needs your attention,” a soldier rode up to report after entering the city.

“What is it?” She looked up at the breathless soldier.

“The Frost Union has indicated willingness to surrender unconditionally and hopes we can halt our fire to reduce unnecessary casualties.”

So soon? she thought, hearing the increasingly sparse gunfire ahead and estimating that the remaining enemies with fighting spirit were few.

“It can be accepted, but those who wish to surrender must first shout, drop all weapons and armor, and then raise their hands and step out of cover.”

“Afterwards, we will send people to bind them one by one and have后续部队统一看管。”

“是，智者殿下。”士兵大声敬礼，然后继续向前赶去。

———

随着霜冻联盟高级将领联合下令，城内的士兵终于接受了现实，一个个走出城楼和堡垒，在火枪的

Under surveillance, with hands raised high, he accepted the binding and confinement of the other side.

Lolan Hill gave up riding and walked through the city filled with ruins, surrounded by shattered shops and numerous stiffening corpses lying on the ground.

She wore gray boots and lightly leaped over a pillar blocking the street, continuing forward. A few silver strands peeked out from under her light gray hood.

Some soldiers from Clancia were searching and clearing buildings along the streets. Occasionally, scattered residents would emerge, looking at these foreign soldiers with alarm.

Fortunately, the current discipline of Clancia’s army was strict, so no one did anything excessive. They would first briefly question the resident about their occupation in the city and why they were there.

If there were no issues, they would be taken to a centralized management area where there were dedicated soldiers guarding them, as well as food, water, and medical personnel.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from a pile of rubble, accompanied by the rolling of pebbles. A figure buried beneath slowly crawled out.

Looking at the dusty uniform and the bloodstains still present, this should have been a Frost Union soldier caught in the bombardment and battle during the city breach.

Before he could struggle to stand, more than ten warriors from Clancia had already surrounded him.

“Drop your weapon, then raise your hands.”

“Do not attempt resistance; that will only lead to your own death.”

“The Frost Union has surrendered; the war is over.”

Each voice struck him like a heavy bomb, his still-unfocused eyes bewilderedly looking at the surrounding enemies.

Fortunately, the sharp tips of the guns and blades finally cleared his mind, and he raised his hands tremblingly.

“Please… don’t kill me,” his voice was tense and uneasy, the fear of losing control over everything in life.

“Just relax, step back, and move away from your weapons. It’s better for both of us,” a soldier from Clancia patiently guided him, although they had absolute superiority, they didn’t want any member to be careless and get injured.

“I can’t move… my leg is gone.”

The soldier’s voice was choked with wet sobs and panic. He didn’t know if he would die here today, whether he would be abandoned, or how he would survive without his leg.

A few soldiers from Clancia looked at the dark red bloodstains and twisted limbs under the rubble, sighing silently but unable to do anything.

Finally, the captain stepped forward, instructing two other soldiers to carefully approach and take the weapons from his side before surrounding him to dig out his lower body from the rubble.

“Take him to the安置点, clean his wounds properly, and do an amputation. He might still survive,” the captain said to the soldiers lifting the stretcher. They could only help so much.

At this moment, a clear voice rang out.

“Wait a moment,” Lolan Hill, wearing a light gray cloak, walked over.

Seeing the slender girl suddenly appear, the soldiers were somewhat surprised. Fortunately, the small badge on her chest indicated she was from Clancia, so they didn’t become overly tense.

“I can treat him first,” Lolan Hill temporarily did not want to reveal her identity.

“But this doesn’t follow the rules. You must prove you have enough capability, otherwise random attempts will only worsen the patient’s condition,” the captain hadn’t finished speaking when Lolan Hill took out a small copper plaque from her sleeve, with a fine red string attached.

“A graduate of Sage Academy?” The captain looked at the small plaque with engraved patterns, including tiny petals and leaves, which were the symbol of sage.

Sage petals are mostly blue or purple, and its growth shows great resistance to pests and diseases. In the past, it was considered a universal elixir, though exaggerated, it does indeed have antibacterial, disinfectant, and preservative effects.

After Lolan Hill established the first extraordinary medical academy in Soland, she named it after sage. Each graduate received a copper plaque symbolizing their identity. They walked through the mountains and fields, providing the most basic and urgent medical support to people in remote and impoverished areas.

Seeing this plaque, the captain seemed to relax, letting two team members temporarily put down the wounded enemy soldier for the mysterious girl with half her face hidden under the hood to examine.

Lolan Hill approached, extending her pale hand above the soldier’s body, her pupils glowing faintly as she checked his injuries.

Although one of his legs was twisted, fortunately, it hadn’t been long since the injury, and it wasn’t completely necrotic. With her current strength, treating it wasn’t difficult.

Gentle white light emerged from her palm, followed by wisps of white flames gently outlining and wrapping around his leg, first cleaning the bloodstains and dust.

Disinfection and sterilization processes were carried out, and then with a slight twist of her wrist, the leg bones below were manipulated to be realigned in the air, emitting a faint sound.

“Ah——” The soldier lying on the stretcher let out a painful cry.

“Just bear with it for a little while longer, it will be better soon,” the clear voice of the young lady was like a breeze and stream in the mountains, soothing and calming one’s heart.

The originally dark red wound slowly recovered its normal color as white light threads seeped in, and the nerves and muscles underneath were restored perfectly through meticulous treatment.

The soldier lying on the ground felt a cool sensation in his calf, followed by his ankle regaining sensation. A genuine and overwhelming joy welled up in his heart, and he looked at the young lady with deep gratitude.

Although he could only see her delicate chin due to the angle, in his heart, this mysterious young lady whom he had never met before was more beautiful and kind than any angel in the church.

“It’s all done now.”

After checking once again, Lolan Hill lowered her hand, blinked her eyes, and said so.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The soldier spoke incoherently, his limited knowledge unable to find elegant or better words, so he could only repeat to express his gratitude.

“Tell me how I can repay you.”

“There’s no need,” Lolan Hill shook her head slightly.

“If you ever encounter people in trouble who truly need help, just lend a hand. Then, goodbye, sir.”

This silver-haired girl in gray robes gracefully crossed the street, leaving lightly and nimbly amidst the thanks and curious gazes of those behind her.

Walking down the cobblestone street, her mood, somewhat suppressed due to the war, suddenly improved.

What she did had value; after the war, this country would also迎来新的开始吧，她如此设想。

As night approached, Mozvane gradually returned to tranquility.

Firepots and torches lined the streets, most areas returning to a quiet calm, while a few places with concentrated personnel remained noisy.

“Please line up, one at a time.”

In a refugee camp, an elderly woman holding a ladle instructed the crowd to line up, then distributed cooked porridge one by one to replenish water and food. The survivors discussed quietly under the night sky.

Some were grateful for surviving the war, some missed their missing family members, and others pondered how to live in the future.

On the other side, within the Engraved Tower in the city,

The candles inside the high tower were lit one by one, illuminating the council hall at the top. Windows around allowed a view over the entire city shrouded in night, immersed in a cold tone, with only a few lights visible.

“Even the generals of the Frost Union don’t know where that group has gone?”

Lolan Hill and several representatives of the Starlight Alliance sat around a table, asking several intelligence officers in the military.

“Yes, we have asked the soldiers in the city and various officers, but none of them know where those core mages have gone.”

“Did they escape? But our ships patrolling the sea and demonic beasts haven’t found any trace of them,” a mage from the New Moon Council frowned slightly.

“Uncertain. If they escaped, they should have taken important items and personnel with them, but they didn’t. In fact, we even found many valuable alchemical creations in the central hall, though many were still experimental subjects, they were still extremely precious.”

“And their families don’t know where these mages went, as if they vanished into thin air.”

“Vanished into thin air? Could it be that they used some spatial teleportation ability?” a general speculated.

“That shouldn’t be the case. According to the words of several Sequence 9 lords, they didn’t detect any large-scale spatial fluctuations.”

“So they must still be hiding in the city,” an old general said confidently.

“Maybe there are underground facilities or passages beneath. When we fought the nobles of Westwind back then, we often found cellars or escape routes in castles. These mages are so cunning, they must have left themselves a way out and contingency plans.”

“It seems the search must continue. However, this time we need to apply for a batch of Extraordinary Beings from the Necromancer Sequence from the Church. Whether it’s spirits capable of traversing physical forms or sensing the soul fire, they are better suited for this task.”

“So麻烦碧涅丝冕下了,” Even though Princess Bynis wasn’t present, Lolan Hill said as if certain that she would hear this.

And as the sage’s words fell, a crescent moon of gold appeared on the table, slowly dispersing, completing the information exchange.

0 0/、耶

(End of Chapter)