Chapter 68: Signal
Howis Abres stood in the square of Mountain Ridge Village, his expression grim.
In front of him lay two small mounds formed from stacked human heads.
At the center of these mounds, a longspear had been thrust into the ground. Its tip skewered a bald head that was beyond recognition, its bones grotesquely deformed.
Anyone familiar with the deceased needed only a glance at the head to recognize the identity of the corpse.
“Father!” said the young man standing behind Baron Howis, his face contorted in rage.
“Please allow me to take some men and pursue that bastard! He took so many villagers with him, he couldn't have gone far. If I set out now, I’m sure I can catch up.”
“And then what?” Howis turned and glared angrily at his eldest son. “What if you die in battle too?”
The fury on Baron Howis’s face was no less intense than his son’s, but it was mingled with deep pain.
This invasion of White Mountain Territory, together with the Lords of Western Wind Territory and Spring Breeze Territory, had actually been carried out under the secret orders of Count Shuvaric.
He did, in fact, have some impression of Baron Ster, for he, Baron Ster Bole, and Baron Will Tinsk of Red River Territory had once met at a banquet hosted by Count Shuvaric.
They were somewhat acquainted, as fellow lords serving under the same count. Collaboration was always a possibility in the future.
Who would have thought that in just a few years, the Tinsk Family of Red River Territory would be wiped out, and now he was expected to kill Baron Ster.
Though he felt a flicker of sympathy, he also understood that the moment Baron Ster defected to Marquis Visen, the mortal enemy of Count Shuvaric, his fate had been sealed. At least, Count Shuvaric would never let him live.
Of course—
The true motivation behind the attack was that by invading White Mountain Territory alongside the other two barons, they could divide the spoils.
He, in particular, stood to gain a third of White Mountain Territory’s assets, being the first to fire the opening shot of the war.
Western Wind Territory and Spring Breeze Territory would each take another third, and the final third would be offered as tribute to Count Shuvaric.
That was why he had brought his eldest son, four Bloodline Knights, and three hundred Private Soldiers to launch the assault.
But who could have foreseen that in just two days of war, over a hundred soldiers and two Bloodline Knights had already died?
Considering his entire territory only had six Bloodline Knights, including his two sons, and five hundred soldiers in total, this meant he had already lost a third of his forces and nearly half his Bloodline Knights.
The pain Baron Howis felt in his heart far exceeded the anger he displayed on his face.
“Father! Do you think I can’t even defeat a mere lackey?” the young man’s face turned bright red.
“Ion Soderbell only awakened the Flame Hound bloodline! He was able to kill Josh because his bloodline ability happened to suppress the Wind Rabbit’s, not because Ion is particularly impressive!”
“Shut your mouth!” Baron Howis roared.
After venting his fury with that shout, he felt his emotions ease slightly. He sighed and began issuing orders for the other soldiers to clean up the situation.
He also instructed someone to return to Eastern Mountain Territory to prepare follow-up operations.
After all, leaving Josh behind in Mountain Ridge Village was meant to make it a strategic bridgehead.
But now, with the villagers rescued and the supplies all moved, his greatest concern was the upcoming logistics.
“Send someone west to find the Robert Family! They must give me an explanation!”
The young man responded with bitter resentment.
But Baron Howis suddenly reached out and grabbed his eldest son. “I said to send a guard, not you. Did you hear me? …Spring Breeze Territory was supposed to seal off Plain Village to stop Ion Soderbell from heading east to rendezvous with Baron Ster. But now Ion has shown up here. That’s the Robert Family’s failure. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I understand!” the young man said through gritted teeth.
“And tell Anka and Manlin to return!”
“But then won’t the Lord of White Mountain Territory be able to flee back to White Mountain City?”
“Without me, if Ster and Ion join forces, how can they possibly be stopped? Do you want every Bloodline Knight in our territory to die?” Baron Howis roared in anger.
“This is clearly the Robert Family’s blunder. They must bear the responsibility! …How many times do I have to say it for you to get it?”
The young man clenched his fists, but his expression showed clear defiance. “If we can’t stop the Lord of White Mountain Territory here, then our losses will be irreversible! We’ll suffer even more!”
Baron Howis cast a cold glance at his eldest son and then said, “I used to think your stupidity came from acting recklessly and impulsively. But now I see it clearly, you act recklessly and impulsively because you’re as dumb as a pig.”
…
“Lord,” Roda stood behind Baron Ster, looking at the towering plume of black smoke ahead. “That direction… is it Mountain Ridge Village? Could it be that our reinforcements have arrived?”
Mountain Ridge Village was Roda’s fief. He had abandoned all the villagers to escort Baron Ster in their escape.
Though it pained him, he knew it was the only choice. Yet upon seeing such a massive column of smoke rising from the direction of Mountain Ridge Village, he felt a bit of hope. The scale of the smoke suggested the entire village had been burned down.
He wasn’t particularly strong or clever, but that didn’t mean he was a fool.
Two Bloodline Users had been pursuing them, one was the Lord of Eastern Mountain Territory, the other his son, but he hadn’t seen the third Bloodline User.
He knew there had been three involved in the attack on Mountain Ridge Village. So now, with only two visible, he understood that one Bloodline User must have remained behind in the village.
In such a situation, relying solely on the villagers of Mountain Ridge Village would make it impossible to overthrow the rule of this Bloodline User.
Therefore, the fact that someone could set the entire village ablaze at this moment clearly indicated the involvement of another Bloodline User.
“It’s Ion!” Baron Ster’s weary face couldn’t help but show a hint of joy. “He’s sending us a signal!”
“Sending a signal?” Roda looked puzzled.
“Yes.” Baron Ster gathered his spirits. “Others would merely think he’s venting his rage… but I suspect he must’ve used other means to draw the attention of the Baron of Eastern Mountain Territory, making the other party overlook the true purpose behind burning down Mountain Ridge Village.”
“W-what purpose?” Roda suddenly felt like he truly was a fool.
“He’s telling us not to continue heading west. He’s already arrived at Mountain Ridge Village and is now looking for us,” Baron Ster’s eyes shone brighter.
“And that might not be all… The enemies originally pursuing us have had their attention diverted and must now return. Then… I get it! Ion wants us to head south and meet up with him!”
“Huh?” Roda blinked. “Why are you so sure, my lord?”
“The Lord of Eastern Mountain Territory must have previously set up a blockade at the place where we would return to White Mountain City, cutting off our route to escape southward,” Baron Ster said in a low voice.
“That’s why he kept chasing us, trying to force us south. But now that he’s returned to Mountain Ridge Village, without him, a Third-Tier Bloodline User, that blockade is no longer a blockade to me. In fact, the other Bloodline Users he had stationed there to deal with me may very well become sacrifices themselves.”
“Ha!”
The more he analyzed and deduced, the more excited Baron Ster became. “As far as I know, the development of Eastern Mountain Territory has never been particularly strong, so there isn’t a second Third-Tier Bloodline User within the territory. If that old man from Eastern Mountain Territory doesn’t want his family to be destroyed, then he must summon everyone back to prevent them from being picked off one by one.”
“But!”
“But?” Roda asked curiously.
Baron Ster was quite pleased by Roda’s eager question; he truly enjoyed this feeling. “The other side doesn’t want his Bloodline Knights to be defeated one by one, but since the initiative is now in our hands, we can actually help him with that… As long as we eliminate Eastern Mountain Territory, and then find opportunities to crush Spring Breeze Territory and Western Wind Territory, the crisis of White Mountain Territory will be more than half resolved.”
What Baron Ster didn’t say to Roda was that even if they could weaken the state of the three territories on the Fertile Plains using such means, the fact remained that the lords of Western Wind Territory, Spring Breeze Territory, and Eastern Mountain Territory were all Third-Tier Bloodline Users. That gap in strength could never truly be bridged. In fact, if he were surrounded by any two of those lords, he would have no outcome but death.
Moreover, Western Wind Territory and Spring Breeze Territory were unlike Eastern Mountain Territory.
The two most fertile lands of the Fertile Plains were held by Western Wind Territory and Spring Breeze Territory. Eastern Mountain Territory only claimed a small eastern corner, with most of its terrain being mountainous, much like White Mountain Territory, and offering few exploitable resources.
This was one of the reasons why Eastern Mountain Territory was so eager to invade White Mountain Territory.
But such morale-dampening words were things Baron Ster would never voice.
He merely needed to instill the feeling that “the enemy is not invincible.”
As for the rest, they could only “do everything possible and leave the rest to fate.”
...
“Lord Ion.” An old soldier jogged over to Ion. “Everything has been arranged. The villagers will take a detour through the Small Eaglehead Mountains to reach White Mountain City.”
Ion glanced at the over one hundred people following him.
Among them, more than forty were Baron Ster’s private soldiers, veteran elites who had followed Baron Ster through several wars.
The rest were the able-bodied adults from Mountain Ridge Village.
Compared to the old soldiers, these adults lacked experience. But after the events in Mountain Ridge Village, they now possessed a death-defying bloodlust.
Ion knew well that if this bloodlust could be harnessed properly, they would also be able to contribute significantly in the upcoming battles.
Their growth might even accelerate rapidly. As long as they could survive two or three battles, they wouldn’t be any weaker than the veterans.
That said…
In reality, the intensity of the coming war would likely be nothing short of brutal.
Whether it was the villagers or the veterans, if even a third of them survived, Ion would consider it a blessing from fate.
“Let’s go! The Baron is still waiting for us.”
“My lord, are you certain the Baron will head south to rendezvous with us?”
“I’m certain.” Ion nodded. “The signal I sent, Baron Ster will definitely understand it… This is our only chance to break through and return to White Mountain Territory.”