Chapter 605 - 445: The Great Army Gathers in Black Stone Territory
Chapter 605: Chapter 445: The Great Army Gathers in Black Stone Territory
Gu said nothing. He just watched quietly.
He could see that each seemingly crude strike held a unique rhythm, a cadence that precisely expelled the impurities from the metal and compacted its structure.
Gu moved on.
After observing several master blacksmiths at their forges, he moved on to watch the work being done in the Enchantment Workshop.
Gu’s eyes lit up.
This was his first time observing this otherworldly craft up close.
He could clearly sense the runes acting as bridges, guiding the free-roaming Magic Elements in the air and binding them to the Weapon, granting it additional properties.
He murmured to himself.
"Solidify Magic Power into ’patterns,’ then use a special Magic Metal to ’brand’ it into the material’s structure... creating a stable resonance."
"It’s not a simple accumulation of Elements, but... a rudimentary application of principles."
Gu suddenly spoke. His voice was quiet, yet it carried clearly to the ears of the working Mage.
The Mages in charge of rune Enchantment were all trained by the Valen Family. Since childhood, their main course of study, apart from standard Mage Meditation, had been rune Enchantment.
These Mages from the Valen Family might have been weak in combat, but they had all systematically studied the art of rune Enchantment.
Their years of Enchantment work had also given them a profound and unique understanding of the discipline.
Gu’s words startled the Mage, who had been engrossed in carving runes. He stopped his work and looked at the strange old man in astonishment.
"Sir... You can understand this?"
the Mage asked in disbelief.
Runology was an incredibly profound and complex discipline. Even Mages who specialized in this field would find it difficult to articulate the essence of Enchantment so succinctly.
Gu smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he raised a finger and gestured in the air.
"This structure here could be optimized."
"The flow of the Wind Element prioritizes speed too much, making it unstable. If you were to shift this node slightly to the left and add a ’stabilizing’ solidifying rune, its durability would at least double."
As his words faded, the entire room fell silent.
The Mage stood as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at the rune he had just carved as his mind raced, processing the old man’s words.
The more they thought it through, the more shocked their expressions became, finally morphing into ecstatic reverence and awe.
"My god! So that’s how it works!"
"How did I never think of that! I always thought it was an issue with the materials!"
The two were so excited they became incoherent. The way they now looked at Gu was as if they were gazing upon a profoundly wise elder.
Gu simply smiled, clasped his hands behind his back, and leisurely strolled out.
「One week later.」
Gu toured the various parts of Black Stone Territory, and during this time, Raylo also finished reorganizing the Black Stone Army.
Over the past while, Raylo had acquired a number of new Magical Beasts.
These included over a hundred Earth Dragons and more than forty Griffins brought back after the subjugation of the Black King, part of the ransom "paid" by Karachi, and over a hundred Pegasi that the Black Stone Knights had successively captured at the edge of the Black Stone Mountain Range and in the Mist Forest.
Using this reorganization as an opportunity, Raylo distributed nearly all these Magical Beasts to the Knights who had distinguished themselves in battle, save for those that had died in the war and a few females and young left in the pastures for breeding.
Raylo’s forces now included 90 Mammoth Knights, 220 Earth Dragon Knights, 100 Griffin Knights, and 384 Pegasus Knights.
Among these Magical Beasts, the Pegasi had suffered the highest attrition due to their low Level and relatively weak combat strength.
The day after Raylo completed the reorganization, the peace along the main roads leading out of Black Stone Territory was broken.
The first things to appear were the many different family banners, fluttering in the wind.
The thunder of heavy hooves shattered the morning silence. Armies from different domains, like streams rushing from all corners of the Northern Territory, began to converge on Black Stone Territory.
The residents of Black Stone Territory—be they Knights who had just finished their morning training or farmers with tools slung over their backs, ready for a day’s work—all stopped in their tracks. They stared with a mixture of curiosity and awe at the armies arriving from distant lands.
"That’s Nu Feng City’s banner! A roaring snow lion!"
"Quick, look over there! It’s the red leaf sigil of Red Leaf City!"
"Look at the head of that column! Isn’t that young woman the ’Northern Rose’? Oh my god! Is she riding a legendary Unicorn?"
"My god, these are all great nobles of the Northern Territory, famous for ages! And they’ve all come to Black Stone Territory!"
Raylo’s calm gaze swept across the vast plains below.
Army after army made camp in their designated areas. Banners of different colors clearly demarcated each contingent, and the military camps stretched on as far as the eye could see.
"All three Counts of the Northern Territory have arrived. Ten of the eleven Viscount’s Domains are here. Eighteen of the twenty-five Baron’s Domains have arrived. A few other Lords are still on their way."
Ed reported to Raylo.
Raylo nodded.
"Take note of those who failed to arrive by the deadline. Just like last time, we will deal with them and hold them accountable after the war."
According to the Duchy’s laws, when the Duke issues a call to arms, there are clear articles of punishment for those who refuse to participate, arrive past the deadline, or respond with passive indifference.
For instance, the last time the Duke summoned the various vassal Lords of the Duchy to fight for Astra’s chance to ascend to the Catastrophe Level, one Viscount and two Barons were punished.