Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The Watcher Fortress is not just a solitary building.
In addition to the main fortress located at the eastern exit of the Neron Corridor, there are many towns and villages scattered behind it, in the eastern part of the Neron Corridor.
The existence of these towns and villages provides the legion with a certain degree of self-sufficiency.
The entire fortress area is even comparable in size to a small barony.
Now, the Watcher Fortress faces a severe crisis.
This danger does not come from the front; although a tidal wave of orc troops has surged toward the fortress, the main fortress has not been breached yet.
The real danger comes from behind.
"My God! You... you..."
Sir Elijah, the commander responsible for guarding the western side of the fortress area, was trembling all over at this moment.
Not from fear, but from anger.
He stood with his back against the wall, his eyes as if they were ready to shoot flames.
"The Bradley family will be nailed to the pillar of shame in the kingdom's history, to be judged by future generations!"
"The victors will not be judged!"
Standing opposite him was General Grayson of the Bradley family, who wore a cold smile as he looked at him.
Not long ago, the Bradley family's army had arrived at the fortress that Sir Elijah was guarding. This fortress was one of the entrances to the fortress area.
The Bradley family claimed to be delivering supplies and reinforcements for the Watcher Legion.
Naturally, Sir Elijah did not hesitate to allow them entry, as the area ahead was in dire need of help, and even his own garrison was reduced to just a few dozen men.
However, once the Bradley family's army entered, they immediately took action, using their superior numbers to quickly seize control of the entire fortress.
The poor subordinates were either killed or captured.
"Honorable Sir Elijah, I give you one more chance. Will you pledge your loyalty to the great Duke Bradley?"
"Spit!"
Elijah spat in his face.
"Hmm, this is not a good gesture for a noble!"
Grayson wiped his face, then waved his hand.
Swoosh!
Two long spears pierced Elijah's abdomen, pinning him to the wall.
"You bastards..."
With his last breath, Elijah cursed:
"Aldor will send you all to hell!"
Grayson's expression remained unchanged.
"The kingdom may not even exist!"
---
"Your Highness, ahead is the Yellow Earth. We are about to enter the northeastern region of the kingdom."
The knight responsible for scouting reported to Catherine.
"I know. After a short rest, we will continue."
Catherine was riding her horse, looking ahead, surrounded by numerous generals, including Ophina, Klein, Leicester, and Dempsey...
She took a pair of binoculars from her attendant.
This tool was a gift from Paul, and it cleverly used lenses to refract light, magnifying distant scenes.
Catherine immediately fell in love with this delicate gadget. For a general, it was incredibly useful.
In fact, when she first encountered the binoculars, she thought it was some sort of magical device and even used a magic detection stone to check it.
Catherine raised the binoculars, and a view vastly different from the southern landscape came into her sight.
It was a land of deep ravines, broken terrain, thick soil layers, and complex topography. The vegetation was sparse, and large patches of yellow or dark red soil were visible everywhere.
Because of the color of the soil, this place was called the Yellow Earth.
Klein spoke up, "We'll walk a little further, and the Bradley family should come to meet us."
Catherine nodded.
Half a month ago, she had led an army of 5,000 cavalry and infantry each, riding tirelessly toward the Watcher Fortress. Now, they were more than halfway there.
At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from a distance.
Ophina looked over and recognized, "It seems to be Paul, our messenger."
The messenger, a knight, rode up to Catherine.
"Your Highness, I saw the army from afar. I didn't expect to encounter you here on the way. I thought I would have to go all the way to Neron to find you."
Catherine recognized him, and a faint wave of emotion stirred in her heart.
"Did the Earl send a reply?"
"Yes, this is Lord Grayman's reply. Please accept it."
Paul took out an envelope and handed it to Catherine with both hands.
He excitedly praised, "As expected of the 'telegraph' communication method, it's incredibly fast. I sent your message in the morning, and by the afternoon, I already received a reply from Alden Town."
The system Paul referred to was the flag signal system from the Northwest Bay.
When they were in Crystal Glare, Eileen had repeatedly urged the king to extend the signal stations from the Northwest Bay all the way south to the capital, Crystal Glare, to improve communication speed between the two places and the surrounding regions.
Paul naturally had no objection to this proposal. Having an efficient communication line between the populous south and the Northwest Bay would greatly benefit trade.
Even King Rodney XVIII had a strong interest in this so-called "telegraph," as he had witnessed its power firsthand in the Northwest Bay.
Considering the increasing interactions with the Northwest Bay, the king had decided without hesitation.
The plan was for both sides to send personnel to Crystal Glare. One team would head south, and the other north, to build signal towers.
The locations were quickly chosen, passing through prosperous towns and cities.
Of course, this was not something that could be completed in a short time, and so far, the two sides had not "connected" yet. However, the signal stations on both sides were already in use.
After Catherine's army departed, considering her engagement to Paul, she thought it would be best to let him know her whereabouts, so she sent a telegraph to the southernmost point of the northern section of the line.
The reply came much faster than Catherine expected.
She quickly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
The content was brief, with only a few sentences.
Although the telegraph system allowed for quick communication, it could only carry limited information. The messenger had to carefully condense the message into a few words or abbreviations, otherwise, it could overwhelm the operators along the way.
There was no greeting in her fiancé's reply.
He only mentioned that he would try to provide assistance, including sending troops.
He also suggested that Catherine should send her next communication to Duke Fraule's territory, the easternmost point of the Northwest Bay, where the signal station had already been established.
"This is my first letter exchange with my future husband, yet it comes in such a cold and impersonal form."
Catherine felt a pang of regret but carefully folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope.
She looked again at the yellow land to the northeast and raised her whip.
"Let's continue forward!"
(End of the Chapter)
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