In the council chamber of Watcher's Fortress, the flickering light of torches danced on the mottled stone walls. Paul's fingers slowly traced the military map spread on the long table, finally stopping on the vast plains east of the fortress.
"All the prisoners' testimonies are consistent!" Hal Duke said in a deep voice, tapping his rough fingers on the table. "Abal did not retreat through the fortress."
Schroeder frowned: "But the Narodane Corridor is the only route back to the grasslands, unless..."
"Unless he never intended to go back at all," Paul added in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the generals present.
He was still debating whether to lead the Austrian army out of Watcher's Fortress to pursue Abar, but now things are settled.
A moment of silence fell over the council chamber.
Outside the fortress, soldiers were busy repairing the city walls and cleaning up the battlefield. The cheers of victory could be faintly heard, but at this moment, the atmosphere among the generals was as heavy as iron.
"We interrogated the orc officers!" The intelligence officer present opened the logbook. "The core members of the royal tent—the shaman of the White Wolf clan, Abar's confidants, and even his eldest son, Aguire—were not among the retreating troops."
"That doesn't make sense!" Hal Duke shook his head. "No matter how arrogant Abar is, he wouldn't risk staying surrounded by the enemy. Besides, the Narodan Corridor isn't very wide; how could it possibly accommodate an army hiding there?"
"What tricks did this guy pull!" Paul stood up and walked to the window. The Narodane Corridor on the west side of the fortress resembled a sleeping dragon, winding westward.
"We need to re-examine the intelligence!" He turned and ordered, "Send out scout cavalry to search all suspicious areas west of the fortress."
Schroeder nodded and added, "If Abar is really still hiding somewhere, he won't sit idly by—he will definitely look for an opportunity to fight back."
Paul's gaze returned to the map; the whereabouts of the orc chieftain remained a mystery, like a dark cloud hanging over their newly won victory.
The recapture of Watcher's Fortress may not be the end of the war.
Paul ordered the army to take a short rest at Watchman's Keep.
Two days later, at dawn, as he was inspecting the city wall under repair, a messenger came through the fortress gate, and was soon invited to the council chamber by Schröder.
"Lord Gleman!" The messenger took out a letter sealed with the sealing wax of the Crystal Legion from his bosom. "An urgent report from General Harrison."
Paul took the letter, his fingertips still feeling the chill of the parchment—clearly, it had been delivered overnight. He unfolded the letter, his gaze quickly sweeping over the hastily written yet neat characters, his expression gradually growing serious.
"Summon the generals for a meeting," he ordered.
Once Earl Duke and the other high-ranking officers were seated, Paul immediately placed Harrison's secret letter on the table, tapping the letter lightly with his fingers.
"We obtained crucial intelligence from the orc prisoners at Storm's End!" His voice was calm and steady. "Abar didn't take the Nerodan Corridor, but instead went directly north through the territory of a dwarven clan called Stonemasons on Mount Loki."
"You mean the Dwarven Pass?" Earl Duke frowned. "Weren't those passages blocked by the dwarves long ago? Those stubborn fellows never interact with the outside world."
"Clearly! These dwarves have begun to venture into the outside world, only they've chosen orcs as their first targets." Schroeder gave a heavy snort, then turned to Paul and asked, "My lord, do you remember that so-called dwarf prince who came to Laketown many years ago?"
"Let me think…" Paul paused for a moment, "I remember now, that fellow named Imar! That's right, he claimed to be from the Stonemasons Clan!"
He immediately opened the map and pointed to a place in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains: "If I remember correctly, the stonemason clan he mentioned should be here."
Imar had asked Paul for help in regaining his inheritance, but Paul ignored him, and the dwarf left in a huff.
"Could it be that he obtained enough help from the orcs to reclaim his clan and seize power, and in return, opened passages within his territory to the orcs?"
Of course, this is just speculation.
"So, in fact, the dwarves have been using orcs to prevent humans from approaching their territory," Sir Colin interjected. "They would send small groups of orc raiders south to harass human settlements near the Rocky Mountains."
Earl Duke nodded. "Because the orcs always appear in small groups, for hundreds of years we have believed that large-scale armies cannot travel through the Rocky Mountains. When the orcs invaded last time, they ambushed us from behind. After reviewing the situation, we thought that the Bradley family must have decided to betray the kingdom and secretly hid the small groups of orcs that crossed the mountains, slowly gathering them into an army."
Arthur said angrily, "It seems we still know too little about the real situation inside the Rocky Mountains, those hateful dwarves!"
An uproar erupted in the council chamber, and Catherine couldn't help but slam her hand on the table and stand up: "So, during the first invasion, the orc force that raided the rear of the fortress sneaked in from here?"
Paul nodded: "That's the only explanation. Otherwise, how could Abar have vanished into thin air? He must have slipped away silently through the Dwarf Pass with the core of the royal army!"
He suddenly realized something, and even broke out in a cold sweat.
North of the Northwest Bay lies the western section of the Rocky Mountains, where dwarves also reside. What if they, too, have opened their passage to the orcs…
He looked at Schroeder, who had clearly also considered this possibility and was now turning his gaze toward him.
The chief of staff calmly said, "Your Excellency need not worry too much. The defenses in the Northwest Bay are more than sufficient."
"But we can't let our guard down. We must inform Laketown as quickly as possible that the dwarves may have allied with the orcs, and alert them to the north. But..."
His voice carried a hint of tension. "What I'm most worried about is Andrew's troops. Lakeside Town needs to find a way to notify the Steppe Expeditionary Force as soon as possible. Abar's main force may pass through the Rocky Mountains and return to the Steppe much earlier than they expected. If they encounter the main force of the Royal Guard, I will allow Andrew to retreat depending on the situation."
Although, in terms of distance, Abal's army might find the Steppe Expeditionary Force sooner than the messenger from Lake Heart, Paul still wanted to give it a try.
Earl Duke's face was terribly grim: "We've been tricked twice."
Paul's gaze swept across the map, finally settling on the outline of the winding mountain range.
"Send out scouts from all directions immediately!" he ordered. "I need detailed information on every dwarven pass in the Rocky Mountains. As for the Stonemasons..."
His finger pressed heavily on the map. "It's time to talk to them."