Chapter 1274: Ambition

The Red Mist drifted down from the crest of the Impassable Mountain Range like thin fog at a riverbank, and Marwayne Parker had expected it to be like the mine: dust-choked, suffocating, the air itself a punishment. Instead it felt almost cool — a faint wetness on the breath, something alive in it.

The demon commander had told him the Mist held the essence of a life form. Harmless to men. Harmful only to witches, who were humanity’s enemy in any case. Marwayne wasn’t sure he trusted the demon commander, but after a month inside the Red Mist, he had his answer: he felt fine. He had stopped thinking about it.

“My lord.” The guard knocked and entered. “The Sky Lord’s ambassador is here. Waiting in the yard.”

“Ask him to wait a moment.”

The door closed, and Marwayne allowed himself a slow smile.

My lord. Every time he heard it, something in his chest loosened slightly — the old knot of an earldom that had always felt too small, now finally fitting. He had been certain, when the demon crossed the abyss and invaded the Snow Reflection Castle a month ago, that it was the end. Instead it had been a door opening onto something he had not even dared to want.

The Sky Lord was easier to work with than the Graycastle men, when it came to that. Graycastle stripped nobles of their lands without ceremony, without reason. Hackzord had stripped nothing. The demons demanded no taxes, seized no property. Pledge fealty, and keep what you have — and earn more, if you were useful. They could be rude, certainly. But they had never touched his interests.

After Hackzord handed him authority over three cities near the Snow Reflection Castle, Marwayne stopped pretending he might resist.

The Snow Reflection Castle was a fortified island. He could hold it forever and expand nowhere. He had accepted, long ago, that he would die an earl. But the doomsday, it turned out, had its own promotions: he now ruled the entire northern region of the Kingdom of Everwinter.

The Duke of the Northern Region.

He covered his mouth before he could smile openly. Composed his face. Walked downstairs.

Yes, the demons had killed dozens of his guards and hundreds of his subjects. All wars killed. Nobles had always competed for land through blood; the arithmetic hadn’t changed, only the scale. With four cities under him now, his army had grown accordingly, and population recovered where there was food and stability. In a few years, there would be more people in his domain than before. Those who muttered behind his back about cowardice and treachery — he would deal with them in time.

He walked into the yard and found the Sky Lord’s ambassador waiting beside a crouching Devilbeast, enormous and indifferent. Marwayne had never learned to distinguish demons by sight; unlike Hackzord, these were all jaw and ferocity, and he avoided looking at them directly. He would not have acknowledged this one at all, had it not carried a message.

“What does the Sky Lord require?”

The ambassador drew a stone from a pocket on the Devilbeast’s side, opened that wide crimson mouth, and produced a single word: “Listen.”

Magic voice transmission. Marwayne stepped back reflexively — the ambassador’s breath was extraordinary in its awfulness — and forced his face to stillness.

The stone pulsed with light, and Hackzord’s voice arrived: precise, almost pleasant.

“How does it feel to rule a region? I hope you haven’t forgotten your promise, Mr. Duke.”

“Of course not, Your Excellency. I’m at your service.”

“Good. Your subjects have had a month to adjust to our presence. Now it’s time to build an army and help us construct a campsite. I want it in the Kingdom of Wolfheart, not Everwinter. I need at least two thousand people — more is always better.”

Marwayne calculated quickly. Heavy labor was easy to provide. “Leave it to me, Your Excellency.”

“I knew I’d chosen the right man.” A pause, with something satisfied in it. “The weapons — any progress duplicating them?”

“We can use them,” Marwayne said carefully, “but replication is taking longer. I’ve assembled the best blacksmiths in the Northern Region, and the process so far has been unsuccessful. My blacksmiths believe the weapons involved witches in their creation. The construction is beyond what ordinary craftsmen can produce.”

“That’s what I suspected.” No blame in Hackzord’s voice. “Even so, use what you have. Stop the Graycastle men from taking refugees — that’s my second order. I’ll send you the weapons we’ve captured.”

“I have no knights left —”

“Then recruit them.” The voice sharpened only slightly. “You men know how to do this: grant lands, promise rewards, bind men to service. Don’t be small about it. And if you succeed —” a deliberate beat — “you may yet become the King of Everwinter.”

The word landed in Marwayne’s chest like a stone dropped into still water.

King. He had dreamed of it the way men dream of things too large to say aloud — privately, shamefully, in the dark. That such a dream might be fulfilled not through a lifetime of scheming but through a single series of obedient actions was nearly impossible to hold in his mind. His hand found his chest without permission, trying to slow his heart.

“Yes, Your Excellency. I’ll carry out this mission with everything I have.”

“I want results quickly.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

The light in the stone died.

“I come — one week,” the ambassador said, syllables blunt and ill-fitted. Then it climbed its Devilbeast, raised one arm, and launched into the air. The beast howled, banked over the outer wall, and was gone — leaving Marwayne standing in a cloud of disturbed dust, coughing.

“Sh*t!” He wiped his eyes. If all the demons comported themselves like the Sky Lord, they might actually be tolerable.

He summoned the old scholar at once.

The scholar had disgraced himself at the city wall when the demons first arrived, weak-bladdered and terrified. Marwayne had no one else. He relayed Hackzord’s orders and waited.

The old man seized Marwayne’s hands. His eyes were wet.

“My lord — this is everything your father wanted. He spent his life trying to extend the Snow Reflection Castle’s reach. You’ve done that and more. The King of Everwinter. You must pursue this.”

“I want to. But those knights —” Marwayne kept his voice level. “You’ve seen the Graycastle weapons. We can’t replicate them, and we won’t have unlimited captured supplies. What happens when we run short?”

“We don’t need to meet them in open battle.” The old scholar shook his head vigorously. “The Sky Lord said ‘stop them taking refugees’ — not ‘destroy their army’. Graycastle’s forces are dispersed across a wide territory. With enough weapons we hold a significant advantage in any local engagement. If we crush even a few units —” he lowered his voice and leaned forward — “and if we do what I have in mind, their very strength becomes a liability.”

He spoke the plan quietly.

The smile that spread across Marwayne’s face was not the careful, controlled expression he wore for ambassadors.

“That will work.” He nodded once, then again. “Their strength becomes their weakness. Yes. We do this.”

Chapter 1274 - Ambition

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn A thin veil of Red Mist dropped down from the crest of the Impassable Mountain Range. Marwayne Parker had thought that it would be as intolerable as the mine, where the air was impregnated with dust. Surprisingly, however, he felt fine. If he took a deep breath, he could sense a hint of cool wetness in the surroundings. The demon commander had told him that the Mist contained the essence of a life form. It would not cause human beings any harm but would instead strengthen them. Only witches, their mortal enemy, would suffer a fatal power rebound. Marwayne was not sure whether he should trust the demon commander, but from what he could see at present, the Red Mist seemed to be harmless, except that it obscured his view sometimes. After a month, he had completely got used to living in an environment permeated with the Red Mist. “My lord, the Sky Lord sent an ambassador.” Just then, a guard entered the study and reported, “He’s waiting for you in the yard.” Marwayne nodded silently and said, “Ask him to wait for a moment. I’ll be there right away.” “Yes, my lord.” Marwayne smiled after the guard closed the door. Every time he heard others call him lord, he felt exhilarated. He had thought it would be his last when the demon had crossed the abyss and invaded the Snow Reflection Castle a month ago. However, the demon had set him free. After abandoning his prejudice against the demons, Marwayne found the Sky Lord was quite communicative. In a way, he was easier to deal with than the Graycastle men. At least, the Sky Lord would not strip the nobles of their lands without any reason. The demons did not require him to pay taxes, nor did they loot his lands and usurp his power. As long as he pledged fealty to them, he could retain what he had now and also have a chance to gain more rewards. The demons could be rude, but they did not really prejudice his personal interests. After the Sky Lord asked him to rule the three cities near the Snow Reflection Castle, he became even more satisfied with the status quo. The Snow Reflection Castle was a fortified, isolated island. Nobody could easily invade his territory, but he could not expand his domain from here either.Marwayne had thought he would remain as an earl for the rest of his life. He had not expected, nevertheless, that he would elevate to dukeon the doomsday. Now, he ruled the entire northern region of the Kingdom of Everwinter and was, veritably, the Duke of the Northern Region. Marwayne covered his mouth and forced himself to keep up a straight face. He closed the window and walked downstairs. The demons had indeed killed dozens of his guards and hundreds of his subjects, but no war did not have bloodshed. Nobles also competed for lands through wars. As he was currently the ruler of four cities, his army expanded a great deal. As for the loss of population, he was sure that in a few years’ time, with sufficient lands and food, there would be more people in his domain. He should also hang those who were pointing behind his back and accusing him of submitting to the demons out of fear. Marwayne immediately saw the ambassador sent by the Sky Lord and the giant monster lying beside him as he entered the yard. To be honest, he did not know how to distinguish these demons. Unlike Hackzord, these demons were disgusting and barbarian. Had they not been sent by the demon commander, Marwayne would not have spared a look at these savage beasts. “What can I do for the Sky Lord?” The ambassador produced a stone from the pocket of his mount and opened his large, crimson mouth. Then he blurted out a word, “Listen!” It was again magic voice transmission. Marwayne stepped a few paces back involuntarily, for he could not stand the terrible breath of the ambassador. He forced himself to suppress his revulsion and said, “I’m listening.” The stone flickered, and then a familiar voice reached his ears. “How do you feel like being the ruler of a region? I hope you haven’t forgotten your promise, Mr. Duke.” “Of course not, Your Excellency,” Marwayne replied quickly. “I’m at your service.” “Very well. I believe that your subjects have got used to our presence after a month. Now it’s time to build an army and help us build a campsite. I want the campsite to be built in the Kingdom of Wolfheart rather than the Kingdom of Everwinter, and I need at least 2,000 people. Well, the more, the better, naturally.” Marwayne wondered if Hackzord wanted heavy labor. He estimated that it was not going to be hard to fulfill this order. Therefore, he replied, “Leave it to me, Your Excellency.” “I did pick the right person,” the Sky Lord commented in satisfaction. “Also, what about the research on those weapons? Can you duplicate them?” “Well…” Marwayne faltered. “We can use them, but it’ll take a few more days to replicate them. I summoned the best blacksmith in the Northern Region and asked every one of them to forge a part. It was not very successful. I believe the witches are involved in the creation of the weapons. The blacksmiths told me that these weapons are not likely made by ordinary people.” “That’s what I thought,” Hackzord said. Luckily, he did not blame Marwayne. “Even if that’s the case, you should also use them to resist the Graycastle men. This is my second order. Send people to Graycastle to stop them taking refugees. I’ll give you the rest of the weapons we obtained.” “But I don’t have knights anymore — ” “Then recruit them!” Hackzord talked over him. “Don’t you men like to recruit people? You tend to grant lands to others and ask them to serve you. Don’t be too cheap. If you succeed, you may become the King of Everwinter.” Marwayne quavered. He had been dreaming of becoming the King of Everwinter. He had never anticipated that his ambition would come true in this way. Marwayne placed his hand on his chest, trying to slow down the frantic pounding of his heart. It took him a great deal of efforts to steady his voice. “Yes, Your Excellency. I’ll do my best to carry out this mission.” “Be fast. I want to see the result as soon as possible.” “I won’t let you down.” The flicker disappeared. “I, come, a week later,” the ambassador again blurted inarticulately. With these words, he clambered onto the winged monster, raised his arm, and rose into the air. The winged monster howled and flew toward the outer city before it quickly disappeared from Marwayne’s view. Marwayne’s face was, however, soon, covered in the dust that the monster had kicked up. “Sh*t!” He coughed. Had all the demons acted like the Sky Lord, men would not have viewed the demons as monsters from hell. Marwayne summoned the old scholar at once after he returned to the castle. Although this aged scholar had wetted his pants last time at the city wall, Marwayne could not find anyone else that could help him. After relating Hackzord’s order to the old scholar, Marwayne asked, “So, what do you think?” “My lord, this is a perfect opportunity!” the old scholar exclaimed while holding Marwayne’s hand. “I dedicated my whole life to the Parker Family, and I remember your father always wanted to expand the Snow Reflection Castle. Now, you not only did that but also got a chance to become the King of Everwinter. You must not let this opportunity slip!” “I think so too, but do you really think those knights can defeat the Graycastle men?” Marwayne asked. “You’ve seen how ingenius those snow powder and bolts are. It’s impossible to replicate them, and the demons might not be able to obtain many of them. What if we run out of the weapons?” “No, my lord. We don’t have to directly confront the army from Graycastle,” the old scholar said while shaking his head. “The Sky Lord doesn’t plan to do that either. He said ‘stop them taking refugees’. As far as I know, the Graycastle troops are quite scattered. Once we have adequate weapons, we may stand in an advantageous position! If we successfully crush a few units, the Graycastle soldiers will become hesitant. In fact, I just thought of an excellent idea!” “Really? Spit it out.” The old scholar then whispered his thought to the duke. Marwayne’s face lit up. “That should work!” Marwayne said while nodding vigorously. “In that case, their strength will become their weakness. Let’s do it!”