Amber Sword-Chapter 525: Scene 12 Territory (6) (1st update)
Capítulo 525: Scene 12 Territory (6) (1st update)
Indeed, Master craftsman Bai Lu was right; Tonyger does not produce crystal ore.
Forging the White Lion Armor, in the completion stage, requires etching the Wind Holy Rune into the main joints and chest plate armor to lighten the entire set and enhance dexterity. Erune’s craftsmen usually use purple crystals or yellow crystals for this step, as these two types of crystals are highly pure magic crystals—and are among the primary materials witches and Star Seers use for their Crystal Balls. In Vorn, light purple crystals are also called Moon Quartz, a type of quartz. Golan-Elsen, Anlek, and Viero, as well as the eastern part of Jandener, are rich in these crystals, which densely grow in the karst caves formed by water erosion between the mountainous hills—but Tonyger lacks such natural conditions.
Even for Brand, Tonyger was still an unfamiliar territory.
The drawbridge creaked and groaned as it was lowered, the chains connecting the drawbridge to the city gate scraping against the flagstones with a harsh, clanking sound. A beam of light shot through the descending drawbridge, illuminating one side of the brick wall within the dark doorway. Brand sat motionless on his horse, his light brown eyes reflecting the light that gradually grew more dazzling behind the darkness. He pressed his lips together, silently observing as the gap between the drawbridge and the city gate grew wider and more light flooded through, brightening the depths of his eyes.
Beyond lay the streets of Fir City. Except for the fierce battle on that one night, and the brief morning speech to the surviving mercenaries and city residents, this was the first time he observed the city from a lord’s perspective—his city, at least temporarily. Baron Lengshan’s domain in the south of Tonyger was directly under Gruding’s jurisdiction. The main population centers were only four—Fir City, Mine Town Shafren, Grace Ferry, and Griss Port to the east, with the population estimated at around eighty thousand, with approximately thirty thousand living within and around Fir Castle. Naturally, many smaller settlements like Green Village were not included in this count, but Brand guessed the total population wouldn’t exceed one hundred thousand.
However, this was the most densely populated area in the Tonyger region, with about three hundred thousand people living there in total.
Tonyger’s total area was roughly equivalent to one hundred and seventy knight domains, with Gruding’s directly governed area not being the only noble domain here. Among them, his house servants occupied most of the territory. Brand knew Gruding had two principal confidants, Lord Minta and Lord Pallas, the latter being an enfeoffed knight with Upper Silver strength, controlling the only regular army in the area. Brand knew this fellow had a nickname, ‘Gentle Knight’ Sharuf. Despite his name, he was a strict and rigid knight, quite different from the usual brutal nobles here. His ability to get along well with Gruding and be trusted with important duties could only be due to his almost obsessive loyalty toward Gruding.
So, the first troops Brand would likely face would be those of these two lords. They were merely the probes of Count Rangdenier. They must be taught a lesson to make the elusive Count even more cautious.
Thus, their first goal in the upcoming battle would be to instill fear in Gruding’s servants.
As the drawbridge lowered with a squeak, a patch of white light revealed the clear blue sky. Brand raised his head to gaze at the heavens—from Fir Castle, across to the northern Patton Wilderness, the plains between Corner Gorge and Glahar Mountain were basked in such bright weather. These were the finest days before the Jandener region entered winter. The plain shimmered with a golden hue, but after the autumn dusk’s harvest, temperatures would soon drop.
Therefore, the northern nobles were hastily preparing for war, aiming to strike before winter set in. If delayed, the conflict would extend beyond the winter into the following spring, an outcome neither Queen Anna nor Gluck wished to see. Particularly in the Yanilasu Region, the Erune Royal Family’s ‘Lion Dragon’ fleet posed a significant threat behind Kerkova, ready to shift the balance at any moment.
