Reincarnation Paradise Park-Chapter 773 - 4: Border Blood Lion

The region Su Xiao is in now is the warfront, while Bubu Wang is in Holy Dragon City, the capital of the Dragon Soaring Empire.

After contacting, Su Xiao learned that the team searching for the World Core consists of fifty people, all agile contractors who are scouts. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The task of the scout team is to find the World Core and bring it to a designated location. As for the subsequent guarding work, it will depend on Su Xiao or various adventure groups.

However, before that, they must first ensure that the warfront situation between the Empire and the tribe is stable. Once the frontline is breached, there’s no need to search for the World Core. Most contractors will perish under the tribal army, or even if they luckily survive, they will be forcibly executed due to task failure.

Su Xiao marches with the Empire’s army. The soldiers near him are all silent. The brutality of cold weapons war is imaginable, yet these soldiers show no fear, only numbness on their faces, a kind of apathy towards life and death.

There is a saying among the common folk about becoming an Imperial soldier: soldiers are like noble lords, tigers, and dogs.

Noble lords are what soldiers act like after receiving their pay, indulging in drinking and womanizing, living lavishly like noble lords.

Tiger beasts are how civilians refer to tigers; people fear soldiers as they fear tigers, hence describing soldiers as tiger beasts.

As for dogs, during war times, soldiers’ lives are worth less than a dog’s. They live day to day without certainty of tomorrow.

Because the march is on a plain, more than a hundred thousand troops form several formations, advancing grandiosely. Wild beasts flee in alarm, and the ground trembles softly as they pass.

Half an hour into the march, Su Xiao vaguely sees a black "mountain range" ahead, cutting across the plain, separating the Empire and the tribe, remarkably majestic.

As they get closer, Su Xiao realizes, what kind of mountain range is this? This is a war defense line, similar to the Great Wall of the real world.

Seeing this war defense line, Su Xiao curses inwardly, and the war channel in Reincarnation Paradise explodes with chatter.

Su Xiao is baffled; with such geographical advantage on the Empire’s side, how did the tribe manage to breach this defense line and occupy here?

Up ahead is the Black Soil Fortress. This entire fortress divides the Black Soil Plain into two segments. Seen from the sky, the Black Soil Fortress resembles a winding black river that partitions the Black Soil Plain.

The Black Soil Fortress stretches for 176 kilometers, constructed entirely of Obsidian, with 6782 magic imprints reinforcing it. Its solidity surpasses metal; even the Dwarf-made ’Storm Knight’ siege hammer could not breach the Black Soil Fortress. The fortress separates the Empire’s and the tribe’s territories; inside the fortress is Empire territory, outside is tribe territory.

The highest point of the Black Soil Fortress reaches 60 meters, with an average height of around 40 meters. Standing below it, one sees an esplanade, standing here for 3600 years, having been renovated over 30 times, averaging once a century.

"Can this thing really be conquered?"

A contractor near Su Xiao looks up at the Black Soil Fortress, internally feeling a thousand grass-mud horses galloping by.

Not to mention the contractors’ reactions, even Marquis Mark at the back of the army is gazing up at the Black Soil Fortress; he hasn’t been here for nearly 20 years.

"Marquis, this is the soldier headcount and the storage quantities of grain and weapons. The weapons promised by the Moon Elf Clan haven’t arrived. Now many soldiers’ weapons are severely chipped, and the food supply isn’t much either, as for the water sources..."

The Deputy Legion Commander of the Iron-blooded Legion kneels on one knee before Marquis Mark, who is mounted on a horse.

"I understand."

Marquis Mark appears impatient, being a middle-aged man with white curly hair and a small mustache on his chin, his body somewhat plump. He wears a black coat with gold threads woven at the collar and cuffs,

"But..."

Deputy Legion Commander Carlos looks at Marquis Mark in surprise. Carlos is a burly middle-aged man, clad in blood-colored armor. The stench of blood on him is no less than that of Su Xiao.

"Carlos, you just need to tell me, can you reclaim the Black Soil Fortress before sunset."

Marquis Mark, still mounted, gazes at Deputy Legion Commander Carlos with a complicated look. He doesn’t like the man, often assigning him thankless tasks, such as guarding the border. Although not fond of Carlos, he currently needs him.

"Wha... what?"

Carlos is taken aback, wondering if he misheard.

"The marquis is asking you if you can reclaim the Black Soil Fortress by nightfall,"

speaks an Imperial official beside Marquis Mark. Although inferior in rank to Carlos, he looks at Carlos with some disdain due to Carlos being the son of a noble and a prostitute.

"Marquis, this seems... quite impossible."

Carlos keeps his head low, wanting to haul the fat lord riding the horse three meters away down and stomp on his face, forcing him to see what kind of war fortification the Black Soil Fortress is.

Not to mention a day, even with a week, Carlos wouldn’t dare claim he can reclaim the Black Soil Fortress. The tribe conquered it at the cost of nearly 120,000 dead of their Beastmen, Dwarves, Goblins, and Giant Trolls, battling nonstop for half a month. In the end, the bodies piled up to align level with the Black Soil Fortress, allowing the tribe to scale it.

"If the campaign goes exceptionally well, perhaps ten days could see the Black Soil Fortress reclaimed."

Carlos is actually exaggerating a bit; even under the best circumstances, retaking the fortress in half a month would be good, based on the Empire continuing to reinforce the Black Soil Plain with more troops, using corpse piles in the same manner to reclaim the fortress.

"Ten days, that’s too long."

Marquis Mark is quite dissatisfied.

"I give you a week; if you can’t reclaim it, report to me with your head. I’ve become the laughingstock of Holy Dragon City. If you can’t, I’ll find someone who can do it."

"Understood."

Carlos’s teeth grind together audibly. He knows that no matter what, he must not be replaced, absolutely not. It’s not about status or personal desire. If he loses his position as Deputy Legion Commander of the Iron-blooded Legion, the Black Soil Fortress is doomed. He has been guarding here for twenty years, starting as just a squad captain. He has dedicated his entire life to it; no one knows the Black Soil Fortress better than he does. His accomplishments are uncountable; people call him the Border Blood Lion.

"Marquis, I have a request."

After saying this, Carlos takes a deep breath. This Deputy Legion Commander, who has killed countless enemies, surprisingly seems somewhat hesitant.

"Speak."

Marquis Mark already guesses what Carlos is about to ask, likely requesting a promotion or noble status.

"The campaign on the Black Soil Plain needs more troops."

"Oh?" Marquis Mark is somewhat surprised; this was not what he expected. He strokes his chin hair and asks: "How many?"

"At least two hundred thousand."

Carlos’s fist clenches tightly, ready to use lives to retake the fortress.

"Impossible, other fronts of the Empire also need troops, at most fifty thousand."

Hearing Marquis Mark’s words, Carlos suddenly lifts his head with a swoosh, his armor clinking together, sending a chill through Marquis Mark from the sheer intensity.

"Carlos, what are you attempting to do!"

Marquis Mark roars with both anger and fear as several hundred bodyguard soldiers around him draw their swords, encircling Carlos.