Chapter 494: Turmoil

The candles in Watchtower were burning bright in the dead of night.

Pulaxiduo was sitting in his study with his eyes closed in deep thought, the information Luoning had revealed to him echoing in his mind, pondering how he should choose if such a situation truly arose.

Should he persist in his convictions and stake the family's entire fortune on carrying out this battle that would most likely end in failure, or should he bear the infamy and join the enemy's camp?

His hand tapped against the tabletop, just as restless as his heart.

He had sent a letter to his family members in the capital, Dragon City, a few days ago; logically, it shouldn't take long for news to be brought back.

Tap, tap, tap!

A burst of urgent hoofbeats disrupted his train of thought.

It was already ten o'clock at night; for there to be such urgent hoofbeats at this hour was somewhat abnormal.

Pulaxiduo went to the window, only to see two knights dismount and say something to the guards at the gate, after which a guard hurried toward the tall building where he was located.

"It is a messenger from the direction of Miwu City."

Pulaxiduo frowned, "Is there some urgent matter?"

He did not delay any longer and hurriedly walked out of the room, just in time to run into the arriving guard.

"Let them come to the hall to see me."

Soon, both parties met in the first-floor hall.

"Viscount, I am Landen, a messenger knight under the command of Count Wulaer, the commander of the Miwu City defense line. I have come here to convey the Count's orders to you!"

As he spoke, he took out the letter from his bosom and respectfully handed it over.

Pulaxiduo had not expected the battle to come so suddenly; his heart sank, and he hurriedly took the letter.

His younger sister, Melis, also walked into the hall at this time and sat quietly to the side.

It seemed that the time had come for the Carmen Family to make a choice.

But as Pulaxiduo finished reading the contents of the letter, his complexion turned ghastly pale, and he slowly sat down in his chair.

"What is wrong?" Melis asked with some confusion.

Even if Count Wulaer ordered them to attack, her brother would not show such a complex expression.

Pulaxiduo said with some difficulty: "His Majesty Tamriel... has passed away!"

Melis raised her hand to lightly cover her lips, "How could that be?"

Pulaxiduo handed the letter to his sister, while he looked at the messenger.

"Knight Landen, what exactly is going on? Although His Majesty's strength is not overwhelming, he is still a Golden Knight and only just turned sixty this year. At this age, how could he possibly die of illness?"

Sixty years old is still considered the prime of life for a Golden Knight, especially for the ruler of a kingdom with such superior conditions.

Logically, living to a hundred would be no problem at all.

Yet now, such a robust Majesty had actually died, and died of illness at that; this could not help but make Pulaxiduo suspect the truth behind it.

He immediately associated this with Luoning's claim that the Kingdom had established cooperation with the alien Holy Storm Organization of the Molten Duchy.

If so, was the object of the cooperation not His Majesty Tamriel, but the Crown Prince Tailuo, who had now inherited the throne?

"This... I am not too sure either."

Landen was only a messenger knight under the Count; he only knew that the King had died of illness. As for what illness he had contracted or if there were any inside stories, he was equally uninformed.

"Viscount, I have already conveyed the order. The Count asked me to urge you that after the Auduin Kingdom learns of this news, they will most likely take advantage of the situation to attack Miwu City; you must be prepared for a fight to the death."

"In addition, His Majesty Tailuo has already dispatched new reinforcements that are rushing to the front line; he hopes you can hold out until then!"

Pulaxiduo's face revealed bitterness, "Did the Count not receive my letter? Stationed opposite at West Wind Hill is Marquis Luoning. Not only is he a Blazing Sun Knight himself, but there is also a Magician in his team, and at the same time, there is that terrifying dragon in the sky. With such a vast disparity, how do you expect me to drag this out until the reinforcements arrive?"

He paused, "At the very least... you should support me with a Silver Moon Knight, right?"

Landen looked troubled; he also knew the gap was large, but the order was as it was.

"The Count received your letter, but there is pressure on all parts of the defense line, and there is no way to provide you with further support. The Knight Order and the Magician squad he gave you a while ago were already the maximum reinforcements he could allocate to you."

Landen said: "The Count said that he, like you, has held the defense line for so many years, and both he and his family have been cared for by the Kingdom; now is the time to contribute."

"If we are defeated and captured, the Kingdom will spare no cost to redeem us. If we are unfortunately killed in battle, His Majesty Tailuo will also bestow titles upon our children; he will not let heroes bleed and weep in vain!"

Pulaxiduo's expression remained unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat.

What did this last sentence mean? Was it a deliberate reminder that his children were in Dragon City?

He took a deep breath, "I understand. Please go back and tell Count Wulaer that I will hold Watchtower, and I also hope he can arrange reinforcements as soon as possible!"

Landen smiled, "Then I wish you all the best!"

He and his companion bowed to Pulaxiduo, then retreated from the hall, left Watchtower under the cover of night, and returned to Miwu City to report the order.

"Brother, what should we do now?"

Melis set the letter aside, "His Majesty Tamriel's health has always been good; it is impossible for him to suddenly fall ill and die. There must be a conspiracy in this!"

Pulaxiduo nodded solemnly, "All along, it was Prince Tailuo who was in contact with the Molten Duchy, and it is likely he who is cooperating with them. His Majesty perhaps..."

He dared not imagine.

"So, Marquis Luoning's information is true and reliable?"

"Perhaps. Originally, I was prepared to wait for word from the family, but now it seems that our people in Dragon City may already be unable to get out."

Melis's beautiful face looked somewhat desolate, "Then Robert and the others..."

Pulaxiduo remained silent. His son and daughter were studying in Dragon City; he had originally thought that place was the safest, but he had not expected that there would be danger there as well.

However, all of this was just his speculation based on Luoning's information; there was no direct evidence.

Pulaxiduo picked up the letter and reread it once more.

"As far as I know, there are three Silver Moon Knights in Miwu City, and several Meteor Knights as well. Count Wulaer actually won't give me a single reinforcement, and even uses my children and family members to threaten me. This is undoubtedly his plan to sacrifice us to preserve his own forces, thereby buying a little time."

After Along while, Pulaxiduo made a decision.

"For the sake of Robert and everyone else, we must fight against Luoning!"

Battle Qi burst forth, and the letter in his hand was instantly torn into shreds.

In the entire Watchtower, the strongest Knight was he, a Meteor-level, and the strongest Magician was his younger sister, Melis.

With what could they fight?

Even if the Watchtower was sturdy and reliable, against such a powerful Transcendental, such defensive fortifications would be of little use.

"We must also prepare for the worst," he added.

Melis stood up; she already understood his choice.

"No matter what happens, I will support you with all my might. Now, let us think about how to deploy our defenses, and tomorrow we shall summon the leaders of the Knight Order and the captains of the Magician squads to hold a mobilization meeting."

Pulaxiduo nodded and took a deep breath, "There is one more important matter; we must find an opportunity to notify Luoning."

"Leave that to me."

Melis was very confident about this. (End of chapter)