[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system":3,"chapter-the-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system-the-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system-chapter-67":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Exiled Duke's Lottery system",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1366775,1809,"Chapter 67 - 64: The Long Winter","the-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system-chapter-67",67,"\u003Cp>The first wave ended by nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The valley before Elarion became a frozen graveyard of torn fur, shattered bone, black blood, broken barricades, and smoking craters from cannon fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow continued falling through it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quietly covering the dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final surviving beasts eventually retreated back toward the forest under rifle fire and dragonflame while exhausted soldiers leaned against the battlements trying to remember how breathing worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One young marksman dropped onto the stone wall heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I cannot feel my shoulders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The older rifleman beside him nodded sympathetically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That means the rifle still exists.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Comforting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another soldier stared blankly into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think the cannon rearranged my organs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, the cannon crew looked deeply offended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She performed magnificently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She deafened half the wall!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is called morale.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas stepped carefully around a frost boar corpse nearly blocking the western stairs while muttering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This entire fortress smells terrible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cedric looked around the battlefield thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Victorious though.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That does not improve the smell.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Workers and soldiers had already begun cleanup operations despite the freezing dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bodies needed burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walls needed repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barricades needed rebuilding before another attack arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because everyone in the north understood one thing clearly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beast tide never came alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucien stood atop the northern battlements while watching distant fires burn across the valley below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first engagement had gone better than expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rifles worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cannon worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The walls held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the soldiers were exhausted already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And winter had barely begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malen approached silently beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Scouts confirmed retreat patterns.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Temporary?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucien nodded once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forests beyond Elarion were still full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beasts would regroup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then return again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Peak Knight looked toward the dark northern tree line stretching across the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This winter will be ugly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below them, Aurethar rested near the outer wall surrounded by terrified workers attempting to clean blood from his scales using heated water buckets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon looked personally offended by the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That creature exploded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One worker nodded nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, honored dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It exploded on me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurethar narrowed his golden eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I dislike exploding wildlife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poor worker honestly had no response to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, Gandalf inspected damaged rifles while muttering to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We need stronger firing brackets.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One engineer blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all that, THAT is your conclusion?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The rifles survived. Therefore improvement is possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That feels emotionally disconnected from reality.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Science requires sacrifice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cedric walked past carrying half a broken barricade over one shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You weren’t even near the fighting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gandalf looked offended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I sacrificed emotionally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning revealed the true scale of the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The valley below Elarion looked devastated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huge craters marked cannon impacts while burned sections of snow still melted from dragonfire. Beast corpses littered the outer defenses almost beyond counting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And already—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scavengers circled overhead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Workers spent the entire day dragging corpses into massive burning pits outside the walls while black smoke rose endlessly into the gray winter sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One exhausted laborer stared at the growing corpse mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I miss normal winters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another nodded while dragging a wolf twice his size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Remember when snow was the problem?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile inside the fortress council chamber, reality settled over everyone properly for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first wave had cost Elarion: forty-two wounded seven dead damaged walls destroyed outer defenses massive ammunition usage\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And winter was just beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas rubbed both hands across his face tiredly while reviewing supply reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At this rate we’ll burn through powder reserves within two months.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ll produce more,\" Lucien answered calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the steel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The food?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucien paused slightly at that one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because food mattered more than rifles eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cedric leaned against the war table afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The beasts will keep testing the walls now that they know people are here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malen nodded once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’ll probe for weakness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurethar lazily rested his head near the fireplace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we kill them until they stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas looked toward the dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is not a strategy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It has worked for centuries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Fair.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the First Rifle Regiment resumed training only two days after the battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That honestly shocked most of the settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers looked exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bruised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half deaf from cannon fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they still assembled on the snowy training grounds beneath Malen’s supervision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One recruit visibly flinched every time a rifle fired now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another kept glancing nervously toward the northern forest during drills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malen noticed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The regiment reloaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Faster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A marksman winced while lifting his rifle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My shoulder is still bleeding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then bleed efficiently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You are a terrifying human being.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malen ignored the comment completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucien watched the training quietly from the fortress balcony afterward while snow drifted across the valley below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the real challenge now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not winning one battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surviving the season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because winter in the north was never one enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Attrition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And constant pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three nights later—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warning bells rang again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smaller this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shorter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still enough to pull soldiers from sleep instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then another four days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then another the following week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not as large as the first tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frost spiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice-scaled beasts from the deeper forests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes small packs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes hundreds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Always testing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Always searching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The winter became a cycle afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reload.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burn bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elarion adapted because it had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rifle regiment grew steadier with every battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cannon crews became frighteningly enthusiastic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even civilians started recognizing beast sounds from the walls alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And through it all—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The factories never stopped burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steel production increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Powder stores expanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New rifles entered service weekly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Lucien understood something the rest of the kingdom still did not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winter itself was forging Elarion into something dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>",956,"2026-06-05T21:32:57.730Z",1,"novelbin.me","997814b23a15bea1cd6421e534381c1eb34f2d2fa4a14ab4303776cf4edcf352","the-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system-chapter-68","the-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system-chapter-66",144,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-exiled-duke-s-lottery-system-cover.jpg"]