Chapter 505: The Lady of the Lake

Compared to the losses of the Dwarfs, which were barely within an acceptable range, the High Elves—having lost two of their main commanders and one severely wounded, with their battle lines slaughtered through—had no heart to participate in the celebrations following the victory.

A mistaken counter-charge resulted in the total loss of their cavalry and chariot troops; just like in the human world, only wealthy noble families could afford warhorses and full sets of armor. Slaanesh Daemons might only be interested in the souls of Elves, but in the eyes of Khorne, there is no distinction between a human head and a horse head.

High Elf warriors have a tradition of marking their battle achievements on their tall, upright helmets using ribbons, feathers, and gemstones. The most praised are the Burning Sun insignias accented with rubies; one is only qualified to add one for every Daemon banished. Judging by the relics gathered back, those qualified to follow Tyrion here were the most outstanding veterans.

The Lothern Sea Guard and Swordmasters of Hoeth suffered over fifty percent casualties; Teclis's arm, the Vaul-chosen Namati, was devoured by a pack of hounds, leaving no corpse behind, and the Elves could only sorrowfully collect his shattered greatsword.

Only the Sisters of Avelorn managed to maintain their formation; before the melee, they took to the air in groups of three or five riding Giant Eagles. Facing the assault of Bloodthirsters, their wings were more flexible than membranes and propellers, and only a few were cruelly struck down.

The High Elves' fertility is only slightly better than that of the Dwarfs before Sinuoli arrived; losing so many elites in one battle can be said to have shaken their foundations, and exactly how much they have lost depends on Tyrion's state after he awakens.

After waiting another two days, Lord Keluoka still showed no signs of waking, and Sinuoli could only regretfully walk back to the Geomantic Pylon to teleport home. Lord Mazdamundi had not yet pre-authorized the reward—allowing the Dwarfs to construct geomantic buildings and connect to the Great Network.

Before leaving, I also took away a huge procurement intention. The Slann had witnessed the power of the Dwarf heavy armor in the battle; although it lacked the mysterious properties of obsidian, the production volume was high enough to be suitable for large-scale equipment.

"Feast for eight days, let the wine and meat be supplied openly for the warriors to relax! Summon the council members of all the fortresses in the Southlands and the civil and military officials of my royal court; after a hundred battles, it is all for the sake of room to develop!"

Standing on Fengbaoya looking down at the Highland Fortress, Sinuoli finally breathed a real sigh of relief. The Lord of Skulls had disregarded the barriers between realms to strike personally; that terrifying blood-red star had forced him to rely on strong liquor to sleep these past few days.

Sinuoli sensed Her arrival; at that moment, Lord Keluoka had just recovered, and the defense level of Itza was even higher than during the ritual preparation period. That the Lady of the Lake could pass through the geomantic barrier must have been with the permission of the Slann, and Her making a special trip here should not just be to spread foot-washing water.

"That is a fantasy..."

The Lady of the Lake struck a high-and-mighty pose, and Sinuoli did not mind chatting with Her. Doing something chaotic is better than doing nothing, and through Her spokesperson, Tyrion, they had already reached a partial consensus.

"Your Grace, that is an objective reason, alright? If you want to discuss that, we can start from the day the Old Ones created things."

"What a good little fairy, hmm, 'old fairy' is more appropriate."

"Where? Do you want me to go to the Grail Chapel?"

Sinuoli muttered in his heart while pulling out a chair for Her and gesturing for Her to sit. When Lilisi appeared in Bretonnia, those who wanted to kiss the tips of Her shoes had to queue up for the qualification; those with low titles and poor strength were only fit to kneel and lick the ground She walked upon.

"Unite all forces that can be united, mobilize all positive factors that can be mobilized, form the broadest united front, and isolate and strike the main enemy to the maximum extent."

"Such losses have alarmed the Kadai—the gods of the heavens; I may return to participate in discussions at any time, so I will not exchange more pleasantries with you. Teclis has told me of your concept for closing the Chaos Portal, but how is one to integrate the side of Order and coalesce such a massive force?"

In the night after the battle, amidst the expectations of the many Knights, the patron goddess of Bretonnia descended upon a pond at the base of the pyramid. She summoned the three most outstanding Questing Knights and one squire in turn, allowing those strong warriors who fought against Chaos to sip the Grail Water, which best demonstrated Her stance as a god of Order.

"Any secluded body of water will do."

Agam-Ironfist spent a few days consolidating his realm after excitedly sharing his experience. Originally, the Slann could have directly teleported him back to Karak-Kadrin, but this Demigod Slayer voluntarily requested to come to the Highland Fortress.

"Are you not inviting me to sit? Or do Dwarfs not have the concept of a gentleman?"

Worthy of being the most active god in the Old World, Lilisi's questions were very sharp. But this was a principle Sinuoli had been thinking about since that first stretcher and had been consistently practicing during his development.

"Sinuoli, respected Ancestor Chosen, is it possible to arrange for me to have an audience with the Mother Goddess? Also, your champion, that Dietuike-Grenison who has met the revered god Grimnir."

"Use that Silver Dragon Horn well to integrate the High Elves, then try your best to influence the Wood Elves; leave the rest to me to handle!"

Sinuoli's voice rose by two octaves; saving the originally doomed world from the iron hooves of the Everchosen was, in itself, a cause of turning the impossible into the possible, of turning fantasy into reality.

"I sense a trace of a disgusting aura on you. Refusing the temptation of Khorne is certainly good, but did Slaanesh teach you to stare at a lady so rudely?"

"Of course, my friend. Take my warrant; only after verifying the seal I have stamped with divine power will someone lead you to the place where the Goddess resides. My Minister of Transportation and Communications has prepared fuel supply stations and backup pilots at every stronghold; in an emergency, one day and night is enough to reach the Nine Peaks Mountain."

Sending the newly promoted Demigod onto the aircraft, Kaseon of Pala Weng descended from the sky riding a Royal Pegasus. In the great battle, he and his mount had fought bravely at the forefront, crushing the head of a Great Unclean One, and subsequently contributed significantly to pinning down Yufu-Rotigus.

Sinuoli nodded; he needed to have a good talk with the Slayer King, but there is always an order to things. The Daemons had caused some damage to the Southlands, and after the great battle, the necessary compensation and relief work had to be handled in a timely manner.

"How is it not a fantasy! How many races fought side-by-side before the Star Bridge? Do you need me to count them for you on my fingers? And that was just a preview!"

"Hero who refused the temptations of the Four Gods, the Lady I serve invites you for a moment."

"And not wearing silk stockings?"

"To put it simply—make as many friends as possible, and as few enemies as possible. On a small scale, besides the knightly nobility, free men and serfs can also form a force that cannot be ignored. On a large scale, resisting Chaos is not just the business of the Dwarfs, Elves, and Lizards; all human factions, Undead factions, Ogres, and even Greenskins and some Dark Elves can be won over."

In the hot spring bath exclusively for the King of the Southlands, the Lady of the Lake stepped out, Her lotus feet washing in the water. The bath itself had a surrounding screen, and She was accustomed to hovering above the water; combined with the difference in height, Sinuoli and She were in a not-so-elegant relative position.