Chapter 473: The Army Besieges the City

Lei En stepped forward and took a piece of source crystal ore from the box.

The heavy ore was in hand, the metallic feel activated instantly, and he probed its purity. This ore's purity was a bit lower than expected, about one twenty‑fifth. The Empire's source crystal ore averaged about one twentieth purity, while the source crystal ore he had mined in Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng's coal mines reached one tenth, so the gap was rather large.

After swapping a few stones for probing, the purities were all about the same.

But Lei En was not at all disappointed; lower purity was fine as long as the yield was large enough.

Emilyss had once said that this mythril mine's source crystal ore produced about fifty thousand pounds per year, and after refinement, it could yield two thousand pounds of source crystal annually!

The batch of source crystal ore before him filled two boxes, and Lei En lifted one to gauge its weight.

Source crystal ore is extremely dense; the boxes didn't look very large, yet the ore inside totaled over twenty thousand pounds and could be refined into eight hundred pounds of source crystal, already matching the total amount Lei En had painstakingly gathered in the Empire for more than a year.

"Is that all?" Lei En asked.

Viscount Filton, who oversaw the mythril mine, should have more than just this amount of ore.

A senior Scale‑taming Blood Guard glanced at Emilyss before replying, "Sir, we captured the steward of Dragon Ridge Fortress; after interrogation, this is all the wealth of the Filton family."

Lei En nodded; most of the ore should be shipped to the capital Gold Siran and handed over to Mark.

He suddenly looked forward to how much source crystal he could claim after taking Gold Siran.

"Everyone, I take all these 'heavy silver ore'." Lei En told the group, "I won't take them for free; the heavy silver ore counts toward my share of the loot. If its total value exceeds what I'm owed, I'll make up the difference with Gold Shield, so rest assured."

The Dragonborn army's loot distribution had long been stipulated; no one may keep any for themselves.

Although Lei En could take it with a single sentence and few would object, doing so would seem uncouth and breed resentment.

Weizelan still had two councilors present, so they must be given proper respect.

Kadejia and Kelaoaosi both knew Lei En had been gathering heavy silver, so they did not intervene; the people of Kangjiatuo also thought it fair and did not question Lei En's actions.

Emilyss would not object at all.

She had originally used heavy silver as leverage to persuade Lei En, supporting her restoration plan.

After weighing the source crystal ore, Lei En converted its value at Kangjiatuo's market price into golden dragons, had Luowagen record it, and then packed the two boxes away.

Lei En paid no heed to the Filton family's other treasures, including large amounts of mythril.

The Dragonborn army rested at Dragon Ridge Fortress for half a day, preparing to spend the night there.

That night, a force composed of half a Scale‑taming Guard unit, the Gun‑wing Knights, the River Bay Legion, fifteen Wizards and a thousand elite centaurs launched a night raid on Stream City east of Dragon Ridge Fortress. Stream City, a coastal county, was larger and more populous, but against the Dragonborn army's assault it held out for less than half an hour before falling.

At dawn, Stream City's walls already bore the Zhuogeng Castle family's red dragon banner.

【5】 The Count of Stream City fled under cover of night, his whereabouts unknown; his family was not so fortunate, and like the Filton family, they were razed and their accumulated wealth turned into the army's loot.

The Count of Stream City fled under cover of night, disappearing without a trace; his family was not so lucky, and like the Filton family they were seized and exterminated, their years‑long accumulated wealth turned into the army's spoils.

Having wiped out two noble houses in succession, the Dragonborn army regrouped and marched north toward the next territory.

Emilyss was not in a hurry to besiege the capital.

Her plan was to clear all the aristocratic lords along the way; these lords were all Merits of Mark, who had followed Mark in slaughtering the Zhuogeng Castle family, their hands stained with Dragonborn blood, preferring to kill a thousand wrongly rather than let any go.

Eliminating these lords also weakened Mark's power.

The Dragonborn army advanced steadily to the foot of the capital, solid and methodical, giving the enemy no chance or foothold for a rear ambush.

However, the plan could not keep up with the changes.

When the Dragonborn army reached the outskirts of the third lord's city, they found the opponent had fled with the wind, abandoning the fief and its wealth, taking family and supernal guards northward, leaving behind a town populated only by civilians.

Emilyss stared at the empty castle, her face filled with resentment, only blaming herself for arriving too late.

The castle's lord was also a count who, during the usurper war years ago, had slain dozens of Dragonborn and was brutally ruthless; she had long contemplated revenge, and if the chance fell to her, she would not let the foe die easily, but make him truly taste suffering.

"He can't escape," Lei En reassured, "He can only flee to Gold Siran; once we take Gold Siran, we will surely capture the guy."

The lord known as Count Bionson was a legendary supernal being.

Having learned the fates of Dragon Ridge Fortress and Stream City, he would certainly not stay foolishly in the castle waiting for the Dragonborn army to break in; fleeing was inevitable.

Moreover, Count Bionson would not be the last lord to abandon his city and flee.

Sure enough, half a day later when the Dragonborn army arrived at another fief, they only saw an empty town of civilians, not a single supernal guard left.

The great dragon and fire dragon expanded their search area but still found no trace of the enemy.

Clearly the lords had withdrawn early; unsurprisingly, they had all taken refuge in the capital Gold Siran.

Emilyss's plan fell apart.

Her thirst for revenge made her consider splitting the army into three columns to each lord's fief to block their retreat, but Waluogen and Ding Laji dissuaded her, citing recklessness.

The Dragonborn army currently held the advantage; once the forces of the Morse Principality and the Dans Principality arrived to join, the army would crush everything outright.

Whether Mark chose to hold the capital to the death or to march out and meet the enemy, the situation would be highly passive.

Just one more decisive battle, and the Dragonborn could reconquer the kingdom.

With such a favorable situation, there was no need to take risks.

Lei En also backed Waluogen and Ding Laji's view: revenge could wait; after defeating the enemy, old foes could be dealt with as they saw fit, prioritizing the larger picture.

With so many opposing, Emilyss finally calmed down.

The Dragonborn army pressed on, of course not forgetting to sweep the fiefs along the way, having the great dragon and fire dragon repeatedly scour the area to prevent any lord lurking in the shadows for a surprise attack.

The king's territories were flat, allowing the march to proceed at great speed.

Two days later.

The Dragonborn army advanced through the cold wind, Lei En riding atop Borchi, his Soul Eye extending his sight to the near horizon, where a vague massive city loomed—Kangjiatuo's capital and the kingdom's largest city, Gold Siran!

Gold Siran was built at the estuary where three rivers converge, situated in the middle of Kangjiatuo's eastern coast, overlooking Dragon Tooth Bay.

Because winter was near, the surface of Dragon Tooth Bay had frozen, preventing ships from entering or leaving.

The bleak ice reflected a cold glint, allowing a clear view of Gold Siran's shape. The city was encircled on all sides by towering walls of stone, high and thick, exceeding twenty meters in height; even from afar one could feel its grandeur and solidity.

Every hundred meters along the wall stood a tower whose exterior was carved into a dragon shape, emitting a faint reddish glow—the ripple of fire element.

This was the Red Dragon Formation, a construct the Dragonborn ancestors spent centuries and countless resources building, integrating the entire city.

It mimics the red dragon bloodline, not only opening a unique massive protective barrier for Gold Siran but also possessing terrifying offensive power; releasing five to eight rings of fire spells, a thousand people maintaining the formation can repel tenfold or even hundredfold enemies.

Throughout Kangjiatuo's history, the Dragonborn family repeatedly relied on the Red Dragon Formation to turn the tide and evade annihilation.

The only collapse was the usurper war forty years ago.

The strongest fortress is always breached from within; the "Mad King" Xi Ruiya fell for Duke Dans's scheme, was tricked into opening Jinsilan's gates, letting the Dans family's troops enter the city, then they suddenly defected, the Red Dragon Formation collapsed on its own, leading to the downfall of the Zhuogeng Fortress Dynasty.

Now, the Dragonborn must again face the Red Dragon Formation.

However this time the Dragonborn are outside, as attackers, needing to break the massive formation that has protected the Dragonborn for over three thousand years.

Outside Jinsilan, to the north, west and south lie endless fertile fields, with dozens of small towns and villages scattered around; the population density is high, the city's permanent residents exceed one million, making it a major city even within the Empire.

Yet at this moment Lei En did not see many people entering or leaving Jinsilan.

The streets inside the city were quiet, and the outskirts were sparsely populated.

Residents of the capital, both inside and out, already knew war was imminent; those who could afford it had fled with their families, while those who could not were forced to stay at home and dared not venture out.

Over Jinsilan, a flock of white giant eagles circled.

They were the Snow Eagle Guard of the Etis family.

The city walls were also lined with extraordinary guards, each clad in fine armor, standing in strict formation, and amidst the howling cold wind one could already hear the war horns.

"It seems Ma Erke has decided to defend the city," Lei En thought, not feeling surprised.

The seven great families of Kangjiatuo currently stand at a four‑to‑three power ratio, with only two families on Ma Erke's side; whether in elite combat power or legion numbers, the Dragonborn's strength surpasses Ma Erke's, and holding Jinsilan while relying on the Red Dragon Formation leaves only a sliver of hope—venturing out to meet the enemy is a dead end.

The Red Dragon Formation's defensive strength is a tier above the water‑curtain formation of Benliu Fortress, making it harder to break.

If one relied solely on forces within Kangjiatuo, breaking it would be almost impossible.

However, with the support of the Weizelan Wizards, the array's destruction is only a matter of time, completely upsetting Kangjiatuo's balance of power.

Yet Ma Erke also has spellcasters beyond legendary level; if they intervene, considerable trouble may arise.

A hint of gloom flashed through Lei En's mind.

He had discussed the matter several times with the two councilors, yet had no clue about the spellcasters' origins and could only act cautiously.

The Dragonborn army continued onward.

When passing towns or villages along the road, the sight of a giant dragon made people shiver in fear; some braver civilians stuck out heads from afar, curiously gazing at the dragon in the sky, their looks toward the Dragonborn army filled with mixed emotions.

As the army drew nearer to Jinsilan, the centaurs running on the ground also caught a vague glimpse of the capital's city walls.

A few miles ahead, a broad road stretched westward, and at its end a legion appeared, dust and smoke billowing, immediately catching Lei En's attention.

He gave it a quick glance, recognized the identity, and thought, "Finally, they're here."

"Bo Erqi, keep watching."

Lei En ordered, flipped off Bo Erqi's back, and just before landing infused himself with Wind‑Thunder Wings, glided into the middle of the Dragonborn army, landing beside Ai Milisi and the others, saying, "The Dans family's Golden Lion Brigade has arrived."

Ai Milisi looked westward and soon saw a flash of golden‑shimmering armor.

She hesitated briefly, then commanded, "Wait for them here." The Dragonborn army halted at the crossroads, forming a defensive formation.

Moments later, the ground began to tremble gently.

A massive crowd of knights on towering warhorses surged forward, clad in enchanted armor that seemed forged of gold, wielding longswords, swords hanging at their waists, even the horses wore armor vests; over two thousand strong, the legion raised banners embroidered with roaring lions, and their charge was awe‑inspiring, as if to crush everything before them.

The Dans family's Golden Lion Brigade is renowned throughout Kangjiatuo.

As the two sides drew ever closer, the ground's shaking grew more intense; the charging legion did not slow but accelerated, like a full‑speed assault.

Ai Milisi's face flushed slightly as she said in a low voice, "What do they intend?"

The Scale‑riding Blood Guard swarmed around, and the centaurs at the front of the Dragonborn army stirred, drawing long bows from their backs and lowering spears, aiming forward.

Without Lei En's command, the Extreme Warriors in the sky rode fire dragons, lowering altitude, and Lambo's Spear was ready to fire at any moment.

One thousand paces, eight hundred paces, seven hundred paces…

The tension rose, the Golden Lion Brigade's might was now within striking distance, entering the Extreme Warriors' range; just as Ai Milisi could no longer hold back an order to attack, the Golden Lion Brigade finally slowed.

Over two thousand warhorses collectively eased their stride, taking only three hundred steps to transition from charge to halt, stopping four hundred paces from the Dragonborn army; not a single Lion‑heart knight erred, displaying superb quality that left onlookers in awe.

The Lion‑heart knights opened a passage through the middle, two knights rode out of the formation, left the legion's ranks, and reached the front of the Dragonborn army.

They removed helmets bearing a roaring lion, revealing their faces: Duke Dans and his son Koste Dans.

"Let them come," Ai Milisi said coldly.

The centaurs cleared the way, and the two legendary Lion‑heart knights entered the Dragonborn army, dismounted before the Scale‑riding Blood Guard, and stepped ten paces away from Ai Milisi.

Under Lei En's and everyone's gaze, the father and son half‑kneelled without hesitation and loudly proclaimed, "Walter Dans/Koste pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen!"

(End of chapter)