Chapter 120: An Army of 300

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: An Army of 300

An allied army of a thousand men...

’What good would that do?’

’A good number of them will probably freeze to death on the way.’

In truth, Queen Xianna had no other choice.

The royal family was out of money.

The Deer Royal Family of the Stag Kingdom, which had never been on solid footing, had fallen into further decline after the previous king’s passing. To make matters worse, Calvin had caused a major stir in Daphne over the past two years, completely draining their savings and piling disaster upon disaster.

Although the assets seized from the purged nobles and ministers had temporarily covered some of the losses, it was but a drop in the bucket against the massive national deficit.

The Kingdom desperately needed time to rest and recuperate, yet war had just broken out in the Northern Territory, with beacons of conflict blazing across the land.

Queen Xianna didn’t even have a moment to catch her breath.

Relying on the last vestiges of the royal family’s prestige, she had barely managed to scrape together an allied force from the nearby Tuolong Duchy. It was better than nothing.

This was also the reason for Xianna’s arguments with her ministers—the court nobles believed there was no need to go to such lengths for the Northern Territory.

When the army was strong and well-supplied, things were different. But now, with the "technological revolution" half-abandoned, the treasury strained, and the dead of winter setting in, it was a completely thankless endeavor.

Besides, given the Northern People’s usual behavior, they would at most conquer a few domains for leverage, plunder them, and then negotiate. They would never stay for long.

But after the incident with Calvin, Queen Xianna had become much tougher. This time, she was unwilling to compromise and decided to see the fight with the Northern People through to the end. Not only would she send troops to support the northern lords and win back their loyalty, but she would also beat the Northern People into submission, ensuring they wouldn’t dare to invade again.

And the source of her confidence?

Naturally, it was the "Queen’s Sword," Gai Farrell!

After Prince Gai returned from the snow mountains, Xianna’s voice carried a new weight.

She clearly had a mysterious, unwavering confidence in Gai.

This couldn’t help but give Wang Xi a headache.

But things had already come to this point; he couldn’t go back on his word and abandon the task.

However, to be safe, Wang Xi not only brought along Pinocchio, the "Chief Knight of the Court," but also the "Mechanical Puppet Legion" under his command.

After more than half a year of production, even with the Queen slowing the pace of the "technological revolution," the Magic Workshop had still churned out seventy to eighty units.

Added to the existing Mechanical Dolls, the total was over two hundred.

Prince Gai had a soft heart and couldn’t bear to see the Queen lonely.

So he left the odd few behind to keep her company.

He took two hundred for himself.

These weren’t two hundred lazy, gluttonous drunkards and gamblers, nor were they two hundred bluffing militiamen and mercenaries.

They were two hundred tin men, each with Two-Star combat power!

They were loyal and moved as extensions of his will.

They didn’t need to eat or drink and had no fear of the bitter cold.

They only needed to carry enough Ethereal Crystals for energy. Armored and equipped with Sword, Shield, and Spear, they were an invincible tide of steel!

Forget five thousand northern barbarians; even if another five thousand showed up, they likely couldn’t withstand the onslaught of the Mechanical Puppet Legion.

The legacy Calvin left behind was, ironically, playing a crucial role at this critical moment.

If not for fear of causing Queen Xianna to lose face, Wang Xi would have sent that thousand-man allied force packing to avoid slowing his own march.

In the end, Wang Xi still felt it wasn’t safe enough.

He made another trip to the Magic Forest.

...

...

「Three days later.」

The royal reinforcements departed from Daphne, heading for the Northern Territory.

Two hundred Mechanical Dolls, armed to the teeth, moved in perfect unison, like a long steel dragon winding through the countryside.

Following behind the Mechanical Puppet Legion were ten Granite Giants, each four to five meters tall. Perched or sitting on their heads and shoulders were Flame Lizards, Forest Elves, Kobolds, and goblins.

The ground shook, a display of immense power and scale.

A large candy carriage led the way, flanked by over twenty tall horses ridden by handsome men and beautiful women in robes.

They were the Moon Castle Demon Wolves and the Natural Witches.

At that moment, inside the spacious candy carriage sat one man, four women, a cat, and a puppet.

In addition to Wang Xi, Pinocchio, and Goddalir, both Sugar Witch Bev and Wolf Witch Sofia were present as well.

The other woman, a stranger dressed in leather armor and a short cloak, was one of Sofia’s ace subordinates.

Her fame was on par with that of the Wolf Housekeeper, Igor.

[Wolf Hunter Kate (Friendly/Four-Star/Hero)]

This woman was slightly older, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and looked very mature. She had wheat-colored skin, a fine scar over her left eye, and a gaze as sharp as a falcon’s.

Wang Xi was secretly amazed by the abundance of powerful subordinates under Sofia’s command. Even the dozen or so male and female Demon Wolves outside the carriage all possessed the strength of Three-Star Elites.

’Going to the Magic Forest to request reinforcements had truly been a wise choice.’

He had secured a considerable fighting force.

Of the Three Witches, only the Fire Witch, Lillian, had remained behind to hold down the fort in the Magic Forest. Sofia had accidentally let it slip that Lillian didn’t come because she hated the cold and was unaccustomed to being around so many people.

’What a pity,’ Wang Xi thought to himself.

’If she were here,’ he mused, ’there probably wouldn’t be enough of those northern barbarians to burn. After all, one basket of matches holds sixty boxes, and each box holds a hundred sticks.’

’One stick to burn one person, and there’d still be a thousand left over.’

’Enough to set off some fireworks for celebration.’

"Miss Bev, Miss Sofia."

Wang Xi sat on a gumdrop cushion and smiled politely at the two Witches across from him.

"Thank you for your help."

"You’re too kind, Mr. Gai."

Bev, sitting with perfect elegance, raised her glass and smiled faintly.

"Since we’re allied with the Stag Kingdom, it’s only right that we lend a hand when our ally is in trouble... Besides, you came to ask for help in person. How could I possibly refuse?"

Wang Xi said no more, simply raising his glass to the blond, pink-dressed Sugar Witch.

They exchanged a smile, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

Just then, the pigtailed girl in the Red Cloak crossed her arms, shot him a sidelong glance, and said:

"Hey, didn’t you say the Human Queen sent a thousand soldiers with you? Where are they?"

"Miss Sofia, their marching speed is too slow, so we split into two groups,"

Wang Xi explained patiently.

"The main battlefield in the Northern Territory is in the Dunkel Duchy, and the domains there are far apart."

"Before we set out, I arranged with the allied force’s commander, Count Sedric, for him to support the Baron’s Domains, Viscount’s Domains, and Knight’s Domains. The Northern People in those areas are mostly small raiding parties, so the thousand-strong allied army is more than enough to handle them."

"We, on the other hand, will be responsible for clearing out the enemies in the three Count’s Domains, which is where the main force of the Northern People is located."

"What a pain."

Sofia pouted, then added disdainfully:

"Those Northern humans are useless except for resisting the cold—they’re worse than goblins. And yet, weakling opponents like them have managed to throw the northern part of your Kingdom into chaos."

"That is why, with the noble Wolf Witch present, I’m sure the situation will be vastly different. Their defeat is certain."

Wang Xi’s expression turned serious as he put his hands together in praise.

Hearing the young man’s praise, Sofia struggled to hide her smugness, grumbling and waving her hand as she muttered that it was only natural.

"Master, are we going to fight?"

At that moment, the calico cat in Wang Xi’s arms spoke in a small voice.

"Liuli will help you."

Hearing the cat speak, everyone turned to look. Liuli grew shy and shrank back into Wang Xi’s arms, peeking out at them.

"Gai, this cat of yours..."

Cinderella Goddalir, sitting beside Wang Xi, spoke hesitantly.

"Is it a Spirit of Nature or a Demon?"

"Huh?" Sofia seemed to have only just noticed Liuli. She raised an eyebrow. "I’ve never seen a Demon like this. A talking cat, how strange."

"It’s probably not a Demon. Its Magic Power is very faint,"

Bev mused, analyzing the situation.

"But it doesn’t seem like a Spirit of Nature either. It has a physical body and lacks the aura of a natural blessing."

One by one, they all voiced their opinions, speculating about Liuli’s race.

"I’ve seen one before!"

At that, Pinocchio had a sudden realization.

"It’s a ’Walking Cat’ from the Cat Elf tribe! There are many of them back in my homeland, the Clockwork Kingdom, but they’re quite rare here in the Stag Kingdom."

Everyone was surprised.

A Cat Elf from across the sea?

’How did it end up here, and how did it become Gai’s follower...’

Wang Xi fabricated an origin story for Liuli, claiming he found her in the snow mountains. No one was overly suspicious. After all, that was the territory of the Ice and Snow Queen, a place they knew very little about.

This journey back to his hometown of Randall with his three-hundred-strong "grand army" was faster than his previous trip with the spinning wheel caravan, but it would still take ten to fifteen days.

Seeing the long journey ahead, Wang Xi planned to temporarily return to the Main World and let his projection take over and "power-level" for him.

To his delight, because he currently had 24 Legend Level points, Kaos had optimized the "Projection Command" function, making it better at understanding Wang Xi’s intent and executing it with one hundred percent accuracy.

Although it still couldn’t perform exactly like his true self, it was much less likely to arouse suspicion.

At the very least, spending most of the day in arduous training with minimal interaction with others was enough to get by.

Wang Xi issued a command for the projection to focus on power-leveling three Ice Magic cards—[Frost Winter Meditation Technique], [Snow King], and [Ice Mirror]—before choosing to return.

...

...

[Projection Entrusted]

[Current World: Fairy Tales]

[Exploration Level: 17.5%]

[Legend Level: 24 (...)]

[Descent Cooldown: 23 hours 59 minutes]

[Retirement Preview: At Queen Xianna’s command, you lead the "Mechanical Puppet Legion" and the "Forest Alliance Army" to reinforce the Northern Territory.]

[The three-hundred-strong army you lead advances with unstoppable momentum, quickly liberating Count Heike’s Domain and Count Yianz’s Domain. However, in the process, you discover something extremely abnormal about the Northern People.]

[They are even more cruel and bloodthirsty than the rumors suggest, their eyes are crimson, and their words and actions reveal a descent into madness.]

[The Witches traveling with you warn that the Northern People have been tainted and are showing signs of light corruption.]

[In your hometown of Randall, you encounter your former Swordsmanship teacher, Wendy, and the squad of Northern People she leads on a raid.]

[You killed her.]

[Before dying, Wendy comes to a sudden realization, believing that power is ultimately ephemeral and that she was too obsessed... The Northern Lands are not a holy land, but a Purgatory, and there is no turning back for her.]

[She tells you where Sierra is being held captive, hoping that for the sake of your past relationship, you will rescue her from the hands of the Northern People.]

[With those words, she breathes her last.]

[Following the information Wendy provided, you find your former fiancée, Sierra.]

[She appears to have been chosen as some sort of blood sacrifice by the Northern People and is about to be offered... The object of the sacrifice, however, is an ominous-looking, pitch-Black Apple Tree.]

[Your intuition tells you that the tree is extremely dangerous.]