Since the red mist poured down from the peak of the Endless Mountains, everything in the world seemed to be veiled. Mavin Pike had thought he would feel as uncomfortable as he would in a dusty mine, but surprisingly, his body didn't feel any discomfort.
If he took a deep breath, he could even feel a hint of dampness and coolness. According to the devil commander, these mists contained the essence of life, not only would they not harm humans, but they would also have nourishing benefits. Only witches who deliberately opposed them would suffer fatal backlash.
Regardless of how credible this statement was, for the time being, apart from slightly affecting his vision, there were no other disadvantages. After a month, he had basically become accustomed to the life of the red mist.
"Duke, Lord of the Sky has sent someone," a guard walked into the room at this moment, "They are waiting for you in the courtyard."
Mavin nodded calmly, "Please have them wait there, I'll be over."
"Yes."
After the guard closed the door, Mavin couldn't help but smile.
That's right, Duke. No matter how many times he heard it, it would make him overjoyed. A month ago, when the devils crossed the Ice Abyss and stormed into Snow Reflection Fortress, he thought it was the rumored doomsday, but he didn't expect the other side to let him off in the end.
And after "abandoning" his inherent prejudices, Mavin found that the devil who called himself the Lord of the Sky was not as difficult to communicate with as he had imagined. To some extent, it was even easier to deal with than the Graycastle people—at least the former would not turn the noble's territory into nothing without saying a word.
The devils don't collect taxes, don't seize land, don't take rights, as long as they swear allegiance, they can protect everything they have and even have the opportunity to get more. Apart from the means being a bit rough, there were no other disadvantages. Especially after the Lord of the Sky handed over the three cities surrounding Snow Reflection Fortress to him for management, he felt that this might not be a bad thing.
Snow Reflection Fortress was like an isolated island, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Others found it difficult to threaten his territory, and he also found it difficult to expand out. He thought that the title of Earl would probably be his for life, but he didn't expect that when doomsday came, he would take a big step forward instead.
Controlling the entire northern region of the Eternal Winter Kingdom, he was now the well-deserved Duke of the North.
Mavin held his hand to the corner of his mouth, barely managing to calm his smile. He closed the window and turned to walk downstairs.
That's right, when the devils attacked the city, they did kill dozens of guards and several hundred civilians, but what war doesn't have deaths? The territorial boundaries between nobles were also determined through war. Now that he held four cities, not only had the guard team not shrunk, but it had doubled in size, not to mention the civilians. As long as there was land and food for them to procreate, they would be able to replenish their numbers in a few years.
As for those who secretly gossiped that he had chosen to submit to the devils because he was afraid, they should all be sent to the gallows.
Entering the courtyard, Mavin's first glance fell on the Lord of the Sky's messenger and the huge monster lying beside it. To be honest, he couldn't tell the difference between these guys in terms of appearance—unlike Hackzord, they were both ugly and crude, and didn't understand the meaning of politeness and etiquette at all. If it weren't for the sake of the devil commander, he wouldn't want to deal with these beasts at all.
"I wonder what instructions the Lord of the Sky has?"
The other party took out a stone from the saddlebag of its mount and handed it to him, then opened its bloody mouth and said in a clumsy tone, "You. Listen!"
Another magical sound transmission...
Feeling the fishy smell coming from the messenger's mouth, Mavin couldn't help but lean back slightly, trying to suppress the disgust in his heart, "I'm listening."
The stone flickered twice, and soon a familiar voice rang out from the air.
"How does it feel to be the Lord of a Realm? I hope you haven't forgotten your promise, Lord."
"Of course not, Your Excellency," Mavin replied quickly, "I have been preparing to serve you."
"Very good, I believe that a month has allowed your people to get used to our existence, now is the time—I need you to gather a team to help us build a camp, not in Eternal Winter, but in the Kingdom of Wolfheart. The number should be at least two thousand, of course... the more the better."
Was this needing coolies to work? Mavin estimated that it would not be difficult to gather so many people from the four cities, "Leave it to me, Your Excellency."
"I knew I didn't choose the wrong person." The Lord of the Sky's voice had a hint of satisfaction, "Also, how is the weapon I gave you being studied? Can your people replicate it?"
"This..." Mavin looked embarrassed, "There's no problem using it, but replicating it will probably take some time... I gathered the best blacksmiths in the Northern Region and had them each responsible for forging a part, but the progress is not very ideal. I think this is probably related to the witches, after all, the blacksmiths have told me that those parts don't seem to be made by ordinary human power."
"I thought so." Fortunately, there was no blame in the Lord of the Sky's words, "But even so, you should be able to use it to counter the Graycastle people. This is my second order to you, send someone to stop Graycastle from plundering the people of Wolfheart, I will give you the other captured weapons as well."
"But I don't have enough knights under my command anymore—"
"Then recruit them!" The Lord of the Sky interrupted, "Isn't that what you humans like to do to expand your forces? Divide your territory and attract capable people to work for you. Don't be stingy with the price, if you can do this well, it wouldn't be difficult for you to become the King of Eternal Winter."
Mavin trembled... King of Eternal Winter, a title he had only dared to dream of, was now coming to him in this way? He suppressed his suddenly accelerated heartbeat, and tried to control his tone to reply, "Yes, Your Excellency, I will do my best to complete it."
"Hurry up, I want to see results as soon as possible."
"I won't let you down."
The light of the stone disappeared.
"I, one week, come again."
After the messenger finished speaking, it climbed directly onto the flesh-winged monster, raised its hands, and then soared into the air. The latter let out a strange cry, flapped its wings and flew out of the city, soon disappearing from sight.
And Mavin was covered in dust.
Damn it! He thought to himself as he coughed, if these devils acted and spoke like the Lord of the Sky, they probably wouldn't be widely rumored to be monsters from hell.
Returning to the castle, he immediately summoned the old scholar—although the other party's performance was quite embarrassing, directly pissing his pants on the top of the city wall, he didn't have a more reliable advisor for the time being.
After repeating the Lord of the Sky's request, Mavin asked, "What do you think?"
"Your Lordship, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" The old scholar excitedly grabbed his hand, "Since your father's generation, I have served the Pike family, and expanding the forces out of Snow Reflection Fortress has always been his wish. Now you have not only taken the first step, but also have the opportunity to contend for Eternal Winter, you must seize it no matter what!"
"I think so too, but... do you think we can really win against the Graycastle people by finding some knights?" Mavin expressed his doubts, "You have also seen the exquisite nature of those snow powder crossbow bolts, and replication is basically impossible. And the number of devils seized must be limited, what should we do after we run out?"
"No, Your Lordship, we don't need to fight head-on with the Graycastle army," the old scholar shook his head, "Lord of the Sky did not intend to do so either, its original words were "stop the plundering"—as far as I know, the Graycastle people's teams are very scattered, as long as the weapons are comparable, we can take the initiative with tactics instead! If we can successfully defeat a few plundering squads, they will inevitably be constrained. In fact, when I first heard you describe it, I thought of a brilliant plan."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
The old scholar leaned to the Duke's ear and explained his idea in detail.
A look of joy appeared on Mavin's face.
"It should work!" He nodded heavily, "In this way, our disadvantage has become an advantage. Do as you say!"