Orange tongues of fire rose from the black earthen pit, cracking the dead branches. Above the fire pit stood a simple wooden shelf, with a small pot hanging from it. The snow water inside has been boiled, and occasionally black slag can be seen churning with the boiling water. Salamatan scooped up a handful of snow and filled the pot and watched as the water calmed down. He put his hand into the mist, and the chill between his fingers was immediately dispelled.

Salaman looked up. Under the dark sky is a snow-covered wilderness, and the shadows of the dragon's tooth pine trees are like black tombstones inserted in the snowfield. The sound of the cold wind blowing through the treetops was like a ghost sighing quietly holding on to a tombstone. Salamatan is a Daxia native who grew up in the hot desert of the south, and as an adult, he only roamed the warm central plains, rarely coming to the north to move around, and it was difficult for him to get used to the cold here for a while. And as they got closer to Poinbru, the chill grew sharper, and with each breath they felt like their organs were freezing together.

It's hard to imagine a powerful nation standing up to Sarion in such a bitter cold place – or is it the only bitter cold that can sharpen a nation into resilience? Salamatan had heard of the brutality of the first dragon and lion battle of the previous year. In August 335, Pande declared war on Livingston. The father of the current Fire General, Archduke Brennus the Elder, led an army into Livingston at about the same time. Fort Darkfal fell after holding out for twenty-five days, and Duke Alexis Sr. was killed.

The old duke's stubbornness bought Livingston precious time to react, but the Guardians were unable to stop the Lion Knights in the hilly terrain between Darkfalcon and Frostbreath Mountain, and the defenses were cut through one after another, and soon the Dragonguard Castle fell to Sarion. In October of the same year, Sarion's 50,000-strong army arrived in Raven City!

The bloody battle lasted for three full months, and Raven City crumbled under the roar of a lion, but it still stood. The Sarionians made their way into the outer city, only to be held back by the Livingstonians in the inner city. Every street in the outer city was a bloody meat grinder, and men screamed and slashed at each other with weapons. I don't know how many counts and even higher figures have fallen in some unknown dark corner of the battlefield. The old Earl of Hereward, the old Marquis of Elderfred, and the old Duke of Allama were all killed in the Raven City. Ravenston's price was even more severe, as King Gregory III died and his daughter Ursula was mortally wounded. But Sarion just couldn't set foot in the inner city. Three months later, Setanda Gregory succeeded in attacking the supply lines of the Sarion Army, earning him the nickname "Fierce Dog". Realizing that the old Archduke Brennus was out of order, he had to retreat to Longwei Fort and engage in an eight-month standoff with Livingston. Originally, he optimistically estimated that Livingston, who had lost both the king and the crown prince, would not be able to hold out for long, and that the war would inevitably end in a resounding victory for Sarion. But he never expected that in Raven City, someone would resolutely carry Livingston, who was already no different from a mess.

The second son of Gregory III, Eldo Gregory. In the past, his light had been overshadowed by his eldest sister, Pande's first ever crown prince, and only now did he fully show his frosty fangs. Gregory III may not have been a good king, but he was undoubtedly a top educator. The eldest daughter and the second son both have excellent political skills, and the younger son is the youngest super-first-class martial artist in Pande.

With Setanda's support, Eldor gathered the remaining forces in Raven City, cut through the frozen inland seas to catch fish, and began to harass Sarion's army without stopping. Although Sarion still had a considerable military advantage, it became less and less advantageous as the cold weather in the north began to move south. It was not until September 336 that the old Grand Duke Brennus made a desperate attempt to lead his army across the frozen inland sea and attack Shendefu. In the strategic vision of the Grand Duke, Shendefer is not only the commercial town of Livingston, but also the location of the Holy Land of Lyra; However, it is located in the heart of the North, and in times of war, its garrison is far less strong than that of Livingston. But he miscalculated again, and there was already a young man leading hundreds of dragon knights with red eyes burned by the flames of revenge, lying in ambush in the ice and snow by Swan Lake, waiting for him for a long time.

The young man was the only son of the old Duke Alexis, and his name was Frost Alexis.

The battle known as the "Swan Lake of Death" is seen as a turning point in the First Battle of the Dragon and Lion. As the lion knights braved the cold and stepped on the ice to land, the dragon knights leapt from the snowdrifts and slashed them off their horses with their tomahawks. The army of the old Grand Duke of Brennus was instantly routed under the combined blows of wind and snow and strong enemies. Frost clung to the old duke, like a bloodthirsty mad wolf, and pursued him for hundreds of miles without sleep, and finally captured him under the Dragon Guard Castle. Sarion, who had lost his manager, had no choice but to withdraw.

In April of the following year, at the age of twenty-eight, Frost Alexis took command and drove from the Gato steppe into Sarion without being stopped. Ulrik IV was forced to sign a truce, ceding Larria, Fort Brave, and Fort White Hart, and the indemnity was an appalling astronomical amount - according to the old man at the time, about the same as two years of taxes in the royal city.

Salaman let out a white breath and found that the snow in the pot began to boil again.

"Boss, how long has he been out?" Salaman asked Kia.

"It's been almost forty minutes." Kia frowned, "Salaman, did you say he got lost, or ran into a pack of wolves?" ”

"The boss shouldn't make such a low-level mistake as getting lost, but most of the people who can play with the hidden weapon will not have a bad sense of direction. The leader's arrow-throwing skills are no less than those Scorpio assassins in my hometown. Salamane smiled, sat down beside Kia, and filled the pot with a handful of snow, "And I think the wolves should be more worried about whether they will meet the head." ”

"Haha." Kia laughed a few times, "Speaking of which, Salaman, why did you follow Essho?" ”

"The boss saved my life." Salaman said naturally, "It's not just me, everyone in the mercenary team I led in Saarion owe him his life. At that time, I went to attack Pohulaban, I thought I would explain there, and it could be regarded as a life-saving grace to repay the boss, but I didn't expect to be able to get out of the way. I had no choice but to continue to follow the leader. After saying that, the Daxia man laughed "hehe".

Footsteps sounded in the darkness of the fire, and the sound of heavy objects dragging on the snow. Salamane and Kia were alert at the same time, only to see Eshu walking back with a snow wolf in each hand.

"Salaman, bring a knife." Eshu let go of the wolf corpse, "I'll peel this one, and the other one will be yours." ”

"Okay!" Salamane replied, "Chief, have you encountered a pack of wolves?" ”

"Hmm." Esher pointed to the larger wolf corpse, "It took a little effort to kill the wolf, and they dispersed." ”