The swamp is dotted with water, and the islands are dotted around, and there is almost no way to follow in the vast expanse of water, and it is very difficult for humans to trek in the swamp. But during the snow season, when the cold air and the constant snow freeze the swamp into ice, you can avoid the deep lakes in the swamp by following the raised islands without worrying about getting stuck in the fragile lake ice.

At this moment, there is a long procession in the snowy swamp winding westward. They were signposted with a seat of snow bags, with twelve swamp dragon lizards leading the way, each draught, dragging a sleigh the size of a freight wagon, wrapped in waterproof canvas, and filled with goods, so tight that the thick linen ropes that bound the wagons were so tight that the thick linen ropes that bound the wagons were taut.

The dragon lizard's nostrils spewed white mist, its thick limbs easily ploughed through more than a foot of snow, and the heavy sled cart ran over it, dragging a well-defined path. Hundreds of smug soldiers lined up in two teams and walked on foot behind the dragon lizard sleigh cart. They are well-proportioned and agile, basically around 22 years old, although each person has a different appearance, but the crystal bright eyes and calm bearing are their common characteristics.

These soldiers were well-armoured, but they were a little less clothed. The swamp was freezing, and they only wore a set of six-legged crocodile skin armor, and the sheepskin cloak on their backs was the only warm clothing, and their muscular arms and thighs were directly exposed to the cold and biting air.

Most of them carried a wooden truncate with bulging marching packages on them, and their special flat snow boots crunched and crunched on the sturdy slopes crushed by the dragon lizard sleds, showing the weight of the marching package. But they move vigorously and are not affected by the weight at all.

Well-trained vassal soldiers are also adept at marching with heavy loads, and are almost always able to do so. Pastor Dain knew that these elite warriors, who were not afraid of wind, frost, snow and rain, had walked for a whole day, trekking almost 150 kilometers at a constant speed, without stopping to rest on the way, and even eating and drinking were completed during the march.

Are the Randall House Arcane Guardians all monsters?

Priest Dane, who was sitting in the sleigh, secretly scolded himself, he doubted that these warriors would be fine for two more days and two nights, and compared them with the paladins,

The church currently has nearly 100,000 holy warriors, while the number of fourth-level holy warriors is only eight or nine thousand, and they are the backbone of the clergy's armed forces, and their social status is comparable to that of the Bronze Horseman. Each Level 4 Paladin can assist the Battle Priest and lead a squad of around 10 Paladins.

Dane didn't actually know the combat power of these arcane guards, and he judged from the crystal eyes and incredible physical fitness of the arcane guards that they had knight-level physical fitness, so he came to the conclusion that Randall's personal strength of the arcane warriors was similar to that of a fourth-level paladin.

Of course, the actual combat power of these arcane guardians was definitely weaker than that of the fourth-level holy warriors. Just as the clergy insisted that the fourth-level paladin was not inferior to the mid-rank bronze horseman, the knightly nobles never recognized this. Dane also believed that no family's arcane guardian could compare to a fourth-level paladin who mastered the Divine Enhancement Technique.

However, he admits that these warriors are very powerful and have refreshed his perception of arcane warriors.

The arcane warriors cultivated by the Kite Castle are the best in the modern era, and some of the Augustan arcane warriors are said to be as strong and agile as beginner knights, they can easily lift items weighing more than 1 ton, and charge faster than war horses. His Royal Highness Randall has a close relationship with the Auguste family, and it seems reasonable that Kite Castle will train arcane warriors for him.

Dane didn't think so, at least the arcane warriors in front of him were definitely not cultivated by the Kite Castle or the York family.

As the party departed, he saw two Randall Arcane warriors lift a sled cart full of supplies—it weighed four tons. It was impossible for a beginner Bronze Horseman to carry a four-ton wagon effortlessly, and it was only possible for a mid-rank Bronze Horseman with 18 elemental slots to do that.

Randall's arcane guardians have demonstrated a power that surpasses the limits of ordinary humans, similar to the extraordinary power of a ferocious warrior. Fourth-level paladins who have undergone three body reshapes have generally failed to exceed the limits of their ordinary strength, and most of them only have the strength level of a beginner-rank bronze horseman.

And then there's the number of Randall's arcane guards. The expeditionary force organized by the Earl of the Golden Eye has a total of more than 200 members, divided into four teams, and the main team has hundreds of arcane guardians.

How could the Auguste royal family take more than a hundred knight-level secret law guards and give them to His Royal Highness Randall as ordinary soldiers?

If the relationship between the two sides was a cooperative borrowing, Dane didn't see any of the high-ranking knights who led the team, whether it was from the Kite Castle or the high-ranking knights of the York family.

Obviously, these warriors of extraordinary strength are the secret guardians secretly cultivated by His Highness Randall.

In fact, Dane had already guessed the origin of Randall's arcane guards, the ferocious war dogs and eleven dragon lizard war beasts roaming the periphery of the team, as well as the strangely shaped alien beasts, especially the four dragon maids with beautiful appearances and two horns, who inadvertently revealed a power that was even more terrifying than that of the Golden Knight. All of this shows that Randall's wizard, Imerson, can modify living things, including humans.

Dane was surprised that Imerson, the head of the hunt, was a wizard raised by Randall, but it was Bertina who shocked him. Like most people, he loved this innocent and lovely child, but he knew that Pope Clement had examined Bell's soul with true sight, but had not discovered her wizarding nature.

Perhaps, His Majesty the Pope knew the truth, and he deliberately pretended to be deaf and dumb in the way of Lord Miller's will.

Of course, if Mistress Miller wanted to shelter Emerson and Bertina, I am afraid that no clergyman would be able to perceive their true nature. Dane has not yet been able to determine Bertina's identity as a wizard, and His Highness Randall has allowed him to move freely in the ranks, observe freely, and communicate freely with others, but His Highness himself will not provide any answers.

The Swordmaster's exact words were: You are not qualified to discuss a course of action with me right now, so there is no need to ask me about inconsequential matters.

It's understandable that Randall is trying to preserve Lord Miller's prophecy, and whatever conjectures Dane may have, he must not hinder his judgment. Unless Dane can touch the mystery of the power of fate and become a true gold-level transcendent.

However, Dane believes that Bertina is the key to Master Miller's fight against the evil gods.

He had no intention of peeking into the secrets of Lord Miller and His Highness Randall right now, and it was out of a nature of curiosity to observe and think.

As a scholar-pastor of the papal lineage, Dane considered himself to know more about witchcraft than wizards. He observed that there were many things in the team that could not be explained by witchcraft - there were too many Arcane warriors, ferocious war dogs, and swamp dragon lizards in the Randall family.

There are many different types of witchcraft, and after a long period of research, the Radiant Church has classified witchcraft into three categories: elemental witchcraft, mind-body witchcraft, and shape-shifting witchcraft. Due to the close connection of elements, souls, and material forms, the wizards' innate witchcraft is basically a hybrid, but if you subdivide their witchcraft, it will not go beyond these three categories.

Imerson is obviously the most common shape-shifting wizard, but the roots of witchcraft are magic and psychic powers, and Emerson transforms life forms by first controlling the transformed target with magic.

In other words, there is a limit to the number of organisms that Emerson can transform and control. Imerson couldn't believe that he could control so many modified humans and modified animals at the same time.

His Royal Highness Randall, who is of extraordinary wisdom, analyzes the laws of witchcraft of Emerson and develops a set of secret methods for cultivating extraordinary warriors, which is the answer that Dane can think of. There are many similar examples of church and secular lords, and the remodeling of the body of the paladin with dragon vein potions also has its roots in witchcraft.

In any case, guarded by hundreds of knight-level arcane warriors, Dane felt safe. Randall's dragon maid made him even more confident in this expedition.

The team's march slowed down until it finally came to a halt on the flat ice in the middle of the three snow-wrapped islands. Dane poked his head out of the bobsleigh in surprise and saw Charlotte jump out of Randall's sleigh and walk towards the back of the line.

"Lady Randall, what happened?" asked Dane as he left his sleigh and saluted the blonde knightess.

Mrs. Randall's title made Charlotte curl the corners of her mouth, and she said in a brisk voice, "Lord Dane, you can just call me Charlotte." ”

The high-ranking priest laughed and said, "...... are all companions, Lady Randall should call me Dane." ”

The smile on Charlotte's face became brighter, and she bowed her head and said, "The master ordered the team to rest here, and you can go to the former island to meet him now...... I went to the back of the line to take a look and arrange the camping, but I was out of company. ”

The Lady of the Oath bowed her knees and walked towards the rear of the procession with four sword-wielding maids. Dane looked up at the still clear sky, frowned slightly, and walked to the snow-covered island in front of him, accompanied by his guards.

On the island, more than a dozen arcane warriors were busy cleaning up the grounds, shoveling away the snow, quickly digging out a few fire pits, and wielding sharp machetes, harvesting the low vegetation that had been crushed in the snow, and in a short time they had cleaned up a large flat field. Victor took Bertina by the hand and stood with a few of his attendants, laughing and laughing.

After a slight hesitation, Dane stepped forward and saluted, "Your Highness......"

Before he could finish, a burning gaze came from Victor's left, it was the dragon maid named Alexta, who stared at the priest's chest, the greed in her eyes like a raging fire.

Dane would never be mistaken for the favor of this stunning beauty full of interracial charm. Hidden beneath his breastplate was the Holy Power Crystal given by Lord Miller, an artifact of the priest and a ray of light from the Most High Lord. Dane would rather sacrifice his life than discard the Holy Crystal, which is a belief that priests must have.

Because the dragon maid coveted the holy crystal, Dane had to ride the last sleigh alone, as far away from the Earl's car as possible. Today was the first time he had met the Count since his departure.

Dane clutched his chest, hesitating as if he had been frightened by a vicious dog while visiting a neighbor. Victor was secretly amused, Leila was obviously a stunning beauty, how could she not be associated with a vicious dog, even if everyone was a little afraid of her, she was also a beautiful and vicious dragon maid.

"Knock"

The head was flicked by the master, and Lyra blinked her beautiful eyes, and a pair of narrow vertical pupils turned into round pupils like pure rubies, and looked at Victor with a confused expression.

"I'm going to camp here for two days, go, take a few fierce war dogs, patrol the perimeter, and mark the territory. ”

Dividing territory is one of the dragon maid's favorite things to do, and Lyra curts, "As you wish, my dear master." ”

These days, Victor, Charlotte, and Leila share a sleigh ride, and the dragon maid emulates Charlotte's coquettish tone to her master, but she doesn't know how to score points.

His Royal Highness Randall was a little embarrassed, and no longer paid attention to the dragon maid, but beckoned to Caligula and ordered, "Acre, take Bell to the lake to dig ice and catch fish." ”

Caligula touched the back of his head and said blankly, "Master, Aka won't......"

"Emerson will catch fish, let's go find Imerson. ”

Dressed like a ball in a thick winter coat, Bell expertly climbed onto Caligula's shoulder, grabbed his ear, and shouted excitedly: "Let's go, let's go....... we're looking for Emerson to catch fish." ”

The two remaining alchemist warriors, led by three Gripen militiamen, followed Caligula. These alchemy humans have followed Victor to participate in the Centaur War, and have been enlightened with wisdom, especially the alchemy warriors have the fighting instinct of the same heart, and both personal strength and emotional intelligence are stronger than the third-level source blood militia. Victor relinquished command of the five alchemy units to Bertina, and they now serve as the personal guards of the little patrol envoy, responsible for protecting her and doing chores for her by the way.

Seeing that Victor had left his entourage, Pastor Dane put down his right hand protecting the Holy Power Crystal, took two steps forward, and asked, "Your Highness, it's still early today, and we are camping here?"

Victor nodded and said, "Walking for 12 days in a row, with only 4 hours of rest every day, my soldiers are full of energy, but those antelope camels need to rest. ”

The expeditionary force brought with them hundreds of takelope camels, which were skeletal and enduring, and were a full two circles larger than the Naville mountain antelope, each carrying about four hundred pounds of cargo. Dane, however, thought that these antelope camels were of little use, but rather a burden to the team. The expeditionary force could have gone faster and farther, but these antelope camels slowed down the team's march, and they carried only one more bag of supplies than Randall's arcane guards, and more than half of the weight was the fodder they needed, and there were not many really useful supplies.

Dane smiled, "Your Highness, I thought there was no need to bring these antelope camels here, and the warriors of the Randall family had to take care of them. ”

Victor shook his head and said, "In winter, the swamp animals are dormant, the plants are withering, and there are not many resources that can be gathered. These camel gazelles are cargo in their own right, and although their flesh is rough and the taste is very poor, my dragon lizards and war dogs are not picky eaters. Moreover, the excess camel can be used to buy the half-dragon people in front. ”

"Buying a half-dragon man?" Dane's heart moved, and he asked, "Your Highness, is there still a beast wizard in the team?"

"Isn't that what Imerson is. ”

Dane was stunned and muttered, "It turns out that he is the wizard of the Lord's mind body...... He can transform large alienated creatures, and I thought he was the main shapeshifter...... Lord Imerson's talent for witchcraft is really strong. ”

Victor said with a smile: "The church has a mature mind-body witchcraft system behind its back, to be precise, it is a mind-body spell inheritance, which can improve the mind-body wizard's spellcasting ability and magic power level. I'm not happy to see Emerson get too powerful, though, you know what I mean?"

"This ...... It's the first time I've heard of it. Dane smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, I promise you that I will never divulge your secrets to anyone, except with your tacit consent. ”

Victor said with a faint smile, "The common secret makes our covenant strong, and I sincerely hope that one day you will be able to learn about the magic inheritance that the Church has secretly developed." Master Miller has chosen you to be tested by fate, and I will help you in the future. ”

Dane pressed the holy crystal in his breastplate, leaned over and said, "I thank Your Highness. ”

Victor nodded, turned to the west of the island, and said with a deep gaze: "In the notes of the ancestors of Trigovar, the path through the Swamp has long been useless. I've sent several scout teams to the Everfree Forest to scout the Ant-Man Lair a few years ago, and the path we've chosen now is the only path taken by the scout team that has successfully traversed the Lizard Swamp. According to the information they sent back, there was a lizardman tribe ahead. ”

"I've recalled the three convoys, we're going to stop here for the time being to recuperate, and hopefully Emerson will be able to negotiate successfully...... If it doesn't work, then you can only choose to fight......"

"The supreme Lord of Light is with us. The High Priest recited in a deep voice.

Victor patted him on the shoulder, smiled and said, "I'll go to the back to pick up someone first, that guy has been following us for twelve days." ”

More than ten kilometers away from the expeditionary force's garrison, Nelson stuck two pure gold decapitation swords into the ground, and he himself knelt cross-legged in the snow, taking out the jerky from his backpack and chewing it carefully. Cherishing every piece of food has been his habit for many years, and sleeping in the open air, lying on the ice and tasting the snow is the tenacity carved into his bone marrow. He is like a lone war bear that never hibernates, letting the snow fall all over his body, the frost sticking to his eyebrows, and just carefully tasting the food in his hands.

Two pieces of hard jerky were in his stomach, Nelson grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth, and the moment he looked up, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a slender figure standing in the wind and snow not far away.

He laughed loudly, grabbed his long sword and swept forward, the thick layer of snow was torn apart under his combat boots, the snowflakes on his shoulders and the frost on his eyebrows turned into fine white mist, steaming and swirling, and the snowflakes carried by the wind could no longer get close to him, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed in front of the passer.

"Your Excellency...... I'm here to see him off. Nelson half-knelt in front of Victor and said heavily.

Victor looked at his number one henchman, raised his slender straight eyebrows, and teased: "It's been sent for twelve days, oh? You guys used their lives to hide in a hurry, thinking that they could hide from me in this way?"

Nelson habitually touched the back of his head, but smiled and didn't speak.

Although Nelson acted on his own initiative, ruining Victor's arrangements and putting Nicole and Lilia at a disadvantage, he had no regard for his sister and family, fully demonstrating the most valuable loyal qualities of a follower.

A warm current rose in Victor's heart, and he stretched out his hand to Nelson and said, "Let's go...... You haven't had a proper meal for many days, and take you to a bowl of hot fish soup. Then, it's up to you to provide emergency support to your team. ”

Nelson was overjoyed, and exclaimed, "Thank you, Lord Earl, I, Nelson Randall, would like to follow my master's side and live up to my trust." ”