The glittering hall of the Castle of Dawn, where the dinner will be held.

The classical orchestra dedicated to the Aegis royal family played elegant melodies and the long table served a wide variety of delicious dishes, but Josh didn't pay much attention to it.

Not only Rhys, but Josh is not very fond of political communication.

Even if he had been in Helia, he had warned the Council of the Shining Tower from the beginning, and he had little contact with Archbishop Margusa and the other elders and masters since then.

Especially after the officials of Demacia had heard of the name "Josh Russell" and showed his affinity with Ahri, the number of people who came to toast at the banquet was innumerable.

At least at the beginning, King Gawain III, Generalissimo Persivel Bronz, Bishop Isabel of the Cult of the Illuminators, and Barrett Bouvier, the king's brother and the greatest patron of the Cult of the Illuminators, could not be shirked even for Ahri.

When the other six members of the Silver Council of Demacia arrived, Ahri knew that his lover was not happy with this kind of communication, so he took the initiative to stand by Josh's side and help him shirk it, politely declining.

As for Sindra and Ruiz, who hid in the opposite corner of the main hall and barely communicated with everyone, they were powerful mages, and the officials of Demacia had also heard of them.

In order to avoid trouble, or to be deterred by the rejection of the two of them thousands of miles away.

Anyway, from the beginning of the banquet to the present, except for the servants who served to inquire about one or two, no one else has even approached them.

But for Gwen, who is "crazy", she was born with Isolde's traits, and even if it was the first time she participated in such a political dinner, she was comfortable coping.

In a few moments, Josh could hear the laughter of the ministers or other officials who were talking to Gwen, and was amused by the funny little girl.

Although he couldn't toast as he wished, Ahri and Gavin III introduced him one by one to each of the ministers who came to greet Josh with a "familiar face".

For example, the five ministers of aristocratic management, finance ministers, foreign affairs, land resources management, and politics and law are not only the pillars of Demacia's operation under the royal power, but also the members of the Silver Council, and advise on the development of the country and foreign strategy.

In addition to this, there is also a minister in charge of the Demon Seeker Society, who has attracted Josh's attention.

His name is Eldred Crownguard, and he is a man who joined the Crownguard family and married Tiana, the now fearless vanguard swordsman.

It wasn't the man's power and status that attracted Josh.

Eldred was outwardly suave, dignified, and aristocratic gentlemanly, and could speak eloquently in front of Josh, Ahri, and Galvan III.

But the gloom in his eyes couldn't escape Josh's eyes, which were an abomination of magic.

Josh vaguely remembers that after the future Prince Gawain IV was ambushed by the Noxian mage regiment and Barrett Bouvier was killed on the battlefield, it was this guy who bewitched Govin III, implemented a tough demon ban system, persecuted the mage, and pushed Demacia to the brink of crisis.

In particular, the future Demon Finder Association seems to be in collusion with Black Rose, and those poor people who are "wasted" are ostensibly sent to the border, but in fact they are secretly sent to Noxus and enter the academy formed by Black Rose.

Designed to deal with Mordekaiser's secret weapon, the Molten Iron Maiden Ryl, Black Rose was created by Black Rose through murderous experiments and the absorption of other mages.

Josh secretly kept an eye on it.

Eldred's guy might make some mess in the future.

The silver moon hangs high, splashing soft light on the earth, the bright stars form a galaxy of stars, and above the vast and endless starry sky, the constellations full of life are slowly moving.

After the dinner was over, the ministers left one after another, and the mess of the bright hall was cleaned up by the servants working overtime.

Josh, Ahri, Gwen, Sindra, and Rze follow the tipsy Gawain III into the council halls.

Gallvin III sat in the main seat facing the main gate, Josh and Ahri sat on the king's left-hand side, and the logistics chief Barrett and generalissimo Percivel sat on the king's right-hand side.

Zhao Xin and Tiana stood on either side of the throne and took on the responsibility of protecting the king.

"Your Majesty, I wonder how many Dreadnought Pioneers you can send to support us at the moment?" Ahri got straight to the point, "We discussed this topic last time, so now it should give me a clear answer, right?" ”

Jiawen III pondered for a moment, "The Fearless Vanguard has a total of 16 companies, each company has 16 shield arrays, and each shield array has 8 soldiers, a total of 2,048 people, and it is currently in full strength.

"And there are more than 3,000 sentinels registered in your Light Sentinel Organization at this stage, plus you, Grandmaster Russell, Grandmaster Ruize, and Grandmaster Sindra......"

At this point, Jiawen III's words came to an abrupt end.

[Ou roar, I guessed it. Runicia laughed.

It really won't go too well......

Josh sighed silently.

Ahri frowned slightly, and made a turning point for him: "But? ”

The answer to her question was not Gawain III, but Generalissimo Percivel: "The Sentinel's ability to spy on stealth is no less than that of a war stonemason, and I think you have heard that Noxus has not been at peace lately. ”

Percivel's ten fingers were clasped together and placed on the round table in the shape of a shield, and his tone was serious.

Ahri bowed his head in silence.

On the way here, they discussed this point.

Later, Percivel continued: "According to the information sent back by the agents at the front, that old thing from Brond Darkwell is conscripting into the army, increasing taxes to collect food and grass, and preparing an army for a new attack at any time.

"Miss Ahri, you should be well aware that in addition to the Sentinels of Light, Demacia has four allies, Abramak, Scargoun, Leinland, and Nockmoch.

"Among them, the kingdom of Nokmerch located in the plain of Nokmerch is in the middle of the continent of Valoran, just sandwiched between Demacia and Noxus, if Brond Darkwell suddenly attacks, they will be the first to suffer."

Percivel didn't make it too clear, but even Gwen could hear what he was trying to say, let alone Ahri.

Immediately afterwards, Barrett, who had the same beard as Jarvin III, added: "Not only that, but the barbarians of the north have been invading our borders lately, and several villages outside the city have been attacked, especially near Yanjian Mountain.

"According to the weather forecast of previous years, this winter will be the harshest in more than a decade, and our friction with the barbarians is intensifying.

"I estimate that by the end of this year, we are likely to have a very serious conflict, or even turn into a war."

"I know your concerns, the Dreadnought has few members, and you need to take care of the safety of your allies...... Let's get straight to the point, how many people can you draw at the moment? ”

Gavin III and Percivel looked at each other, both with a slightly embarrassed expression.

In the end, the king sighed and said, "Xiong needs to stay with six companies to be prepared, and each of the four allies needs to have one company to appease the people......"

"So the final answer is six companies?"

Ahri didn't look disappointed, but a little unexpected.

The combat effectiveness of the Dreadnought Vanguard is far from that of an ordinary army, and it is basically the most elite unit in Valoran, and no legion can match it.

Even the warbands led by the Hand of Noxus, who were personally appointed by Darkwell, were far from being able to touch the threshold of the dreadnought.

If you compare it with the Iron Regiment, a powerful knight order that Kamavia fought in all directions thousands of years ago and performed outstanding feats, even if it is led by the Grand Master Hekarim himself, it cannot be compared with this elite.

Although the six companies had less than 800 men, these elites cooperated with each other and were more than enough to defeat any of the neighboring countries around Demacia.

Regardless of casualties and supplies, with the strength of six dreadnought vanguard companies, several Noxian infantry regiments of 2,000 men on the plains were enough to hold out for several days, and the enemy lost at least two battle regiments.

The reason why Noxus has not been able to conquer Demacia in the past few hundred years is that in addition to the long distance and the fact that Debang is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is also a fearless vanguard regiment that is terrifying.

The only defeat of the Dreadnought Vanguard on home was at the Battle of Valdez a hundred years ago:

The Emperor Gavin I was forced to break through the defense of the warbands by the Noxian warlord Sain, strangling the first King Gavin to death.

Jiawen III was willing to send six dreadnought vanguard companies to support, and nearly half of the dreadnought vanguard corps could be regarded as his heart.

"If you want, we can also draw an army of ordinary soldiers......"

As soon as Persivir spoke, he was directly interrupted by Ahri: "We have already discussed this topic last time, the expedition to the Shadow Isle is not an ordinary war, and what we need to deal with is the undead cursed undead.

"Ordinary soldiers, in terms of strength, psychological quality, or equipment, are far inferior to the soldiers of the fearless vanguard, and sending them to the Isle of Shadows is no different from sending them to death in vain."

Percivel pursed his lips in silence and said no more.

Ahri continued, "However, six companies are enough...... We are allies, and I will not put you in danger for my own sake. ”

Hearing her say this, Gavin III, Barrett, and Persivel were visibly relieved.

"You're too serious, Miss Ahri." "You have taken care of Demacia for hundreds of years, but we have nothing to reciprocate, and even now we cannot do our best to help you restore your country...... I was ashamed. ”

"I should be the one who is ashamed." Ahri said softly, "It should have been the responsibility of our Sentinels of Light to let the soldiers of your state make up for the mistakes of Fuguang Island. ”

"You've put too much weight on your shoulders, Miss Ahri." Barrett couldn't help but sigh, "It's really a good person to be friends with the Flying Wing Sisters." ”

Afterwards, Gavin III stood up and beckoned to the woman behind him: "Tiana." ”

As soon as she heard the king's shout, Tiana immediately straightened her waist and stood solemnly, and responded sternly: "Your subordinates are here!" ”

"Pass my order to transfer the 1st Company and the 8th to 12th Companies of the Dreadnought Vanguard, led by you, and strive to assemble by tomorrow evening."

"Obey!"

Accepting the order, Tiana walked straight out of the council hall.

Seeing Tiana leave, Jiawen III's gaze quickly skimmed over the people on the left, and finally stopped on Ahri, "Miss Ahri, do you need me to send someone to take you and you back to the room?" ”

Ahri turned his eyes to look at Josh, and then glanced at Ruiz, who had been silent, "No, we still have something to do, and we need to go to the Forbidden Demon Stone Forest." ”

"Forbidden Demon Stone Forest? What to do there? Percivel wondered, "Except for the occasional patrol of the Rangers, there is not even a single bird or beast in the Forbidden Demon Stone Forest, and there is not a single family within a hundred miles. ”

Jiawen III's face changed slightly, and he cleared his throat and stopped: "Ahem...... Miss Persivel, Miss Ahri has her own intentions, so don't ask too much. ”

As he spoke, he gave Percivel a warning look.

Warned by Gavin III, Persivel realized that the issue seemed to involve some secrets of the royal family and the Sentinels of Light, which even his own level could not touch.

There was a faint suspicion in his mind, but he hurriedly shook off the thought that made him tremble and uneasy.

"I see...... I'm sorry. ”

……

……

The night was dark, and the silvery tulle shrouded the sleeping gray-white city, and the whole capital was silent.

There is no curfew in the males, but in a country that can almost be described as medieval times, the night is used to make up for the fatigue of the day, and no one will be idle and go out in the middle of the night.

The two carriages, escorted by the guards, departed through the side gate on the north side and disappeared into the dark moonlit night.

Xiongdu is not far from the Forbidden Demon Stone Forest, after all, when the city was first established, a large number of Forbidden Demon Stone Tree materials were needed.

When the ancestors of Demacia were still only tribal for hundreds of years, the productivity was very scarce, and those materials were all transported with the help of themselves and the remnants of Fuguang Island, so naturally they would not be too far apart.

In just over an hour, the gray-white towering trees that rose from the ground blocked the way of the carriage.

The gray-and-white stone trees covered with annual rings are twenty or thirty meters tall and several meters in diameter, and this is only the edge.

The closer it was to the center, the more exaggerated the proportions of the Forbidden Demon Stone Tree became, often more than ten meters in diameter and at least hundreds of meters high.

The trees on the edge are nothing compared to each other.

Josh and Ahri are led by Ruiz and weave through the relatively dense stone forest.

Gwen and Sindra stayed in the carriage, which was also Ryze's request, to try not to let more people know where the world's runes were hidden.

Since magic is basically unusable here, even if it is forcibly urged, it can obtain light, but the consumption is too much to sustain for long, and the three of them can only hold a lantern burning grease for lighting.

The rustle of the lemon leaves adds a different tune to this silent jungle with only the hustle and bustle of the breeze.

[Is this the Forbidden Demon Stone Forest?] Runicia said, "There's a weirdness I can't put into words...... It also limits my perception of the outside world as it seems to be alive but not alive...... I hate that feeling. 】

Hearing her say this, Josh also had doubts in his heart, and asked, "Isn't the Forbidden Demon Stone Tree a fossil tree?" Why are there leaves? ”

Ahri stared down at the sparse fallen leaves on the ground, then looked up at the branches, and a little surprise appeared on his face, "I remember when I first came here, there were no leaves growing here......

"The last time I visited, there weren't any branches or leaves growing here."

Ruiz paused, walked over to a stone tree, and pressed his hand to what looked like a dead trunk, his eyes closed, holding his breath.

It didn't take long for him to open his eyes in surprise, "There is actually the magic of the world runes inside...... It was the resolute force that gave birth to these lives! ”

(End of chapter)