(Add more for the "Huo Zhen is good" brother [14/20])

The distance from the Shadow Valley to the Black Flame Pass is actually not far, the distance in a straight line is only thirty kilometers, but the road is very winding.

Inheriting the complex and varied terrain near the Barren Mountain, this path requires passing through two cliffs and climbing a spiral mountain path with a drop of at least 130 meters before it can truly enter the Dark Mountain area.

This terrain is clearly not naturally generated, according to Kudel, it was bombarded by the Bitten King with hundreds of meteorites more than a hundred years ago, and the local psionic energy is notoriously unstable.

In particular, the surge of psionic tides in the Dark Mountains that accompanies the occurrence of the Black Plague makes it challenging to perform large-scale psionic spells in this area.

It's been like this for many years, which fully shows that this area is "not serious"!

Murphy speculated that it might have something to do with the destruction of Eden during the Golden Age, but he couldn't come up with any more evidence.

However, the imaginary situation of the Blood Alliance vampires lying in the defense line in broad daylight did not appear, and when the carriage was close to the Black Flame Mountain Pass five kilometers, the knights of the Blood Alliance Knights appeared.

These guys aren't vampires.

Although in the common saying on the mainland, these ordinary people who serve the Knights of the Blood Alliance are similar to "Blood Servants", Murphy knows that no one in the Knights of the Blood Alliance will use this word to describe these servants.

Judging from some of the information disclosed by Paliano before, the Blood Alliance clan under the leadership of Lord Pa Ying does not take the initiative to recruit servant troops, and these mortal military organizations that are attached to the existence of the Blood Alliance Knights are all "admired".

Especially some elite soldiers, their ancestors can even follow until the first Black Plague broke out.

Lord Pa Ying saved their ancestors, and the brave who had lost everything in the war and swore revenge on the Dark Plague followed the Blood Alliance Knights to the Dark Mountains, and the three Dark Plagues that followed grew in number.

Especially the most terrible fourth black plague, the king of biting bones overturned most of the continent, and the cruel war created a lot of "avengers".

This has brought the number of followers of the Blood Alliance Knights to a new high, and it is said that it still maintains the scale of nearly 50,000 people in more than 30 war groups.

The selection of recruits for the Knights of the Blood Alliance will also first select the elite from these servants, but since they are not blood servants in the conventional sense, these brave people naturally do not have a distorted belief that becoming a vampire is the glory of life.

Many of them do not actively seek eternal life, but see themselves as warriors of the vampire legions.

They followed Lord Pa Ying to fight the gnolls in the dark mountains all year round, and the battle was so brave and crazy that the gnolls were a little afraid of these guys, and they called the group of servants who fought with the vampires "Pa Ying's dogs".

But as the saying goes, being insulted by the enemy is the best compliment.

From this point of view, the Knights of the Blood Alliance is indeed not simple.

In fact, many people on the continent will praise these mortals as "warriors", and they believe that these warriors who dare to fight in the dark mountains all year round are a symbol of glory for all the races on the continent.

Of course, with the super personality charm of Lord Pa Ying, there must be more than humans in his army, for example, among the knights who came to escort the "distinguished guest" to the defense line, there were several dwarves riding black goats and an elven archer with a scar on his face.

They wore uniform chain mail, and over the chain mail were the robes of the Blood Alliance Knights, the emblem of a bloody spear, symbolizing the eternal death of Lord Pa Ying and his holy spear.

There are also people with battle flags.

The battle flag was worn out but not because it was not well maintained, in fact, Murphy could see at a glance that the tattered battle flag was full of traces of battle.

It is a kind of inheritance of faith, representing the army in front of them from the bottom of their hearts to support the ideas they have and the glory of war.

There were not many people in front of him, but the combination of the murderous momentum of the twenty knights made Maxim, who was drowsy from the sun, wake up.

This Blood General seems to see a model for the future of his army!

This was the heroic posture of the Kadman People's Army that he wanted to see, silent, resilient and deadly.

"Lord Heather is already waiting for your guests on the defensive line, Governor Murphy and General Maxim please come with us, the battle with the small group of gnolls on the position yesterday, there is chaos there, and I hope you don't mind."

The leader of this group of knights is a human female knight, judging by her height and size, she should be a Nord, she can't see her face clearly with her battle helmet, but you can tell from the spiked war hammer behind her back that this is a real warrior.

She spoke politely, in a gentle and non-revertentious tone, to Murphy in the carriage.

Obviously, she didn't really think that the vampire governor from Transencia was a so-called "guest", and she probably felt that Murphy's arrival would only interfere with the operation of the defenses.

But Murphy wasn't offended.

On the contrary, he mobilized with interest the energy of desire to listen to the thoughts of the army around him.

Well, it seems that they think they can defend the Black Flame Pass without assistance, and there are still a few people who praise the handsomeness and handsomeness of the governor.

But you say I'm a sissy, and I can't stand it.

If it weren't for the fact that there was something serious today, I would have to ask you for the essence of swordsmanship here.

With this in mind, Murphy's carriage was escorted as fast as it approached the Black Flame Pass.

As a natural passage from the dark mountain range to the outside world, this pass is not really a flat road between the two mountains, in fact, the length of the pass is 17 kilometers, and it exists on the basis of a relatively flat terrain between the barren mountains on both sides of the tower.

As early as the expulsion of the first Black Plague, the civilization camp realized the strategic value of this mountain pass, so they built a castle and fortress here, from a high point it looks like a narrow "town" not a single line of defense, but the destruction of four black plagues has made this mountain pass full of ancient ruins.

The castle built after the First Black Plague has long since been destroyed, and only the ruins of the pedestal are now home to the Knights of the Blood Alliance, and the terrain has been further complicated by centuries of war attacks and repeated construction.

As the carriage reached a raised col, Murphy disembarked and used his telescope to take a closer look at the entire line of defense below.

He had to admit the strategic value of the Black Flame Pass, a terrain that made it seem steep to even a layman who knew nothing about warfare, and which had been built for hundreds of years to make it a real "hedgehog".

There are no less than a hundred spherical bunkers built on the ground alone, and the watchtowers built along the mountain and the walls form deadly crossfire platforms, and the small fortresses that are constantly being shaped directly change the original terrain of the Black Flame Pass.

It looks very cluttered, but it's actually staggered.

It's like an "abstract artwork" that a heavy tower defense player spent a night showing off ten bottles of expired wine.

One thing is certain, though.

If Murphy's 3,000 men had come to attack the pass, they would have died in deadly fire before they could break through the second line of defense.

"How many people are on this line?"

Murphy put away his binoculars and asked the commander of the Hu Cong Army beside him with a gesture of amazement.

The latter replied briefly:

"There are 13,000 people in the nine main warbands of the Blood Alliance, as well as 20,000 recruits, and all the second lord regiments of the Blood Alliance Knights are stationed here, 140 people from the Silver Blood Clan, 2,530 Black Iron Squires, and one from Lord Heather, the Golden Commander.

There is also an artillery regiment of brass dwarves and a ranger unit of forest elves.

The Black Flame Pass is strategically located like a Brass Fortress, but because the terrain here is not even a brass dwarf can shape a city on a large scale, it cannot form a scale like a Brass Fortress. ”

At this point, the Nord-woman warrior with the helmet glanced at Murphy, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

This sentiment was quickly captured by Murphy, who said:

"You are an excellent soldier, you have guarded here all the year round to protect the peace of the mainland, a hero like you does not have to be restrained in front of me, Your Excellency, you can say whatever you want."

"Okay then."

In the quiet effect of the energy of desire, the female warrior with the rank of captain finally spoke the true thoughts in her heart, she said:

"I heard you've built a line of defense in the Valley of the Shadows? IMHO, there is no need for that!

Just let your soldiers come directly to the Black Flame Pass, we still have a position here that can be left for them, if the Black Flame Pass is lost, it will be impossible for you to stop the gnolls in the Shadow Valley, so it is better to join forces than to disperse the forces. ”

"Well, very good advice."

Murphy nodded, but then he shook his head and said:

"Your suggestion is based on the fact that the Black Flame Pass can hold back the main forces of the sluggish enemy, but if the Black Flame Pass is destroyed in this battle. I mean, I don't think the scale of this Black Plague will be smaller than last time, you should know that the last time the Lord of the Bites only took fifteen days to destroy this place.

We must form a second line of defense in the Valley of the Shadows, ma'am, to prevent the worst.

In the worst-case scenario, the Valley of Shadows can at least provide you with a place of refuge from the tragedy of the Fourth Black Calamity.

I admire the courage of more than 10,000 people who died overnight in battle 110 years ago, including many famous people on the continent, but if they had prepared early, they might have been able to retain more of their vitality. ”

"During the Fourth Black Plague, the defense of the Black Flame Pass was almost like a child's toy compared to now!"

The female warrior with the helmet retorted disdainfully:

"Lord Pa Ying has been trying to strengthen the system here since the end of the last Black Plague, and in the past hundred years, we have increased the number of forts by five times, dug out hidden caves and storage rooms in the ground, and enough food for tens of thousands of people to eat for several months has been in place.

Brass dwarves and halflings transported enough munitions to blow up the mountain.

I don't mean to despise your military qualities, Governor Murphy, but we can stay here until we die of old age! ”

"Of course, of course, you have the capital."

Murphy shrugged his shoulders and said:

"I'm not a professional soldier and commander, and I have no intention of arguing with you in your area of expertise, Ms. Heather, I've just never heard of you having this hobby? Are you pretending to be like this, and you're here to test the gold content of me, the governor of Transnesia? ”

"Huh?"

The Nord warrior with the helmet still wanted to play dumb.

However, in Murphy's faint gaze, she let out a nasal voice of disdain, and a runestone flash on her wrist revealed her true appearance.

Just like Marshal Loren, a short half-man.

But Lady Heather, the second lord of the Blood Pact Knights, was much more handsome than Loren's small-minded dwarf.

A delicate plate armor of brass dwarves covered his body, angular armor shaped into a goat's head on his shoulders, and a seamlessly fitting way of wearing it made Lord Heather look like a short man made of steel.

Her dwarven-style overlay helmet, as legend has it, with only a V-shaped observation hole at the eye, and two carefully shaped horns on top of it, which look intimidating.

Lord Heather is a shield warrior.

Her weapon is a two-sided shield, which sounds strange, but the round shield behind her back is a terrifying structure with edged blades, and with the deadly flying shield skills of the shield warriors, this thing can quickly bounce back from enemies to create terrifying damage, not to mention that the powerful shield warriors are almost impenetrable in defensive mode.

Exaggerated rumors say that a Gold-tier shield warrior like Lady Heather is guaranteed to exhaust his opponent in a battle of the same rank.

Truth be told, if it weren't for Lord Heather's plate armor covered with the robes of the Blood Alliance Knights, Murphy would have thought this guy was a pure dwarf and not a dwarven vampire.

Well, the words dwarf and vampire feel very awkward just to put together, and the descendants of Mother Earth will not allow themselves to be molded into such a depraved posture after death.

As a result, the number of dwarven vampires is the lowest of all vampires, and according to Tracy, there are no more than two hundred dwarven vampires in the entire continent, and Lord Heather is undoubtedly the most well-known of this unique group.

The story about her is a secret.

Even among the Knights of the Blood Alliance, few people know why Lord Heather would accept Lord Pa Ying's first embrace as a vampire.

It's a taboo for her.

At this point, after Lord Heather had taken off her disguise, she crossed her waist in a very unhappy gesture and looked up at Murphy, who was tall and had a damn smile.

She said:

"I've confirmed, as in Loren's letter, you're a complete military idiot! You have absolutely no way of understanding how strong the Black Flame Pass's defenses are, but I won't correct you either.

Murphy, Lord Pa Ying thinks highly of you, so if you really want to waste your time shaping your defenses in the Valley of the Shadows, you're up to you, but I have a request!

After I give the order, your soldiers will come to the defensive line to support!

Now that you're on the battlefield, you should smell gunpowder. ”

"Of course, this is up to you and my General Maxim to discuss, and I will not interfere."

In order to take care of the strange pride of the dwarves, Murphy crouched down and looked at Lord Heather under the satisfied gaze of Lord Heather.

He said:

"Since Marshal Loren has written to you, you should know why I came here, about the purchase of gold in Translancia"

"The first gold-burning powder from the Hoffman family is already on its way."

Lord Heather, in the straightforward style of the dwarves, spread his hands and said:

"It will be in your Crimson Keep in a week, so my nephew, the current head of the Hoffman family, has rented a halfling airship to complete the transport, and we can hand over the gold reserve to you at the lowest price, for you and your Triss to help the Frostdwarves recover the remains of their High Lord.

We dwarves have always had a clear grudge, and you've done great things, so you're a friend of our dwarves.

But friends belong to friends, and business should be done separately.

You pay for the lease of that airship

Well, my nephew rented it for about three months, and maybe you'll need it in the war.

The halfling airship is very useful, but unfortunately there are few of them, otherwise the defense line of the Black Flame Pass will be more stable. ”

"Well, I must express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart for your generosity, my dear Lord Heather."

Murphy's admiration this time was without exaggeration.

Although Lord Heather spoke very politely in front of her, her assistance to Trancia made the impression of the dwarf race in Murphy's heart suddenly full.

"Compared to you, Marshal Loren is really a third-rate dwarf, and he has not inherited the boldness that a dwarf should have, but this is not to blame him, after all, he is only half dwarven blood."

Murphy Says:

"If you have the opportunity in the future, you must visit the Crimson Keep, and I will treat you to a banquet with the highest level of VIP etiquette. Oh yes, Mark, get out the gift we brought to Lord Heather. ”

He called, and Maxim immediately took a case of wine from the carriage and placed it beside Lord Heather.

Murphy said proudly:

"This is a specialty of Translasia, we call it 'Flying Heaven' wine, and His Excellency Ilyich, the master craftsman of the Silver Dwarves, drank it and said yes! It's obviously a drink to your tastes, and it's Loren's damn short man who doesn't know anything."

"Wait! What did you just say? ”

Lord Heather, who had just picked up a bottle of wine, was still very happy, thinking that Murphy was quite good at it, but the "Dwarven Dignity Little Radar", which was turned on 24 hours a day, quickly caught a damn word that was enough to cause the anger of all dwarves.

The smile on Murphy's face froze at this moment.

Seeing that Heather had pulled out the round shield behind his back, the vampire governor coughed, and despite the fact that it was daytime, he spread his wings and flew into the air with a whoosh.

He shouted from afar:

"That. It occurred to me that I had another trip to Hungry Mountain, and that was a private matter, so I went first, Mark! You stay here and discuss military affairs with Lord Heather, and you must study modestly and learn two tricks from the lord. ”

"Smack"

High in the air, Murphy swung his molten sword to block the shield that Lord Heather smashed in anger below, and the counterattack of the Blood Alliance Clan's Sword of Sanction caused the round shield to bounce back to the ground along the path it had come, and was caught in Heather's hand.

Then this impact, Murphy had already flown into the sky and was no longer seen.

And on the ground, Lord Heather angrily yells at the dwarves' "native dialect" and vows to tear Murphy's mouth open, apparently because the damn title "short man" is too insulting for a dwarf.

Maxim: This will be numb to everyone next to him.

Murphy can run, he can't.

He had arrived on a military mission, and Maxim could only laugh dryly twice at the angry eyes under Lord Heather's helmet.

Fortunately, Heather was a vampire after all, and the blood of the Sin Descendants diluted her dwarven temperament, calming her down after a few bottles of alcohol.

The rumor is true, the lord will not take off his helmet even when he is drinking.

"Hey, you can actually block my flying shield with a blow of anger, it seems that you, Lord Murphy, have some skills."

A few minutes later, Lord Heather sat down on the wine crate and glanced at Maxim, who had been beaten but could still grit his teeth, and she whispered:

"No wonder the lord values him so much, tsk, at this age, this kind of strength, the future is immeasurable. You're not bad, when are you going to start the Silver Trial? Your berserk fighting style is similar to that of the dwarves, so do you need some advice?

For the sake of these wines. ”

(End of chapter)