According to the observation of Tzeentch, who can fly through the sky with the power of the magic disk, the swamp is an irregular rectangle. At its narrowest point, it is fifteen leagues away. If you want to cross the swamp, it will take about fifteen days. And this is the speed of those swamp dwellers who have lived in the swamp since childhood, and who know the way well.

The inhabitants of the swamp did not need to build a strong camp like the tribes of the steppe, because everyone knew that it was impossible for the enemy from outside to attack deep into the swamp. The environment of the swamp itself is their best defense, outperforming any towering walls.

Although the marsh is divided into several tribes, it has already worshiped a monarch. That is Nurgle's darling, the Lord of Chaos, known as the "Immortal Lord" Jakes. According to rumors, this Chaos Lord has ruled this swamp for more than a hundred years. Time alone had allowed him to accumulate enough prestige that as long as he did not die, the swamp tribes would be monolithic, and even the lord of treachery would not find a crack to exploit.

To the surprise of many, although the ruler of Perilous Peak, the Chaos Lord Astianna, has long wanted to defeat the Immortal Lord Jax and thus conquer the swamp. In reality, however, there is a close correspondence between the lower echelons of the two sides. This is not only because the two sides live next to each other, so it is naturally easier to communicate, but also because of the need for material exchanges between the two sides. The swamp produces a variety of specialties that are rarely seen in the outside world, and the swamp itself needs to import various materials from the outside. There is a great deal of interest in this exchange, even in the years when the two sides fought the most intensely.

As for recent years...... It's no secret that the Chaos Lord Astiana's aging has long been a secret. He also lost his former ambitions, so trade between the two sides not only did not decrease, but intensified.

So, the arrival of another Chaos Lord, namely Ashrufat, soon spread to the swamp.

On a relatively dry part of the swamp near the periphery, a village was built with a rudimentary fence. Instead of building a strong defensive fence in the swamp, it is just a fence against unwelcome beasts. The inhabitants did not live in tents, but in houses made of stone and wood. However, in terms of the architectural pattern of the tribe, it still retains the habits that are common throughout the Chaos Realm: in the center of the camp there is a large clearing for sacrifices and meetings.

This is the closest tribe to the outside world in the entire swamp. At this moment, the people of the tribe are gathering here to discuss the recent news from the outside world.

If an outsider was present, he would have expressed amazement at what he saw. For elsewhere in the Chaos Realm, it is rare to see so many people who possess the mark given by the Lord God, even if the mark is pathic and deformed. The influence of the Father of the Plague is so strong here that the mutations of several high-ranking people in the tribe have become quite severe, and even from some residual features of their bodies can only tell that they are (or have been) humans.

"Is that really the case...... Another Tzeentch Chaos Lord intent on conquering the swamp!"

"Astiana has become a coward who doesn't even dare to go to battle...... Speaking of which, aging is terrifying. He was our most feared enemy!"

"Now he's completely out of it...... However, the Chaos Lord named Ashruphat didn't seem to be very old, everyone said that he was only in his twenties, and no more than thirty at most. If he replaces Astiana, it means at least another twenty years...... It's possible to say thirty or forty years. ”

"But the number of his men is very small, it seems that there are no more than 10,000 people. This is far worse than the Astiana of the past. At the beginning, Astiana had tens of thousands of horses under his command. At the most, 50,000 troops were sent. By the way, I also heard that he doesn't even have a single official wizard with a magic disk, only a few apprentice-level wizards. ”

"The lord of deceit is also at a loss...... After all, Astiana is old, so even if he lacks strength, he can only send it first. Ha...... It looks like this time it might be able to win comfortably. If you follow the line, you can even directly capture the dangerous peak city. ”

"Wait, you're being careless. This Ashruphat was not simply Tzeentch's Chaos Lord, he had also been blessed by the Prince of Joy. Blessed by two gods at the same time...... This is rare. ”

"Even if he receives a hundred blessings, he only has an army of 10,000 men, what is there to fear? Even if Astiana lends him part of his army, he will not be able to command it in a short time. Not to mention that Astiana is just a coward now, hiding in the city all day and not coming out. How could he possibly lend his troops to this newcomer?"

The day after Ashrufat arrived in Dangerous Peak City, the relevant information had already reached the swamp. After two or three days of reconnaissance and confirmation, the information on Ashrufat's military strength and other information had been inquired quite clearly.

It must be noted that everyone spoke in a very relaxed tone. For everybody believed that this bastard lord called Ashruphat would never succeed. As mentioned earlier, after such a long time, it has been proven that not a single army has been able to attack deep into the swamp, so the initiative in the war is actually in the hands of the Nurgle believers. They are able to choose whether to fight or not, or even when to go to war.

"Report the information to Lord Jakes. Finally, someone spoke. "At the same time, we can take the initiative...... At the foot of Dangerous Peak City, completely defeat the ambitions of the Tzeentch believers. Let them come over with a new Chaos Lord!"

This last sentence caused a round of cheers. Due to the weak fighting spirit of Astiana, the two sides have experienced a long enough period of peace. Perhaps Astiana had extinguished her ambitions and didn't want to fight, but on the swamp side, the desire to fight grew by the day. Well, if it weren't for the fact that Astiana had taught them enough lessons in the previous battle, perhaps they would have taken the initiative to attack a long time ago.

"No, I think it's better to wait and see for a while. When the cheers were over, there were old and serious people who objected. "Speaking of which, I have a slight suspicion that this is a ruse by that old thing in Astiana. ”

Immediately there was silence. Several times in the past twenty years, the forces of the Father of Plague have been lured out of the swamp by Astiana and have taken the initiative. Each time they thought that "there was something to be taken advantage of", but each time, under the trickery of Astiana, they suffered heavy losses. Now, the inhabitants of the swamp have been terrified by Astiana, especially the older Nurgle, whose memories of defeat have not yet faded.

Even if it was no secret that Astianna was aging and incompetent today, Immortal Juggernaut Jax still didn't dare to take the initiative to attack Dangerous Peak City.

"Is this that old fellow in Astiana's trap?"

"Possibly. Those who believe in Tzeentch have always been known for their treachery. Someone else said. "If it's the Astiana guy...... Even if it took him ten years to disguise and set a trap, it wouldn't be surprising. ”

"Hmm...... And that makes sense......"

"Anyway, we're invincible, and that old guy won't live for a few years, so let's wait patiently and make sure he's dead. ”

"What about the new Ashrufat?" someone asked.

"Just ignore it for now. Someone else replied. "Whoever it is, it's impossible to break into the swamp anyway. However, if he quickly left Dangerous Peak City and approached the edge of the swamp, then the chances of this being a trap were slim. ”

"Well, that's it, let's write it down and give it to Lord Jakes. ”

It was late winter and early spring, and unlike in the south, almost the entire Chaos Territory was still covered in a thick layer of snow during this season, with the exception of a few areas. Unfortunately, this swamp is one of these "very few areas". The swamp does not freeze in winter. It is true that winter can be the greatest danger of the swamp, that is, the miasma is greatly suppressed, but it makes up for this in another way: the temperature of the swamp water is reduced. Even swamp dwellers can't trude through cold water for long periods of time. In fact, this period of time is the most unfavorable time of the year for the entire swamp for action. The swamp dwellers themselves have also significantly reduced the range of their activities.

Soon after, elsewhere in the swamp, relevant information was quickly delivered. It didn't take long for all the followers of the Father of the Plague living in the swamp to learn that a new Tzeentch Chaos Lord had arrived. The new Tzeentch Chaos Lord is named Aeshurufat, a young man. Its direct forces are not strong, and they need to be controlled by the city of Dangerous Peaks and supported by Astiana's subordinates. In addition, information from further afield said that this Chaos Lord should have just been promoted, and his ability had yet to be proven, and his qualifications were not enough to convince the public. It is said that he was not the type to go through the trials and battles that finally won the approval of the gods, but was temporarily promoted to succeed the Chaos Lord Astiana.

Although it is said that as a Chaos Lord, his ability is naturally not too bad, but then again, they are both Chaos Lords, and there are differences between them. Compared to Jacks, the immortal lord who has lived for hundreds of years and has long been a legend, this new Chaos Lord is deservedly despised by the people. All of a sudden, the followers of the Father of the Plague were ready to move. If it weren't for the fear that this was an elaborate conspiracy by Astiana, perhaps the followers of Nurgle would have already begun to take action.

Deep in the swamp, there is a rare piece of flat land with slightly higher ground. Such terrain naturally abounds in the steppes and is worthless, but in the swamps it is a rare item. Of course, such a plot of land would never be wasted by the tribes of the swamp, and a large village was built on this flat land.

In the village, there is a building that is clearly different. As we all know, due to the limitations of terrain and materials, it is difficult to build any magnificent buildings in the marshland, so this three-story stone tower is particularly eye-catching. It's hard to say exactly what style of the building is, or who made it, but such a building, from the eyes of the swamp dwellers, is really suitable for a big man to live in.

In fact, it is also true.

At this time, a person was standing in front of the stone tower.

The man was wearing no helmet, and was wearing simple armor - not Chaos armor, but relatively crude armor, and it was clear that part of this armor was once a piece of Chaos armor (or pieces) that had been modified by human hands to become like this. The only thing that stands out is a tattoo on his shoulder. The tattoo is a blood-colored rune of Chaos, signifying that he has signed a contract with the Chaos Gods.