chsdbacks Chapter 113 Fortress Background
Chapter 113 Fortress Background
Standing before the gates of Night Tide Fortress, Richard watched the figures bustling about. He felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
This is clearly my own territory, yet I'm being greeted by someone else's butler?
The heavy castle gates, long unopened, were now ajar, with several fully armed private soldiers standing beside them, their silver armor gleaming coldly in the hazy sunlight. Beside them stood the butler in a tailcoat, his posture upright and impeccably precise.
When they saw Yekaterin walking slowly towards them, their faces instantly lit up with ingratiating smiles, clearly having received instructions from Leonardo.
"Welcome, Miss Yekaterin."
The butler bowed slightly, his voice perfectly gentle, "A journey with gray snow must be arduous. Hot soup and music have been prepared in the castle. Please come in and rest."
As if he had a precise people recognition system, he locked onto Yekalin at a glance and stepped forward to respectfully remove the snow-covered fur cloak from her shoulders.
That grey snow was no ordinary white snow; once it melted, it would leave stains that couldn't be washed off. The steward was clearly aware of this and handed it over to the servants behind him to take care of.
"Lead the way." Yekalin's voice was calm and indifferent.
Although she and Richard had visited Nightsweet Castle twice, they had only lingered on the outer walls and had never set foot inside the fortress.
Not to mention the news she heard from the servants of the Duke of the North.
Two days ago, the craftsmen who were supposed to come to repair Night Tide Castle were intercepted by Leonardo's men on their way.
So they stole the job and did the final cleanup for me?
Richard pondered this matter in his mind, but instead of feeling much anger, he felt a little amused.
If these people want to do the work, then let them. Anyway, once the party is over, they'll just pack up and leave, leaving behind a brand-new fortress, without me having to put in any effort.
Looking at the castle before him, now stripped of its former dilapidation and radiating exquisite beauty, Richard's pent-up resentment vanished in an instant.
Leonard, despite his reputation, is a good man. He repaired the fortress for free and didn't charge a penny. It was just a small matter of borrowing the place to hold a party.
Richard was completely unaware that Leonard was mistaking his team of artisans for the men that Yekaterin had arranged for him in advance...
Meanwhile, the eldest son of the Duke of Donghai was secretly delighted in the castle, feeling that his infatuation had finally been reciprocated.
Tsk, but Richard was unaware of the increasingly disgusting things about men with their lower bodies.
Before coming here for this party.
Richard has already spent some time catching up on his knowledge in Stormwind's underground library plaza.
Night Tide Fortress, a new generation of fortresses, doesn't count!
Five hundred years ago, a fortress in the world beyond the walls. Before the giant walls were fully completed.
Humans rely on these numerous fortresses, large and small, scattered across the wild, to resist insect swarms.
They have made indelible contributions to humanity's survival in this world.
Richard pondered the historical background and significance of these border fortresses.
The purpose of building the Great Wall was to create vast basic farmlands and pastures for humankind.
This massive project actually lasted for nearly fifty years. During that time, large numbers of insectoid beasts would frequently attack the construction teams building the giant wall.
The first King of Gil, the Knight of Dio, ordered the construction of these sturdy castles and fortresses, which allowed them to hold out until the day the giant walls were completely sealed off.
Unfortunately, five hundred years later...
Centered on New Rome, this was a city within the walls, a place where humanity pinned its hopes for a better life. It gradually evolved into a white behemoth that devoured humanity.
Those battle-hardened fortresses and strongholds, having been abandoned and neglected for five hundred years, have long been buried in the gray snow of the northern snowfields.
Night Tide Fortress is an example. It's merely a creation of the nobility within the inner world, made to alleviate infighting among their descendants... and to address the excessive consumption of their population...
It also has some historical significance.
However, these places that were replicas of the battles fought by their ancestors eventually became playgrounds for the descendants of nobles to play and have fun.
I'll stop complaining about this magical world.
Now is clearly not the time for reminiscing about the past. Such melodramatic and tragic storylines are obviously not something many people enjoy discussing.
If it weren't for the fact that I stumbled upon the Duke of Birmingham's diary in the underground library plaza of the Duke's mansion.
Even if Richard begged Yekaterin to read it to him, he could never have known about these long-forgotten pieces of information and history.
They entered a passageway made of obsidian.
On the stone walls of the passage, one can see everywhere the marks of sword and axe cuts and sickle imprints left by the fierce battle of yesteryear.
Richard easily deduced that these traces of battle must have been left when the Silverwing Swarm Insects attacked Nightsweep Keep.
I never imagined that this newly built abandoned fortress would repeat the mistakes of its predecessors.
Both the outer city walls and the internal protective measures have suffered invasions and fierce attacks from insects and beasts.
The most ridiculous thing is that its ultimate fate was no different from that of its predecessors.
The traces of the fierce battle spread all the way to the depths of the fortress... In the end, the entire Night Tide Fortress was abandoned.
After walking several dozen meters through the passage, Richard made another discovery.
Among those dimly glowing jade lamps, there were quite a few brighter new ones mixed in.
Clearly, that Mr. Leonardo really went all out for this party.
Not only did they specially open up temporary roads and repair the castle, but they also donated so many glowing insect jade lamps.
Despite its seemingly unrefined name, the "Insect Jade Lamp" is actually a special type of insect. It sustains itself by feeding on attached rocks or through photosynthesis.
Although these insects only have the potential of first and second tiers, the sheer number deployed is overwhelming.
Richard couldn't help but sigh, "That duke's son is truly incredibly arrogant."
We finally arrived at the main hall of the gathering.
Before Yekalin could even get close...
A dusty gray skull suddenly flew toward Richard behind her.
Richard reacted extremely quickly, reaching out and catching it without being hit.
Upon closer inspection, these should be the heads of those who died in the Nightsurge Fortress during the Silverwing Insect-hunting attack...
Richard wasn't given much time to think.
A burst of enthusiastic applause immediately filled the hall.
"Yekarin, your guards are incredibly skilled!"
Yekalin said nothing. She walked into the hall with a cold face and glanced at everyone present.
Richard followed closely behind, his gaze sweeping across the room. He spotted a group of heavily made-up young men and women.
They were dressed in magnificent aristocratic attire, sitting on soft sofas and frolicking freely.
The long table was laden with a sumptuous array of exquisite meats, desserts, and drinks.
The room's extravagance and liveliness completely fell silent under Yekaterin's gaze with her four-eyed double pupils.
Leonardo DiCaprio, with his blond hair, laughed heartily, seemingly realizing that his previous behavior had been somewhat impolite.
But he didn't intend to apologize; he was just trying to smooth things over and save face.
"Haha, I thought I was going to scare you!"
He said this to Yekaterin, but a shadow of gloom swirled in his eyes.
But he stared intently at Richard.