The Boulder Mountain Range is a majestic mountain with undulating peaks, and a white line on the top of the mountain stretches for tens of thousands of miles. The Boulder Fortress was built on a narrow mountain pass and made of limestone, as if it had grown with the mountain range without leaving a single gap.

Victor and his party walked through the lush mixed forest at the foot of the mountain, stepped on the evergreen meadows all year round, climbed the gentle slope, and met the owner of the giant stone fortress, the King of Naville, His Majesty Rex.

He tore off his bearskin cloak that was fluttering in the wind, led Naville's four golden knights, and hurried up to meet him. He greeted with a hearty smile: "Cousin Victor, I told you that you would do it as soon as possible.

It’s true that we came to help.”

Victor smiled and patted Rex's shoulder armor, jokingly: "Are you using my reputation to make a bet with the Highnesses of the Stone Fortress? Then I will share half of the bet you win."

Rex held out three fingers and said seriously: "According to the rules of the Na'vi people, I can only give you 30%."

The two immediately laughed, and their highnesses greeted each other. After some greetings, Rex led the four legendary strongmen to the main entrance of the giant stone fortress. The soldiers on the tower pushed the winch, and the fine iron chains clanked and creaked.

Amidst the creaking sound, the gate made of red copper and fine iron slowly rose five meters high.

Everyone filed in. When Caligula entered, his movements were as fast as lightning, and he even ducked his neck, as if he was afraid that the heavy gate would suddenly fall and smash him into a pulp.

There are no buildings visible behind the city gate. It is just a natural valley corridor, dark and humid, with no sunlight. Instead, there are artificial shooting platforms dug and built on the steep cliffs on both sides, nearly a hundred meters above the ground. There are regular intervals above.

, equipped with a crossbow with a downward-firing barrel, and soldiers holding heavy crossbows patrolling back and forth on the platform.

When Victor withdrew his gaze, Rex pointed to the cliffs on the left and right and another city gate in front, and introduced quite proudly: "This is the famous Door of Death in the Stone Fortress. The canyon is 14 kilometers long, and there are 5 death gates in total.

Gate. If the orc army in the northern wilderness attacks the giant stone fortress, the garrison on the first line of defense will pull up the gate, let a group of monsters in, and then close the gate. The archers on both sides will fire thousands of arrows, making it impossible for them to escape.

The five Doors of Death once strangled tens of thousands of monsters, leaving the defenders unscathed."

"The last time my cousin visited Nahuel, he didn't have time to inspect the Stone Fortress. This time, you witnessed the most powerful pass in the human kingdom with your own eyes."

"The Stone Fortress has five doors of death?" Victor asked in disbelief.

"Haha, the cost of building the Stone Fortress is so cheap that you won't believe it. This can be considered a miracle." Rex said with a smile.

Victor looked at the dark green cliff covered with slippery moss and said thoughtfully: "This canyon... couldn't have been man-made, right?"

"It is the masterpiece of an ancient wizard."

Howard continued: "It is said that the great wizard of the ancient city-state of Ayr used extraordinary means to break through the boulder mountains in order to connect the city-state of Ayr with the northern wilderness. At that time, the northern wilderness was a civilized place belonging to the human kingdom."

"1,200 years ago, this canyon was an important passage between the El Theocracy and the Iron Mountain Empire. With the fall of the Iron Mountain Empire, the Rex family, with the help of the church, built five Death Doors, which ensnared and killed several people.

Tens of thousands of orc monsters. Later, the orcs learned to be wise and no longer went to the door of death to die."

The first gate fell heavily to the ground, and the light in the entire passage became even dimmer. Rex followed Victor's gaze, looked back, and explained: "There is an iron law in the Death Gate of the Stone Fortress, starting from the north.

To the south, only one gate opens; from south to north, five gates open together."

Howard smiled and said: "This is the agreement between Ancestor Testir and Ancestor Rex. One day, the Knights of Radiance will regain the homeland of mankind, the Rex family will go northward, troops will leave the giant stone fortress, and five doors of death will open at the same time...

...It seems that the agreement made by our ancestors will fall on the two of us."

Rex chuckled and said: "It is an honor for you and me to witness the removal of Death's Door."

More than three years ago, Testir personally lobbied King Rex to invite Lord Naville's troops to come out of the Stone Fortress to jointly deal with the Sidonian Centaurs. However, the size of the Naville Kingdom is less than one-third of the Sasanian Empire.

Falling into the quagmire of a pioneering war in advance will inevitably bring down the entire kingdom. Rex flatly rejected Testiel's invitation to send troops, and only agreed to exchange iron materials for food from the Sasan Empire to ensure that the kingdom could digest the more than 700,000 refugee population.

.

Although the Na'vi people were doing great work in developing agriculture, animal husbandry and water conservancy, at this moment, Rex never expected that the centaurs, who were good at guerrilla warfare, would actually run to the west en masse to confront the main force of the Sasanian Empire and the Knights of Radiance.

.Now, nearly 200,000 people from Nahuel, Suss, Borui, and the elite cavalry of the Lant Empire, plus the main force of the Inquisition and the Templar Knights, have gathered at the Stone Fortress, preparing to take the retreat of the Centaur army. This is equivalent to

When the southeastern countries opened up the northern wilderness for the Na'vi people, Rex's attitude changed 180 degrees.

This is why King Naville and several of his highnesses ran outside the Stone Fortress to greet the chief and deputy captains of the Radiant Knights, but the golden knights of Boruitonsus were nowhere to be seen.

The southern countries really didn't have much enthusiasm for this war.

Testir turned to Victor and smiled: "The northern wilderness is vast and boundless, and it is the homeland of the human kingdom. The lord of the Kingdom of Cambis intends to expand northward, and I support it."

If the elves had not summoned the forest men and horses and the mountain dwarves, and the world was showing signs of great changes, the lords of Gombis would be very interested in opening up territory in the northern wilderness. Now, the Kingdom of Gombis is eager to occupy the Jinshui River natural barrier.

The Southern Continent made great achievements.

In fact, Testir was just expressing his attitude and talking, and he should not take it seriously. Because any southern lord who expands his territory in the northern wilderness will inevitably be integrated into the Sasan Empire, Iron Mountain Royal Family and Na'vier Kingdom over time.

The Northland political circle can no longer be counted as the lords and nobles of the country.

Now no family is willing to spread its strength.

"I will consider it in the future." Victor said with a smile. In another twenty years, his fleet will be able to go north along the coastline, land on the east coast of the northern wilderness, and establish a colony of the Gombis Empire, and

The feudal centralization system will ensure the effective control of the colonies by the imperial center. At least, it is much more effective than the feudal system.

Passing through five dangerous doors of death in succession, the scenery suddenly opened up. The canyon surrounded by mountains is bathed in soft sunshine, mountain streams and waterfalls merge into soothing rivers, and there are golden wheat fields on both sides. Countless farmers are working hard to harvest with sickles.

Full ears of spelled wheat. Wheat fields surround a town without walls and trenches. The buildings inside are all neat, simple, practical barracks, warehouses and craftsman workshops that emphasize capacity and sturdiness. War horses neigh and soldiers shuttle

, this is basically a large military camp with complete facilities.

At the far end of the military camp stands a peculiar building with a striking tower-like cylinder that spits out a stream of light blue smoke unique to charcoal burning.

Testir stopped to watch from a distance, and after a moment, he said: "Your Majesty Rex, the giant brick kilns have been built here..."

Rex laughed loudly and responded: "The Nahuel Mine has a small number of people. Only with the iron bricks invented by Centaur Hills can we quickly build fortifications and fortified towns in the northern wilderness."

Testir turned his head and said to Victor: "If the Sasan Empire had purchased the brick-making technology of the brick kiln in the Centaurs Hills earlier, maybe I wouldn't have to light the red smoke beacon."

Victor shrugged his shoulders and said, "The situation in this war will be different."

Turnance interjected: "Hurry up and don't keep His Majesty Clement waiting."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and walked first towards the church in the center of the military camp. Victor led his entourage and followed him.

Outside the church, several high-level knights with powerful auras were already waiting outside. One of them, a knight wearing the church's standard mithril armor, stepped out from the crowd, saluted the two Testirs solemnly, and said: "Inquisition, Lai

St. Trigoval pays tribute to Grand Commander Testir and Deputy Commander Testir."

Before the two leaders of the Radiant Knights had time to return the favor, Turnans said faintly "Hmm" next to them.

The paladin with deep facial features and sinister eyes had no choice but to salute him.

"Brother Lester Tregoval, may the light of our Lord illuminate your direction."

The bald paladin looked solemn like an archbishop and introduced Victor: "Your Highness Randall, this is the chief of the Inquisition, Brother Lester of the Trigoval family... Oh, it's Your Excellency... Lester.

His Excellency Trigoval."

"His Royal Highness Randall made extraordinary military exploits by killing three gold-level orc leaders on his own at the Eastern Defense Line. On behalf of the Inquisition, I pay high respect to His Highness. May the supreme Lord of Glory favor you." Trigoval

The stern facial lines were like the spring breeze melting the frozen soil, and he said with a warm smile.

The Inquisition has the power to punish clergy and secular lords. The small lords and small nobles were so shocked that they did not dare to mention Trigoval's name even in private gatherings, and only used the title of Chief Judge. However, with Victor's current status

, he clearly felt that the functions of the tribunal were more and more in line with the needs of the great nobles.

The most obvious example is that in order to increase the political influence of the Randall family and borrow the magical power of the church, Victor spent huge sums of money to build Randall Cathedral. Both the monastery and the templars sent people to settle in Randall Cathedral.

In the church, only the Inquisition has not seen any movement. It seems that unless there is an unconcealable witch incident in Randall Territory, the Inquisition will not send people to Randall Cathedral permanently.

Black Castle's original purification of the wizard Will was not presided over by the Inquisition. In fact, as the knights and nobles gradually took control of the church, the Inquisition's position quietly changed and became a collaborator of the great lord.

Nobles who failed in political struggles were often convicted by the tribunal, exiled to the Eastern Alliance, and became tools for propagating the blood of knights. Trigoval and the priests of the Holy Mountain secretly presided over the human trafficking business, and even Victor was

The Eastern Alliance bought dozens of young children with knight blood. At least half of the funds earned by the Trigoval family went to the Radiant Knights and the Sasanian Empire as military expenses to defend against the orcs.

In addition, Trigoval's secret of raising wizards gradually fell into Victor's field of vision. However, from a rational point of view, Trigoval or the Knights of Radiance's ambiguous policy on raising wizards met practical needs.

Since the Pantheon turmoil, wizard organizations in the human kingdom have not been overrun, but many impressive achievements have emerged in the academic and magical fields.

If Victor were Testiel, he would do the same thing.

In the stable political structure of the Pyramid, both the Randall family and the Inquisition are at the top, and both parties have the same overall position. Although Trigoval secretly controls the wizard, Victor believes that the wizard's several assassinations against him are related to Trigoval.

Doesn't matter.

However, wizards' witchcraft is mysterious and unpredictable, and Trigoval may not be able to make them obey and not have any objections. As extraordinary beings, wizards can broaden their horizons once they have an organization and inheritance, and they must want to be in the power structure of the human kingdom.

Seeking a place. However, the inherent ruling class, including knight lords and church clergy, did not allow wizards to develop political power.

God knows, how far they can go? It's possible to climb to the top of the pyramid and pin down knights and priests beneath them.

The only strategy for dealing with wizards is to use the blood of knights to integrate them into the aristocratic class. If Trigoval cannot place all the members of the wizard organization, they must regularly purge a group of wizards who are ready to move, and then integrate them with the secular lords of the Paladin family.

After a batch of obedient wizards, there are still a group of wizards loyal to the Inquisition.

These wizards are the most troublesome. They cannot see the light and have no promotion. They can only be obsessed with improving the power of witchcraft and studying the laws of the world. Therefore, they are particularly vulnerable to the devil's bewitchment.

Victor believed that the masterminds behind his murder were supernatural beings such as devils and evil gods. They borrowed the hands of wizards and carried out many assassinations. Especially the mysterious assassin in the giant forest, who showed extraordinary abilities and magical powers.

Traces. He may be a favored person of an evil god. When he escaped, he deliberately revealed the Shadow Council to Victor, and his intention to frame the crime was very obvious, but he successfully left a clue to Victor.

The clues to the Shadow Chancellor obviously start with Trigoval. This may be the purpose of the mysterious assassin, but Victor does not intend to give up. When the enemy is overt and we are hidden, only by luring the snake out of the hole can we see clearly the enemy's plot. Wei

Kedo has full confidence in controlling the situation, and the favor of fate brought by his huge reputation is his trump card against the interference of fate.

Victor's sharp eyes looked around at everyone around him, from far to near, and finally fell on Trigoval. His eyes were deep and he said: "This time I go to the northern wilderness to behead the goblin lord. I hope to meet Trigoval."

The chief referee walks side by side."

Both Trigoval and Testiel were surprised. The gold-level earth paladin was of little help in sneaking into the beheading operation, and Trigoval was not prepared to participate in the operation. They did not know that Victor was trying to alert the enemy.

, puzzled by this sudden proposal.
To be continued...