Louis stood in the open ground on one side of the camp, looking at the troops arrayed before him.There were a total of twenty Elite Knights, fifty Formal Knights, one hundred and three Apprentice Knights, and four hundred infantrymen.This was the entirety of the forces he was taking to Qingyu Ridge this time.The soldiers and knights from Red Tide Territory were, needless to say, well-trained and high in morale.After a long period of training, the average loyalty of this force to Louis was 150%.The troops Yoen brought were also unexpectedly well-disciplined.His bright, silver-trimmed light armor was eye-catching among the crowd, and behind him were a group of fully equipped knights and infantrymen.It seemed that Earl Harvey had indeed invested a lot in his youngest son, fearing that he might die inexplicably in the North.There were also a few unfamiliar faces in the crowd.Those were people Viscount Webster had slipped in; Louis understood with just a glance.They had no badges on them but could be recognized as originating from old noble families of the North.Their duty was clearly not just support; supervising Louis was their true mission.And what drew Louis's attention the most was an Elite Knight named Bond.He was silent, with a cold expression, his hand never leaving his sword hilt.He just looked a bit ugly, not at all like 007.Although he appeared unassuming, Louis, who possessed the Daily Intelligence System, understood very well that this person was an envoy from the Governor's Mansion.If Louis were to commit any act of betrayal against the Empire, he would have the right to execute first and report later.So Louis told Lambert and the other Elite Knights to keep an eye on him, lest he suddenly go crazy and cut him down.While Louis was organizing the military formation, Yoen came over.He waved away the others, lowering his voice to ask, "By the way, Boss, why did you volunteer to go to Qingyu Ridge?"Of course, Louis couldn't directly tell him that he had the Daily Intelligence System."Reason?" Louis thought for a moment, but was too lazy to make one up. "A hunch, I guess. I feel like there's an opportunity to earn merit.""I see..." Yoen had an expression that said, "I understand what you mean.""You've really planted an informant within the Snowsworn, haven't you?"Louis was slightly stunned: "Huh?""Look, the day you saved me, wasn't it because you knew where I was? And then you just happened to know Haskell would take the canyon route, and this time you picked Qingyu Ridge."Yoen grew more excited as he spoke: "As expected of Boss, to have embedded an informant within the Snowsworn, that's incredible."Louis looked at him with a complicated expression but didn't explain much.Yoen patted his chest in relief and said, "This time, we might even get to piggyback on a major achievement."The preparations were nearing completion.The troops formed into four columns, their iron helmets glinting in the sunlight, and battle qi faintly discernible in the air.The horn sounded.Louis mounted his horse, scanned the area, and raised his hand to wave."Depart! Target: Qingyu Ridge.".........Before dawn, the snow fog in the North was thick, and the visibility was entirely gray and white.Snowpeak Highlands lay in this dead silence, where the Snowsworn from three strongholds had gathered.A dark, twisted totem pole stood in the center of the barren land.Barnes stood on the totem platform, clad in ice wolf hide.Red war paint extended from his forehead to his chest, and an ancient abyss battle axe stood by his feet.He was one of the descendants of the remaining nobility of the old Snow Country, having personally witnessed the night the Iron-Blood Empire's iron cavalry trampled through the Snow Capital and the snow plains were consumed by fire.His siblings all died in the Empire's purge, only he escaped.Thus, he became one of the founders of the Snowsworn, and also one of the eight elders of the Snowsworn.Currently, he commanded the Snowsworn located in Snowpeak County.He was extremely loyal to Shiro, the leader of the Snowsworn, viewing him as the last hope of the old royal bloodline.This time, Shiro personally ordered Barnes to attack Snow Eagle City with full force, allowing no failure.Barnes looked down at the thousands of warriors below.These people were not a rabble; they were elites who had survived the slaughter on the snow plains.They were clad in armor, either rough beast hides or cold iron plates.Each piece of equipment was different, yet all bore the marks of long-term combat.In the front were shield and spear formations, their long spears bound with beast bones, glinting coldly in the fog.Behind them were wolf-riding scouts; giant snow wolves stood silently on the barren ground, their blue eyes glowing.And then there was the most feared unit, the Mad Wolf unit.They were wrapped in black cloth and bone fragments, wielding short blades, their faces painted with the blood mark of the ancient god of the cold abyss; they were the elite of the Snowsworn's elites.The entire army had no military banner, no unified command, yet it possessed its own order.They were waiting.Waiting for a single command, they could overwhelm Snow Eagle City like an avalanche.The ancient abyss priests before the totem knelt, chanting ancient words in low voices, their sounds echoing across the barren land, like a nightmare seeping into people's hearts.They cursed the Empire in the ancient language of the Snow Country, recounting the demise of their nation."They burned our homes, they killed our brothers..."The warriors also pounded their chests and roared together, their voices rising in waves.Barnes gripped the shattered old emblem, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in the barren land."You all recognize this," his voice was deep, "This is the emblem of the Snow Country."He held the emblem high, then let go, allowing it to fall onto the cold ground."We once had our own country, with a Snow Capital, a Royal Court, and a name.It was the Iron-Blood Empire that destroyed all of this, burned our homes, killed our kin, and crushed our dignity with their iron cavalry."He paused for a moment, his gaze icy."We are the Snowsworn, not rebels, but a nation's survivors.""Now, those southern barbarians are gathering their armies again, to completely annihilate us.""Very good."He reached out and gripped the ancient abyss battle axe, its blade pointing south: "This time, we will counterattack early; we will seize Snow Eagle City.We will have blood for blood."As his voice fell, the warriors cut their fingers and sprinkled their blood on the ground before the totem.This represented their determination to overthrow the Empire.Then began the true sacrifice.Several nobles and knights dressed in Imperial clothing were hung upside down over an ice altar.Their mouths were stuffed with rags, allowing only muffled groans.They had wounds on their bodies, and blood dripped continuously, flowing into the grooves of the altar.The ancient abyss priests walked before them, gently stroking the cold stone surface, chanting ancient incantations."ancient god of the cold abyss, please grant your blessing."The ground trembled slightly, and a vague squirming sound came from beneath the ice altar.Mist condensed, and the air seemed to be sucked away.The captives' bodies began to shrivel, their blood seemingly drawn out, black blood oozing from their orifices, finally turning into skeletal remains.A strange blue fire ignited atop the totem pole, and a dull, abnormal sound came from underground.The priests loudly translated the ancient god's "words": "The god has permitted it."The warriors erupted in a cheer, tearing through the silent world.Barnes raised his battle axe, its blade pointing in the direction of Snow Eagle City: "Depart."No flags, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ no drums.Figures like a black tide moved silently through the wind and snow, heading straight for Snow Eagle City.

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