Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 296 - 295: A Fellow Elf?

This sudden news completely disrupted Soldrin’s thoughts. In that first instant, he didn’t just consider how the border lockdown would complicate his plans to cross over, but more importantly, the impact it would have on the relations between Typhon and Anzu!

The relationship between Typhon and Anzu is at a historical low, but even at its coldest point, a layer of declaration of war separates them from a full-scale war. The two countries haven’t started fighting yet, not just because the timing isn’t right, but also because the top leadership of each is still undergoing final integration and preparation—the situation on Anzu’s side remains unclear. However, on Typhon’s side, the pro-war faction has already gained an absolute advantage, with the remaining anti-war faction and neutral faction being the last obstacles in front of that visionary emperor.

Though the anti-war faction is declining, it still has a voice. Several of the real power aristocrats are seeking ways to delay the war, and Grand Duke Ferdinand, who was originally a staunch advocate for war but has gradually become neutral in recent years, will be a decisive factor—his stance will determine whether the anti-war faction can continue to delay...

Currently stationed at Winterwolf Fortress, "Wolf General" Andresha Wendell is the granddaughter of Duke Ferdinand Wendell.

The battle intelligence from Winterwolf Fortress will certainly be sent back to the Typhon Empire at the fastest speed. The details of the battle will be delivered to Duke Ferdinand Wendell, and not long after, news of the south of Anzu being attacked by monsters will undoubtedly be sent to Typhon along the same trajectory—likewise, the Loland Clan, stationed at the Anzu Kingdom, must have already received news of the Winterwolf Fortress attack, and soon King Francis II of Anzu will also see these reports.

Even though the transmission of information in this era is slow and fraught with vulnerabilities, those people in high positions still have the ability to get their hands on such reports at the first moment, regardless of the cost. What impact will these reports have?

A slightly intelligent, vigilant leader will realize the threat of the Gondor wasteland.

Seven hundred years have indeed made the human kingdoms more indulgent in comfort, slower, and more relaxed, but such a large Gondor wasteland lies exposed outside their borders, so many historical documents of the ancient empire’s downfall are stored in their libraries, and so many portraits of heroes who resisted the chaotic wave hang on their walls (excluding someone who died seven hundred years ago and suddenly came back to life)—as long as those kings and ministers haven’t completely lost their minds, upon receiving the intelligence that aberrations are pouring out of the wasteland, they will immediately realize it’s a colossal threat: a common enemy.

Currently, Soldrin only wants to know the scale of the attack on Winterwolf Fortress and the extent of the losses—the adventurers tend to exaggerate when describing the situation, especially after dressing as a woman, those male adventurers tend to be reliable only half the time. Although Soldrin doesn’t quite understand why this is the case, he must carefully filter the intelligence he hears.

The number of aberrations that attacked the Cecil Clan reached over three thousand, including large individuals capable of unleashing powerful magical bombardments, a monster army capable of destroying a medium-sized human city. In the end, they all fell outside Cecil’s South Wall, yet Cecil Clan’s unreasonable strong armies are incomparable to regular troops... If the army defense level at Winterwolf Fortress encounters the same number of aberrations, what will happen?

Moreover, Cecil Clan has experts in dealing with aberrations, but the human army at Winterwolf Fortress has never faced such enemies, which is also a factor to consider...

Soldrin frowned, the intelligence too scarce for him to analyze anything, but he feels if Winterwolf Fortress did indeed suffer heavy losses, it would inevitably affect Typhon Empire’s top leadership’s inclination towards war—of course, the already operational war machine isn’t easy to stop, but perhaps the anti-war faction might regain crucial influence after this...

The war could potentially be postponed; if during this period, aberrations launch another massive invasion, then the war dissipating isn’t impossible...

Soldrin shook his head and took a big swig of beer, thinking he might be too optimistic—he is always overly optimistic about humans, but in his seven hundred years of travel, he has witnessed too many foolish actions by humans. This short-lived race has astonishing creativity and learning ability, but their "short-sightedness" issue causes headaches; there aren’t many humans like Gawain Cecil with foresight in this race, so perhaps the rulers of Typhon and Anzu won’t even care about these threats and still choose to fight...

Right at this moment, an adventurer’s voice interrupted Soldrin’s thoughts: "Beautiful lady, you look troubled—is there anything I can help with?"

A big, tough adventurer pretending to be a graceful gentleman is true talent, Soldrin evaluated in his mind, and returned a polite smile: "I want to pass through the checkpoint to Typhon, can you help?"

The adventurer’s expression stiffened slightly, but still, he asked bravely: "What are you planning to do across the border at this time?"

"I need to go to the elf monitoring station on Typhon’s side," Soldrin said frankly, not worried that mentioning his destination here would cause any issues. "I haven’t contacted my home planet in years—didn’t expect human friction to create such trouble for elves."

"Um... Passes are only issued to Typhon Empire citizens, or people of another race and outsiders with guarantors in Winterwolf Fortress," the adventurer scratched his head, "I have a pass myself, but I’m not qualified to guarantee anyone..."

"Where is your guarantor?"

"My guarantor was a knight from Winterwolf Fortress, but he went back to the rear to switch guards a few days ago."

Soldrin waved his hand: "Then you won’t be needed."

Soldrin, of course, knew that these kinds of passes usually required a guarantor, especially for someone like him from another race. Under usual circumstances, he wouldn’t worry about this at all, as he had plenty of acquaintances in Winterwolf Fortress. However, right now, the last thing he wanted was to deal with "acquaintances" from Winterwolf Fortress.

This elf ranger blocked out the adventurer’s words and began to think about alternative plans. The increased border security was indeed an unexpected situation, but it wasn’t enough to leave an experienced ranger like him helpless. What truly shocked him was merely the news of the attack on East Wolf Fort.

When it came to crossing the border, he had plenty of methods — sneaking past the entire blockade using his ranger skills, charging straight through unoccupied areas, or finding some local bigshots with connections to forge a fake certificate — all were options. Even if in the end there really was no way...

At worst, he could brace himself, take off the wig, and report to Winterwolf Fortress under the identity of "Master Delin the Warrior Monk" — but to be honest, that was the last resort he wanted to take. If there were any chance at all, he wouldn’t go down that road. It was such a damn dark past, and it wasn’t for the lousy glue that caused the wig to fall off that summer decades ago... Forget it, better not think about it.

Soldrin accidentally thought of the heartbreaking past, making him almost start to have a toothache from the tension. However, in the eyes of those around him, his tense look turned into the "troubled look of an elven female huntress," with his head of golden hair reflecting the lights like a dream, casting a hazy shadow on the "huntress’s" face, looking perfect like a famous painting. The adventurer and several mercenaries, who had just been shooed away, were instantly eager to get close again — but just as they were about to act, a graceful figure sat beside Soldrin before them.

"Yo, sister, looks like you’re in a bit of trouble, huh?"

A clear, pleasant voice reached him, and Soldrin was slightly startled: before this voice sounded, he hadn’t noticed anyone approaching him!

Another Amber?

With a slight hint of vigilance, he looked in the direction of the voice, only to find a female silver elf sitting beside him — an unfamiliar peer, but she seemed to have also traveled in the human world for many years.

She had hair of pale gold similar to his own (damn it, undoubtedly real), but she was smaller in stature. She wore a warm, thick Druid robe, an amulet made of oak and jade beads hanging from her neck, and a protective dagger and hardwood staff on her waist. The dagger was of human style, so Soldrin judged that this elf girl should have also traveled in human society for a long time.

Elves who have just set out on their journeys are mostly unused to the rough weapons of humans, but after a few years they will begin to adapt to human weapons for the simple reason that it is hard to find places to repair their own elf equipment.

While Soldrin was sizing up this unfamiliar elf, the other party cheerfully greeted him: "It’s great to see a fellow elf here. I’m Belna Lightwind, from the Lightwind Family of Whitestone City. And you?"

"Soldrin, due to family traditions, I can’t mention my surname during my training period," Soldrin casually gave his fake identity, quickly guessing the origin and purpose of this elf. After all, there were not many elves who could adapt to the northern cold climate, and among the elves he knew in this area, this girl was not included. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Huh? It’s not you helping me, it’s me thinking I can help you," the lively-looking elf girl replied with a happy smile to Soldrin’s statement. "I just overheard you seem to be going to the monitoring station, but you’re having trouble getting through the checkpoint, right?"

"That’s right," Soldrin nodded, "I went to take care of some business elsewhere before, and upon returning found the checkpoint under stricter control. I didn’t have the chance to get the proper documentation... At this point, finding a guarantor would take too long."

"Yes, the people from the Typhon Empire are quite on edge now, as if the ones attacking their fortresses were not monsters but humans and elves," said the elf girl, who identified herself as Belna, with a frown. She quickly smiled again. "But it doesn’t matter. I have a pass here, and I can take one more person — how about we go together?"

"You have a pass? And you can take one more person? How did you get it?" Soldrin asked with a slight frown.

"I came over from the Typhon side to take care of some business. When I arrived, the security was just about to tighten, so I got the pass conveniently — it’s easier to get a pass from the other side of the border than from here," Belna explained. "As for why I can take another person... I originally had a friend with me. My pass is for two people, but she had to deal with something and went to Anzu, and she definitely won’t be back before the pass expires. I was ready to return alone, and then I found a fellow elf fretting about the pass. So, how about it? Do you want to go together?"