Chapter 156: Opportunity

Dinner consisted of black bread and barley porridge. Perhaps due to the annihilation of Batu and his Crimson Lotus Cavalry, the command echelons within the city had awoken to the severity of the situation. The portions of porridge and bread were quite generous, and the lord had even sent several beef cattle to be slaughtered and distributed among the soldiers. Although the lion's share was devoured by the upper brass and squad leaders, the lowly soldiers still managed to scavenge some offal and meat broth!

Everyone ate voraciously, yet unlike usual, there was little chatter, each lost in their own troubled thoughts.

The once bustling and prosperous Saint Lander Fort now, shrouded in the pitch-black night, resembled a city of the dead.

Beside the large cauldrons filled with molten gold, firewood had been piled high—countless times over. The reddish glow of the fire chased away the night's chill, and more and more soldiers, having finished their meal, began to gather around this area.

No matter the time, when faced with danger, people always instinctively gravitated toward the light, failing to realize that the safest place is to conceal oneself within the darkness.

The night of this era was far darker than that of the technological age. Although the moon tonight was bright and beautiful, it still could not illuminate the continent like the morning sun. Aside from a few towering bonfires, everywhere else was plunged into a black-hole-like abyss.

Long before, Guo Lang had led Alice and Al away from the area, staying hidden in the shadows. For Guo Lang, Night Elves favored the moonlight and, when the situation remained unclear, preferred to survey their surroundings from the obscured gloom; this was a racial instinct. Al found it somewhat difficult to understand: why move away from the warmth of the fires on a freezing night? Yet this lord always gave him a sense of reassurance, and in the end, he said nothing, choosing to follow the other's instructions.

Guo Lang narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning his surroundings.

With a lineage like Guo Lang's, seeing things in the dark was even clearer than in broad daylight; glaring light would actually hinder his observation of details. Especially on a night like this, practically pitch-black yet laced with faint moonlight, Guo Lang could see things with extraordinary clarity.

He noticed that the nobles who had supervised the battle during the day had not appeared on the battlements for a long time, and even those regular knights had vanished without a trace.

Guo Lang now had a clearer grasp of the military system here: the soldiers on the city walls, or rather the members of the Beggar's Gang, were mostly powerless "corvée" soldiers—the legendary "cannon fodder." The true commanders and their personal warriors were mostly hidden in safer places beneath the city walls. Only when war truly arrived and they were forced to fight would they take to the ramparts, to say nothing of the knights bearing noble titles!

Those knights were essentially the personal property of the nobility, usually receiving the finest care and treatment, sharing the glory or ruin of their masters.

Guo Lang glanced at Al. Given this fellow's physical constitution and combat skills, his chances of becoming a warrior with a bit of effort were quite high. If he also caught the eye of some noble lord, it was not entirely impossible for him to become a knight. Yet he remained a mere foot soldier; there had to be some reason for that...

However, now was not the time to worry about such matters. What concerned Guo Lang was this bizarre situation. Most of the nobles here had likely already begun seeking an escape route, but clearly, cannon fodder like them on the ramparts had no such luxury. It would be a simple matter for him and Alice to descend these walls, but breaking out through the city was something Guo Lang lacked confidence in.

Since the enemy was already aware of his existence, they would undoubtedly issue orders for a massacre and prioritize hunting him down. With the abilities of himself and Alice, the probability of escape was quite high; both were adept at stealth, and as long as they weren't tracked by special skills, it should not be a major problem. But if they did that, Carrie and Abel would have to be abandoned, which was something Guo Lang did not wish to see. To be forced by others to abandon his underlings the moment he arrived in this plane? That would truly be a bit pathetic...

From some point onward, Guo Lang had suddenly begun to care about his pride. He was, after all, the premier expert of the Night Elves—cough, though that title had some inflated elements, he was still number one. Not only being forced to flee upon arrival, but also having his limbs lopped off? That would simply go too far. Such a thing must absolutely not be allowed to happen! He had to devise a way to avert this tragedy...

Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess discussed by the soldiers during the day had piqued his interest; the identity of an imperial princess might just be useful!

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Time flowed quietly, occasionally swept by gusts of biting northern wind, and the night grew ever deeper.

Toward the center of the city, many lights had been extinguished, but news of the military defeat could not be contained; it had likely already spread to every corner of the town. The common soldiers on the city walls had no choice, and the citizens within the city probably had even fewer options left.

No matter the place, in times of war, those at the bottom always suffered the most. Born in chaotic times, human lives were as worthless as stray dogs. Once this city was breached, few of the civilians hiding in their homes would likely escape this wave. In warfare, sacking a city was forever a favorite pastime for soldiers, as it signified wealth, women, and the slaughter needed to vent pent-up frustrations. Since the enemy had already sacked five cities, they certainly wouldn't mind slaughtering one more.

Whom had these innocent ordinary people ever offended? Yet innocent though they were, who cared about them? A trace of melancholy flickered in Guo Lang's heart, but to say he cared deeply about it—he lacked that kind of all-encompassing compassion. Unless the slaughter happened right before one's eyes, its psychological impact was actually limited. Even right before him, Guo Lang had experienced worse in his past life; his heart, if not tempered to iron and stone, at least possessed some immunity.

At this moment, what he cared about was the sole noble still seated on the city ramparts—the head quartermaster!

According to what Al had told him, in the Royal Court, the quartermaster wielded immense actual power and was invariably appointed from among the leader's most trusted confidants. Neither his rank nor his title would be low, and Guo Lang could tell from the man's attire that his status was certainly significant.

Yet unlike the other nobles who had begun plotting their escape routes long ago, this man sat atop the wall staring out into the distance, his expression complex—it held sorrow, melancholy, and a trace of lingering unwillingness!

Guo Lang saw this clearly from the shadows. Although quite far away, the Night Elves' exceptional night vision and his own expansive field of view allowed him to capture the man's expression with pristine clarity. There was one detail that particularly interested him.

That was the man's facial features, which differed markedly from the people around him. They lacked the rugged coarseness of the locals, appearing far more refined—somewhat... somewhat resembling the people who had attacked the city today.

Although the people of the Byra Royal Court and the Ross Empire were both Caucasians, there were still distinct differences in facial structure. Moreover, Guo Lang noticed the pale blue pupils in the quartermaster's eyes; all signs indicated that this man should be a native of the Ross Empire!

This was becoming quite interesting.

"Al," Guo Lang whispered to the man beside him, "what do you know about that quartermaster?"

"Him?" Al scratched his head. "Well, his original name was Chris, but after coming over here he changed it to Ungu (The Loyal One). I don't know much about him, only that he was originally the sworn knight of the Second Imperial Princess married off from the Ross Empire, and he came along as part of her entourage!"

"Oh?" Guo Lang said with rising interest, "And he managed to climb to such a position?"

"Isn't it just because that lord is obsessed with women and ended up completely wrapped around a woman's finger?" Al said with a look of disdain. "If the people under His Highness the Prince had been in charge here as leaders, how could they have ever been beaten like—" He suddenly caught himself, remembering that the Batu from earlier in the day seemed to be one of the Prince's subordinate generals—and a quite famous one at that—yet he still got wiped out in a single wave?

Perhaps he couldn't blame the Lord's subordinates for being incompetent; the enemy was simply too strong! At this thought, Al sighed deeply. His only wish now was for his wife and children to escape this military calamity; he would gladly trade his life for theirs.

Just as Al was lost in thought, he was astonished to see Guo Lang slowly strolling over toward that quartermaster, step by step!

Al started in shock and blurted out, "My lord, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing!" Guo Lang smiled. "Going to talk to him about life!"