Chương 457: Chapter 456: Offer

"It was unexpected," I said as I read the intelligence. That bastard at Ashton Harbor is still fighting the undead. I thought that battle would end by now, but it won't be seeing how things are going.

"Unexpected, but the best news we could hope for," replied Stone. To that, I couldn't help, but nod. It is an enormous risk we have taken attacking the city and even now we are not out of danger. The hordes are still moving. If the undead horde, that attacking the Port Midlet, had joined it. Things could get worse. We might not even be able to handle, the joining of the three groups. The fourth one is as big as three, and right now would spell danger, we have no ability to handle. If that happens.

We will have no choice but to retreat. There is also another problem and some even say, the thing I should be worried about. The attack on my own city. Deerponds forces would reach the city in a few hours. I am worried, but not as much as I should be, despite knowing that anything happens in the battle.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Stone. I heard he had been heavily injured. He still is. He is showing the people he is fine. This is good because our enemies need to have the same perception.

"Tired, but I will manage," he replied before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Congratulations my lord. Very few people across the years had awakened an aura so young," he congratulated. Yes, I look young, but I am old. Not that old, it is at that age that the talented awaken the aura. There is one person, I know, who had awakened the aura when she was even younger than me.

"It still feels like a dream," I said while looking down at the steps. I am sitting on the steps of the city hall; one of the few places they didn't fuck up. Looking at the state of the city. It's clear, they didn't care for it. Nearly all the essential services, like food, water, and medicine, are out. People struggled for them. It's so different from the island, where they would properly manage the conquered territories.

"What do you think, they have come here for?" I asked.

"It's definitely not for conquering, that's for sure," he replied. It makes things difficult for us. If they didn't want to conquer, they wouldn't have to lay waste to the city. They are already doing that, by not properly caring for the cities, they have captured. I heard the sound behind me and turned.

"We had inspected thoroughly, my lord. There is no danger inside." Informed Major Das.

"Thank you, Major," I replied but didn't go inside and turned to Stone.

"Will hordes attack?" I asked. To that, he sighed, "I can't say for sure, but if they attack, we will be ready to face them," he replied. We have already made preparations. We had put over twenty thousand people to sleep. When most of them wake up. They will be higher leveled, than when they were before sleeping. There are other preparations that are going on, like fixing the wall and creating other defenses that will help us fight against the undead. Let them come. We will face them with greater fury.

Even if our numbers are less than before. This time, we have an advantage; we have a city in our control. For minutes, nobody spoke, before his expressions changed and a smile appeared on his face.

"They have arrived," I had guessed it even before he spoke, but I was relieved to hear that. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"It's time to remove the blockade then," he said and walked away, while I stayed on my face. A few minutes later, the carriage stopped.

"Lord Silver," Ina greeted. She isn't alone, behind her several officials. We have asked who would be interested in going to the Panar and these people volunteered. They barely had a few minutes to decide. I thought I would need an official order to take them, but there are smart and ambitious people, who would take any risk to advance their careers. They understood it was a great opportunity for them.

It would take them away from the power center, but it will provide them with greater opportunity, that they wouldn't have gotten by staying in the city. They are right about choosing this dangerous appointment. They have shown they are loyal and willing to take a risk. Even if some of them are lacking abilities. This action of them would help them higher than they would have otherwise.

"Deal with the things inside," I said. She nodded and bowed, before walking toward the city hall. There are people inside. Some were officials who were working in city hall before the undead arrived. Some were brought here by the undead. They will provide her with all the information needed to start working. Still, it wouldn't be easy, but she is capable, and I would trust no-one other than her. I sighed when I thought about it.

If hordes didn't attack us immediately, it wouldn't reduce our troubles but would increase them because this city is going to guzzle a lot of money. The money I don't have. The battles, and over six months of utter neglect, have left this city battered to every inch. To be honest, I knew it would be a big clusterfuck in here, but I still came, because it would create a layer of defense for the Greltheaven.

I hope it doesn't happen, but if one day, somehow, the enemy captures the Greltheaven, and I was somehow able to run away, then this city would be my base to launch the counterattack. Unless, of course, it gets captured first and then Greltheaven. I am already thinking about from which departments I would cut money to finance this city. I would also be going to ask for aid from merchants. Even a little would help, tremendously. I wouldn't need much, because this city isn't that helpless.

It has sources of revenue, the mines. There are a lot of mines, capable of generating enough profit to make the city stand on its feet on its own.

"The communication blockade had been lifted," informed Shaun.

"Let's contact some people," I replied and the next twenty minutes, I spent talking to many people. Informing them of the battle and our victory, but also the dangers we face ahead. I still have a lot more people to talk to; I have only talked to the important ones, but I will do that later. I got up from the stairs and walked ahead.

"Horse," I said as the carriage appeared in front of me and walked to the horse and mounted it. It was a struggle. I am tired right now and injured. I rather do nothing other than sleep, but there are a lot of things for me to do and prepare if the horde attacks. I moved through the city with guards around me and the army patrolling the streets. There's a curfew, but I could see the people looking through doors and windows with eyes filled with hope.

I wanted to talk to them and give them reassurance, but I did no such things. We have captured the city, but I still don't know whether we will be able to keep it or not. Unless I become sure of it. I will refrain from getting too attached. Soon, I dismounted in front big building. It used to be a merchant guild, but now it is a makeshift hospital. There is a crowd. We have already sent patients inside, but soldiers are bringing the stuff inside. Like beds and other things for the injured.

We brought the priests, healers, doctors, potions, and tools, but we couldn't bring the stuff like beds. We are arranging that here. The city used to have hospitals, but all of them were shut. We are using the buildings that could be used and scavenging everything else from that we couldn't. If the city becomes ours. I will send everything that, it requires from the Greltheaven. I walked through it and talked to injured and healers. I have spotted many familiar people.

Including Francesca, who is assisting in healing. Carla had poached her from Norman and her luck was so good, that next day. The establishment ascended to the legacy. It was quite a surprise to me, that this woman chose to be a healer, rather than a madam of the legacy. Caena had offered her job to be a flood reader, but this woman declined to practice the healing arts. I didn't interfere with it and instead provided all the help. I need healers, and this woman could be trusted.

A few minutes later, I checked another hospital and then another and another. There are a lot of people injured with many dying. We have suffered the second-worst casualties in this battle. Right behind that of the first battle. When I finished with the last, I rode toward the wall.

'Its condition had become even worse,' I said, looking at the wall. It will be a thing, that I will be fixing first. We already started filling it with quick cement. It is a temporary solution. In a few days, we will bring the experts to fix the wall. I climbed the wall and appeared beside the stone. He is looking at soldiers laying down the mines. It is a good thing we had brought them. I just wished we had brought them in a greater number than we had, but they were all we could bring.

"It will be finished by the time the undead came," he said. Currently, the horde is still coming. They are less than two and a half hours away from us.

"Good," I said and turned to cannons. We didn't use it despite pointing them toward the city earlier. It was just for intimidation, but we ordered them to use them as if there was a chance. There wasn't. The bastards moved around the houses. Never coming out in the open.

"There is a message from the undead. From Necromancer Irtis," informed Shaun. Saying, I am surprised would be a statement.

"What does he want?" I asked. Irtis is a necromancer, who leading the horde.

"What does he want?" I asked, and a faint uncertainty appeared in his voice.

"He said, he will pull back his horde as long as we hand over those who had surrendered and captured. Especially Wayne," he replied. I looked at Stone before turning to Shaun.

"Tell him to come and bring his horde. We are ready to face him," I said. We are not going to hand over the prisoners and those who surrendered. Especially not Wayne.