Origin Player.

Chapter 668 The Battle of the Iris (Today's total: 10K, 45 more added)

Mandarin duck collar, Earl's castle.

On the training ground, several days had passed, and the corpses of the nuns of the Church of Truth had piled up into small hills. For the warband, there was obviously no restraint in venting after a great battle, and how to use the spoils of war was entirely up to the warriors.

The night was as still as water, and a campfire was lit.

Wooden tables were set up around the training ground. The Viking warriors took their seats one by one, somewhat awkwardly. The maids, their faces pale, brought out plates of food: figs drizzled with honey, pickled olives, and smoked cheese as garnishes. Freshly baked white bread had a crisp crust and a soft interior, served with butter and foie gras, and smelled delicious.

"I have arrived at Valhalla tonight!"

Raine sniffed the aroma greedily, not even waiting for the soup and main course. He buried his head in his plate and, as if in battle, frantically tore and swallowed the white bread.

"I don't think I've ever eaten bread like this in my entire life."

Enzo stared at the piece of bread in his hand, his eyes filled with fascination. The aroma of wheat lingered in his mouth, almost making him forget his jealousy of his brother. In the North, bran bread was already a very precious food, and he had completely fallen in love with this land.

"To Odin!" the Green Goblin raised his glass.

Everyone raised their glasses. Norlund sat at the end of the long table, looking at Jiang He, who was drinking alone in the shadows but not eating much. He seemed a little dazed, just like Odin in the legends.

Ding!

Suddenly, the crisp sound of an axe blade breaking drew the attention of all the warriors.

In the center of the training ground, a little girl in white shattered a battle axe, and the extremely sharp sword tip was pressed against Torenos's throat. The outcome was decided, and Torenos was filled with shock, unable to speak.

"Great warrior!"

"What!?"

"No way, you're drunk!"

Some warriors rose in astonishment. Great warriors were not only incredibly powerful fighters, but also symbols of revered glory. There were only two Great Warriors in the entire Blackrock Harbor of the North, which was why everyone accepted Augustus so easily.

Now, Count Iris's daughter has displayed the power of a great warrior. If this is true, the warband could never have captured the castle so easily.

"I come!"

Enzo slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and picked up the axe and shield beside him.

Norland blocked him with his arm, saying, "That's enough, stop making things worse."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Within the battle group, only Renn noticed the change in the situation. To everyone else, the count's daughter was an outsider, young and delicate. If she was truly a great warrior, it meant that Count Iris hadn't used his full strength at all, and their current glory would become the enemy's pity.

The feelings of shame and anger were spreading rapidly, and in an attempt to deny the impending loss of glory, the situation could very well escalate into a shameful siege, especially after the alcohol had been consumed.

Ignoring his brother, Enzo's bear-like burly body crashed into the long table and charged straight toward the enemy.

boom!
But someone was faster than him, like a ghost.

A punch came from the shadows, its sound like thunder, a declaration, and the violent wind made everyone's cheeks sting, the entire castle seemed to shake.

Enzo's pupils dilated in shock, but the newcomer's speed far surpassed his own. The fist struck his chest squarely, shattering his bones instantly. His body, comparable to that of a giant bear, flew over a hundred meters as light as a willow catkin, smashing through Odin's wooden gate on the front of the castle.

One punch nearly killed Enzo.

Jiang He stood in the center of the training ground, raised Zhuang Ya's small hand, and said calmly, "From this moment on, she is my shield maiden, no longer a slave to this battle. Like me, Isadea also possesses the power of a great warrior, and any duel will be conducted under my witness."

Zhuang Ya's expression didn't change much. Unlike Si Ning, she was already used to the giant snake's protection.

The drill ground was completely silent.

Norland arrived at the door, hesitated for a moment, fed a rare herb into Enzo's mouth, and whispered, "How many times have I taught you to stay calm when things happen? Anger is not about ignoring your own abilities. Augustus has already held back. If you had taken out that silver spear, even the gods couldn't have saved you."

Enzo's eyes refocused, and he turned his head to spit out a mouthful of dark blood, mixed with a few fragments of internal organs. The herbs clearly had powerful medicinal properties, visibly repairing the severe damage.

“I’m just not convinced. What right does she have?” Enzo retorted stubbornly.

“Torenos has already admitted defeat, how could it be fake?” Norlund angrily punched his brother’s head a few times. “He’ll just think you’re humiliating him.”

Torenos's expression was indeed not good at this moment; Enzo's behavior made people think that he was a sore loser.

"Isadeya!" Torenos shouted.

"Isadea!" the warriors shouted in response.

The atmosphere quickly returned to normal; in Viking culture, battles and deaths were commonplace.

Jiang He pulled Zhuang Ya back to the dining table. Several shield maidens came over to ask Zhuang Ya for advice. Some of the more skilled shield maidens could even take on several Viking warriors on their own, and they held a very high status.

After appetizers and bread.

The soups and stews were served by the maids.

A rich, fragrant game soup was served in an ornate wooden bowl. Venison, rabbit, and mushrooms simmered in the broth, sprinkled with saffron and black pepper. There were also steaming hot quail pies, their golden crusts oozing with juicy meat and truffle aromas when cut open. Zhuang Ya devoured the entire pot of soup and several piles of pies, leaving the shield maidens speechless. Enzo glanced at them, then completely abandoned any thoughts of fighting. The more a warrior could eat, the stronger and more resilient they were—that was a basic principle.

Norland quietly walked over, gently patted Jiang He's shoulder, and whispered, "I'm sorry, I've been... lax in disciplining him."

He spoke with a slight stutter because it was the language of Truth, not the language of the North. In the days since he received the book, Norland had been learning the language of the Truth Continent, with Prince Alfred, who was not qualified to sit in the seat of authority, as his tutor.

“Next time, I will send him to see Odin,” Jiang He said calmly, without the slightest hint of politeness. The other party should know that he had held back with that punch; otherwise, if Enzo had been exposed to the side, one punch would have been enough to decide his life or death.

As the two were talking, a ripple of space spread out behind the table, revealing a newcomer wearing a golden robe. He was not young, but had a full head of black hair and a meticulously groomed beard. The top of his staff was inlaid with a rare gem the size of a fist.

“Velik Tanglias, the nobles are more accustomed to calling me the Golden-Robed Sorcerer.”

The visitor took the initiative to introduce himself.

Given the name "Gold," it's almost certain that he's a master sorcerer leader.

Norlund's expression was strange. A warlock was face to face with two warriors of the same level. He guessed that the other party had not expected this scene before setting off.

next moment.

The imperial sword was placed directly against the back of his neck, and the man in the golden robe blinked.

—A slight miscalculation.

The whole roasted pig was carried in by four maids on long poles. The skin was roasted to a golden brown and crispy, smeared with honey and mustard sauce, and the belly was stuffed with chestnuts, apples and sage, and served with lemon and dill.

The man in the golden robe said, "Gentlemen, don't let this delicious food go to waste."

Jiang He pointed to the chair next to her, took a dagger, cut off a piece of rib, and only tasted it briefly.

Norlund sat down directly on the table. In fact, the battle group was currently under a dual-leader system, with his accumulated prestige and Jiang He's martial prowess going hand in hand. But in truth, the Great Warrior had more say.

The man in the golden robe savored the soup, finding it quite delicious. Such a lavish banquet was only prepared by counts and nobles on major holidays, and the warriors of the warrior corps were all immersed in the food and fine wine.

"I'm here today to collaborate with you all."

The man in the golden robe wiped his mouth and said, "I don't quite agree with the current status of warlocks who can only serve the royal power. There are quite a few young warlocks who share the same thoughts as me. Among the seven seats of the council, there are two other top warlocks who hold the same attitude."

"Warlocks should become the true leaders of the Continent of Truth."

Norrend struggled to understand the meaning behind the words.

Jiang He remained calm and said, "So what can you expect from thirty Viking warriors?"

“Numbers are not important. The point is that you are the first Viking Legion to arrive in the Thorn Kingdom. It’s not surprising that you might do something despicable.” The man in the golden robe said solemnly, “At this moment, the great swordsman of the Thorn Court is leading a thousand troops to present the Iris Earl’s territory to the king.”

Jiang He frowned slightly.

If there is a main thread of fate in this world, then the Golden Robe is undoubtedly one of the villainous bosses. Under the ideology of sorcerer supremacy, the Golden Robe is eager to weaken the power of the monarchy, but because the sorcerer group is currently deeply bound to the monarchy, it lacks a point of leverage.

Therefore, the Vikings became one of the most suitable blades.

“A reckless death will not get you into Valhalla,” Jiang He said. Such a death is similar to suicide and is considered shameful by the Vikings.

The man in the golden robe nodded, demonstrating his sincerity.

“Thirty elven archers, thirty elven swordsmen, and thirty elven cavalrymen. The three leaders are all at the peak of hero level, comparable to great warriors. They can fight alongside you and defend this castle. This force is not small. After all, at the height of the Wessex Empire, the entire army it assembled was only about 30,000.”

The Elf race was once the master of the continent of Truth, but later suffered constant attacks from the human race and has long since declined. As for the empire's peak, that era has also passed.

Jiang He tapped the armrest of the chair, pondering the outcome.

The man in the golden robe said, "I have seen Miss Isadea. Her appearance is somewhat different from that of this great warrior, but if the sorcerers all agree, perhaps I am mistaken."

Jiang He turned his head and said, "Stop shipbuilding."

Norlund only understood the gist of it, but replied tacitly, "Understood, I will give the order after the banquet."

Jiang He looked at the man in the golden robe and said coldly, "We're not leaving for now, but you have to leave something behind."

After pondering for a moment, the man in the golden robe looked up and said, "Let me see Prince Alfred. If you deliberately let him go, you can ruin my reputation. Even a top-level sorcerer who plots to thwart the monarchy will be hated by everyone."

Jiang He refused outright: "No."

"Why?" The man in the golden robe was taken aback.

“Those who usually believe in some kind of supremacy are among the biggest beneficiaries of that group,” Jiang He said coldly. “If you want to access the shortcut to the top of the empire, then tonight’s plans are off.”

The next moment, a notification sound rang.

[Hint: Side quest has been released]
[Mission Name: Battle of the Mandarin Ducks]
[Mission Objective: Defeat the Thorn King's army and kill the Blue Swordsman]
[Mission Introduction: Due to Prince Alfred's loss of real-time surveillance by the Church, the golden-robed sorcerer Verick Tanglias has arrived at Iris Castle, intending to use spatial magic to abduct him, thereby coveting the Empire's lost supreme power, and planning to shift the blame for his disappearance onto the Vikings.]
[Faced with the castle law signed by the warlocks and kings under the witness of the "First King," spatial magic can only reach the castle gates at the moment. During the conversation, the golden-robed warlock's plan encounters a setback, but the golden-robed warlock is accustomed to having contingency plans. The final battle with the royal army is imminent.]
[Quest Rewards: 15000 experience points and game currency / Legendary item *1]
[Task Time Limit: 30 calendar days]
[Task Penalty: None]
[Note: The Blue Swordsman is a player from the Twilight faction, renowned for his elegant swordsmanship; war and swordsmanship are his art.]
The man in the golden robe sighed helplessly and spread his hands, saying, "Then you've misunderstood me. In that case, I'll compromise. My best disciple will stay here and command the elven army to cooperate with you."

"Ah."

(End of this chapter)