Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 431 White Disaster
The resistance fighters had no horses, which meant that the Winter Wolves were completely outmatched in terms of mobility. Even if they couldn't win, they could always escape.

Considering that the scout who died last time was shot by a musket, the alpha wolf chose a resting spot that was a full two hundred meters away from the woodland.

Even if a group of musketeers rushed out from inside, they would be able to react at this distance.

Moreover, there are several small teams on sentry duty near the woods, keeping an eye on things so they can alert you immediately if anything goes wrong.

Foolproof.

The Winter Wolves dismounted, but did not remove their armor; instead, they rested on the spot, fully equipped.

Horse riding is very tiring, and many people lie down directly on the ground, ignoring the back pain caused by the breastplate.

The accompanying soldiers set up pots, lit fires, and began to cook food.

Flatbread, dry food, vegetables, dried meat, and various other ingredients are haphazardly chopped and thrown into the pot. The taste is naturally nothing special, but at least it's hot and can fill your stomach.

A bowl of hot food greatly boosted morale, and the soldiers lined up to receive their food.

Mili glanced at the forest not far away, where some soldiers were still standing guard at the edge of the woods. The aroma of food wafted over, and their occasional glances toward them were filled with resentment.

As expected, everything is safe. The captain was right. This trip was just to intimidate the enemy; there will be no actual combat.

not to mention
He glanced at the short musket hanging at his waist. Who could stand against the Winter Wolf head-on, let alone an entire assembled army?

He accepted the stewed porridge with peace of mind, casually found a rock to sit on, and prepared to eat, holding the wooden bowl.

Most of the snow on the ground had melted, leaving only a thin layer. There was some snow in the fields on both sides, but the snow on the road had been trampled into water, turning into a muddy mess.

"Sir! Something's happened!!"

A scream startled Meryl, who immediately dropped the wooden bowl, trotted toward his horse, and turned to look at the woodland.

But there seemed to be no problem in the woods. The sentries were still standing there, looking in this direction with some confusion, wondering why there had been a commotion.

"what? What?"

"what happened?"

Are there enemies? Where are they?

"Bullshit, there's no one here. Who's shouting like that?"

Mili felt a little relieved, but looked at the wooden bowl he had just thrown away with a pang of heartache; his lunch was gone just like that.

He then angrily raised his head, wanting to see who was playing a trick on him.

He found it quickly; it was a tall soldier whose face was still filled with terror as he pointed ahead: "That...that place! What's that!?"

Miley was startled, and looked in the direction he was pointing. There it was...
On the other side!?

On the opposite side of the woods, a white mist was rapidly expanding. In the short time that Miley was watching, it had grown to the height of several stories and was collapsing towards them like a wall!

"White Disaster! It's the White Disaster!!!" The screams shattered, and the hysterical fear hammered into everyone's hearts like nails.

That...that was the White Calamity? The White Calamity that wiped out the entire White Raven Kingdom, a calamity that even the Silent Sanctuary couldn't withstand?

Mireille panicked instantly. He trembled as he tried to mount his horse, succeeding after several attempts. Screams filled his ears; officers tried to give orders, but no one listened—they couldn't hear him anymore.

The sudden and terrible disaster threw the already highly tense army into chaos.

Fortunately, they were cavalry, so even if they scattered and fled, they wouldn't be caught. The officers only needed to slowly gather the remaining troops, and there wouldn't be any particularly large losses.

As for baggage trains and auxiliary troops, who cares?
Mili couldn't think of anything else; all he could think about right now was one word: escape!
He rode his horse, ignoring all orders and friendly forces, and immediately fled in the direction away from the white fog.

But after running only a few steps, he suddenly froze.

There is woodland ahead.

The Winter Wolf was already camped not far from the woods, and the white mist was coming from the opposite direction of the woods. He instinctively ran in the other direction and naturally plunged into the woods.

Meryl immediately realized something was wrong. He changed direction and tried to rush out along the edge of the forest and the fog, but the fog was expanding too fast, and he could no longer see the edge on either side.

Hearing the howling and wailing behind him, Meryl gritted his teeth and rode his horse straight into the woods!
He wasn't the only one rushing into the woods; most of the Winter Wolves were only focused on escaping and unknowingly entered the woods. After all, the resistance was easy to deal with, but the White Calamity behind them was deadly!

No one can say for sure what the White Disaster really is.

It seems that this strange fog has been appearing in the North since records began.

Anyone who enters for a period of time will disappear, whether they are an ordinary person or an extraordinary one. If they are delayed even slightly, they will never be seen again.

The White Raven Duchy and the Silent Sanctuary tried almost everything, but to no avail. This white mist seemed like some kind of natural phenomenon, indifferent to human reactions, simply swallowing up everything it enveloped.

People therefore called it the White Disaster.

Every few years, a white fog appears, which seems to come from the north and spreads southward.

No one knows where it came from. Further north of the White Raven Principality lies an endless ice field, where no living being can cross.

Fortunately, the white disaster was not fast-moving; people only needed to flee south and return to their homeland after it dissipated.

Until this time, the white calamity enveloped the entire White Raven Kingdom, and it never dissipated.

The Silent Church tried everything, but to no avail. All they could do was move their followers south. They traveled south until they reached the four northern territories of the empire, where they split into two factions: one led by Nora, and the other by the high-ranking members of the Silent Church, who went to the present-day empire.

As an Imperial citizen, Mili had never seen the true form of the White Calamity, but he had heard of its formidable reputation since childhood, and now he urged his horse forward with all his might.

The fog behind us is spreading too fast!
He didn't waste any time. As soon as the fog appeared, he mounted his horse and rode straight into the woods.

But the distance between him and the fog continued to shrink.

Seeing the fog so close behind him, Mireille was filled with terror. He screamed and spurred his horse forward, desperately looking back.

Unfortunately, the woodland is not suitable for horseback riding.

He kept urging the horse on, ignoring the complicated terrain. After running for a short while, the horse's hoof tripped over a tree root, and the whole horse fell to the ground. Meryl's stirrups failed to catch, and he was thrown off, crashing straight into a tree.

He fainted.

(End of this chapter)