Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 229 The Hero Sealed in the Bottle
On the walls of Winterfell, Marquis Edd was directing the remaining Floodwave Swordsmen to deploy defenses and do their best to hold every pass.

Marquis Eddard was also a veteran hero who stayed behind in Winterfell. He was skilled in defensive warfare, so Rhodes entrusted him with the full command of the city's defenses.

As a city of the Northern Duchy, Winterfell has a strong defense, with dozens of arrow towers, powerful magic arrays, and most importantly, magical defensive towers that can effectively resist the advance of the fortress.

Similar to Frost Fortress, Medea has already set up a void barrier within the city to prevent enemies from suddenly entering the city using teleportation.

Because the magic circle in Winterfell is more advanced and can maintain its restrictive effect for a longer period of time, Rhodes was somewhat easily frightened. Upon seeing the enemy besieging the city, he immediately ordered the restriction to be activated to at least ensure that the enemy could not launch a surprise attack.

Medea didn't delay this time, immediately activating the full extent of the restrictions as instructed by Rhodes. She had realized that the Northern army's morale was low and they were easily defeated; they would hold out for as long as they could.

"How's it going? Still haven't found it?"

"I searched through the entire duchy's warehouses, but I still couldn't find that bottle."

The orange-robed witch and the nameless one stood in the shadows of the magic circle, discussing the results of their search.

The Church of the Void's assistance to the Salman family was not free; they had their own motives.

The nameless one said, "Could it be that Rhodes guessed what we wanted and deliberately hid it?"

The orange-robed witch shook her head: "Impossible. If he had such cunning, would he have been driven all the way to Winterfell? He would have been firmly seated on the duke's throne long ago."

The nameless man seemed to be implying something: "Being bad at fighting doesn't mean he's bad at scheming, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to beat his brother."

Hearing this, the orange-robed witch also became somewhat unsure of herself. She took out a mysterious blueprint, which was clearly pieced together from several yellowed blueprints, dating back to an ancient era.

A simple map was drawn on it, with a prison at the very center. At the end of the void and darkness, a bottle appeared, with continuous lightning flashing inside, hiding a mysterious figure.

The powerful air elemental magic, combined with special void energy, creates terrifying destructive power.

If we consider the location on the map, it does resemble the environment of Winterfell. Furthermore, the icicles around the prison give us even more reason to suspect Duke Salim of the North.

“It’s definitely within the Saliman family. A Void Prophet discovered the bottle’s movements a hundred years ago, and now is a golden opportunity. If all else fails, just capture Rhodes; we can always find it in his treasury.”

"What is the cult's plan to control the North?"

"The North has almost fallen, what's the point of controlling it? Take Rhodes away, and once the Mage Tower has a plan, support him in restoring his kingdom in the North. Salman can be our puppet."

If the fortress doesn't want to be attacked from multiple sides, it will have to give us the barren grasslands and snowfields.

In this situation, holding out in Winterhold is nothing more than a desperate struggle. Medea's reluctance to evacuate stems from her failure to find what she seeks.

With the fortress about to be breached, and knowing that their small force was no match for the human soldiers who were incompetent and unlikely to hold out for more than a few days, they had no choice but to retreat temporarily.

Medea was worried that Rhodes was unwilling to give up Saliman's legacy and was still thinking about how to persuade him when Rhodes came looking for her with the Frozen Heart.

Rhodes's face was somewhat gloomy. He had just come down from the city wall. Just a moment ago, he was encouraging the soldiers guarding the city, saying that the Congress and the Plains would send a large army to rescue them. But after coming down, he rushed to Medea's side.

"Winterhold may not be able to be defended. You cannot abandon me. I am Duke Salman. As long as I survive, I can rally the North. You must take me with you!"

Upon hearing this, Medea swallowed back the words of persuasion she had been preparing for so long. If she had known it would be this easy, she wouldn't have hesitated at all. However, she felt even more contempt for this Duke of the North. He couldn't even protect the legacy of his family, which had been passed down for generations. How could such a person possibly rally the nobility?
If all humans were like this, then there would be nothing to worry about.

"My stargate must be used in an environment without any restrictions, and the magic circle must be closed at crucial moments." The soldiers generally believe that the kingdom will send reinforcements, and that Winterfell's powerful restrictions can prevent enemy attacks. They only need to defend the city walls. Closing the magic circle means that the enemy can use teleportation to launch a surprise attack on the city's troops. If they are not prepared in advance, the defenders will suffer a great loss.

Rhodes' face turned pale and then red, and finally he gritted his teeth: "Activating the restriction directly is definitely not an option, as we might be caught up by the enemy. Let's hold our ground and see how things go. If it doesn't work, I'll personally interrupt the control of the formation."

As the city lord, Rhodes naturally had the highest level of control over the city.

Medea outwardly agreed, but inwardly she scoffed. What did she mean by "holding out first"? Wasn't that just sending her men as cannon fodder during the fiercest part of the war? In that chaotic melee, the enemy wouldn't be able to spare Rhodes's escape.

Besides, the Barrier doesn't care about him being a duke. As long as they occupy Winterfell, it will basically mean victory for the North. What's wrong with letting him go?

"What a cowardly coward, but it's a good thing that there are people like him among humans."

Rhodes then handed over the Frozen Heart: "If I were to abandon Winterfell, it would surely cause dissatisfaction among the nobles. Previously, I only told the public that my brother's whereabouts were unknown, but in reality, he was frozen inside to save his life."

I forbid you from harming him, but you must prevent him from showing up for the time being, understand?

The Frozen Heart's effect is to save lives; this state is extremely powerful. Last time, the Nameless One only brought back the treasure but didn't deal with Gabu, who was frozen inside.

Now that so much time has passed, with a little effort, we can also deal with the frozen figures inside.

Rhodes originally planned to release his brother Gabe and send him to garrison a remote city once his power was consolidated, which would also show his magnanimity.

But given the current situation, if Gabu were to appear, he, as duke, could very well be overthrown by the northern nobles. Therefore, Rhodes considered further strengthening the seal to secure his rule.

Medea took the Frozen Heart and began to deal with the frozen ice inside.

Just then, a mournful horn sounded outside the city, and the fortified army began to organize the attack.

Rhodes rushed to the city wall, leaving a message before he left, saying that he had to personally lift the restriction and that Medea should wait for his news.

At this point, the Duke of the North wouldn't believe a word anyone said. His underlying meaning was simple: if he wasn't taken away, the Church of the Void wouldn't be able to leave Winterfell either.

Medea had no intention of losing the prestigious title of duke, so she readily agreed.

After Rhodes left, Medea and the Void One used their Void Power to temporarily remove the ice block sealed inside the treasure.

Even after so long, Gabe's ice seal remained unbreakable, but some of the surrounding sharp edges had melted away. If Rhode hadn't forbidden killing his brother, banishing him directly into the void would have been the best solution, ensuring Gabe would never be able to reappear.

To their surprise, there seemed to be another space inside the Frozen Heart, and an even smaller block of ice fell out.

Compared to the completely frozen Gabu, this object is almost melted, revealing its full form as a strange bottle.

The bottle is sculpted from miniature icicles, with frost-patterned runes covering its surface, and its interior is hollow and has a hexagonal prism structure.

The bottle's neck is bound with chains of ethereal meteorite iron, each link inlaid with a psychedelic crystal for suppression. At the bottom of the bottle lies solidified stardust, which emits a cold, eerie blue light in the dark, as if a figure is sealed within.

Upon seeing the bottle that had suddenly appeared, Medea and the Nameless One both widened their eyes in disbelief.

It's true that you can't find anything even if you wear iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get it.

(End of this chapter)