Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 301 Thor's Helmet
On the eastern front of the kingdom, in the hilly defense line, what was originally a scene of two armies facing off was Elton soldiers relying on strong fortifications and defensive works to resist layer by layer.

Although Lloyd's Redwood Legion was stronger, once they entered the complex terrain of the hills, they could only break through one or two lines of defense and could not expand their achievements.

At night, Karen would send troops to harass the territories he conquered during the day, storing large quantities of magic scrolls for a counterattack.

The two sides have been locked in a tug-of-war for a long time, but neither has been able to gain the upper hand.

The kingdom was originally at a disadvantage, with inferior troop strength, and its strongest cavalry legion had been given to Conrad, losing its mobility and leaving it with no choice but to defend.

But Karen was quite methodical. He brought the magical artisans from the capital to the front lines and used the armory to produce magical traps at breakneck speed, placing them along the fortress's only route.

Because the hilly terrain is winding and rugged, there are not many passable roads. Lloyd must take those few routes to advance, and he needs to deal with the traps first before advancing to attack.

By the time the troops arrived at the defensive castle, they were basically exhausted, especially the heroes responsible for clearing the roadblocks. They had very little magic left, as the Magic Moon spell was very taxing, and it would be difficult to survive without at least an intermediate-level intelligence skill.

At this time, Karen led elite archers and swordsmen to hold off the enemy. If the enemy's attack was too strong, they would call upon Master Dylan to use catapults for magical bombardment. Even though Isildur had several times more troops, the siege was ineffective and they were bombarded relentlessly, so they could not withstand the onslaught.

If there were enough air units, they could even cross mountains and obstacles to directly attack the soldiers inside the city.

However, aside from dragons, the Barrier only has one type of flying unit left. With a large number of Silver Pegasus going to the front lines to provide support, Lloyd only has a few thousand flying troops at most, making his strength very weak.

If things had continued in this stalemate, they could only watch the situation at Sunset Fortress. The main battlefield had shifted there, and they had become the supporting force.

However, after Conrad left, Lloyd seized upon humanity's weakness of lacking cavalry, dividing his army into two battlefields at opposite ends of the spectrum. To the north, near Norton, he launched a massive attack with centaurs and archetypes; to the south, in the valleys and hills where they met, he dispatched treants and a small number of silver pegasus to conquer cities and strongholds.

As the battle lines stretched out, Karen's army struggled to hold out. However, he tenaciously defended the central line of the hills, like a nail driven into a key position. This meant that even if Lloyd broke through from the north or south, his army would be fragmented and unable to regroup.

Unexpectedly, when Lloyd's army advanced from both the north and south, they used advanced air elemental flight techniques to cross the mountains and attack the front-line defensive positions from both above and below.

[Flying Ability (Level 5 Air Elemental Magic): Grants the hero's commanded troops the ability to fly for a short period of time, consuming 140% of the movement points of ground troops, and the number of troops cannot exceed 1000 spell power.]

In the heartland, the kingdom could have used earth magic to restrict the enemy's flight and movement. However, the boundary markers in the hilly and mountainous areas were not very effective. The main army was currently engaged in battle at Sunset Fortress and could not attend to this area. Lloyd was able to enter as if the land were empty.

The hilltop fortifications were primarily designed for ground defense, but they were largely destroyed in the surprise attacks from the north and south. Furthermore, the interconnected and mutually supportive defensive strongholds were eliminated one by one, leaving only the central hilltop castle.

This is where the weakness of insufficient mobility became apparent. Originally, the enemy's attack on the outer defensive line wasn't too fatal; as long as they quickly arrived, held off the enemy, and then laid out layers of defense, they could succeed. However, without their cavalry, the humans' ability to move around was greatly slowed down, and they could only rely on the griffin army for support. But the griffin army was no match for the tree people, and they alone could not effectively stop the enemy.

Then disaster struck. The army at the front was cut off at three fortresses. Lloyd used his magical ability to fly to quickly relocate and gather his forces to first take down the northernmost fortress. He then advanced layer by layer, bypassing human traps and cutting off human supplies directly from the south.

The lack of food and supplies was a minor issue, as a considerable amount had been stockpiled before the battle. However, the magic scrolls were being consumed in large quantities and needed to be transported from the river channels in the valley.

The Bucks have offered their full support, but their strength is limited, and they still have to transport supplies from the capital. With Levin engaged in a major battle at Sunset Fortress these past few days, transportation was already difficult, and now that their supply lines have been completely cut off, they have essentially lost their ability to launch a counterattack.

Several days after the Battle of Sunset began, Lloyd also launched a general offensive, entered the hill fortress, killed Karen, defeated many human generals, and killed tens of thousands of castle soldiers.

Heroes with level 5 air elemental magic are naturally very rare, but the human army is not without defenses. However, after fighting on two fronts, the human army was exhausted and the parliament was more worried about the safety of the capital, so it transferred too many elite troops back.

Take, for example, the southern line of defense, which borders the valley, and the northern line, which is close to Norton. There were only a pitiful few hundred people guarding it. How could they possibly stop Lloyd's army? Therefore, their defeat was to be expected.

Lloyd had prepared for this battle for a long time and finally conquered the humans in the hilly region.

With Kalen dead, the legions of the other hill fortresses retreated without a fight, all returning home. This left Elton's gates wide open. The withered snowfields, the Shilin Plains, and the Ella River Valley were all exposed to Elton's military might.

Isildur is currently suppressing the stubborn resistance forces in the valley, and it is believed that he will be able to continue his westward advance soon.

……

Upon receiving news of Karen's crushing defeat, Kuraki's heroes stood frozen in place, exchanging glances, unsure of what to say.

To say Lloyd is cunning? But the Barrier is a high-magic force with a five-story magic tower, so there's still a chance to learn these advanced spells, and the human forces are certainly on guard.

Ultimately, the reason was that during the Battle of Sunset, Leven was advancing directly towards the capital, causing panic among the nobles of Parliament. They drew away a large number of their forces from the front lines, resulting in a sharp decrease in the number of troops that Karen could use.

It was even rumored that the large army originally stationed in the valleys and the northern border to assist in defense had received orders to retreat. The journey was too long to make it back in time, and the Battle of Sunset had already ended before they even reached the heart of the territory.

These arrangements were all issued by Congress itself. As the marshal on the front lines, Karen only discovered the problem when the actual deployment was underway, which shows how much interference there was.

"If you ask me, if Congress keeps micromanaging like this, even the war gods on the front lines will die without knowing why."

Orling rarely spoke a fair word; while Karen might not be as capable as Raven overall, he wasn't mediocre. His greatest strength in Parliament was his obedience and consideration for the bigger picture. Seeing the capital surrounded, he gave all his cavalry to Conrad, holding firm and refusing to engage, only to have his defensive forces redeployed – it was utterly disheartening.

What should have been a great victory, boosting the morale of the troops, has now been thwarted, leaving them feeling extremely frustrated.

"The kingdom's overall strength is still somewhat weak. Isildur's two-front war is basically an open conspiracy, aimed at suppressing us with national power. Once we divert troops, there will inevitably be a weakness in the other front. There is really no way to deal with it."

"No matter what, we won the Battle of Sunset and killed several heroes of Isildur. Even if they have a strong foundation, I don't believe they can field so many powerful heroes."

Maggie's words made some sense. Although the front lines had suffered a rout, they weren't completely annihilated; their losses were less than those of Isildur in the Battle of Sunset. Only by holding onto the capital and continuing the resistance could they have a chance to reverse the situation; otherwise, they were no match for the fortress.

"Why would Isildur take such a great risk to invade the kingdom's territory? If they fail to conquer it, won't they also perish?"

The question Wayne raised was one that everyone had been wondering about for a long time. Even an ancient empire like Isildur couldn't just casually pull out hundreds of thousands of superhuman troops to invade other kingdoms.

It's understandable to fight against small principalities, but to clash with Elton, which is of similar size, would only benefit the surrounding countries.

I don't understand; I can only say I can't understand it.

Those who actually fought against Isildur's army knew that their will was equally strong, sometimes even to the point of being determined to fight to the death. It was unclear what had happened within Isildur that made them so resolute.

The heroes gathered around the sand table to discuss the situation, but could only lament that no one wanted this outcome, especially after such a great victory. There was nothing they could do about it.

Finally, everyone looked at the lord, but Su Mu simply said, "Now Cangmu will really be on the front line, and our defensive pressure will be much greater."

With the hill defenses breached, the pressure on the plains increased dramatically. Isildur could choose to attack from three directions, but the plains battlefield was more suitable for bastion-type units. However, since the North had been occupied by Leven, tree trails remained, and Isildur might choose to continue his advance from the north.

"I heard that the Knight Commander has already headed to Winterfell. It seems the Arcane Empire in the north is making a move?"

"The Congress negotiated with the Arcane Empire, and the Arcane Empire sent troops to attack Winter, and Rhodes regained his title as Duke of the North. However, the Knight Commander was somewhat dissatisfied with this. The Arcane Empire did not take any action when the Battle of Sunset was at its most difficult. Now that we have defeated Leven, we are fully capable of taking back Winter. It is not fair that the North wants to reap the benefits."

"The surrounding countries only want Elton to decline; no one is genuinely willing to help."

That hits the nail on the head. Elton is now in a predicament. If he keeps backing down, he may be devoured without a trace. He must show a tough attitude, even a crazy will, to use this victory to deter neighboring countries. Otherwise, he will be devoured by the wolves sooner or later.

Conrad led his cavalry north again, not only to eliminate Isildur's last stronghold, but also as a warning to the Arcane Empire.

Even a weakened tiger has claws to fight for its life. If you go too far, don't blame them for being ruthless.

“With Lloyd’s campaign on the eastern front, Winterfell has no support. Judging by the timeline, the Knight Commander has most likely already led his cavalry into the city and regained control of this key castle in the North.”

Only Su Mu knew the most crucial intelligence from the front lines.

At this point, there's no issue of leaks. This is a way to give everyone a heads-up and boost confidence in the upcoming situation.

After months of hard work, they finally managed to take down Leven, but then the plains became the front line again. Elton was truly a mess, leaving everyone exhausted. As a human hero, it was already quite an achievement that he could persevere.

However, Su Mu looked at his subordinates and saw that they were all full of fighting spirit. As long as Su Mu did not show any fear, they had nothing to be afraid of.

To the heroes, their lord was omnipotent; he was Kuraki's banner. As long as the banner stood, Kuraki's spirit would not dissipate.

Just then, Ivan suddenly entered the tent, leaving everyone puzzled.

"Weren't you stationed in Cloudmist City? Why are you back?"

Ivan looked at the lord, and Su Mu stepped forward to explain: "The location of the hinterland is quite sensitive. Cloud Mist City is not adjacent to the plains and is an exclave, which is not easy for us to control."

Therefore, the city was exchanged for the parliament, Ivan retreated south to join us, and after sending the fortress army across the border, we returned to the plains.

The heroes exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat strange; this was unlike their lord's usual style.

Ivan smiled and didn't keep them in suspense any longer: "The Congress recognizes Kuraki's achievements this time, especially the lord's leadership role, and has specially conferred upon Sumu the title of Marquis, appointing him as Governor-General of the Plains! The specific ceremony will be held on a later date."

It will also provide ten cartloads of boundary markers, ten Tier 5 ballistae, and ten Tier 4 catapults. Furthermore, resource mines and cities near the plains will be included within the Langlit Castle's territory.

The magical land deeds have been issued. Everyone looked at the map and saw that the boundary markers of the plains had shifted westward. The jurisdiction of Longlet Castle had expanded to include an area, which was about one-third of the original territory. It contained nearly four resource sites and two cities with council halls, making it a very fertile area.

Although these resource-rich areas were already under Kuraki's control, and the Maya were managing them covertly, they were nominally still inland territory. Now, with the approval of the Congress, they are legitimate, and no one can interfere.

The happiest person was naturally Maggie. Longlet Castle had actually expanded its territory, accomplishing a feat that her father, grandfather, and even previous generations had failed to achieve. Forget about Su Mu becoming the Governor of the Plains; even without that title, wasn't Su Mu the de facto leader?
Garfield was incredibly fortunate to have chosen the right lord and expanded his territory.

A legitimate inheritance is the best option; setting aside matters of noble lineage, this is a practically meaningful distinction.

Elton is, after all, a complete kingdom, with a vast amount of earth magic shrouding the land. If forcibly occupied, the capital could even cast forbidden spells to halt the conversion of gold coins and the production of resources in the city for several weeks.

Of course, this is a lose-lose situation. Forcibly imposing such a spell is tantamount to stripping the land of its ownership, making it impossible to control the area afterward. Therefore, the king would not impose such a punishment unless it was a serious crime like treason or regicide.

Even though Congress has been suppressing non-central nobles, it hasn't escalated to the point of no return.

This exchange was initiated by Conrad, who spoke up for Su Mu. Congress readily agreed, but on the condition that Cloud Mist City be taken back.

Su Mu didn't intend to occupy the territory of Magic Cloud. His power couldn't yet reach the depths of its heartland, so exchanging it for some benefits was the best outcome.

Moreover, the Battle of Sunset was won through the cooperation of everyone. Cloud Mist City was only temporarily placed under the command of the Knight Commander, and the credit could not be enjoyed alone, so Su Mu readily agreed.

Seeing that everyone had mostly accepted it, Ivan took out a golden helmet, around which tiny electric currents flickered. Even from a distance, one could feel a tingling sensation; if cursed upon, its power would be unimaginable.

Thor's Helmet (Level 4 Treasure): When worn by a hero, Knowledge +10, Spell Power -2. One of the four components of the Titan's Arrow combination treasure.

Evaluation: A golden light flashed by. After searching, you found a golden helmet in the bushes.

Finally, the last piece of the combined treasure has been collected. The legend of the Titan's Arrow has been passed down for a long time. It not only provides all-around attribute bonuses, but also has powerful air elemental magic. Most importantly, it does not consume magic.

When it comes to interests in the heartland, Congress is quite swift, providing a Level 4 treasure without any delay. It seems the Kingdom's treasury does have some good stuff.

Given the precedent of the Crimson Curse Armor, people naturally think of the Titan's Arrow upgrade.

Since the components of Titan's Arrow are all of a high level, it's not easy to upgrade them. Su Mu thinks it's best to combine them first, assign a suitable hero to equip them, and then discuss the next step.

The next upgrade plan is either the Phantom Bow or the Holy Blood Vial. I should go back and ask Randall before I can make a decision.

As for the boundary stones, although there were many, they were still insufficient to build a parliament, and he lacked a suitable justification. Su Mu considered using some of the boundary stones to build a new city (tower) on the snowfield north of Bear Castle, but the specific construction details still needed to be discussed with Forrest, since it was not a castle and the difference was still significant.

Everyone is eager to return to Kuraki and witness the next combination of treasures.

Currently, the fortress army is chasing the stronghold, seizing many resources and enslaving some orcs, but Su Mu is only half-hearted about it and has not paid any attention to it.

Now that he could just drive them out, his mission was complete. Kuraki was now on the front lines and needed to prepare properly; he really had no time to mess around with these beasts.

But it is precisely at times like these that things are most likely to go wrong.

A scout suddenly burst into the tent and reported: "The fortress army chased the orcs into a border town. After capturing the orcs, they occupied the council hall, saying they would rest for a few days."

The free people were all taken to do hard labor, building water sources for the dragonflies and the flying dragon king to cool off, and many escaped.

(End of this chapter)