Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 409 News from Cloud City
"Is the information reliable? Has the kingdom really discovered clues to Cloud City?"

It's no wonder that Su Mu and the others were surprised. Although Elton is known as the birthplace of Bai Yu, the angels have been gone for thousands of years, and the Cloud City has vanished without a trace.

Unlike the Arcane Empire and the Isildur Empire, even at the height of Eldon's power, it seems no city ever built a Cloud City. The Land of Birth actually refers to the place where angels from elsewhere helped the humans of Eldon defend their land and establish their kingdom.

However, no one knows where these angels came from, or whether the kingdom still has the ability to recruit angels; this is Elton's top secret.

For centuries, the kingdom has been able to maintain its foothold and keep peace with the surrounding powers precisely because they feared the angels' abilities.

Whether it's the Titans who look down on ants, the golden dragons who scorn reptiles, the nine-headed monsters who rule over all beasts, or the Behemoths who stand proudly above all others, they all have to give way before the archangels.

The Archangels of the human race are the most balanced and powerful ultimate units, legendary throughout history. Possessing them means possessing all possibilities.

However, Isildur's invasion shattered the kingdom's facade. Even on the verge of annihilation, no angels, let alone archangels, came to the rescue. This essentially proved that the kingdom was incapable of recruiting angels; it was merely a decaying shell inheriting a glorious past, easily crumbled.

Perhaps some nobles in the kingdom still harbored the arrogance of their former superiority, but that arrogance was reduced to dust under the powerful iron heel of the fortress.

From the border city, through the Far Forest, the North, and the heartland, all the way to Sunset Fortress, Elton was nearly destroyed. The surrounding nations, seeing its weakness, rushed forward to tear it apart.

However, if the kingdom can recruit angels again, it may be able to turn the tide with the existing economy of its heartland.

"It was a spy lurking in the capital who provided the information. A few days ago, the parliament held a high-level meeting, which could only be attended by nobles of very high rank and was also limited to certain forces. Therefore, the specific details are still unclear. What is certain is that someone discovered the ruins of Cloud City and reported it to the parliament."

It's already quite impressive that we were able to uncover such a core secret; there's nothing more to criticize.

After all, although the kingdom seems to have eased relations between the two sides, those who oppose it are still incorrigible, and have even become more secretive.

Kuraki is powerful, and more and more opportunists are coming to his side. Naturally, the other party also considers that such secrets may be leaked, and will most likely carefully screen them.

"Could this be a smokescreen from the kingdom? They desperately need to stabilize morale. If the royal family can step forward and announce this news, they can regain the trust of the nobles?"

It's no wonder Forrest speculated that Congress has no bottom line now and will do anything for its own benefit.

Su Mu shook his head and said, "Impossible. When it comes to angels, even Congress wouldn't dare to deceive everyone, otherwise they would definitely lose all trust. I think this news is most likely true."

"But if the kingdom had any news of Cloud City, they would probably have already mobilized all their resources to search for it. Don't you find it strange that they've suddenly acquired it now?"

Forrest nodded: "I once asked Lord Raven, and he said that the royal family had long lost contact with the angels, and the king was bedridden and unable to get up. Even with the return of the Cursed Tide, they could not get any news about Cloud City."

The only clue now is the inherited white feather, but to sense it, one must first be of the kingdom's bloodline, and secondly, truly be the chosen one; otherwise, the chances are very slim.

Therefore, when the Kingdom entrusted Bai Yu to Cang Mu, it never intended that Su Mu would actually be able to use it. After all, the Kingdom's bloodline alone could not satisfy him, so anything else was naturally meaningless.

"Should we send someone over to follow them? Just in case..."

The two looked at the lord. Even if such a thing was basically impossible, as long as it wasn't completely ruled out, it was something to pay special attention to. If the kingdom could really discover Cloud City, even if Kuraki didn't fight for it, he could still find Cloud City based on the clues.

After thinking for a moment, Su Mu shook his head: "Don't do anything for now. Congress is already wary of us. If we send people to keep an eye on us, it could cause tension if we are discovered."

If the kingdom can acquire Cloud City, it means the angels have returned, so it's feasible for us to use the method of prayer to find it.

Besides, with the angel army, the kingdom's strength will increase, which is entirely beneficial to Kuraki!

With Kuraki's current strength, he's not afraid of dozens or even hundreds of angel legions. On the contrary, the kingdom, with its level 7 troops, can barely hold its own against the two great empires and alleviate some of the pressure on Kuraki. From Su Mu's perspective, he has no intention of becoming a rebel. He's quite happy to see the kingdom grow stronger. After all, the crisis of natural disasters hasn't fully arrived yet, and it would be foolish to start an internal conflict now.

"Let's wait and see!"

"However, the area around the ancient ruins needs to be cleared out. We can't let the Grand Duke of the Dead continue to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight. I always feel like they're plotting something!"

"Let Ivan prepare; it's our turn to fight back!"

……

The kingdom's elite troops arrived in the southwestern part of the interior, the very location where the eldest prince had provided the suspected ruins.

The commander is Zek Haytham, an elite member of the Witcher family and the younger brother of the current Witcher Marshal. He has both Haytham family blood and some Quentin family blood, and possesses powerful magic resistance skills.

He was accompanied by swordsmen and special demon hunter priests, making him quite powerful.

【Demon Hunter Priest (Castle Tier 5, Tier 2 Unit, Dark/Water Elemental Baptism): Attack 16, Defense 14, Ammo 28, Damage 14-18, Health 55, Speed ​​8, Large Size.

Element: Dark/Water. Ranged Unit

Divine Power: Allows you to freely switch between dark elemental damage and physical damage. In dark environments, it increases vision (range) by 30%, and melee combat damage remains unaffected.

Demon Hunter Body: Temporarily strengthens the body, loses ranged combat ability, and gains +5 attack, +5 defense, +5 damage, and +20 health.

Magic Resistance: +30% magic resistance, cleanses the user of debuffs periodically (equivalent to casting an exorcism spell).

[Comment: To hunt monsters in the darkness, one must possess strength far exceeding theirs!]

"How's it going? How's the exploration inside? Are there any traces of Cloud City?"

Quentin's decision to send Zeke over indicates his distrust of the eldest prince, given the prince's previous image of being arrogant and self-righteous. The royal family is also in decline, riddled with inconsistencies; there's never been any mention of the prince possessing clues about angels, and now he suddenly claims to have found Cloud City—something just doesn't seem right.

However, considering that the second prince has been quite active recently but has been suppressed, the eldest prince may see an opportunity and want to re-establish his position as the first heir.

But if he were to use the matter of Cloud City to deceive the parliament, he would probably never be able to remain king again, and the eldest prince must be aware of this consequence.

Therefore, Quentin was somewhat uneasy and sent out Highgarden's powerful Witcher commander to deal with the situation ahead.

The scouts went inside for quite a while, and just as Zeke was getting impatient, the cavalrymen came running out.

"My lord, inside, mountains surround the area, and sacred grasslands cover the hillsides. After crossing a high mountain, one can vaguely glimpse a giant city in the clouds, as if sacred sounds are emanating from it!"

Upon hearing the scout's description, Zeke immediately perked up.

"It really is a city in the clouds!"

"Gunte Finaxia, could it be that you are the one who will restore the kingdom?"

(End of this chapter)