Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 423 Ultimate Equilibrium
Su Mu stood beside the shattered war training ground, gazing at the distinctive buildings of this blood-red regime.

【Crimson War Training Ground (Special Building): Allows the promotion of low-level Crimson units to high-level Crimson units (up to Red Priest). Sufficient war points and kill points must be accumulated, and the cost is three times that of the original unit. There is a certain chance of failure. Crimson regime skills and buildings can reduce the failure rate.】

As expected of a blood-red regime, it gains its ultimate power through violence and war.

Normally, the number of promotions per week isn't this terrifying, but this rebellion has a wide reach and has accumulated enough war points, allowing for the rapid recruitment of high-level Crimson units.

However, the opponent's skills and infrastructure are definitely not up to par, and too many people died along the way. Relying on sheer numbers for initial accumulation is a recipe for disaster, a method akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Leaving aside the Blood Crusade and the Red Priests, the selection process for the Bloodthirsty Thugs alone has resulted in the deaths of countless civilians.

Although it has maximized the potential of war, the kingdom will soon perish if it continues in this way.

"Tear it down!"

Under the full force of the Mystic Prayer's attack, the war training ground collapsed.

Su Mu has no immediate plans to follow this path. Even if he develops the Crimson Legion in the future, he will need to find suitable heroes and rely on faith to enhance the power of protection and fanaticism.

"Such a powerful building, if it falls into the hands of an evil person, will cause disaster. Destroying it would be the best thing to do!"

A female general with purple curly hair led a guard of hundreds of swordsmen down the city avenue. She nodded as she looked at the destroyed buildings.

Tatiana Amirka, the youngest daughter of the Grand Duke of the Deer, is known as a wise and magical elk and enjoys considerable prestige in the valley region.

The Bucks had been grooming his older brother, Gann Amirka, but the Battle of Streamshire had cost the Valley a valiant heir. Tatiana gradually moved from the rear to the forefront, beginning to command the army.

"Your Excellency, speed is indeed crucial in warfare. The magical message notified the family, and we rushed here day and night, only to find that Otale had already been captured. The rebels sweeping the east were like insects in your presence, easily crushed!"

Although Sumu was extremely young, only slightly older than Tatiana, Duke Kuraki's status was on par with her father's, so Tatiana naturally dared not be negligent.

Su Mu waved his hand and got straight to the point: "The situation in the heartland is so dire, yet the kingdom hasn't made any move? Even mobilizing troops from surrounding nobles could have provided some suppression, so why has there been no action for so long?"

Su Mu could understand the rift between the Kingdom and Kuraki, and the Kingdom's reluctance to seek trouble. However, he couldn't understand why the Kingdom wouldn't mobilize the support of noble legions from the Valley and other regions in the current situation in the hinterland.

Tatiana said with a hint of sarcasm, "The bigwigs in Congress are focused on Cloud City. It's said that there are only two clues left to connect to the final altar. At this crucial moment, they won't let anyone interfere."

Furthermore, given that the trading cities in the hinterland have consistently disobeyed Congress's orders, this unrest in the hinterland may well have been intended as a way to teach them a lesson.

"So you just let those bloodthirsty thugs plunder free citizens, leaving nine out of ten homes empty and countless lives lost?"

Hearing the Duke Kuraki's suppressed voice, knowing that he was already somewhat angry, Tatiana could only sigh: "In such difficult times, they are still fighting among themselves. It's disheartening."

In this world, treating the common people like dirt is a common phenomenon. However, at this stage, even the nobles are regarded as trash to be discarded at will, and Parliament has gradually lost its most loyal supporters, losing the hearts and minds of the people.

Without the support of these nobles, can Cloud City really turn things around? That's a joke.

"As previously agreed, my attack on the county town was only to protect Kuraki's territory, and I had no intention of occupying it."

However, without a lord to protect them, these wastelands would breed riots. It is hoped that the Buck family can hunt down the remaining deserters and take control of this area.

Kuraki really can't manage more land. After all, the development time is too short. It's fine to guard the core cities, but if he gets involved in other territories, his foundation will be unstable.

Moreover, Otales is in the heart of the turmoil, and there will definitely be more trouble to come.

At present, Kuraki's biggest enemies are the fortified forces of the ancient ruins and hills. He has no time to divide his forces to other areas. Entrusting the rear to a trustworthy family would be a good choice.

Tatiana's eyes lit up when she heard Su Mu make the promise on the spot.

She had initially considered offering some concessions, including treasures and gold, and promising an alliance to jointly control the heartland. However, Su Mu's casual remark sealed the deal, awarding the entire hundred-mile stretch of fertile land to the Xionglu family.

Unlike the newly emerging Kuraki family, the Buck family has been established for dozens of generations, with various vassals and lords under their command. The land in the valley is naturally quite crowded, so expanding into new territories would be an exciting prospect.

Currently, the Kingdom's Marshal is stationed in the Valley, and the Buck Family is providing significant assistance to the Legion in resisting the Isildur forces. Even though they have occupied some territory in the heartland, Parliament will not say much.

Moreover, if they don't reclaim these territories, they will be exploited by the rebels. Taking over them now is a perfectly legitimate reason. As for the complex issues such as the ownership of the land spirits, they can be discussed later.

Is it really true that Kuraki has no interest in the hinterland?

Tatiana glanced furtively at Duke Kuraki and saw that he had already begun directing the army to clean up the mess and had no intention of leaving any troops behind.

For this legendary Lord Kuraki, his enemies were always the powerful empire and the terrifying undead ruins; he truly didn't take these wealthy yet decadent lands seriously. At this moment, Tatiana recalled her father's assessment of Sumu before he left.

"A man of great talent and vision, the banner of the kingdom, the hope of mankind."

After thinking it over, Tatiana ordered her men to take over the defenses around the city and clear out the remaining rebels.

She brought a large number of troops, enough to sweep through villages and towns and carry out a thorough purge.

Just as the two were discussing, a commotion suddenly arose in the distance, and a rebel soldier covered in blood was brought in. Beside him was a man being protected, but his arms had turned into blood-red hooks, exuding a savage aura.

"Hamondale! You're still alive!"

Forrest ran up excitedly and patted the young man on the shoulder.

"Luckily, the adults arrived in time. I managed to escape in the chaos and even caught a big guy!"
Bloodhand Zaven is the rebel leader of Otale City!

Su Mu was also surprised to see Zaven's miserable appearance. He thought that this guy had made a miraculous escape and fled Otale in the chaos, but he did not expect to be encountered by Hammondal and intercepted.

The opponent is a hero of considerable strength, while Hammondell has not yet been promoted to hero. The difference in strength between the two is huge. How did he manage to do that?
Hammondell then recounted his experiences in the underground training grounds, brandishing the hooked tail of his right arm with a touch of melancholy: "Having been corrupted by blood, it seems my arm is somewhat out of control!"

Su Mu stepped forward and used his Qi Observation Technique to observe carefully.

[Hamondel (Crimson Blacksmith, in the process of advancement): Attack?, Defense?, Spellpower?, Knowledge?]

Loyalty 82, Charisma 60, Element: Fire/Earth.

Characteristics: Unburnt, descendants of dragon blood, earth scorpions, fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

Manticore Forging: You have a natural sensitivity to fire and dust, making you more adept at forging fire and earth elemental materials, increasing your success rate (maximum?).

Ultimate Balance: After experiencing a bad event, this skill increases the success rate of subsequent forging and the maximum level of forged treasures (currently up to level 1 treasure).

Harmondel, corrupted by crimson cursed power, has his manticore tail hook mutate, triggering the forbidden tail hammer. Infused with this powerful curse, he embarks on a heroic path, but also faces the risk of losing control.

Su Mu roughly understood Hammondal's situation. Normally, to advance to the level of a blacksmith, he would need to activate the bloodline of the manticore. However, this bloodline was of a high level, making it extremely difficult to advance to the level of a hero. Hammondal had been stuck at this bottleneck for a long time without making any progress.

This ordeal, under extreme survival pressure, unleashed his potential, allowing him to fuse with the manticore's tail hook and forge his own path. However, he unexpectedly encountered an accident, being corrupted by a blood-red curse. While this enhanced his abilities, it also posed a risk of spiraling out of control.

There may be an effect of extreme balance in this, where encountering a fatal crisis may lead to an extraordinary opportunity.

Unexpectedly, in the end, Hammondell still followed the same path as his mentor, the Forbidden Hammer.

There are pros and cons. Gaining forbidden abilities will greatly increase Hammondell's potential. As a blacksmith with both manticore and red dragon blood, his resilience is also much stronger, and he may achieve far greater things than Randall.

But those who gaze into the abyss are also gazed into by the abyss, and if Hammondal were to lose control, he would be an even more dangerous being.

Tatiana took a few steps back. She had already sensed the intense crimson curse power of the person in front of her, which could cause him to lose his mind and become a killing machine at any moment.

The kingdom's usual approach to such destabilizing factors is to eliminate the danger in advance.

However, Su Mu stepped forward and punched Hammondell in the chest. The powerful ruling spell, like a gentle spring breeze, temporarily sealed the manticore's tail hook, preventing Hammondell from immediately losing control.

While there are currently no vacancies in the governing positions, using special magical powers to guide heroes is a basic operation of the art of governance.

It's best to ask Randall about the Forbidden Hammer. Besides, Kuraki has so many heroes; he's sure he can find a way to help him through this difficult time.

What's remarkable is that this kid was fearless, dared to risk his life against a hero, and successfully captured him.

It can't be done by brute force alone, which just shows that the blacksmith is smart.

Su Mu looked at the Bloodhand Zhawen lying on the ground, now he should be called Barbecue Zhawen. His skin was burned all over his body by the explosion of the blood-red passage, and his whole body was unrecognizable.

The passage leads to the ruins, suggesting an organized and premeditated rebellion. With Zaven around, perhaps we can follow the trail and get some clues.

Hammondell has done a great job!

(End of this chapter)