Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 428 Swordsman's Moon
Having successfully persuaded the Witcher Marshal, Forrest returned to Kuraki with the good news.

Having received Kenway's promise, Cedrus activated advanced astrology, altering the constellations within the region.

Starting from Kuraki Castle, it extends southwards until it crosses the river valley area, covering an extremely wide area.

After using the Astrology skill in the last Battle of Silvertop City, Cedrus accumulated a vast amount of magical energy, waiting for this moment to unleash his power.

Using advanced astrology doesn't mean that whatever Cedros says goes. Otherwise, during Angel Month, Su Mu wouldn't be waiting for Cloud City; he could just recruit directly.

Astrology has specific limitations, the biggest impact of which is naturally on the current major celestial events in the world. Due to the ongoing lunar eclipse, astrological events related to dreams, blood curses, demons, and the undead will be much easier this month. Even without consuming a large amount of resources, one can use their own magical power to manipulate the celestial phenomena and change the state of affairs on a larger scale.

The Red Moon Anomaly that Sederlos cast last time was used in conjunction with a lunar eclipse to restrict and delay the Arcane Empire's reinforcements.

"The lunar eclipse is nearing its end. I will begin Kuraki's new astrological month next week, which should allow for a smooth transition into the following month."

Astrology requires accumulating power and activating it with a large amount of resources to increase the chances of awakening higher-level units. With the current level of Cursed Tide, level 6 and 7 units are unlikely to appear, but if you build up a large force, level 5 and lower units should be achievable.

The most crucial point is that the lunar eclipse is fading, which is why the astrological month can be transformed into a month of military procreation; otherwise, it would be quite difficult.

Sederos also considered the Moon of Growth, but firstly, the lunar eclipse would be ineffective for at least half a month, and secondly, the Witcher Marshal had not received reinforcements and might not agree to send troops.

After discussing it with the Duke repeatedly, they finally decided to activate the Swordsman's Moon.

[Swordsman's Month: Swordsman production increased by 100% this month; Barracks Illusions may appear in the wild!]

The Moon of Troops is relatively compatible with lunar eclipses, so the pressure on Cedros will not be as great. Moreover, level 4 troops are a moderate level, and with the amount of magical power and resources accumulated by the astrologers during this period, they can fully support it.

Sedros took out a star chart, which outlined the trajectories of the stars in the heavens. Magic caused them to move according to certain rules, and the chart showed the astrologer's markings for the month.

As he stood on the top floor of the magic guild, he began to pray and cast spells after nightfall.

Based on the hero's spell power, it drew upon the power of the magic guild's very essence, igniting a bright star before disappearing into the night sky.

The process was very brief, and the fluctuation of the magical power was not very large, yet it accomplished an unprecedented magic.

"Astrologers merely observe and guide the stars; don't expect us to be like gods, determining the future changes of the world. Everything still needs to be adjusted within a larger framework."

Of course, legendary astrologers might be on another level altogether!

Su Mu patted him on the shoulder and said, "To have your ability is already one in a million. How long has it been since the mainland has produced an astrologer, let alone a legend?"

Su Mu was quite satisfied with the current situation. With the combination of Cedros's astrology and Forrest's diplomacy, the number of swordsmen could be increased dramatically in the shortest possible time.

Based on the current weekly output of the strongest swordsmen, the barracks alone can yield over 100 of the strongest swordsmen. As for recruitment in the wild, that would be an even more lucrative harvest.

That depends on Forrest's skills. He captured the Level 4 treasure, the Medal of the Politician, during the Battle of Silvertop City. This medal can improve his diplomacy skills and reduce the hostility of soldiers in the wild, which will greatly enhance his ability to persuade them to surrender and recruit them.

"If time proceeds normally, what will be the next astrological month?"

The lunar eclipse had lasted too long, and many factions were demoralized and unwilling to wage war during this period, which indirectly helped the kingdom stabilize the situation. However, the parliament was fooled, and the rebels ran rampant, which put the kingdom in a difficult situation.

"Crystal Moon!"

[Bright Crystal Month: All crystal production is doubled this month, with a chance of encountering new special crystal mines, and the number of troops recruited using crystals has a chance to double.]

It's another resource month. Although there are some crystal mines in the North, and Kuraki currently has a considerable amount of crystal resources, they're not of much use. On the contrary, for the kingdom's enemies, this is a good month for astrology.

The most typical example of a unit that requires crystals to recruit is the Golden Dragon. The Bulwark already has a large number of Divine Golden Dragons. If they were to receive double the number of level 7 units, it would be much more difficult to fight them.

This solidified Su Mu's resolve to wage war; he had to eliminate the enemy in the hills by next month.

Moreover, the thieves learned a crucial piece of information: the Golden Dragon Commander possesses the Crown of Oracles, a component of the Angelic Alliance, which he is determined to obtain.

Since the kingdom is currently unable to obtain information about Cloud City, they can only rely on Kuraki himself. The only clue is the Dream Realm Prayer Altar. However, this alone is probably insufficient. If they could gather information from the Angel Alliance, they might discover new clues.

In short, they adopted a two-pronged approach to gather information about Cloud City.

Within the Fal Forest, the Elders of the Barrier began a new discussion on state affairs.

The migration in the plains has basically come to an end, and a new forest city has been established in Far, even connecting to the distant Dragon Cliff and gaining the right to recruit golden dragons. The results are commendable, but compared to the original, it is still far from enough.

"The devastating ice calamity within the empire has spread, eroding 60% of the forests, and 16 county towns have been relocated. Six new county towns have been built on the plains, and the highest-level main city is now able to connect to the sealed Dragon Cliff."

Each county town has already relocated tens of millions of people, but the development of the forests is still far from complete, leading to considerable discontent. Even Far, considered the best city, cannot compare to the former Imperial Forests.

The elders could only remain silent upon hearing this. After all, they had come to seek refuge and explore new territory, which was certainly not as good as the forest homeland that the empire had built over ten thousand years. Whether elves, dwarves, or any race close to nature, all had very different requirements for their environment, and for now, they could only endure it.

Is it possible to suppress the source of the disaster?

"Right now, the Grand Elder and the Golden Dragon are working together to seal off the disaster and prevent it from spreading further, but the results are not good. The only information we have so far is that logs can effectively resist the snow disaster and maintain the vitality and output of the forest town."

In the sanctuary of the forest near the border city, three large granaries have been built, entirely for storing logs, to ensure we can survive the next harsh winter!

The reason why Isildur broke the alliance pact and attacked Elton was not only because of the internal disaster of the Empire, but also because he wanted to take down Fal and collect enough logs.

They have barely achieved their goal and have a new territory to migrate to, so they are not too overwhelmed by the disaster. However, the defeat at Sunset Fortress has stalled their offensive at the front and they have been temporarily blocked in the hills.

"How are the preparations on the hillside? Are they able to break through Kuraki's defenses?"

At this moment, all the elders turned their gazes to a hooded ranger, Dino Hansen, who had just returned from the front lines.

In the previous Battle of Silver Peak, Su Mu deceived Lloyd, preventing the Hill Legion from expanding their gains. Although no one expected Silver Peak to win with 8000 against 10, it was a major tactical blunder by the fortress.

Lloyd was questioned by the elders and even pressured by some of the higher-ups.

They felt that the mangrove leader was too cautious. Perhaps the defense was indeed watertight, but now that they were on the offensive, he was being somewhat conservative.

There was no other way, so Dino had to come back in place of the marshal to explain the situation.

"Kuraki's army is indeed very capable. Don't be fooled by the fact that they only have less than 10,000 men; each of their heroes is extremely powerful. If we rashly engage them without being confident of victory, we might end up losing!"

Dino's words caused an uproar in the council hall. After all, the divine golden dragon had dispatched so many troops, and with the quality of level 7 units, they could easily overwhelm the enemy.

Kuraki is just a newly established duchy, with at most a few knights. It can't even form a decent cavalry regiment. What can it use to defend itself?

Of course, there were also more cautious elders who, considering that Kuraki was able to defeat the Arcane Empire, no matter what method he used, must have extraordinary combat power. Without a good opportunity, it was indeed not advisable to act rashly.

Just as the elders were arguing, Dino spoke up.

"Recently, a rebellion has broken out within Elton, and the kingdom is preoccupied with its own problems. We want to take advantage of this opportunity to break through the kingdom's defenses from the valley and eliminate Elton's fighting force!"

"The Witcher Marshal's legion? He's been training his troops in the valley for so long, what progress has he made?"

"Although he has amassed a large army of demon hunters, they are still no match for the Golden Dragon. Most importantly, he is a general sent by Quentin. The internal strife in the heartland will definitely send him back to provide support, which will give us an opportunity to fight!"
"Once this legion is wiped out, the kingdom will essentially be a shell of its former self. Even if Kuraki is incredibly strong, with internal and external troubles, he won't be able to hold on alone."

In fact, the last time the undead ravaged the area, the fortress had already shown some clues. The ancient ruins and Kuraki were hostile to each other and restrained each other, which was a good opportunity for them to expand their gains.

After careful discussion, the elders unanimously agreed that the plan was feasible.

“Dragon Cliff has recruited a new batch of golden dragons, and will allocate another 300 divine golden dragons to you, some of whom are dual-divine.”

"Led by Orofel Senye, the newly promoted dragon knight."

"Tell Lloyd, this time it's a do-or-die situation!"

(End of this chapter)