Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 484 Nightmare (Tier 5 Warhorse)
Gaoting Baiya City, also known as the White Stone Cliff, is indestructible.

Its city walls are a full 500 meters high, so tall that even towering towers look down upon them. This is one of the ancient training grounds of the Witcher family, home to monsters with various mysterious bloodlines, making it extremely dangerous.

Today, they welcomed visitors from afar. There were only a few of them, but they were invited into the parliament hall.

Several young members of the demon-hunting family were quite curious to see their patriarch receiving the guests with such great ceremony.

"Which noble family is this, that the clan chief personally greeted them and even escorted them to the Demon Hunter Hall? This hall is usually closed, only opening on major holidays, and they've made an exception for them!"

"They could be of royal blood. I saw that after they went in, Princess Diana was also invited in. It seems they had important matters to discuss."

"You're all wrong. Royal families don't have this kind of pomp. These are people from the Principality of Kuraki. I heard they're their deputy city lord, and they want to invite the princess to Kuraki."

"Is he a subordinate of Duke Kuraki, who gathered the entire Angel Alliance? If so, he certainly deserves to be treated with respect."

Kuraki's fame has spread throughout the entire kingdom. The Angel Alliance is so famous in the human world that even the most ignorant person has heard of its legend.

To welcome Princess Diana, Forrest personally came to Highgarden. While preparations were still underway in Silvertop City, he was able to find some time to do some work.

In addition to the unprecedented construction of the Tower Duchy, Forrest wanted to visit Highgarden to see how a city at such a high altitude was built.

Upon arriving at White Cliff City, Forrest was led in through the outer road at the foot of the mountain, passing through three elevators to climb several hundred meters of the city wall. The city wall of White Cliff City was also layered, with multiple inner walls connected by magical cliffs and accessed by special ladders.

Of course, in addition to the usual methods, Baiya City also trains some large transport dragon eagles, several times the size of ordinary griffins. They are relatively gentle and can live peacefully with humans. They also share some transport tasks, but their most frequent task is transporting goods. The daily necessities used by the city, which is hundreds of meters above the city, are all carried by dragon eagles.

There are also the magic kites unique to Highgarden, which can be tied to a large frame to hold people or items, much like the hot air balloons in the towers.

Besides daily life, the layers of inner walls can be used to deploy archers and priests to launch ranged attacks against enemies below. Attacks from above are always more effective, and the range of arrows is also much greater.

Baiya City has not suffered from war for hundreds of years, but it was also tempered by war in earlier times. The reason why no one dared to attack it later may be related to its easy defense and difficult attack.

However, White Cliff City has a drawback: its tall buildings are more frequently attacked, as they face the enemy directly and are easily hit by catapults. I've heard their parliament building has been replaced more than ten times, all due to historical damage.

Silvertop City has various types of shields, which can prevent this problem to some extent.

White Cliff City can only be garrisoned here. Once the buildings are tall, it becomes inconvenient to pursue the enemy, so a large number of flying units need to be trained.

Even so, White Cliff City was a renowned defensive fortress of the kingdom, striking fear into the hearts of its enemies. After all, anyone who saw this colossal city, which resembled a towering mountain, would feel immense pressure.

In contrast, if Silvertop City could fly, whenever there was a difficult battle, they could simply move the mobile city there, and just imagine the enemy's reaction—it certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

Forrest, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly excited.

The architect's professional instincts kicked in, and he almost forgot his business. It wasn't until the light sound of a glass slipper echoed through the silent hall that Forrest remembered the purpose of his visit.

"Princess Diana! I am Forrest from the Duchy of Kuraki, here specifically to welcome you to Kuraki Castle!"

Another important reason for sending Forrest was that he controlled the portal to time and space, which would allow him to bring Diana back directly and also speed up the investigation of the White Feather Sacred Bone.

Forrest had negotiated with Congress, Quentin, and court ministers, and had also communicated with Diana. He thought it was all just a formality, but unexpectedly, a problem arose at the last minute.

Princess Diana had a full head of blonde hair, a slender figure, and a stunning face; however, the dignified bearing she had developed over the years in the palace gave her an air of authority even without anger.

"I heard them say that Duke Kuraki killed my brother, cruelly cut off his head, and sent it back to the Diet to proclaim his achievement. Is that true?"

Forrest pondered for a moment: "I understand your grief over the loss of your brother, but you must have heard about what Gaunt has done, not only serving the dead and slaughtering in the heartland, but also stirring up a bloody rebellion to destroy the foundations of the kingdom."

Even if Kuraki didn't kill him, other nobles would. Gaunt is no longer the great prince he once was; he has fallen into depravity, a treacherous chosen one, a lackey of the dead!

"you!"

Diana glared at Forrest, she was getting angry. She was in a somewhat awkward situation, but after consulting with Kuraki, she was willing to rely on her bloodline to gain support.

But her aunt, Perry, from the royal family wrote to her privately, speaking ill of Kuraki, making her hesitate. If she really agreed to Kuraki's request, would she be abandoned by the royal family?
"Even so, there should be a more dignified solution. The complete loss of royal dignity is not a good thing for Duke Kuraki either!"

Forrest looked at the young and innocent Diana, sighed, and his expression turned serious.

"I understand your feelings, but war is not child's play. The slightest mistake could lead to annihilation. Kuraki is indeed capable, but he is not yet at the point where he can let the enemy commander run rampant."

The royal family's inadequate oversight is Gaunt's own fault; his best fate is to be killed on the battlefield, thus saving the royal family from further disgrace.

"If we take him back, what will happen to the royal family? If we release him, will the nobles in the heartland still trust the kingdom?"

“You are Gaunt’s sister, and I understand how you feel no matter what. Watching your beloved elder brother go down the wrong path and cause such a great disaster to the kingdom, and being powerless to stop him, is an unbearable pain.”

But you are also Elton's princess, and you must shoulder your own responsibilities!

Forrest's voice deepened, and his words were harsh, leaving Diana somewhat bewildered. Having grown accustomed to a life of luxury in the palace, no one had ever dared to contradict her like this.

However, Forrest didn't give her any face at all and continued, "Without a powerful country as a backer, who would care about the prestige of Finaxia?"

The Nine-Headed King broke his promise, welcoming you to the land of jade, only to break off the engagement.

"Isn't it because they saw Elton weakening and becoming indecisive, not wanting to offend the other empires, that they did this?"

Diana's face turned pale. She clutched her sleeves tightly, forcing a calm expression: "I was not defiled, nor did I enter the Three Sacred Pools. I upheld the dignity of the kingdom!"

"Who knows? The outside world will only think of you as a princess who was jilted, without knowing the reason or the process."

The royal family, which holds the highest authority for interpretation, has yet to issue a statement on your behalf. If those Finaxia members of the royal family truly cared about you, would it be Kuraki who approached you for cooperation?

These words completely shattered Diana's defenses, and tears streamed down her face. Her aggrieved expression was pitiful, but unfortunately, the diplomat's heart was as hard as steel.

In fact, Diana was not even 20 years old. Although she was considered an older woman in the kingdom, her experience and knowledge were very limited, and she was simply not up to the task at hand.

If possible, Forrest didn't want to hurt her like that; after all, she was a princess of the kingdom, and she deserved the respect she was due. But there were always people in the royal family who wanted to stir up trouble, and Diana lacked awareness, so it was necessary to shatter her illusions and make her understand how cruel reality could be.

"They told me that Duke Kuraki instigated the conflict, launching a surprise attack on the Emerald City's allies, which caused the various states to rebel."

"Originally, the Nine-Headed King had suppressed the matter, but Elton overestimated his abilities and started wars with both the Arcane Empire and the Isildur Empire at the same time, causing widespread resentment."

"The beast tamers of the Emerald Kingdom are unwilling to fight for the kingdom, and they haven't received enough resources from the parliament. So, with the joint opposition of dozens of tribes, they asked me to return to the kingdom for a rest, but I never expected..." A princess of the kingdom was jilted, and the Emerald Kingdom didn't even offer a decent explanation. They just kicked Diana back like a returned item. It was an utter disgrace.

It's understandable that Diana was dissatisfied with Kuraki, since it all seemed to be caused by Su Mu, and she couldn't help but feel resentful.

Forrest shook his head: "What do you mean by starting trouble? Do you know what those beasts from the Emerald Lands did to the human race? Duke Sumu was forced to punish them."

If the annulment was due to this, why did the Nine-Headed King remain indifferent in the first place? Wasn't it because the kingdom's power was weakening, and the Three Saints, seeing the situation was unfavorable, wanted to sever ties? What better way to express their stance than publicly annuling Princess Elton's engagement?

Three soul-searching questions left Diana speechless.

She was actually quite intelligent, but anyone would go mad when such misfortune befell them.

After wiping away her tears, Diana looked at Forrest and said, "The White Feather Sacred Bone requires direct royal blood, the purer the better."

I can risk my life to find treasure for Duke Kuraki, but can he guarantee my safety and freedom? No one can force me to do something I don't want to do!

Forrest stood up, patted his chest, and assured him, "You can ask any hero about Lord Sumu's achievements. If the Duke can't do it, no one else in this kingdom can. You don't need to worry about that!"

Diana continued, "I wish to train at the Temple of Light; this is the right of the Finaxia family!"

Forrest pondered for a moment, then agreed: "Duke Peter has already spoken with the Papacy, and a team of priests of light and an archbishop are going to Kuraki to assist in the construction of the Temple of Light. Your request is not a problem; once the construction is completed, you can enter the temple to cultivate."

"If you wish to become a full-fledged clergyman, you must obtain the consent of the royal family and the Papacy; Kuraki will not interfere."

The Finaxia family has always had a deep relationship with the Papacy, with the first saintess being a royal princess. However, given the current state of their relationship, it might be difficult for Diana to become the new saintess. She's currently heartbroken after being jilted and wants to spend the rest of her life in the Papacy, but Forrest doesn't think it's a big deal; perhaps she'll have other ideas after some time.

Diana paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I will personally explain this to the royal family!"

Let's go then!

Diana's eyes were blurry with tears, and she seemed somewhat dejected; perhaps she had already lost hope in the royal family and in herself.

In times of war and chaos, many women, especially those like Diana who carried the burden of royal duties, lacked the strength to protect themselves and faced numerous hardships and helplessness.

But at least as Kuraki's assistant, she would never be ruthlessly abandoned; perhaps this was a turning point for Diana.

……

"Shut up!"

Goode was training his new warhorse in the stable, extremely excited.

Since acquiring the combined magic, Goode has led a group of Wind Erosion Knights to the Dreamland Racecourse to select new breeds of warhorses.

In the vast and boundless dream realm, there are immeasurable grasslands where warhorses can gallop with the wind and go wherever they want, making it easy to gather even stronger herds.

However, riding them is not so simple. You must tame these wild horses and build a certain level of trust before you can win their favor.

Fortunately, the Crimson Knight possessed Dream Realm-related skills, and his cavalry regiment was naturally close to Dream Realm warhorses, making the taming process relatively easy.

After a rigorous selection process, the Wind Erosion Knights acquired their new warhorse, Nightmare.

【Nightmare (Tier 5 Warhorse): Cavalrymen riding this warhorse (including advanced units) gain +70 (154) health, +9 (20) attack power, +6 (25) speed, and +40% (88%) attack health recovery effect, which halves the healing effect on enemies (halving is a fixed effect, including resurrection magic).

Recruitment cost: 1800 gold coins per horse. There is a 20% chance that the horse will lead the cavalry to the unknown dream realm during training.

Review: This horse, just like its name, will bring you nightmares!

The Wind Erosion Knight, riding the Nightmare, will definitely become a nightmare for his enemies.

However, this negative effect is actually quite serious. The warhorses in the Dream Realm are highly skilled in combat and possess extraordinary abilities, but they are also prone to going out of control. Fortunately, there are other lower-level warhorses in the Dream Realm racetrack. Once the knights sense something is wrong, they can immediately dismount their warhorses, find a lower-level warhorse, and return to the central area. So they won't be sold off, but they will get injured.

We'll need the Dream Thief's help to see if they can lower the difficulty of recruiting Nightmare.

If feasible, the Wind Erosion Cavalry will be elevated to a new level.

After all, Goode has now learned Dream Rider Activation, and even has three options for Dream Domain Warhorses to choose from. If he chooses -40% resurrection efficiency, as long as he is touched by cavalry, the opponent will have 90% less resurrection efficiency, which is basically equivalent to losing the effect.

Compared to the nightmare, the withered spirit was simply the best horse in the world. It was only thanks to Goode's careful selection that such a suitable warhorse was chosen.

If he encounters Death Knight again, he'll teach Rhodes a lesson in being an undead.

Just then, Forrest brought a distinguished woman to the stable: "Good, choose a gentle mare for the princess."

"Don't worry, everything will be arranged properly!"

Goode personally went into the stables to select horses. In fact, the stables were very large, including the entire training ground, and contained not only warhorses but also horses used for carrying people on a daily basis.

He carefully selected a fiery red mare for Diana and personally led it to her side.

"Its name is Natalie, and it's very suitable for aristocratic women. I hope you like it!"

Diana patted the pony's head, and the pony actually leaned in affectionately, pressing its hand against the princess's warm palm.

"Okay! That's it!"

Diana took a liking to Natalie at first sight, this purebred Flame Gale. Although its level wasn't high, it was very popular with women.

Forrest was in charge of transporting the last batch of materials. After resting for a day, he originally planned to go to Silvertop City by himself, but after thinking it over, he decided to take the princess with him so that she could see Kuraki's powerful strength.

After all, we'll still need to rely on her later, so if we can leave her with a good impression, it will be a successful negotiation.

"Then let's go!"

Forrest waved his hand, and the portal opened, bringing everyone to the magnificent tower castle.

(End of this chapter)