Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 485 The Silver-Topped Capital (Tower Parliament)
When Diana and Forrest arrived at Silvertop, the castle atop the snow-capped mountain looked as if it were about to melt, its heat rising from it.

The streets were bustling with artisans, moving boulders and timber; there were not only humans, but also fairies and bronze figures.

In the earliest days, Silvertop City was mostly inhabited by humans who had migrated from Cangmu. They settled here, pioneering new territory. Now, the first group of humans have mostly obtained residency rights and, with the city's continuous development, have accumulated personal assets. Almost none of them regret their decision.

After Sederlos took control of Silvertop City, he implemented a multi-ethnic strategy, absorbing border nomads and increasing racial diversity.

Nowadays, in addition to humans, there are also a large number of fairies and bronze figures working there, and even some alchemists have come here because of its reputation. After enjoying the special architectural bonuses of Silvertop City, they have all voluntarily stayed.

Perhaps even they didn't expect that such a magnificent tower city would exist on human territory, comparable only to the cities of Wisdom and the Void, even compared to the Arcane Empire. But those two cities were filled with too many academic giants and geniuses; ordinary warlocks had no room for development, like cogs in a machine, finding it difficult to achieve anything.

Silvertop City is different. Cedros attaches great importance to the research of alchemy, recruits talents widely, provides them with high-level treatment, and most importantly, treats them equally.

This place was in dire need of rebuilding, and there weren't any big shots here before. Everyone started from the same point. As long as you were capable and willing to work hard, you had the opportunity to gain a seat in the tower and become a councilor of Silvertop City.

Moreover, Silvertop City is not short of resources and can provide enough gold coins and materials for alchemists to use freely.

Of course, there is still a personnel selection system in place. After a period of evaluation, truly capable individuals can be selected. Compared to the Arcane Empire, which is full of outstanding talents, the people available in Silvertop City are naturally of varying quality. However, with the enhancement of the buildings, quite a few warlocks are still able to demonstrate their talent.

At present, the most important thing for Cederos is the progress of research. Some warlock apprentices or heroes who specialize in this field are treated as honored guests.

"Lord Forrest, let me introduce you to Silvertop City's newest member, Hill from Prut Snow Mountain. He is a quick-thinking alchemist with exceptional expertise in research magic."

[Hill (Alchemist): Attack 1, Defense 3, Spell Power 5, Knowledge 4.]

Intermediate Alchemy Research: Increases the research speed of all projects in the city where the hero is stationed by 50%, and provides a minor bonus to the bronze golems (including unit upgrades) in the manufacturing plant.

Intermediate wisdom skills, intermediate intelligence, basic learning ability.

Hill was probably in his thirties, weathered by life, with much of his hair turned gray, but his eyes were unusually firm, gleaming with wisdom.

"Greetings, Lord Forrest."

"To be chosen by Cederos, you must possess special abilities. If you have any needs related to architecture, feel free to contact me!"

Congress has granted the power of appointment, and Su Mu has promoted Cedros to Marquis of the White Tower, giving him overall control over all matters in Silvertop City, including talent selection.

However, hero recruitment like this must be personally reviewed by Su Mu before it can enter everyone's field of vision, since it involves the secrets of Silver Peak City and must be handled with caution.

Forrest had absolute faith in Su Mu's judgment; anyone who could catch the Duke's eye must be exceptional.

He knew that a hero like Hill would have been highly valued by the Duke in the past, perhaps even given a boost to his Governance skill, since research speed was crucial. But now there was simply no place for him, so he could only leave him to Sederlos to train and see what level he could reach through his own growth.

Even if His Excellency the Duke becomes a legend and opens the Hall of a Hundred Kings, the number of ruling heroes will still be limited. Subsequent heroes will face fierce competition; those with even a little talent will likely have no chance. Only the rarest heroes will have a chance to compete.

At this point, one can't help but realize that while individual effort is important, the course of history must also be considered.

He glanced at Diana silently. Even the imperial family could feel the cruelty of wartime, the need to compromise and submit. Ordinary people were even more insignificant, their lives as worthless as ants. What a damned world.

"This must be Princess Diana? Welcome to Silvertop City, I am Cedros!"

With her elegant and noble appearance, Diana was highly recognizable, and Cedrus recognized her at a glance.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two escorted the princess into the tower and arranged for maids to serve her.

After everyone had left, Cedrus leaned closer and whispered, "Could you give me a hint, is it possible that this person might..."

Cederos pointed his thumb to the top of the tower, his meaning quite clear. Although Cederos was a very capable lord, able to stand alone in Silvertop City, it was precisely because of this that he needed to concern himself with some special matters.

At 20, the noble Princess Elton left her homeland for Kuraki. She had long heard that the kingdom intended to form a marriage alliance with the duke, but it had never been realized until Maggie became the duchess. Now, the princess had been jilted, a disgrace to the nation, and should have been in a very difficult situation. However, Kuraki helped her out because of the matter of the sacred relics, and perhaps there is a story behind this.

Moreover, Forrest himself went to greet them, which made the matter even more mysterious.

The Duke, who rose to prominence in Kuraki, is extremely self-disciplined. He never slept with random women and has never been to a brothel, making him almost a model nobleman. However, rumors circulate that the Duke actually enjoys collecting characters: his former boss, the Marquis, his sweet and adorable maid, the alluring vampire queen, and now, a fallen princess of the kingdom—it seems perfectly reasonable.

These past few days, Liliana has been by the Duke's side, rarely seen during the day. One day, a castle maid told me that Liliana was walking with difficulty, needing to lean against the wall. One has to admire the Duke's strength; he truly is an invincible figure on the battlefield.

Thinking about it this way, having another princess doesn't seem impossible.

"Don't overthink it. Princess Diana came here specifically to help us find the sacred relics. She may join the Temple of Light later."

Forrest's face darkened; he hadn't expected Cedrus to think that way, and could only offer an explanation.

Cedrus glanced at Diana as she walked away and muttered to himself, "A nun? What a pity. No, a saint would have been fine too..."

Seeing Forrest raise his fist to strike, Cedrus hurriedly shut his mouth and ran toward the council hall.

"The congressional resources are all in place; all we're waiting for is you, the architect!"

Forrest shook his head helplessly. He knew that Cedros had no ill intentions; the reason everyone was thinking about these things was because the Duke had no heir. With Kuraki having become Elton's most powerful force, the lack of an heir was even more critical than losing a battle.

In fact, they also knew that the deeper a hero's magical power was, the more difficult it was for them to have offspring. Fish in the ocean could easily lay hundreds of thousands or even millions of eggs, while humans could only have one or two offspring at most. At the level of a hero, the level of life changed, making it even more difficult.

It's not that mortals have an advantage; for ordinary women, having children with a duke could be dangerous. Even the vampire queen couldn't withstand it, let alone ordinary people.

Maggie should theoretically be the most promising candidate, but there has been no progress, perhaps due to the Duke's frequent military campaigns. The current situation is also fraught with danger, and there is no time to relax. Su Mu's hands-on approach is also for the sake of Kuraki's development.

"Sigh, we still need to urge the heroes to do more to share the Duke's burdens!"

When he arrived at the council hall, Su Mu and the others were already standing by the boundary stone, surrounded by abundant resources.

Forrest didn't waste any words, immediately casting a construction spell to place a large number of boundary stones in special locations, beginning the connection with the earth spirits. There are many conditions for building the Capitol, but for Kuraki, the most difficult was the boundary stones. These were special resources that only the entire kingdom could gather, used to plan and manage magical lands. Without boundary stones, the Capitol Hall would just be an ordinary building, unable to serve as a prerequisite for other extraordinary structures.

As Forrest cast his spell, countless stones and earth floated in the air, one ring after another, rippling outwards like water. Upon reaching a certain spot, they would land according to specific rules, settling into pre-prepared pits. If anything seemed amiss, Forrest, a master of earth magic, could adjust it at any time, ensuring the foundation was solid and reliable, and in the optimal state for the magical earth spirit to function.

Although there weren't many onlookers, they were all impressed by the architect's strong ability to control the scene.

Kuraki's men were alright, having witnessed Forrest's magic before. But Diana, standing atop the tower, the newly joined alchemist Hill, and some newly recruited sorcerers stared in disbelief at the construction site.

The construction of Forrest is simply art, a masterpiece, and breathtaking.

In less than an hour, the central congressional hall stood tall on the snow-covered plain.

[Congress (Level 4): Obtain tax payments and refine magical energy. Receive 4000 gold coins daily and increase the capacity limit for extraordinary units.]

Towns are allowed to construct Magic Castles, Level 4 and 5 Magic Guilds, High-Grade Golden Tents, Treasure Shops, Cloud Palaces (Lost Legends), and Spaceships (Lost Legends).

With the parliament in place, the rest of the extraordinary buildings can be constructed. The most eye-catching are naturally the level 5 magic guild and the treasure shop, but first the magic castle must be completed.

【Magic Castle (Advanced Civil Engineering Choice): Further enhances the magic shield on the existing foundation, improves the city walls' ability to defend against magic, increases resistance to water and air magic by 15%, increases the range of garrisoned ranged soldiers by 150% (including the castle's upgrade), and allows the upgrade of the Magic Ring Tower.

(Advanced Civil Engineering Choice) Special effect: Increases resistance to water and air magic by 30%.

Additional costs: 50000 gold coins, 30 raw stones, 30 logs, and 15 each of rare resources.

Level 4 castles are generally minor upgrades to their existing structures, and towers are no exception. The ability to increase resistance to both magic and magical types is already quite impressive. If combined with water manipulation and air manipulation techniques, the effectiveness against magical units will be extremely significant.

Without damage bonuses, even if Somra had come to Silvertop City, he would have left behind the words "This city is indestructible" before retreating.

Not only that, it can also upgrade the Magic Ring Tower, ushering in a stronger form.

【Twin Towers of the Magic Ring: Twin towers formed from powerful magical energy, creating a magical interference barrier. In siege warfare, enemy heroes have a 30% chance of their spells being nullified.】

Consumes 100000 gold coins, and 20 of each rare resource.

A 30% failure rate is already quite high. If combined with the Magic Mirror, the opponent's magic is practically a dud. Even if it can be cast, there's the shield of the Magic Castle and the dual protection of Qi and Water, which is utterly hopeless for a mage hero with high spell power and strong magic.

The construction of the Magic Castle will take some time, even with civil engineering skills it will take a week, but Su Mu and his group can wait.

The environment in Silvertop City is now vastly different from before. After eliminating the rebels in the heartland, there are almost no enemies in the North capable of confronting it. The ancient ruins have just had a conspiracy thwarted and have not yet been able to gather strength again.

However, the danger of the Arcane Empire is gradually approaching. According to Beatrice's letter, the ruins have been basically explored, and the Void Cult has been greatly strengthened. They have new divine titans, and with the help of special Void arcane arts, they can produce dozens of them every week, which is terrifying.

Moreover, the Void God Cult seems to have some ideas after hearing that Su Mu has gathered the Angel Alliance.

But Su Mu was not afraid of the other side. He had fought against level 7 divine troops before. If the Arcane Empire dared to come, he would make sure they did not return.

A week passed quickly, and the magnificent magic castle was successfully built, raising the city's altitude to a new level.

Even from dozens of kilometers away, you can see the tallest tower on the top floor of Silvertop City; if the weather is good, it can probably be seen from even further.

Next, the advanced golden tents were built. Silvertop City had already been promoted to Congress, allowing for two opportunities for elemental baptisms. However, the towers had different characteristics, requiring enhanced alchemy and research capabilities to undergo the corresponding baptisms. Therefore, it took considerable money and research points to complete the final level 6 barracks.

[Advanced Golden Tent (Flood/Storm): Allows you to train the Naga Queen here, gain the right to build an armory (Civil Engineering bonus), and receive a dual-element baptism.]

Building costs: 10000 gold coins, 5 logs, 5 stones, and 2 of various rare resources;
Additional costs: Congress Element Ignition (unique, cannot be changed), 100000 gold, 100 logs, 50 ore, 30 of various rare resources, and 10 arcane dust.

Base output: 4/week (base output +2 with advanced earthwork bonus);
Recruitment cost: 2400 gold coins per person.

This enhancement is not without effect. After being baptized by the elements, the Naga Queen can use special enchanted weapons. After all, all six of her arms can wield weapons, and if combined with powerful weapons, her abilities can be greatly enhanced.

【Arsenal (Advanced Gold Tent Annex Building, Tier 1): Provides the Naga Queen with more powerful enchanted weapons. Currently, the research progress is 1/1000 (requires collaboration between Alchemy and Blacksmithing to improve). Each enchanted weapon can be activated a maximum of 2 times.

Queen's Scimitar (No Attribute): The most basic enchanted weapon of the Naga, grants +2 attack power and +1 defense power when equipped.

Snake Bite (Water Element, Dagger): A dagger infused with venom. When equipped, it grants +1 damage and paralyzes enemies, preventing them from retaliating for a period of time.

The armory only provides the two most basic enchanted weapons. The Naga Queen has six arms, but even wielding all six Queen's Scimitars only grants a +4 attack and +2 defense. Therefore, a balanced approach is necessary, ideally with each pair of arms wielding the same enchanted weapon.

The research in the armory requires not only alchemy but also forging skills, so it seems Hammondal will need to come and provide some assistance.

After the golden tent was built, a hissing sound came from inside, as if countless snake eggs were hatching.

Strangely enough, the golden tent only produces snake women (Naga), but not snake men, and it's unclear how their bloodlines are combined.

【Battle Naga Queen (Tower Level 6, Tier 2 Unit, Water/Air Dual Elemental Baptism): Attack 20, Defense 17, Damage 40-40, Health 140, Speed ​​11, Large Size.

Elements: Water/Gas;
Naga Gaze: Multiple swords render the enemy defenseless and impervious to any counterattack.

Combat Talent: Proficiency in using multiple weapons grants additional enchantment bonuses, and attacks will never miss.

Blood Frenzy: After injuring an enemy, Naga gain double the bonus from water/air elemental weapons.

Weapon Master: 50% chance to block the first attack of this battle.

This is a level 6 unit that is no less powerful than the Wind Erosion Knight, and it also has high growth potential. It has to be said that Forrest and Cedros are quite a formidable combination.

(End of this chapter)