I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 331 Blood for blood
……

……

On the edge of the Moon Wolf City wall, atop the watchtower.

A young priest in a white robe stood on the platform at the top of the tower.

It was Morian, who had previously served Bishop Salido.

Morian's gaze slowly swept over the city walls that had been ravaged by flames.

Many places were still burning, and charred soldiers' bodies lay scattered on the ground, with fragments of giant crossbows everywhere.

Morian remained calm, seemingly unconcerned about any of this.

He raised his head, gazing at the night sky, then looked down into the darkness beyond the city.

At that moment, a Templar Knight dressed in silver armor strode up the watchtower.

"The mark has been applied, Priest Morian."

The Templar Knight approached Morian and respectfully reported,

"We can track the location of those two dragons at any time."

"Ah."

Morian nodded slightly, a hint of smugness in his smile.

“That Rhodes won’t know,”

Morian lowered his head, gazing down at the wreckage of the destroyed giant crossbows.

“We anticipated that the dragon would come and destroy these giant crossbows, so we added destruction marks to each one.”

The Destruction Mark is a very stealthy spell; it does not cause any harm to the person who triggers it, nor does it release any magical fluctuations.

Only those with high mental strength and strong perception can detect it.

The only effect of destroying the mark is that it allows the caster to track down the triggerer.

No matter where the other party escapes, they can be found within a hundred miles.

"Notify our men and the knights of the Moon Wolf Clan to prepare and bring all their equipment."

Morian ordered, "Go and find those two dragons in a bit."

"Yes, Priest Morian."

The Templar Knight nodded vigorously, turned and strode away from the watchtower to relay the order.

Morian stood still, chanting obscure incantations in a low voice.

Golden runes, the size of a baby's palm, slowly emerged in the air.

It flickered with a faint light and hovered to Morian's left front.

This indicates the approximate direction in which the two dragons are currently located.

The Church of Dawn invested a great deal of manpower and resources in Moon Wolf City for this operation.

On one hand, they need to assist Prince Golden Hammer in resisting the advance of Rhodes' army.

On the other hand, it was to hunt down those two legendary creatures.

The Church of Dawn knew it could not control the dragon.

Even if a dragon dies, its corpse is still extremely valuable.

It can make armor, wands, potions, magical ornaments, and so on.

As long as they can kill these two dragons, the Church of Dawn's participation in this war will not be a waste of time and energy.

Morian had made ample preparations to deal with the two dragons.

They brought not only the church's elite Templar Knights and deacons, but also various magical ornaments and scrolls.

Morian was very confident.

With a wave of his hand, Morian dispersed the runes in the air and turned to walk out of the watchtower.

Just as I stepped out of the watchtower, a shout came from inside the city.

The sound was muffled and indistinct, broken and intermittent by the night wind.

Morian ignored him and continued walking up the stairs.

The shouts grew closer and louder.

Although he couldn't hear what was being shouted, Morian could detect the anxiety and fear in the voice.

Morian stopped and stood still, listening intently to the sounds drifting through the air.

Finally, he heard the content of the voice, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
"Catch assassins!"

……

……

Moon Wolf Castle.

In the meeting hall.

Earl Moon Wolf, clad in exquisite armor, lay in a pool of blood, a horrifying hole in his neck.

The blood had not yet congealed, forming a large pool of dark red blood on the ground.

The count's eyes were still open, lingering with the terror of his death.

Near the gate not far away, lay the bodies of two guards and a knight.

The guards' throats were all slit open, the wounds clean and smooth, appearing to have been cut by extremely sharp blades.

There were no signs of a struggle on the ground, indicating that they were killed before they could even react.

Only the mess around the knight's body indicated that he had struggled.

“There are traces of magic here.”

Morian stood in the center of the hall, frowning as he surveyed everything before him.

He then slowly squatted down and raised Count Moon Wolf's left hand.

The count had a distinct white mark on his index finger, indicating that he had once worn a ring there.

"His guardian ring magic has been triggered."

Morian sighed softly, "It blocked something, but in the end it couldn't stop the assassin's blade."

"And they also took the guardian ring with them."

The value of the Guardian Ring goes without saying; it can automatically trigger an energy shield when the wearer suffers a fatal attack.

But clearly, the assassin anticipated failure and launched a sustained attack.

This is not something one person can do alone.

Morian didn't know how to judge whether these people were assassins or thieves.

Until I saw the words written in blood on the table
—An eye for an eye.

"This is Rhodes' revenge."

Morian's voice turned low as he stared at the blood-red words.

His target was probably the people of the Church of Dawn; he probably didn't find himself.

"Priest Morian."

The Templar Knight strode into the hall, his face serious.

He walked up to Morian and reported in a low voice, "None of Count Moon Wolf's sons survived; they were all killed."

The Templar Knight paused for a moment, then said, "Perhaps only those bastards who slept in the warehouse are still alive."

"No, illegitimate children have no value."

Morian shook his head grimly. "They can't intimidate the army, and they can't stabilize the situation."

"As soon as news of Earl Moonwolf's death gets out, Moonwolf City will descend into chaos."

The death of the lord at this time would severely damage the morale of the soldiers.

Without an heir, the nobles would begin to fight for power, plunging the Empire of Shattered Rock into chaos.

"Rhodes' move was too vicious."

Morian lowered his voice, his eyes sharpening. "We must complete our mission before the message gets out."

"As long as we can kill the dragon, this operation will not be considered a failure."

“Yes, High Priest Morian, I know what to do.”

The Templar Knight nodded vigorously, turned and strode out of the hall to gather his men as Morian had instructed.

Morian crossed his arms over his chest, bowed slightly to Count Moonwolf, and then left the castle, heading towards the city walls.

The streets were bustling with noise, and people were hurrying about everywhere.

Some merchants were even loading goods onto their wagons, as if they were about to leave.

Morian frowned.
"Why aren't these people sleeping? What are they doing so late at night?"

Morian suddenly had a bad feeling and immediately quickened his pace.

He practically jogged towards the city gate, and as soon as he reached it, the Templar Knight from before quickly came to greet him.

"Priest Morian."

The Templar Knight's face was grim as he gritted his teeth and said, "A group of beggars and refugees are spreading rumors in the tavern that Earl Moonwolf is dead." Already gripped by fear due to the war, many civilians were still awake.

After the news spread, some people who were asleep were woken up.

"This news is spreading everywhere, and the city is starting to descend into chaos."

The Templar Knight paused for a moment, then said, "The knights of the Moon Wolf family refuse to travel with us."

"The Earl of Moon Wolf is dead. They have no one to serve now and must plan their own future."

……

……

early morning.

It's still dark.

On the grassland outside Wolf Tail Town, a dozen dark figures lurked in the waist-high weeds.

They lay motionless on the ground, draped in black cloaks, blending into the darkness.

Leading the group was Morian, a priest of the Church of Dawn.

He knelt in the grass, concealed by his cloak, and a bright golden rune appeared in his right palm.

The golden rune points to a location inside Wolftail Town.

Morian frowned as he dispelled the runes.

"Rhodes actually kept the dragon in the military camp."

Morian took a deep breath, his voice filled with doubt.

"Isn't he afraid that the dragon might suddenly go berserk and harm other soldiers, plunging the camp into chaos?"

Dragons are proud and easily angered creatures.

They are naturally wild and can easily get out of control and harm ordinary people.

Moreover, dragons exude a powerful aura that can instill fear and unease in ordinary people who approach them.

Therefore, Morian speculated that the dragons would at most roost near the military camp, rather than staying inside the camp with the soldiers.

But now, everything has exceeded Morian's expectations.

"What do we do now, Priest Morian?"

The Templar Knight beside him asked in a low voice.

Morian was silent for a moment before speaking, "Return to the city and abandon this operation."

Even with the assistance of the Moon Wolf Clan knights, they were unable to kill the two dragons silently within the military camp.

Moreover, there are only a dozen or so people here now.

Entering Wolftail Town will not only prevent you from completing the mission, but will also cost you your life.

“Prince Golden Hammer still has a large amount of land, so we still have a chance.”

After saying that, Morian lowered his body and slowly crawled backward.

The Templars seemed to understand that this was an impossible task, and quietly followed Morian in retreat.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the sky!
The sound grew louder and louder as it approached!
Morian instinctively looked up at the sky, his pupils instantly contracting!

A huge dark shadow plummeted rapidly behind them!
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps!
Countless figures carrying torches rushed in from all directions!

"Oops, I've been discovered!"

Before he could even be shocked, Morian scrambled to his feet and commanded, "Prepare for battle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge figure slowly emerged from the dim night ahead!

Each step produced a tremendous sound!

"How can it be?!"

Morian stared wide-eyed at the enormous creature before him in disbelief!
It's a dragon!
It was a dragon even larger than described in the intelligence he had received!
Its length has exceeded ten meters!
The dark scales shimmered with a metallic sheen in the light, making them exceptionally terrifying!
Do not!
This is impossible!
Morian instinctively took two steps back!
The rune markings clearly indicate that the two dragons are still inside the camp!
Dragons can't possibly appear here!
unless……

Morian's face turned deathly pale.

Unless Rhodes possesses more than two dragons!
That means it was a trap from the very beginning!
But that's even more impossible!
A low-level wizard apprentice's mental strength is simply insufficient to detect the existence of the mark!
Just as Morian's mind was in complete chaos, a loud sound came from the dragon's back.
"I initially thought it was just my imagination."

Rod said slowly:
"I didn't expect you to actually come."

Rod's lips curled into a slight smile. "You're here. Why aren't you going in?"

The dragon let out a deep roar, and the air instantly froze.

Several church knights instinctively took a half step back.

"you……"

Morian's voice was hoarse and trembling.

"You can't possibly find the mark!"

"Only those with a mental strength of 20 or higher can possess such keen perception!"

Morian's tone was filled with despair, "Unless the wise men of the Dawn Society are here!"

Morian's eyes darted rapidly through the crowd, his voice sharp.
"Come out! As mid-level wizard apprentices, there's no need for you to play tricks on us!"

“The wise will not pay attention to you church charlatans.”

Lu Sen emerged from another direction, his words cold, "Dealing with you doesn't require a wise man."

"impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible!"

You're only nineteen!

Morian's voice was extremely high as he pointed at Rhodes and shouted, "What makes you think you have a mental strength of over twenty?!"

At this moment, Luxem couldn't help but look at Rod.

Lusen had not expected that Rhodes' mental strength was so high that he could easily discover the marks on the two dragons.

You should know that some people in the Dawn Society who are in their fifties or sixties still have a mental strength level of 17.

The two mid-level wizard apprentices, whose mental strength exceeded 20 points, did not look very old, but were actually over seventy years old.

Rhodes is only nineteen years old now, but he already has the potential to become a mid-level wizard apprentice.

Luxembourg was even more surprised.

Rhodes also has an even larger dragon, a dragon that is almost fully grown.

He only learned about this dragon just now.

Where did it come from?

Luxen's mind was filled with doubt.

But regardless, Luxembourg is very fortunate now.

The wise man defied public opinion and made the right decision—he did not oppose Rhodes because of the eldest princess and the Duke of Flowers.

Even more astutely, the title of the fifth Arcane Councilor intertwines Rhodes's connection with the Dawn Society.

The wise man is indeed a wise man.

Rhodes didn't pay much attention to Morian's shock and said calmly, "Of course you can't understand, because you're just a priest."

"Alright, there's no time to waste."

Rhodes patted the massive thing beneath him.

"Black flame, breath."

The dragon raised its neck and opened its blood-red maw at Morian and the others!
A dark purple orb of light emerged from its throat, spewing out a pungent odor as it hurtled towards the crowd of the Church of Dawn!

Morian was caught off guard by Rhodes’ sudden order and raised the holy emblem almost instinctively!
"Holy Light Protection!"

He roared, his voice filled with terror and despair.

A burst of platinum-gold light erupted in an instant, transforming into a wall of light that enveloped the crowd!

Intricate silver runes flowed across its surface, forming a thick shield!

The next instant, the black flames' breath struck the light barrier!
"Zi la la-"

The black liquid, its surface glowing with purple fire, surged violently against the light wall, spreading outwards and corroding every inch of its radiance!
The shield emitted a piercing wail, and its light dimmed slightly in an instant!

At this moment, the deacons around Morian also reacted, raising their holy symbols and pouring platinum energy into the shield!

In an instant, a pungent, acrid smell filled the air, and the splashed liquid landed on the nearby grass, emitting wisps of white smoke!

But the light barrier remained standing until the black flames' breath completely ceased!
"Oh!"

Even the light barrier couldn't withstand it and exploded, turning into countless golden lights that dissipated into the air!

Several of Morian's deacons collapsed one after another, exhausted, and fell awkwardly onto the grass!
"Rhodes, you're insane!"

Morian cried out in terror, "Kill us, and you will become a complete enemy of the Church of Dawn!"

"The Lord of Dawn will not let you go, and the Holy Council will regard you as a heretic!"

"So much nonsense."

Rhodes pointed at Morian and the others.
"Kill, leave no one behind."

(End of this chapter)