Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Now, someone has told him that Eva's cultivation level is at least level 97.

Qian Daoliu laughed again.

The laughter was soft, echoing in the empty hall, carrying an indescribable complexity.

He recalled that he had spoken up for Eva in front of Bibi Dong, saying things like, "She is Snow White's mother, a blood relative of the Qian family," and "You sent troops north to besiege her, how am I supposed to face Snow White?"

At that time, he still felt that Eva was the one who needed protection.

In hindsight, he had been overthinking it.

With Eva's current cultivation level, the number of people on the entire continent who can threaten her can be counted on one hand.

Let alone three level 95 players, even if there were three more, it would probably just be sending a few more battle flags to hang on the walls of Iron Gate Pass.

"It was I who was being presumptuous."

Qian Daoliu shook his head, picked up the battle report again, and read it over. His gaze lingered on the words "level 97 and above" for a long time, then he sighed softly.

He carefully put away the battle report, then turned and walked deeper into the ancestral hall.

Chapter 524 Arrangements in the North

north.

Several days have passed since that earth-shattering victory.

The gaps in the Iron Gate Pass city wall blasted by soul skills have been temporarily filled with boulders and rough timbers. The lingering smell of gunpowder and poisonous fog in the air has been mostly dispersed by the north wind, replaced by a crispness unique to late autumn.

As the morning light slowly spreads along the eastern mountain ridge, it bathes the entire pass in a warm golden hue.

Inside the council chamber, the candles had been extinguished, and the morning light peeked in through the gaps in the paper windows, casting long, thin streaks of light on the bluestone floor.

Eva sat in the main seat, dressed in a dark green casual outfit. Her long hair was casually tied back with a silver hairpin, with a few strands falling around her ears, which made her already exquisitely beautiful face look even more languid and composed.

She held a cup of hot tea in her hand; the tea was a clear, emerald green, and the rising steam blurred her features.

General Qin sat in the first seat to her left. He had already removed his armor and changed into an old, faded cotton robe, but his back was still ramrod straight.

He held a thick booklet in his hands. The cover was stitched with thick thread in several places, and the edges were worn. The inside was filled with tiny characters written in tiny characters.

Duke Zhao sat opposite General Qin, still as taciturn as ever, but a thick book was placed on the table in front of him, more conspicuous than he was.

Ge Duo leaned against the chair by the window, her deep purple dress trailing on the ground. Her pale fingers toyed with an unknown herb, and her eerie green eyes were half-closed, as if she were dozing off, or perhaps waiting for this long meeting to end soon.

Dugu Bo sat opposite Ge Duo, his emerald green pupils gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the morning light. His expression remained as cold and unapproachable as ever, but those who knew him well could tell that he was in a good mood today.

After all, anyone would be in a good mood after a resounding victory.

Rapunzel is not here.

She is still in the wounded soldiers' camp.

She had barely slept since the night of the great victory.

Eva put down her teacup, the bottom of which made a very soft, crisp sound as it hit the table.

All eyes in the council chamber turned to her.

"Let's begin," Eva said, her voice soft but clear enough to reach everyone's ears.

General Qin was the first to stand up, opened the thick booklet in his hand, and cleared his throat.

"Madam, the incorporation of the surrendered troops has been basically completed."

His voice was hoarse and steady, carrying a sense of weight that comes from weathering many storms.

"The Northern Expeditionary Army of the Martial Soul Empire originally numbered over 103,000. Over 11,000 were killed in action, over 3,000 died from their injuries, and the remaining 89,000 were all incorporated into the army."

He turned a page and continued reading: "Among them, there are 27 Soul Kings and above, 314 Soul Masters and above, more than 2,200 Soul Venerables and above, and the rest are ordinary soldiers and low-level Soul Masters."

"These men were divided into different camps and their units were broken up and mixed with the Northern Allied Forces, as instructed by the Madam. Each company was led by at least one-third of the Northern veterans to prevent them from banding together and causing trouble."

General Qin paused, then raised his eyelids and glanced at Eva.

"So far, they've been behaving themselves. A few troublemakers tried to cause trouble, but after His Majesty Dugu Bo sent people to 'comfort' them, they all quieted down."

Dugu Bo gave a soft hum and remained silent. But the slight curve of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

The so-called "visit" was really just him walking around the entrances of those tents. He didn't even release any poisonous fog; just the sight of his emerald green snake eyes sweeping into the tents was enough to make the people inside tremble with fear.

From then on, the surrendered troops' camp was as quiet as a graveyard.

Eva's lips curled up slightly as she picked up her teacup and took another sip.

What about supplies?

Duke Zhao stood up, opened the thick book in front of him, and spoke in a low, steady voice.

"The military rations carried by the Martial Soul Empire's Northern Expeditionary Legion are enough to feed 100,000 troops for three months. Excluding the rations lost in battle, the captured rations are enough to feed 85,000 people for four months."

"Weapons and armor: 4,700 longswords in good working order, 3,200 spears, 1,800 bows and crossbows, 120,000 arrows. 5,600 sets of armor, including 800 sets of fine steel armor and 4,800 sets of leather armor."

He paused, then added, "In addition, there are 1,200 horses, including 800 warhorses and 400 pack horses. There are countless supplies such as medicine, bandages, tents, and cooking pots, which have not yet been fully inventoried."

Eva nodded.

These supplies are enough to sustain the Northern Alliance for a long time.

"What about the territory?" she asked.

Duke Zhao flipped through a few pages and found the corresponding entry.

"The Martial Soul Empire previously occupied eleven cities in the northern border. After the great victory, the garrisons in these cities either fled or surrendered, and now they have all been taken over by us."

"These eleven cities, plus the nine already existing in the north, bring the total number of cities under the Lady's rule to twenty. The total population is approximately..."

He turned to the last page and read out the number: "Over one million two hundred thousand."

One million two hundred thousand.

The moment Duke Zhao uttered that number, the council chamber fell silent for a moment.

Even Ge Duo, who had been keeping her eyes half-closed, slightly raised an eyebrow.

One million two hundred thousand people, twenty cities.

Eva has only been in power in the North for a few months. From a "descendant of a fallen kingdom" to a powerful lord with twenty cities and a population of 1.2 million.

General Qin looked at the booklet in his hand, remained silent for a long while, and then sighed softly.

He has lived most of his life, fighting alongside the Heaven Dou Empire, the Northern Alliance, and the Spirit Empire.

He has seen too many people build tall buildings, and he has also seen too many buildings collapse.

But he had never seen anyone rise to prominence so quickly.

Eva picked up her teacup and drank the slightly cooled tea in one gulp.

"With a larger territory and a larger population, there are more problems to deal with."

She put down her teacup, placed her hands folded on her knees, and her emerald green eyes swept over everyone present.

"General Qin, continue to keep an eye on the matter of incorporating the surrendered troops. Don't let them cause trouble, but don't treat them harshly either. These people will be our soldiers in the future. If we treat them too harshly, who will be willing to surrender in the future?"

General Qin nodded: "This subordinate understands."

"Regarding the territory, Duke Zhao, you are in charge of the appointment of officials, the arrangement of troops, and the collection of taxes for the eleven new cities. I don't care how you arrange it, as long as I am satisfied with the result."

Duke Zhao nodded slightly: "Understood."

Eva's gaze shifted to Godot.

"Geduo, please take good care of the wounded. Rape can't manage everything in the wounded soldiers' camp by herself. Make as many simple antidotes and hemostatic pills as you can in batches."

If you don't have enough materials, get them from the loot; if you don't have enough loot, buy them; if you don't have enough money, tell me.

Godot raised her eyelids and glanced at Eva with her deep green eyes.

"I know." Her voice was still in that lazy tone, but there was no perfunctory attitude in it.

Eva then looked at Dugu Bo.

"Dugu Bo, your Jade Phosphorous Serpent King Poison is too potent. This time, we almost got caught in the crossfire ourselves. Next time, control the dosage before using the poison."

Dugu Bo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Eva looked away and picked up her teacup again.

Meeting adjourned.

General Qin and Duke Zhao stood up, bowed to Eva, and turned to walk out the door.

Ge Duo also stood up, stretched, and her deep purple skirt swayed gently in the morning light.

……

The smell in the wounded soldiers' camp was a little less strong than it had been a few days ago.

But it still doesn't smell good.

The smells of blood, herbs, and putrid pus, along with some indescribable, deathly odor, mingled together to create an atmosphere that instinctively made one want to flee.

Rapunzel has been here for several days now.

She didn't remember when she came in, nor how long it had been since she had closed her eyes.

All she knew was that there was someone in every hospital bed who needed her.

A golden halo shone from her palm, like the morning sun shining on the face of a young soldier whose features had been distorted beyond recognition by the poisonous fog.

The soldier looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. His lips were dry and white, his eyes were tightly closed, and his breathing was shallow and rapid, with his chest rising and falling so little that it was almost imperceptible.

His armor had been removed, revealing his skin, riddled with holes from the poisonous fog.

The dark green ulcers spread from his chest to his abdomen, with pale yellow pus oozing from the edges.

Rapunzel gently placed her hand over the wound, and the golden light from her palm slowly seeped into the festering flesh.

The toxins left by the poisonous fog gradually melted away under the washing of the golden halo, and the new flesh slowly closed up from the edge of the wound towards the center.

The soldier's brow twitched slightly, and he let out a muffled groan.

Rapunzel didn't look up. She simply increased the golden light in her palm a little more until the festering skin was completely healed, leaving only a few pale pink scars. Only then did she withdraw her hand, stand up, and walk towards the next bed.

[Reputation Points +23]