Bullen earnestly tried to caution her, but Elastral seemed to have long grown tired of his lecturing. With a wave of her hand, a teleportation portal materialized out of thin air, and then her entire figure vanished.
"Honestly..."
Watching this irresponsible queen disappear, Scholar Bullen could only roll his eyes in speechless exasperation.
Under the terrifying spell formation that enveloped the royal palace, only the Goddess's Chosen had the power to open teleportation portals at will. Even though Bullen had reached the realm of a [Legendary
……
Over the following days,
At the same time, after completing a far more complex and lengthy ceremony, his enfeoffment was officially confirmed.
He was granted a stretch of barren land bordering the Dark Forest. After he renamed it, the territory became known as Violet Barony, and he officially became the Violet Baron of Silver Moon City.
There was no helping it. The fertile, prosperous, and safe fiefdoms had long since been claimed by the nobility, and prying even one loose would be harder than ascending to heaven.
The area around the Dark Forest, on the other hand, was rife with danger and sat on the front lines of the struggle against the Beastkin—which was precisely why it could be granted as a fief at all.
In truth, the place was still nothing but wasteland. The only benefit, a gesture of compensation to Leylin, was that the territory was more than twice the size of a typical baron's fief.
"Either way, I never actually planned to settle here, so it's better than nothing..."
Leylin idly toyed with the noble's crest he had designed himself—the centerpiece was a violet flower, surrounded by delicate botanical engravings—as he mused quietly.
In truth, if Baron Jonas knew about this, he would be absolutely delighted.
Titles and territory had always been what the elite of the
Leylin could now not only claim the original title of Baron Faolan, but also serve as lord of Violet Barony. Once he had a second son, he could pass the title on to the boy, establishing a new branch of the Faolan family—further expanding the family's reach.
And if, through marriage alliances, annexations, or even the transfer and exchange of holdings, scattered fiefdoms were consolidated into one, they would often form the embryo of a great noble house—or even a kingdom. This was the path to a noble family's rise, often requiring centuries of strategic planning and patient cultivation.
Of course, the likelihood of such a thing happening was exceedingly slim. More often than not, it was the descendants who ended up at each other's throats long before any of that came to pass.
None of this had anything to do with Leylin. The only thing that truly pleased him was that he had finally become a "landed noble." No longer would he have to go everywhere bearing the label of "heir."
The power and privileges available to a true noble as opposed to those of an heir were entirely different matters.
His appointment as Captain of the City Guard battalion came through swiftly, and Leylin was granted a full-strength battalion roster.
The battalion, expanded from the Fifth Squad, comprised two hundred professional soldiers, with roughly the same number of auxiliary troops and conscripted laborers—nearly five hundred in total.
"This is no small force—enough for me to accomplish quite a lot. Of course, when measured against the incoming orcish horde, it amounts to virtually nothing…"
Leylin gazed at the dark clouds gathering along the horizon, his brow gradually furrowing.
With the mobilization of numerous orcish tribes, the shadow of a great war had already begun to blanket the North.
Even within Silvermoon City itself, shuttered shops and hurrying pedestrians had become a common sight of late.
The Sunrise Mountains! The orcish tribes! In the North, these names were virtually synonymous with barbarism and war.
The orcs not only possessed formidable physical prowess from birth but also enjoyed the protection of the orcish gods, whose chief deity was a Greater God as well.
In the World of the
A Greater God! The pinnacle of a rank eight Wizard! That was virtually the upper limit of what the entire universe could sustain!
Whether or not one had the protection of a Greater God made all the difference in the World of the Gods.
Under such a formidable threat, the possibility of the entire North falling was very real.
According to Leylin's intelligence, the orcish tribes had mobilized on an unprecedented scale—nothing like the minor skirmishes and raids of the past.
Indeed, among the numerous allied orcish tribes, the faint outline of an empire had already begun to take shape!
A fully controlled, tightly organized Orcish Empire!!!
If they annihilated the Silvermoon Alliance and seized the entire North, this orcish empire could take form upon the corpses of their enemies! Perhaps that was precisely what the orcish chief deity hoped for!
As for the human side, Leylin detected a few ominous signs.
The Silvermoon City Alliance's power was too great, and
The Silvermoon Alliance had originally been a loose coalition of northern powers, encompassing all the major human cities of the North along with several large territories. Its original purpose had been to better defend against the orcs by forming a mutual alliance of attack and defense.
And yet, with her unique personal charisma and the formidable power of Silvermoon City, Alustriel firmly held the position of Alliance Leader of the Silvermoon Alliance.
With her lifespan and renown, it was entirely possible for her to consolidate the loose federations within the next century, forging them into a terrifying independent empire!
This was obviously not what the orcs wished to see. Among the northern nobles, some were highly supportive of this prospect—even fanning the flames—while others were firmly opposed, secretly working to undermine it.
"Quite interesting... All these contradictions piled up, and they finally led to this orc invasion?"
Leylin turned with a smile to glance at the palace behind him.
Powerful spell radiance forever lingered upon the walls and tiles, imbued with a unique aesthetic beauty.
"The contradiction between humans and orcs, the tension between unity and division, even the conflicts between gods themselves... Amid so many swirling vortexes, how much longer can this beautiful and bountiful Silvermoon City endure..."
A sharp gleam flickered in Leylin's eyes.
[Ding! High-level Wizard data recorded. Spell template database complete. Primary Wizard model established!]
The Chip had, at precisely this moment, popped up a notification window.
After spending a great deal of time covertly scanning all records below the Legendary tier within the palace, the Chip's database had been thoroughly perfected.
At the very least, until he advanced to the Legendary stage, there would be no obstacles blocking Leylin's path.
"Excellent! High-level Wizards—fifteenth-level Wizards—are the only ones universally recognized as true powerhouses. At my current meditation speed, how many more years will it take for me to reach that level?"
Leylin posed the question.
[Ding! Task established. Commencing virtual simulation in coordination with the primary model...]
The Chip began processing at a furious pace, streams of zeroes and ones flashing before Leylin's eyes.
After barely a few seconds, the Chip delivered its answer: [Based on the primary model's current data! Estimated breakthrough to fifteenth-level Wizard in 731 days and 13 hours!]
"Roughly two years? That timing should coincide right with the period of the orc offensive..."
Suddenly, Leylin's expression changed as he turned his gaze northward.
"This fluctuation... it's a Legendary spell! And the direction is the fortress at the Sunrise Mountains... Could it be..."
......
North of Silvery Moon City — the Sunrise Mountains!
This was a colossal mountain range that stretched across the northern human territories and the endless orc wilderness, barely separating the orc and human worlds.
The mages of Silvery Moon City had used their spells along with a vast amount of manpower and resources to construct a super-sized defensive fortress here, garrisoned with heavy troops. Atop the black metal walls as hard as steel sat Silvermoon's latest achievement — the Fully-Automatic Spell Cannons!
The forces stationed in the fortress were Silvermoon's strongest. The number of High-rank Wizards exceeded twenty, and rumors even spoke of a Legendary powerhouse holding court within.
For years, it was this fortress that had turned back countless orc invasions. No matter how frenzied the orc attacks became, the fortress stood like a reef amidst a tsunami — unshakable.
It was precisely because of this that the fortress's original complex and unwieldy name had been discarded, replaced by the proud title — "Moon Never Sets Fortress"!
This title represented the hope that Silvery Moon City's silver moon banner would never fall from the fortress walls!
Snap!
But at this very moment, the beautiful and delicate silver moon banner drifted downward, finally landing in a still-burning pyre and turning completely to ash.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
Countless roaring Orcs frantically scaled the walls of the so-called impregnable fortress, their war cries thundering across the battlefield.
Gnolls! Lion-beasts! Leopard-kin! And even colossal Behemoths, serpent-folk, and fox-women priestesses!
Orcs of all manner of appearances formed battle ranks, surrounding a golden-furred lion-beast at their center, cheering wildly: "Saladin! Saladin! King of the Orcs! King of the Orcs!"
The fur of this Orc named Saladin bristled like steel spines, and lightning seemed to crackle within his eyes. Several tribal chiefs of different races — all clearly Legendary-level powers — could only prostrate themselves before him.
He was Saladin! King of all Orcs! Chosen of the orc chief deity Gnusha! Wielder of the orc divine artifact — the Hammer of Thunder!
It was he who, just moments ago, had used the power of the divine artifact to shatter the fortress's defenses in a single blow, even slaying that human Legendary powerhouse on the spot!
"I… Saladin! King of all Orcs! King of Kings! I shall conquer the entire north and make it the pearl upon my god's crown!"
Saladin roared, and the throng of Orcs erupted in collective celebration.
Year 37,665 of the Divine Calendar! The Moon Never Sets Fortress has fallen — the orc invasion has begun in full!