183: Unexpected news

The number of Mage Apprentices at the Red River Territory Mage Academy has now expanded from just over forty to more than three hundred. Among them, several geniuses have emerged, though they still fall slightly short compared to Luka.

Renn regards these three hundred Mage Apprentices as the future hope of the Red River Territory's mages.

Renn himself often goes to the academy to teach. Although he is not from a formal military background, he is more than capable of lecturing these children.

In addition, Renn has also asked Kapdo, Alistair, Cecilia, and even Melissa and Ariya to find time to teach these Mage Apprentices.

Apart from assisting with construction projects, the biggest task for the Spellcasters brought back from the Sub-plane is to serve as teachers. They are also the most commonly seen instructors for these young apprentices.

The collection of spell knowledge in the Red River Territory is already rich enough, and the growth of these young apprentices is extremely encouraging.

Most of them will become the Engineering Mages or Low-level Enchanters that Renn needs.

Their strength may be very weak, with most remaining at the Bronze Rank or even the Black Iron Rank for their entire lives, but they will provide valuable power for the construction of the Red River Territory.

"I should find time to build a Mage Tower!"

The Transcendent Material obtained from the Sub-plane is sufficient to support the construction of a Mage Tower in the Red River Territory.

However, since these materials have been used once, they now require classification and processing by a High-level Mage before they can be used to build the Mage Tower.

Kapdo is busy making Potions. Besides cultivating to improve her strength, Alistair has been asked by Renn to serve as a teacher and is occasionally pulled in to work as an Engineering Mage and Enchanter, keeping her busy every day. The construction of the Mage Tower can only be postponed for now.

"I still need to carefully select a commander for the Shadow Guards. Deen and the others only know how to fight and kill; they're no good at intelligence work."

While Renn is troubled by the selection of a Shadow Guards commander, busy organizing the Shadow Guards, and improving the Red River Territory's intelligence-gathering capabilities,

the eastern border of the Rage Bear Territory, adjacent to the Stag Territory, is shrouded in the clouds of war, with an extremely tense situation.

Count Trolkavin of the Stag Territory leads an army of over ten thousand and his family's knight order, firmly guarding the Plane Passage and adopting a posture of determined defense.

Opposite them, the first wave of reinforcements from the Rage Bear Territory has just arrived. Under the leadership of Count Porcupine Zaradok, an army of nearly twenty thousand is slowly forming its battle lines.

"My lord, it's Porcupine Zaradok!"

In response to his subordinate's report, Trolkavin cursed irritably.

"I'm not blind. The Porcupine's spines are about to poke our eyes out; of course I can see it's Zaradok!"

Not long ago, after discovering this Plane Passage, he decisively led his army to crush the Rage Bear Territory forces guarding the area and seized the Plane Passage.

Subsequently, he was pleasantly surprised to discover the massive Magic Stone Vein.

Stimulated by the magic stones, Trolkavin mobilized most of his territory's military forces, ordering all subordinate nobles to send troops in support, preparing to seize this Sub-plane.

Trolkavin anticipated that the Rage Bear Territory would not let this go easily, as no one would readily give up such a large Magic Stone Vein.

However, he did not expect the Rage Bear Territory's response to be so swift. He had just mobilized his territory's army, and the reinforcements from his subordinate nobles had not yet arrived, when the Rage Bear Territory's army appeared.

"Tell the soldiers to stay alert and prepare for battle!"

If it were anyone else, Trolkavin would not be so tense. Facing the Stag Territory's army, he is confident that these Rage Bear nobles would not dare to launch an attack lightly.

But the one who came is Porcupine Zaradok, a madman who loves to stir up trouble and fight everywhere. Trolkavin has no doubt that the other side will launch an attack immediately, with no regard for the Stag Territory's prestige.

As Trolkavin expected, the Rage Bear Territory's army, under the leadership of Count Porcupine, soon launched an attack.

A chaotic, surging mass of people rushed messily toward the Stag Territory's battle formation, and the close-quarters combat between the two sides was chaotic and bloody.

"Hold the formation! That madman is using these cannon fodder to wear us down. Keep an eye on those Porcupine Knights."

With rich combat experience, Trolkavin commanded the army in an orderly manner.

The battle between the two sides lasted for most of the day, ending only after Zaradok led the Porcupine Knights in a charge that failed to break Trolkavin's formation.

"My lord, we have over three hundred dead and more than two thousand wounded, mostly caused by those Porcupine Knights."

"However, we killed at least six hundred from the Rage Bear Territory, with even more wounded. We definitely dealt them a heavy blow!"

His subordinates quickly compiled the casualty statistics and reported them to Trolkavin. A single day of fighting resulted in over twenty percent casualties, a number that moved Trolkavin, though fortunately, the enemy suffered even more.

"This Porcupine is a madman. Who launches a reckless, all-out attack like that right from the start? Those cannon fodder from the Rage Bear Territory are also fools who don't know how to resist!"

Today, when facing the charge led by Zaradok's knight order, it was Trolkavin and his Chief Knight, along with the family knight order, who held the line at the critical moment.

Even with two against one, Trolkavin did not inflict much damage on Zaradok.

"It's said that in the Rage Bear Territory, besides the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear, Count Horn is the strongest. But I think this Porcupine's strength is not much weaker than that Count Horn."

"This Porcupine relies on a fierce assault in battle. If he can't break through in one wave, he'll likely retreat. Having held out today, things will be easier from now on."

Having withstood the Porcupine's attack, Trolkavin is fully confident in securing this Plane Passage.

By the next day, the bodies left from the previous day were no longer visible on the cleaned battlefield, with only patches of dark bloodstains on the ground telling of the fresh lives lost not long ago.

Seeing the Porcupine camp across the way, settled in with no other movement, Trolkavin had a bad premonition.

Not attacking, not leaving—this is completely unlike the Porcupine's style.

A day passed peacefully, and Trolkavin frowned, unable to figure out what the Porcupine was up to.

On the third day, it was still peaceful, with no fighting at all.

The Porcupine's abnormal behavior made Trolkavin anxious; he couldn't understand what this madman was scheming.

However, as the armies of his subordinate nobles arrived one after another, the forces guarding the Plane Passage reached thirty thousand, with four Gold Rank experts and over forty Silver Rank experts, Trolkavin's anxiety gradually faded.

Now he holds the winning hand!

"What did you say?"

"Say that again?"

Trolkavin stared wide-eyed at the knight who had come from his family.

"Master, news from Stag Fortress: a few days ago, a huge spatial rift appeared near Giant Horn City, and a large number of Chaos Demons poured out from it, including a Legendary-level great demon."

"The Chaos Demon army then attacked Giant Horn City. At the critical moment, the Grand Duke, who had long been rumored to be seriously ill, suddenly appeared and blocked that Legendary Demon."

"But in the end, the Grand Duke was defeated and killed by that Chaos Demon in front of all the people of Giant Horn City."

After saying this, the knight's voice choked up slightly.

Trolkavin hurriedly asked, "Then what happened to Giant Horn City in the end? Did Lord Saint Spirit arrive?"

"Lord Saint Spirit arrived before the city fell, killed that Legendary Demon, then routed the demon army. Under Lord Saint Spirit's leadership, the Stag Knights slaughtered all the demons."

"That spatial rift was also sealed by Lord Saint Spirit!"

Hearing this, Trolkavin also breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's good that the demons were destroyed and the spatial rift was sealed. Giant Horn City and Stag Fortress are safe. Thank goodness Lord Saint Spirit was there!"

"But with the Grand Duke killed in battle, things are going to be troublesome now!"

Trolkavin looked at the Porcupine camp, where scattered lights flickered in the darkness.