Chapter 399: The Handover between Two Generations
On the balcony of the main castle of Wolwenburg.
Islandil handed the elven scimitar to Wendy: "Your Majesty, what are your plans? I am a little worried..."
Wendy took the elven scimitar and bowed to Islandir: "I will leave your troops to Risadilan. He is your nephew. There will be no problem with him leading your troops."
"I'm not talking about the army. I'm certainly confident that His Majesty Li Ang will lead the army. I'm just not sure about my safety..."
Islandil looked towards the tavern in the city and said, "You asked me to agree to a duel with Aldarian, but I am no match for him in a one-on-one fight..."
It was a tavern called "The Brave" located on the main road in the city. Aldarian was in the tavern - the "banquet" in the castle ended in a bad mood, and Aldarian naturally would not stay in Islandil's residence. He was persuaded by Lisadilan to go to the tavern.
"Don't worry, Lisadiran will definitely make Aldarian agree to a public duel in the Eraklai Arena. Teacher Vendatil is recognized as the 'Queen of the Arena'. If it is a fair duel in the arena, neither you nor Aldarian combined will be her opponent, so neither you nor Aldarian will be the winner. In the end, it will be Teacher Vendatil who has the final say... Besides, you don't really plan to pursue Teacher Vendatil..."
Wendy looked at Islandir with a smile: "But if you really want to, I will help you..."
"No, no, no... I still want to live a few more years. What if I accidentally make her angry and get kicked into a tree by her..."
Islandil shuddered involuntarily, probably remembering some violent scenes. "However, His Majesty Leon's military order has just been delivered. All troops must go to Pavlon to meet His Majesty. My troops will obey the wielder of the Elven Scimitar, but how ?"
"Teacher Vendatil will take Aldarian away. Although I am a Queen of the Noldor with little experience and influence, I should be able to temporarily command his subordinates while he is away... Thank you for your help, Your Highness Islandil."
Wendy gestured with the elven scimitar in her hand. It was an heirloom of the Ino family and also a token used to command the Ino family warriors.
"Don't call me Your Highness. I am now your lord, Your Majesty."
Islandil shook his head. "Aldarian's troops are as stubborn as he is. I think you may need his Falling Bow."
The Curtainfall Bow has the same symbolic meaning as the Elven Scimitar. It is not only an enchanted bow with excellent performance, but can also be used to mobilize Aldarian's troops.
Wendy nodded: "I understand. I will get the Bow of the End..."
…
In the pub.
Risadiran was 'drinking his sorrows' with Aldarian.
Originally, Lisadilan was only here to deliver a message on Leon's orders. It was just a coincidence that he encountered this incident, and it was not something Wendy had considered in advance.
But this guest appearance at this time just happened to play a big role.
The performance at the banquet was so successful that Aldarian directly challenged Islandir to a duel at the banquet, and Islandir immediately agreed.
If it weren't for the fact that Lisadiran happened to be there, Aldarian would probably have started a fight right there in the Lord's Hall of Walven Castle...
Although with Vendatil around, there shouldn't be any major problems, but this private fight might be difficult to end - Aldarian is emotionally unstable, and if casualties occur, this matter might turn into hostility between the two Noldor tribes.
Wendy's original idea was to use Vendatil to create a conflict between Aldarian and Islandil, preferably to provoke a duel. This would bring certain hidden dangers, but at least it would make Aldarian's plan to attack the City of Knowledge fail.
Aldarian had his own selfish motives, but these motives came from his desire to bring more benefits to the entire Noldor people.
He would not openly oppose Leon and Wendy's orders, nor would he do anything to harm the Noldor. He only wanted to keep the war between humans going.
As long as he can interrupt his current plan and create opposition with a great lord like Islandil, it will be difficult for him to come up with any other tricks during this war.
- If Aldarian challenged Islam to a duel and then left with his troops privately, it would be tantamount to "causing internal strife due to a dispute over personal feelings", which would be ignoring the safety of the entire tribe.
Aldarian's subordinates are all adult Noldor. They have brains and can think. Are such people worth following?
Therefore, as long as Aldarian has not gone completely crazy, he will give up his plan to cause trouble at this time and instead follow Leon and Wendy's orders obediently.
This was Wendy's use of human nature, but she was indeed inexperienced and not very skilled in using it - so Wendy had not actually considered how to resolve the hidden dangers that came with it.
Because Wendy felt that as long as she could solve the current troubles, everything would be solved naturally after she met Li Ang...
This underage girl has always had adventurous ideas.
But Wendy was lucky, she didn't have to face too many sequelae - Lisa Dilan happened to come to Walwyn to deliver a message at this time.
Hearing that Islamdir had held a banquet , Risadilan of course wanted to come and eat for free, so he caught up with the drama and played the most important lubricant in it.
Today, Risadilan is the lord of Almera Castle. His status and position are equal to those of Aldarian and Islandil, so he can serve as a peacemaker.
Lisadilan dissuaded Aldarian in time at the dinner table, so that the dinner in Lord Walwyn's hall maintained a peaceful atmosphere - at least there was no fighting on the spot.
Aldarian was kind to Risadiran because he and Risadiran had the same fate...
Lisadil had accidentally killed the nephew of Islandil in a private duel, and the reason for the duel was that the two young men fell in love with the same Noldor maiden.
And it was a complete tragedy - although Lisadilan won the duel, he did not win the heart of the Noldor girl. Instead, he was exiled for violating the private fighting law and causing the death of his people.
The girl had no good feelings towards criminals like Lisa Dilan, and she married someone else during the time when Lisa Dilan was exiled...
At the same time, Aldarian's taking his followers away to establish a new tribe can also be considered a form of self-exile.
So at this time he was "drinking his sorrows" with Lisa Dilan. After all, it is rare to meet a "friend" who shares the same fate with you in life.
Of course, this "confidant" was temporarily instructed by Director Wendy...
"Private duels are not advisable, Senior Aldarian. Teacher Vendatil is a law-abiding person. She will not fall in love with you because of a private duel... Look at my experience and you will understand. You may get nothing and offend Islandil for no reason, and even cause confrontation between the two tribes. This is not worth it..."
Right now, Risadiran is using his own experience to "enlighten" Aldarian.
"Hmph... Then what do you think I should do? Do you want me to pretend that nothing... hiccup... happened?"
Aldarian was already half drunk and his speech was a little slurred.
"Of course not! I support the duel you initiated! But you should go to the arena of Eracle to have a formal duel with His Highness Islandil - that is the duel method that can be recognized by the tribesmen, and it will not lead to personal hatred between the two sides, and the two tribes will not have any conflicts because of this... By the way, Teacher Wendatil said that she only likes people who can beat her in a fair competition..."
Risadiran considerately filled Aldarian's glass.
"I've heard that too...but isn't that an excuse for her to reject her suitors?"
Aldarian took the cup and drank it down.
"Whether it's an excuse or not, this is always an opportunity, right? Senior Aldarian, you haven't been to the arena for three hundred years, right? Of course, you are the leader of a clan and have a heavy responsibility. It is indeed inappropriate for you to compete with the younger generations in the arena... But this time, you can duel with His Highness Islandil, and let the younger generations like us see the style of the strongest Twilight Knight in the past three hundred years, and it will also make Teacher Vendatil speechless..."
Risadilan filled Aldarian's glass again.
"but……"
Aldarian seemed to be hesitant, wanting to say something but not saying it.
But Lisadilan quickly took over the conversation: "And you can't get too upset with His Highness Islandil now. The arena competition is just a step that can satisfy everyone. Otherwise, as long as you make any move inconsistent with His Highness Islandil, it will be regarded as an attempt to split the Principality of Noldor... Think about it carefully..."
Aldarian sighed, picked up the glass and drank it again...
Two hours later, Lisadiran, who often hangs out in human taverns, relied on his rich experience in getting Aldarian, who usually doesn't drink, to fall on the table...
The next day, Aldarian's Falling Bow appeared in Wendy's hands, and Islandil's elven scimitar was hung on Risadilan's waist.
The drunk Aldarian was taken away by Vendatil and Islandil in the early morning and returned to Eraclea together.
The two lords only took their respective guards with them, and the main force remained in Walwyn.
With the authorization of Islandil, Risadilan temporarily took charge of the Aino family's troops.
And when their lord was away, Ardarian's troops temporarily obeyed Queen Wendy's arrangement and went to Pavlon.
Of course, if one can obey temporarily, one can obey forever. Wendy had already realized this - from the very beginning, Leon used the method of "temporary command" to make the Noldor Rangers develop the habit of fighting under his flag, and Wendy could naturally learn to do the same.
The handover of military power between the two Noldor tribes and two generations occurred just like that after a seemingly absurd little trick.
…
A few days later, Leon waited for the large army of the Principality of Noldor in Pavlon.
Wendy and Lisadiran brought a total of 1,800 Noldor warriors, which together with Leon's guards formed a Noldor army of 2,000 people.
Together with the Silver Hand and the Free Legion, the Eastern Front troops totaling more than 4,000 people began to officially move south.
The reason why this is the Eastern Front force is because there is another force on the Western Front.
This army was led by Leofric and Dallion - two heirs of the Griffin Knights and the two human lords that Leon trusted the most.
Leofric had already set out from Karen Deer Fort a few days ago. He headed westward and entered the territory of Sava River Fort from the south of Qicha Fortress - of course, nominally he wanted to "conquer" Sava River Fort and "block" Cleon's troops from attacking the Fierce Lion Territory.
But of course Cleon did not attack the Fierce Lion Territory, and the large force on the western front did not really go to attack the Sava River Fort. Leofric just wanted to create an atmosphere of a war between him and the Bacchus Empire.
In order to make this war look intense, and to make it appear that the Bacchus Empire is really losing ground, all the Snake Worshipers in Bacchus will surely appear - if the Snake Worshipers provoke a war between the two countries, they will definitely send people to "join" the two countries in various identities, prompting the confrontation between the two countries to continue.
Sure enough, just after Leofric's troops "captured" the Sava River Fort from Cleon, a "rebel army" came to him, saying that they could lead him directly to attack Siyuan City...
Of course, Leofric accepted this so-called "rebel army" and handed it over to Dallion to lead the army immediately - wasn't it going to quickly attack Siyuan City? Dallion directly took the "rebel army" to attack Siyuan City...
Then, General Creon appeared halfway, and after a "surprise attack" conspired by both parties, General Creon won a complete victory, and Dallion and the Griffin Knights "barely escaped"...
Afterwards, another "rebel army" approached General Cleon - and then Cleon began to "counterattack" the Sava River Fort, Leofric defended the city firmly, and this time Dallion launched a surprise attack...
——Anyway, surprise attacks are always aimed at the "rebels" with poor training levels, and the regular armies of the two countries can always "escape"...
The progress on the western front was going smoothly. With the tacit cooperation of both sides, within seven or eight days, three thousand Snake Worshipers - the 'rebels' - were killed.
General Cleon led the Third Legion of the Bacchus Empire into Siyuan City to prevent the enemy from infiltrating.
Then, no more enemies appeared on the Western Front.
On August 28, 358 of the Pandeli calendar, Li Ang led the eastern army to Buyulin Village.
Here, he received news from Arina that Emperor Marius had driven all the Snake Worshipers out of Imperial Port.
However, Emperor Marius was unable to join forces with Leon to attack from both the north and the south.
Because His Majesty Marius died in Dilingang.
Marius...died!
The emperor died of illness, as he died in the Governor's Mansion in Dilingang.
But he also died in battle, because just half an hour before his death, the emperor was still personally leading his troops to charge and drive all the Snake Worshipers in the city out of Dilingang.
Perhaps, he mustered up his last breath to fulfill his promise to his allies - he would drive the enemy out of Dilingang and let Li Ang annihilate them in the wild.
