Northwest of Silver Moon Bay, Victoria Harbour.

The sky was getting light, and a few rays of morning light shone through the clouds, shining on the busy dock, where large and small fishing boats were docked.

Boatmen with naked upper bodies came and went, their skin tanned, while on the shore, merchants were arguing and bargaining fiercely.

Seagulls circled in the sky, their cries accompanied by the occasional sound of a ship's whistle.

Some fishermen even whispered prayers toward the sea, asking the "Sea Queen" Amberlee to extinguish her anger, so that the sea would be calm and monsters like the Shahuamin would no longer appear.

This is Victoria Harbor, a city located at the mouth of the Zeller River. It is a rare deep-water port and the largest and most prosperous trading city-state in the Silver Moon Bay region.

The city was named after Victoria the Grey Harbor Adventurer, a hero who lived hundreds of years ago.

Victoria once led her fleet to explore the vast West Sea, amassed countless treasures over a dozen years, and selflessly built this magnificent port city.

But some people say that their hero is just a pirate leader who lives by plundering, and the so-called city is just a base for pirates to hide their treasures. Therefore, Victoria is also nicknamed "Pirate Queen" by some skeptics.

Hundreds of years have passed, and now the rulers of Victoria Harbor are a four-member council composed of several noble dukes, with the most respected duke as the archon.

From nobles to common thieves and even notorious pirates, all gathered here. Dozens of believers of different gods lived here, and there were also various unknown cults in the dark.

Today, Victoria Harbor is a hodgepodge of good and bad people, and is also called a "hotbed of conspirators" by adventurers. In recent days, a group of mysterious "undeads" have appeared out of nowhere, making the situation in the city even more confusing.

On the mottled wall of Victoria Harbor, accompanied by ripples in space, a man in a gray robe and holding a bronze scepter appeared out of thin air.

He looked to be in his fifties, with some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His light green pupils were quite deep, making him look particularly mysterious.

The man stroked his beard, looked down at the bustling crowd on the street and the caravan that was about to set off, and said softly:

“It seems that I have arrived a little early, and the Silver family’s caravan has just set out.

According to the original plot development, the kidnapping should happen five days later, and by then, I should be able to appear on the stage.

Tsk tsk, ever since I was crowned emperor, all the chores have been handed over to my family members to handle. It has been a long time since I have done anything myself. I really miss it. "

He stroked his chin and fell into deep thought: "But, what should I name this vest?"

Suddenly, he saw a fortune teller at a street stall draw out a tarot card. On the card was an old man wearing a gray cloak and holding a lantern in his hand - that was the Hermit card.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he clapped his hands and said to himself, "Let's just call him 'Hermit'.

Albert the Hermit, sounds good, at least it's pretty cool."

This so-called "Albert" is the dragon shadow image of Cassius and the embodiment of his original will.

At this moment, Cassius also arrived at Victoria Harbor, ready to start his plan to stir up the already turbid water even more.

In the Farouk Desert, a caravan was heading south, and their target was obviously Victoria Harbor, which was dozens of miles away.

The caravan was quite large, with fifty horses, hundreds of guards, and more than a dozen carts of heavy cargo. The outside of the wooden boxes were decorated with exquisite broom emblems.

——That represents the owner of the goods, one of the four major families in Victoria Port, the Silver Family.

Unlike the seemingly exquisite and elegant floral emblem, the Silver family is actually the most powerful military force in Victoria Harbor and controls the largest mercenary organization in the city, the "Mithril Hand".

Surrounded by guards, in the luxurious carriage in the middle of the caravan was a blonde woman in a long dress. She looked very young, only in her twenties, and also wore the plant broom emblem.

Her name was Heloise Silver, the only daughter and favorite of the current Duke of the Silver family, and she was also regarded as the future heir to the family.

Heloise opened the curtain, looked out at the quiet wilderness outside the carriage, and said to the captain of the guard standing beside her: "Marvin, it's a little too quiet here.

After we got the goods from Huigang, we went south along the road for more than ten kilometers, but we didn't encounter a single caravan. This is really abnormal."

The guard was a middle-aged man in his forties with a rough mustache, a long scar on his face, and wearing standard armor.

He is the person in charge of the caravan's armed forces, Marvin, a senior guard who has served the Silver family for decades.

But at this moment, listening to the questions of this noble lady, Marvin seemed a little absent-minded.

After all, he had been escorting the Silver family's caravan for decades, and the young Heloise was only arranged by her father to get involved in the family business.

"Recently, banditry has been rampant in the Farouk Wasteland area. It is said that many caravans have been robbed and have taken a detour to the east to reach Grey Harbor. However."

Marvin puffed out his chest and said in a relaxed tone: “Miss, we are the Silver family, the overlord of Victoria Harbor.

Those thieves and bandits are blind and will never offend the Silver family. If they dare to raise a hand to us and threaten your safety, we will smash their hands with our muskets!"

Marvin patted the rifle in his hand, his tone extremely confident, as if he was stating an insignificant matter.

Heloise frowned slightly, but said nothing more. She just whispered to him to be careful and pay attention to the surrounding situation.

As the daughter of Duke Aiden, she knew very well the strength of the Silver Family.

This caravan had 574 well-trained family guards and was equipped with the most advanced muskets purchased from the mysterious Burning Empire in the north.

Even the regular army of the nearby city-states found it difficult to defeat them, let alone the bandits and thieves in the wilderness.

The cargo they are escorting this time is also particularly important.

The carriages and wooden boxes with plantation emblems were filled with brand new guns, ammunition, and even small artillery. There were more than 3,000 basic rifles alone.

In that tragic "Battle of the Three Emperors", weapons from the Burning Empire appeared in people's vision, and with the promotion of the Woking Chamber of Commerce, they quickly became popular across the continent.

The purpose of Duke Aiden's purchase of a large number of weapons is also very clear - to strengthen the military strength of the Silver family.

Heloise looked at the wasteland outside the carriage. It was still so quiet here, and only the faint sound of insects could be heard.

Just then, she discovered the wreckage of a carriage in the rubble in the distance. Upon closer inspection, she could see broken wheels, broken arms, and even a head that had been crushed into a meat paste.

No, such a tragic scene could never be created by ordinary thieves and bandits!

As the eldest daughter of the Silver family, she had received a full education and was even considered a half-mage apprentice. She understood the power of those extraordinary beings.

Heloise's expression suddenly changed, and a solemn look appeared in her beautiful deep purple eyes. She stretched out her hand and stopped the caravan.

"Marvin, stop."

"Miss, we have to hurry. Master Aiden said the goods must be delivered before dark."

"I said, stop. This is the order I give you as the head of the Silver Family Caravan."

Heloise's tone was firm, but her watery eyes revealed an expression that could not be refused - that was a look unique to the people of Silver, and even Marvin felt his heart tremble.

"Yes, Miss."

Marvin then took the order seriously and reluctantly stopped the guards and coachmen in front. All the people in the caravan stopped and waited.

However, in the opinion of this loyal old guard, this young lady was a little too suspicious and did not have the demeanor of an heiress to a large family.

This is around Victoria Harbour. Who would dare to mess with the Silver family which is now at the peak of its power?

Ahead was the narrow Karl Valley, which could only accommodate one carriage at a time. The Silver family's caravan stopped outside the valley and could not move forward.

Marvin continued to persuade: “Miss, you should stop worrying.

I am very familiar with this Karl Valley. I have been here hundreds of times in the past few decades. It is easier than going home."

However, Heloise interrupted him coldly, pointed at the wreckage of the caravan in the distance, and ordered:

"Marvin, continue to be alert and send another team of elite soldiers to check the situation over there. If there is anything unusual, we will go around from the east."

"But, Miss." Marvin wanted to speak more, but after seeing Helovitz's unquestionable look, he had to bow his head and obey - after all, the person in front of him was a young Plantagenet, who was very likely to become a Duchess.

Just as he was about to send someone forward, a heart-wrenching howl suddenly came from the front of the caravan, followed by people's screams and the neighing of horses.

"what--"

"Enemy attack! Protect the lady!"

Marvin suddenly became nervous. He quickly loaded the rifle in his hand and yelled at the guards around him.

He really didn't expect that someone would actually dare to mess with Silver's caravan!
Suddenly, neat and crisp sounds rang out, and these well-trained guards quickly loaded their guns and gathered around Heloise's carriage.

Marvin jumped onto the horse and found the source of the wailing - a young groom was pierced by a sharp arrow, with blood flowing out of him.

Then, countless figures in black robes emerged from behind the rocks on the hillside, like shadows in the dark night.

"Praise the Lord God."

"You are the only Lord in this world, the ruler of all things. We will sacrifice our sweet blood to you."

They whispered hoarsely, as if they were praying softly, and occasionally let out strange laughter, which made the battle-hardened Marvin feel a little scared.

Marvin jumped off his horse, drew the long sword from his waist, pointed it at the enemy, and shouted: "Damn cultists! Do you know who you have offended?

This is the Silver family's caravan! Your actions will incur the wrath of Duke Aiden! If you know what's best for you, get out of here!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

The creepy laughter sounded again, and a tall and thin man in a black robe holding a bone staff standing on the hillside said in a hoarse voice: "The Silver Family
That's right, it's them, capture Miss Heloise of the Silver family alive! She will be the best sacrifice for the God of Domination!"

Marvin's face turned pale immediately. Only then did he realize that he was really careless and had made a big mistake!

It was obvious that these mysterious cultists were coming for the Silver family—or more precisely, Heloise Silver!
"Damn it, quick! Follow me to fight the enemy!"

"Bor, take your guards and escort the young lady away immediately! Don't let her get into any trouble!"

"Enemy heading towards the Silver family?"

Heloise's expression was extremely solemn, but she was still not panicked. She mounted her horse under the escort of her personal guards and evacuated towards the northern Grey Harbor.

"Meet the enemy! Shoot these damn cultists into sieves!"

Marvin raised the rifle in his hand and shot at the black-robed men on the hillside, and the caravan guards also kept pulling the trigger.

"boom!"

"Bang! Bang!"

Hundreds of guards opened fire at the same time. The sound of gunfire whistled and bullets poured out like a torrential rain, knocking down many men in black robes in an instant.

"That's it, shoot them! Show no mercy!"

But the cultists were still laughing wildly, as if they didn't care at all about the death of their companions. The leader raised the bone staff, and a surging black fog swept over in an instant.

Marvin cursed: "Damn it, it's the caster!"

The wizards in the caravan also hurriedly chanted spells, releasing rays of light from their staffs, but they still could not penetrate the darkness.

Heloise and others who were evacuating to the north also found that there were enemies ahead. Goblins, wargs, gnolls and other evil creatures emerged, numbering thousands.

Many of them had black cracks on their faces, their eyeballs had turned black, they had fanatical expressions on their faces, and they were whispering the name of the "Lord of Domination".

Such a monster army was definitely not formed temporarily. It was obviously a long-planned ambush!

Heloise waved to the guard Bol beside her and said coldly: "Stop, they are ready."

Bol said in a trembling voice: "Miss, then, then what should we do?"

Heloise said firmly, "Go back and meet Marvin immediately. This is the last resort. We have to hold out until our father's reinforcements arrive."

The falcon trained by the Silver family flew into the sky with a brief letter for help and let out a loud cry, while Heloise and his party rode back to the caravan camp.

At this moment, the black fog that permeated the Karl Valley became thicker and thicker. The soldiers shot frantically into the darkness, but they were still inevitably hit by arrows.

Seeing Heloise return, Marvin was full of guilt and panted, "I'm sorry, Miss, it was my negligence that caused you to fall into this situation..."

Heloise interrupted him, trying to keep her voice calm, and continued: "Marvin, this was a premeditated ambush.

The north has been blocked by enemy troops. We must continue to hold on and wait for reinforcements. Now, all guards must obey my command.

And give me a gun."

Marvin was stunned for a moment, then he took out a brand new rifle from the box next to him and handed it to the young lady's slender hands.

Heloise weighed the rifle in her hand, loaded the bullets and chambered it skillfully, then aimed at the black-robed man a hundred steps away and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

The cultist fell to the ground, and Marvin was stunned. It took him a long time to pick up his gun and continue firing.

Only then did he truly remember that this was the successor of the Silver Family, known as the "Blade of Victoria Harbor".

The exchange of fire between the family guards and the black-robed men was still going on. Both sides suffered certain casualties, but the caravan managed to hold its position for the time being and did not allow the group of crazy cultists to get close.

"Ignorant mortals
Are you resisting the favor of the Lord God?"

At this moment, the leader stretched out his withered hand, tilted his head, and a strange light flashed in his dark pupils.

Suddenly, a huge black vortex appeared above the caravan, attracting the surrounding grass, sand, and even nearby humans with its unparalleled force.

"Gods, what is that?"

"Okay, what a powerful force!"

"no no--"

The guard screamed in fear and struggled continuously, but was still sucked into the air by the black hole, and even his blood was sucked dry in an instant.

Even the guns in their hands were sucked into the black hole and crushed into a pile of scrap metal.

"Gods? Gods are nothing but forgers who deceive the world and steal their reputations!
Only the God who rules is the destination of all things! "

Blood rained down from the sky. The man in black robe opened his arms, raised his head, and enjoyed this feast of killing to his heart's content.

Heloise looked up at the terrible black hole above her head, sweat dripping down her fair face, and her hands tightly grasped the carriage beside her.

"This is...psychic energy."

She had seen this kind of power before, in the monks invited by Duke Aiden, but the psychic black hole in front of her was even more evil.

This one move alone made hundreds of guards helpless, and they could only allow the cultists to become more rampant, while the legions of goblins and gnolls behind them also surrounded them.

This was a long-planned attack, no, to be more precise, it was a war, these cultists were declaring war on the Silver family.

Who in the name of Sheenworth can save them?
Faced with such a dead end, even the usually calm Heloise felt a little desperate. She leaned against the carriage holding her gun and couldn't help thinking this.

At this moment, as if hearing Heloise's prayer, a mysterious male voice appeared and reached her ears clearly.

"Haha, I didn't expect that after just a few hundred years of sleep, these insects would become so arrogant" (End of this chapter)