Speculation

Held firmly in the wyvern's talons, the scout was covered in grievous wounds. Blood continued to gush from his severed arm as they flew, splattering through the open air in a gruesome sight. "Holy crap, bro, don't die on me! I still need you alive to claim my bounty!" "Noodles, full speed ahead!" Mantou panicked, all of his earlier calm and nonchalance instantly vanishing. Yet the dying scout merely grinned, his tone dark and raspy. "Lackeys of the evil dragon, I will never... let your schemes succeed!" "For the Principality of Bosque!" "For Grand Duke Leo!" "For the honor of the Northlands!" The scout screamed with every shred of his strength, his voice cracked and hoarse. Startled by the scout's fanaticism, Mantou hastily tried to talk him down. "Holy crap, bro, don't do anything rash! Life is beautiful! Throwing your life away for some backward feudal regime isn't worth it! Don't you know they're just brainwashing you—" He was terrified that his walking pile of merit would turn into a cold corpse. "Heh." The scout gave Mantou no further chance to talk. Without hesitation, he bit down on the poison capsule hidden in his mouth, swallowing the lethal, viscous venom. Dark-red blood erupted from his lips, his flesh paled at visible speed, and his head slumped forward limply. Just like that, he was dead. "Awoo?" Noodles let out a puzzled cry, shaking the still-warm corpse with its claws. Its simple brain couldn't comprehend why anyone would willingly choose death. Mantou, on the other hand, felt like crying tears of blood. "My gold coins! My contribution points!" "Ugh, whatever. Let's take him to Nocturne. At least it counts as eliminating an enemy." Mantou let out another heavy sigh and gently patted the wyvern's neck. He flew to Nocturne's headquarters in Lakeman Castle and turned in the scout's mutilated corpse. Now, he could only collect the meager reward for killing an enemy. Though three gold coins was still a payout, compared to the lavish reward for capturing a spy alive, the disparity was agonizing. Mantou collected the coins with a look suitable for a funeral. "Failure is woven through the entire tapestry of life." "My gold and contribution points are gone forever, slipping away with that extinguished life." Perched atop his wyvern, Mantou struck an air of profound melancholy. Right then, his system panel chimed with a notification. He had received a message from Singo. Singo: Redscale Garrison. Get over here, fast. Going to Eat Mantou: ok The garrison stood twenty meters tall, making it a prominent landmark within the city and an even more striking sight for this era. Statues of wyvern-riding knights stood outside the entrance, surrounding a massive bust of Cassius in the center, while the main gate was carved with the exclusive crest of the Kingdom of Cinders—a golden vertical slit pupil encircled by flames. Over a hundred wyverns were perched on the building's roof, with numerous laborers bustling about them. After years of meticulous training under Alger, the kingdom now boasted thirty-seven native Redscale Conquerors. Combined with the newly joined players, there were nearly a hundred wyvern knights here. Their numbers were approaching those of the former Northwind Eagle Guard, while their combat prowess far surpassed them. "This place is pretty fancy now." "Though the smell of wyvern dung is way too strong." Mantou parked Noodles outside the entrance and strode into the hall alone. He found Singo relaxing on a genuine leather sofa inside a private office. The man had been living large lately, having become commander of the Third Regiment of Redscale Conquerors. Overseeing more than thirty wyvern knights beneath him, he pulled in hefty sums of gold and contribution points every single day. This filled Mantou with envy, leaving him frequently regretting that he hadn't stayed at the garrison for further advancement. Singo picked up a wine glass from the table, gently swirling the red vintage within. "Long time no see, Mantou." "Cut the crap and spit it out. I'm busy. Don't sit there acting all high and mighty just to show off your luxury treatment." Mantou spoke with thin patience. Before long, Tiansheng Zhankuang and Xiaye Qiuyu arrived as well. The famous "Four Drudges" from the closed beta had finally reunited for the first time during the open beta. Tiansheng Zhankuang rubbed his bald head, glancing around the room. "Man, this place of yours is great." Xiaye Qiuyu, on the other hand, had soot smeared across her face, looking as though she had just been hauled out of a coal mine. She had recently co-founded the Cult of the Five Fireballs guild with several friends, focusing entirely on researching and applying various forms of Fireball. Having drawn a massive following of fellow players who loved blowing things up, she had completely abandoned any regard for her personal appearance. Seeing that everyone had gathered, Singo finally spoke up. "You've probably noticed lately that quite a few spies from the Northlands have turned up in Northwind Keep, and scout knights from Bosque keep appearing along the border." "I just caught one. Unfortunately... he killed himself." A wry smile crossed Mantou's face. The thought of all those gold coins slipping through his fingers filled him with boundless regret. Tiansheng Zhankuang chuckled. "I caught one recently too, but I didn't hold back enough and punched him to death in one hit." "..." Xiaye Qiuyu shook her head with a weary sigh. "I've been experimenting with rapid-fire fireballs, so I haven't paid much attention to that." Yet at the mention of the word "fireball," an ecstatic light flared in her eyes, as if actual flames were dancing in her pupils. Mantou instinctively took two steps back. Singo gave a slight nod. "That makes sense." "Something big is coming." Mantou instantly caught his drift. "You mean... war? A war against the Principality of Bosque?" Singo laced his fingers together, lightly resting his chin on his hands. "Not just the Principality of Bosque." "According to the intel I've gathered, Grand Duke Leo is the nominal leader of the Northern United Kingdom. Ever since the Lionheart Alliance, he has held the honorary title of Sovereign of the Northlands, and the Principality of Bosque is the largest nation in the Northlands. Once our kingdom goes to war with Bosque, it'll be practically equivalent to declaring war on the entire Northlands." "And it goes far beyond that. Although the Great Anzetta Waste is remote and isolated, once a war on this scale breaks out, the Fadlan Empire to the south, the Harpers spanning the continent, the Free Trade Confederation of Silvermoon Bay, and other factions might all get involved. The situation will become unprecedentedly chaotic." Mantou pondered for a long time before managing to squeeze out a few words. "It's that insane?" "Then what if the kingdom loses? What do we do? We're already tied down here." Singo chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry, failure is impossible." "The southern factions are certainly powerful, but their power base isn't in Anzeta, and their support for the Northlands will be extremely limited. Meanwhile, from what I've observed... the kingdom's comprehensive strength has pulled far ahead of the Northland nations. Whether in politics, economy, or military might, we hold overwhelming superiority—to say nothing of the Lord of Cinders himself." Finally, he delivered his conclusion. "Unless the devs pull some garbage deus ex machina out of nowhere, there's no way we can lose. The kingdom is bound to unify the Great Anzetta Waste."