Twenty minutes later.
All the civilians of Trevale had been gathered in the open plaza. As a sizable border city, its population numbered in the tens of thousands.
They huddled together timidly, their eyes reflecting the flames burning outside the city, their hearts filled with extreme fear.
Because they knew that what those flames were burning was Noxian soldiers.
Would their fate be the same next?
Before Demacia's overwhelming strength, these civilians did not even have the courage to resist. Aside from fear, all they felt was despair.
Luke was standing at the entrance of the plaza at this moment. What entered his eyes was a sea of tens of thousands of heads. His face was expressionless, and he seemed lost in thought.
Too many prisoners was also a problem.
Most of these people were civilians and posed no threat. There were simply too many of them.
If it were Noxus, they would probably kill part of them directly, or simply slaughter them all.
"Forget it. In the end, we are not Noxus."
Luke ignored the thought of killing them all that had crossed his mind, turned around, and gave the order. "Notify Demacia and have another twenty thousand troops sent over. At the same time, build prisoner-of-war camps in the city. Divide them into five camps in the east, south, west, north, and center. Each camp will hold eight thousand people and be guarded by five hundred soldiers."
Killing them all would certainly be easier, but if they did that, what difference would there be between them and Noxus?
Would they not have become the very thing they hated most?
Demacia had its own bottom line. It was precisely because of that that Demacia was called Demacia, not Noxia.
Keeping some prisoners of war could also help the army advance by transporting supplies, saving them no small amount of trouble.
When the prisoners heard that they could keep their lives, some could not help but breathe a slight sigh of relief, while others remained terrified and uneasy.
Luke stepped forward, swept his gaze over everyone, and said, "Demacia will not treat prisoners kindly, but we also will not treat you as livestock. As long as you behave yourselves, you can keep your lives."
"But anyone who causes trouble will be killed without mercy."
His calm gaze made the prisoners feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
After a short pause, Luke spoke again and asked, "Among you, who knows how to send a letter to your capital at the fastest speed?"
Once these words fell, the prisoners looked at one another, not knowing the reason.
But very quickly, one person in the crowd raised his hand and walked out trembling. He was a young, thin man. At this moment, he lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Luke.
"My lord, I am a messenger of Trevale. We usually use a magical beast called a Blue-Winged Bird to deliver letters. From Trevale to the capital, it takes about four days at the fastest."
His tone could not be called halting, but it rose and fell, as if he was afraid of making Luke unhappy.
Luke looked at him and said, "Very good. Since you are a messenger, you should know how to send a letter, correct?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded again. He raised his hand, pinched his fingers, put them into his mouth, and blew a clear whistle.
That whistle was indeed loud. Before long, a small magical beast with blue wings actually flew over from the horizon.
Clearly, this was the Blue-Winged Bird responsible for delivering letters.
Luke glanced at the Blue-Winged Bird, which was resting affectionately on the man's shoulder, and asked, "How many birds like this are there?"
The man answered, "There are roughly a hundred Blue-Winged Birds stationed in Trevale, but I can probably only call seven or eight of them."
"That is enough."
Luke nodded slightly and had someone bring paper and pen. He personally wrote a letter, then handed it to the man.
"Have it delivered to your capital. It would be best if Darkwill can see it. Also, remember the contents of the letter. I want you to send it to several other places as well and spread it as quickly as possible."
As Luke spoke, he gave instructions. Then he looked at the man and showed a smile. "This matter concerns your lives. Handle it well."
The man subconsciously glanced at the letter, then immediately froze.
The general contents of the letter were that Demacia wanted to trade prisoners of war with Noxus.
This truly did concern their lives. Were they not prisoners of war right now?
They were the ones being traded?
In other words, if Darkwill was willing to make the trade, they could leave this place?
Realizing this, the man gave repeated assurances. "Do not worry, my lord. I will definitely handle it properly."
"Very good. Treat him well."
Luke nodded in satisfaction, gave the soldiers an instruction, and left the plaza.
These prisoners of war ultimately had to be dealt with. Otherwise, Demacia would have to keep feeding them while also guarding against them, wasting manpower, supplies, and food.
It would be better to "sell" them to Noxus.
Now it depended on whether these people's king was willing to buy them.
At this point, the news of Demacia's advance naturally could no longer be hidden from Noxus, so there was no need to keep it concealed.
Next, it depended on how Noxus would respond.
After leaving the plaza, Luke soon ran into Quinn coming toward him.
After stopping, she reported to Luke, "Your Highness, the gold coins seized from Trevale are estimated to be close to one million. There are countless treasures as well, along with countless supplies and provisions. By rough calculation, they can support the army for at least one month."
After hearing this, Luke's eyes also lit up slightly.
A million gold coins and countless supplies. No wonder Noxus liked to support war through war. Just taking one Trevale had already been this profitable, and there was still a long war ahead.
The task of counting the supplies was handed over to others.
Luke found a place to rest, then took out the Secret Key and checked his messages.
Among them was a message from Battlefield Belle. She had also landed on the Shuriman continent, but had run into a major sandstorm and was currently setting up camp to avoid it. It was not a major problem, though it might delay the army's progress a little.
Weather interference was something no one could do anything about.
After that, Luke looked at Lev's message. He was also leading thirty thousand troops in this expedition, advancing from the direction of Wrenwall Castle.
At this moment, they had already circled past the Gates of Mourning and were basically synchronized with Luke's forces, currently on the mountains north of Trevale.
They were expected to continue setting out soon. Their target was a Noxian city, Boleham.
As for Luke, he would lead the army and continue marching east. His target was another city, Groft.
Four days passed in a flash.
In Noxus, at the central city, the Immortal Bastion.
This place stood at the very center of Noxus's vast territory. Noxus's lands were unimaginably huge. Even when using fast magical beasts to send letters, messages from the border would still take at least four days to arrive.
And today, one piece of news instantly detonated the entire capital.
"Demacia attacked?"
"More than that. Trevale has already fallen!"
"Is that true?"
"Absolutely true. The border defenses are already engulfed in war."
"What is going on?"
All over the streets, people were discussing it everywhere. Many complicated emotions mixed together, shock, confusion, disbelief, and anger were everywhere.
Demacia had actually chosen this exact moment to attack?
This was simply the first time in history. Or rather, this had originally been the first time.
The two sides had pulled back and forth for hundreds of years, yet this was Demacia's first time taking the initiative to attack.
At this moment, that very issue was also being discussed at the center of power within the Immortal Bastion.
"Damn those idiots at the border defense, useless trash taking their pay for nothing!"
Darkwill angrily slammed the letter onto the table. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his expression shifted darkly.
The letter was a request for aid from Trevale, along with information that had been updated afterward.
Trevale had already fallen, all soldiers had died in battle, and all civilians had been taken prisoner.
He had never imagined that at this time, he would receive news that Demacia had attacked.
"My lord, at this moment we should hurry and dispatch troops to support them. If Demacia is truly serious this time, I fear they will not stop."
A minister stood up and said anxiously, "Judging by the time it took to deliver the letter, they may already have attacked Keker City by now."
Hearing this, Darkwill immediately gave the order. "Send troops to support them. Not just to support them, I want them to retake the fallen border defenses. Where is Kled? Go, find him!"
Right now, the most important thing was how to retake the fallen border defenses.
Thinking of this, Darkwill could not help clenching his fists, and his heart grew even more furious.
In all these years, Noxus had never truly broken into Demacia, but now Demacia had turned around and marched in through Trevale.
This attack had exceeded everyone's expectations.
Not to mention, this was also the tense period when they had sent troops to reinforce the campaign in Ionia.
Attacking Ionia on one side while also having to endure Demacia's powerful forces at their back, this situation inevitably made the ministers present worry.
One minister rose and advised, "My lord, why not recall some of the troops sent to Ionia? Over these years, we have clashed with Demacia countless times. Their strength is plain for all to see."
"That is right." Another minister stood and said, "More importantly, they have now lifted their ban on magic, creating too many unknown factors for us. If we insist on attacking Ionia at this moment, I fear it is not a wise move."
Was Demacia strong?
Of course it was.
Otherwise, for an arrogant nation like Noxus, there was no way they could tolerate Demacia occupying such fertile land.
It was precisely because they could not defeat Demacia that they had continued clashing and tugging back and forth all these years.
Now, their old opponent had suddenly changed its usual behavior and taken the initiative to come knocking.
Naturally, they should feel nervous.
Darkwill sat on the throne, his expression becoming even more unsettled.
His mood had already become extremely irritated. His original plan had been to choose the next heir to the throne, then quickly abdicate and go to Ionia in search of the elixir of immortality.
Yet after so much time, he had only just managed to suppress the uproar caused some time ago by the Black Rose incident.
Then he suddenly received news of Demacia's attack.
This instantly disrupted all of his plans.
If he withdrew the troops attacking Ionia now, how would he find the elixir of immortality?
Without the elixir, his body would collapse before long.
But if he did not deal with Demacia before him, they had clearly made full preparations for this offensive, and they might be able to fight all the way to the Immortal Bastion.
Demacia had lifted its magic ban. Darkwill, who deeply understood the power of magic, could fully imagine that Demacia, which had already not been weak, could be said to have transformed.
Name after name flashed through his mind. At a time like this, who exactly could still stop Demacia?
Kled?
Perhaps he could, but it would not be enough.
Swain...
When this name flashed through his mind, Darkwill's fingernails nearly dug into his flesh.
If Swain were here, he would absolutely be the most suitable person to shoulder this heavy responsibility.
However, Swain had already been dealt with by him.
Very quickly, another name flashed through Darkwill's mind.
Demir Alaus.
The successor to the throne recommended by the Pale Sorceress. Darkwill did not trust this person, but perhaps now was the time to test his depth.
"This time, Demacia caught us off guard through an information gap. That does not necessarily mean they are strong. There is no rush to recall the troops sent into Ionia."
He slowly gave the order, stood up, and looked at the ministers. "Send someone to notify Demir Alaus. I appoint him as the general for this campaign. Have him lead troops to oppose Demacia and ensure the defensive line is retaken."
Hearing his arrangement, quite a few ministers revealed disappointed looks, though they quickly concealed them.
Even under these circumstances, he still insisted on sending troops to Ionia.
At this point, anyone could see that Darkwill was still thinking about that elixir of immortality.
Now they could only hope that Demir Alaus could lead troops and hold off Demacia's attack.
The meeting had not yet dispersed when another letter was soon delivered.
"Grand General, this is a letter sent by Demacia! It has already been inspected. There is no poison."
Hearing this, Darkwill narrowed his eyes. He had someone bring the letter over, then slowly opened it and began scanning its contents.
"Dear Grand General of Noxus, this is a greeting letter from your good neighbor.
"I believe this is our first time communicating by letter, and I do not know what to say. First, I wish you a pleasant mood, smooth affairs, and plenty of smiles."
Seeing this, an unnamed fire had already surged up in Darkwill's heart.
At a time like this, how the hell was he supposed to be pleasant?
Just from reading it, he could imagine the cheap, smug face of the person who had written the letter.
He restrained the urge to tear the letter to pieces and continued reading.
"The scenery in Trevale is quite good, and the air is also very fresh. We are staying here with great satisfaction and comfort.
"Now, let us discuss proper business. There are a little too many civilians in Trevale. Once we arrived, it became somewhat crowded. I imagine you would not mind spending a little money to take them away.
"How about two hundred gold per person? With Your Excellency's wealth and power, I imagine this should not be a problem.
"If you agree, please send a letter to Trevale.
"That is all I have to say. Before the twenty-eighth, if I do not receive a reply, then I will deal with a portion of them from time to time. I imagine you would not wish to see them displaced."
By the time he reached the end of the letter, Darkwill had unconsciously clenched his hand.
He could naturally tell that Demacia clearly wanted to trade prisoners.
This was absolutely outrageous.
Darkwill had never seen anyone begin selling prisoners before the war was even finished.
To him, this was no different from an insult.
Even if it had been a prisoner exchange, he would have felt a little better.
But right now, on Noxus's side, where were there any Demacian prisoners?
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