Chapter29-Crisis：A Million Troops at the Border

"What? Mr. Owen is actually the envoy of the great Goddess of Wine?" Viscount Lewis was stunned when he heard the news.

No wonder.

No wonder he could withstand the attacks of so many mages and knights while appearing to be just an ordinary person.

It turned out that Mr. Owen was the mortal representative of a deity.

"May I ask, can people like us also join the Temple of the Wine Goddess?"

"Of course you can," Emil, who overheard their conversation, walked over and said. "As long as you are willing to believe in the Goddess of Wine, accept Her teachings, and resolve not to harm others without reason in the future, the Wine Temple welcomes anyone to join."

"We want to join!" the Lewis father and son said. "We've done a lot of wrong in the past and are willing to spend the rest of our lives making amends."

Emil could sense the sincerity in their words.

She nodded and brought out a gold-rimmed silver wine glass, a symbol of the Grand Archpriest. The others began singing the joyful hymn of the Goddess of Wine.

With the blessings and witness of everyone present, the Lewis father and son drank the wine in the cup.

They felt their bodies becoming lighter.

All the negative emotions in their hearts gradually faded away.

A sense of rebirth filled them, bringing tears to their eyes.

"Joining the Temple of the Wine Goddess is truly wonderful," Viscount Lewis said. "Grand Archpriest, however, I seem to have seen more than one Temple. Why is that?"

"Because the followers of the Goddess of Wine are spread all over the world, each place having its own Temple of the Wine Goddess," Emil explained. "For example, we were originally from the Oseth Plains, and our temple was called the Oseth Temple of the Wine Goddess."

"Now, while we are all followers of the Goddess of Wine, the regions are different and have subtle distinctions. To reduce conflicts, it's best if each region has its own temple."

Viscount Lewis nodded. "Since we are now building several temples in one place, there should be a new unified name for them."

"May I ask what the new name is?"

Emil froze on the spot.

That's right.

What should the new temple be called?

Although this was the Azul Kingdom, using that name didn't quite feel appropriate.

"I'll go up the mountain immediately and seek Lord Envoy's opinion," Emil said. "It's time for all the Temples of the Wine Goddess to have a unified name."

She was decisive and immediately transformed into a streak of golden light exuding the scent of wine, flying toward the mountaintop.

When other powerful figures ascended the mountain, apart from King Caesar, most people would walk out of respect.

But Emil had no such concerns.

She already considered herself to be one of Owen's direct subordinates, an insider, and didn't need to follow the etiquette meant for outsiders.

Thus, when she suddenly appeared in the yard, she startled Owen.

He was picking apples.

His hand shook, and the apple rolled right to Emil's feet.

"Thank you for your gift, Lord Envoy." Emil cupped the mana-infused fruit in her hands. "I will make good use of it to brew wine."

"..." Owen was speechless. "What are you doing here?"

"It's like this. We didn't want to disturb your life, but we couldn't help wanting to be a bit closer to you, so we built a tiny Temple of the Wine Goddess at the foot of the mountain."

"Huh?" Owen was filled with confusion.

He hadn't been down the mountain for a few days.

And now there was so much going on at the foot of it?

But the area near the town wasn't exactly his territory. If they just built a temple or two, it wasn't really his concern.

"Oh, I understand. That's your business; there's no need to report it to me specifically."

"Lord Envoy, our temple is almost complete. Could you grant it an official name?" Emil felt even more convinced that the envoy was a truly kind person.

He gave her gifts as soon as they met.

Even though they had presumptuously built a temple, he wasn't angry at all.

"A name, huh?" Owen scratched his chin. "For your temple, just name it whatever you like."

"Understood." Emil replied, "Then we'll call it the Owen Temple of the Wine Goddess."

"Wait!" Owen was exasperated. "Never mind, let me come up with a name for you."

At that moment, his cat, Avel, who was napping, suddenly turned over, almost squishing the white rabbit beside it.

Seeing this scene, Owen was suddenly struck by inspiration.

"The temple's name should be Fluffy."

"Fluffy creatures are the cutest in the world!"

"Whenever I'm feeling down, just petting the fluffy ones at home makes all my worries seem to disappear."

"Yes," Emil replied respectfully. "From now on, the headquarters of the Temple of the Wine Goddess shall be called the Fluffy Temple!"

Satisfied, she left.

Lord Envoy truly had a way with names. Just saying it made people feel all warm inside.

The appearance of the Temple of the Wine Goddess had already been reported to the King of the Azul Kingdom, but he had no time to address it.

Caesar's brows were tightly furrowed.

He had just received the latest intelligence report.

"The southern orc empire has allied with the arcane beast king!"

"They've secretly gathered a million troops, and with the cooperation of the treants, they've taken advantage of the Dark Moon's rise to breach the Griffon Fortress!"

"The Griffon Legion, tasked with guarding the border, has been completely wiped out."

"The Griffon Duke died heroically in defense of the nation."

"And now, that million-strong army has occupied the Griffon Fortress and is preparing to march on the capital after a brief rest."

The news was simply too shocking.

Not only did the ministers find it hard to believe, but even the three summoned academy heads looked grave.

"Your Majesty, the Griffon Duke was a Tier-7 knight, and his legion was entirely made up of fifth-tier knights or higher. For such a force to be utterly annihilated…"

"It seems the barbarians are serious this time."

Crossbridge Academy Headmaster Pablo suggested, "Under these circumstances, we must launch an immediate counterattack."

"Otherwise, those savages will slaughter everything in their path."

Caesar nodded.

He understood this.

A million-strong army couldn't be assembled overnight, which meant that the orc empire, the arcane beast king, and the treants had been secretly colluding for a long time.

"Kelsarin!" Caesar issued a command, "Lead the Death Legion immediately and join forces with the Flame Legion and the Life Legion to intercept the invading enemies at the Hollow Mountains."

"We must not let them get through the Hollow Mountains!"

"As you command, my liege." The Captain of the Death Legion, Kelsarin, clad in black armor and wielding a greatsword, responded in a deep voice, "I will do everything in my power to keep the enemy from breaking out onto the plains."

After saluting the king, he turned and swiftly departed for the battlefield.

Caesar's expression did not ease in the slightest.

Everyone present knew.

This was merely the vanguard, meant to delay the enemy rather than annihilate them.

The remaining legions were stationed throughout the empire and would need at least three to four days to reach the front lines.

If, during this period, the Death Legion succumbed to the pressure and fell, millions of enemies would pour out of the Hollow Mountains and directly reach the plains.

Beyond the plains lay several of the Azul Kingdom's cities.

These cities were known for their commerce and had no means of defense. What awaited them would be merciless slaughter.

If these cities fell, the empire's economy and population would suffer a massive blow! Even if they won the war, the Azul Kingdom would be forever crippled.

"Your Majesty, perhaps the situation is not so dire," Pablo suddenly suggested. "If we can hold on for a few days, the other legions will arrive and join the battlefield."

"The enemy only struck so quickly, but our total legion numbers are not less than theirs. The longer the battle drags on, the more the advantage shifts in our favor."

Caesar shook his head. "Of course I know this, but the key now is how to hold off their advance for these few days."

Although humanity had produced many powerful knights, they still could not stand toe-to-toe with the orcs and arcane beasts, who had natural physical advantages at the same rank.

Mages were powerful, but they needed someone in front to draw the enemy's fire.

The more Caesar thought about it, the more his head ached.

The situation was extremely dangerous, and one mistake could lead to the fall of the entire nation.

"The Forbidden Area is right near the Hollow Mountains," Pablo whispered. "Have you forgotten? If the enemy wants to reach the plains, they'll have to pass through it first."

Caesar's eyes lit up.

Master Owen!

That kind-hearted yet mysterious figure would never stand by and watch as the innocents of the empire were slaughtered.

"Good! Pablo, head to see Master Owen immediately." Caesar removed his Sphinx Ring. "Take my badge and go see him."

"Whether the Azul Kingdom can turn the tide depends entirely on Master Owen now."