Year 1679, 204 days.
This coastal forest was a castle, and now it had turned into a raging fire.
The thousand-year-old trees and centuries-old treehouses were wailing in the flames, as well as the pitiful creatures trapped in the treehouses.
The war had just begun. The monsters with the flame mark on their foreheads were roaring as they rushed into the depths of the forest, killing every living thing they could see. Two thousand orcs had already surrounded the largest settlement of the natives in the coastal forest. The thick smoke had blackened the skulls placed in the settlement.
For hundreds of years, the Melos tribe had been the master of this forest.
Garp was standing on the road leading to the tribe, holding a hard bow that had once hunted a lion. There were a total of ten arrows, all of which were rare iron arrowheads. He had already used seven, and each arrow had hit an Orc soldier.
Unfortunately, these Orcs covered in armor were like unyielding boulders. If the arrows couldn't accurately hit the Orcs' exposed eyes, the arrows would be useless.
Garp Legoux was the current chief of the Melos tribe and a well-known warrior. He had once smeared three types of divine oil on his body to pledge his loyalty to the City of Gold. He had the chance to receive the blessing of the God King Attuso and become a glorious divine guard, but in the end, he chose to return to his territory and continue the Melos tribe's rule over the coastal forest.
The Orc soldiers stopped attacking and faced the tribe. A black-robed man without armor walked out from behind the Orc formation. Two Orc soldiers raised their shields in front of him to protect his body.
"Melos."
The black-robed man looked at Garp in the distance and said in slightly awkward Villosterian, "I heard that your name is Melos."
"You know our language?" Garp looked at the weak Merfolk without any expression in his eyes.
"Villosterian, we have been here for three years," the black-robed man said. "Not only me, but now many people know how to communicate with the natives."
"What do you want to say?" Garp looked at him, the fire in his eyes as strong as the surroundings.
"Remove the rocks blocking the way, or we will not be able to move forward," the black-robed man said.
"Then what is there to say?"
Garp suddenly drew his bow and shot an arrow without aiming at the black-robed man, but it was quickly blocked by a strong shield.
"But you are not rocks, so our commander thinks that you should be given a chance to choose."
The black-robed man's voice rang out from behind the shield. "Take a look. When the empire truly sets its sights on Villoster, your attacks are as weak as a toddler's. Your resistance is as weak as a piece of rotten wood.
In fact, the Empire is not here to kill, and war is not what we want to see. "
"After all, every moment the war goes on, another life is lost. So, my commander hopes that you can join us and help us end this war as soon as possible. You will also be able to obtain supreme glory.
How about it? Think about it? "
"You want me to help you deal with my own people?" Garp drew his bow again.
"To you, are the other tribes your own people?"
There was a smile in Black Shirt's voice. "But as far as I know, before we arrived, the conflicts between the various clans in Vilost never stopped. You may treat them as your clansmen, but they may not."
"Not long ago, Prince Garon sent messengers to every tribe in Velost, asking them to submit. Otherwise, the empire's army will destroy their homes.
Master of the Melos tribe, how many tribes do you think would rather die than submit? "
"When you see our true power, I believe you won't say such laughable things again." Garp laughed coldly, his voice unquestionable.
The black-robed man did not say anything else and slowly retreated. He bowed to the strongest orc and said in the common tongue, "Great chief, he refused."
"Kill them all!"
The orcs swarmed forward.
Fifteen minutes later, Garp knelt on the ground, covered in blood and panting. No matter how hard he tried, his neck was firmly pressed down by a heavy hand. There was only a pair of iron boots covered in mud and blood in his eyes.
"Great chief, do we kill him?
Hang his head up and show it to every tribe that resists us. "The orc's unique rough voice rang out.
"No, there's no need.
I saw weakness in his eyes. I think he will change his mind. "
Gall stared at the native leader and turned to order the others, "Make the fire burn brighter!"
The forest was burning, emitting blazing light regardless of day or night. The fire lasted for half a month, turning the forest into charred ruins. It only stopped when there was nothing left to burn. During the process of the fire, countless settlements in Velost were wiped out, dozens of native tribes were wiped out, and tens of thousands of people were buried underground forever.
Gall stared at the trail of smoke, nodded, and looked at the people kneeling down the slope.
"You captives, I'll give you one last chance. As long as you are willing to follow the Black Wing's flag, I won't kill you and pardon all your disobedience and crimes.
In the future, as long as you serve the empire with all your heart, the empire will protect your safety, give you slaves and food, and let you continue to be the chief of your tribe. "
The black-robed man translated his words into Velost and read it out loud.
Garp was also one of the captives kneeling down. After hearing it, he looked around and found that the others were also looking at each other with flickering eyes, but in the end, no one said anything.
"Very good."
A rumbling sound came from Gall's trachea. "You are more loyal than I thought. Unfortunately, all of Velost is seeking death!"
Along with the dragon's roar, the ground shook violently. The rumbling noise hurt his eardrums. Garp looked towards the source of the sound. Terrifying steel monsters with black smoke were climbing up the hill. While they were roaring, they were also emitting sharp and fine sounds.
Garp saw that the soil was churning under their steel bodies, and the rocks were deeply stepped into the ground. These giant beasts continued to move forward in a terrifying manner, and they were about to be crushed to death on the spot.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered a myth that all the tribes were familiar with. "When the end of the world comes, countless creatures that have never been seen before will appear one by one. They will wander freely in Velost, spreading slaughter and death. A giant beast as large as a mountain will awaken from the sea and complete its revenge with iron and fire. When it lands on the ground, the entire world will be flooded."
A terrifying thought appeared in Garp's mind — Egon was here!
The steel beasts approached slowly, and the fear and panic increased. Garp finally could not suppress his fear and shouted in the native language.
"I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you!" A few voices sounded at the same time, and there were more after that.
—
Although countless travellers had visited Velost before this, it was not until the middle of the 1600th year of the Airadia's Third Era that the Blackwing Empire of the otherworldlings truly established communication with Velost.
In 1679, in the second war between the two realms, the "Prince of Poison Fire" Garen Nefadisius Targaryen relied on his powerful military strength to shatter the defenses of the locals and establish the first truly stable colonies in the coastal areas. This opened a new era for Vilost and also opened the prologue of Targaryen's long rule over Vilost.
The barbaric act of plundering colonies allowed the Blackwing Empire to amass a large amount of wealth and labor in a short period of time, establishing the foundation for the Blackwing Empire to establish dominance over the sea.
— The Chronicles of the Airadia