The girl under the moon is so graceful

Clatter...

The urgent sound of horse hooves came from the south, the gentle wind blew on the face, causing people to squint comfortably. The Kalia fortress was magnifying in Done's eyes. After passing the narrowest land bridge, there was a majestic city ahead.

It was a typical western castle, with three walls layered atop each other following the mountain terrain. The towering towers and magnificent city gates almost wrote the words 'impervious to invasion' across its face.

Huh—

Two warhorses came to a stop at the gate, their hooves lifting high. The knight Yaren, changed into casual clothes, asked with a smile, "Is this your first time at the fortress? How do you feel?"

Done didn't speak. He stared at the fortress in front of him and turned his horse's head to look at the narrow land bridge behind him. He managed a few words, "It's impregnable. The land bridge does not allow a large troop to cross. The open field before the city lacks concealment. Attackers would be subjected to all sorts of long-range fire. The cliffs all around make frontal attacks inevitably costly in lives."

"It seems like you know a lot about city defense." Yaren showed an appreciative look as Done summarized the features of Kalia fortress in a few words.

"I read some theories in books in the past, none of which are substantial." Done modestly shook his head. Swed's experience was not very useful at the border.

There were no cannons here, but there were humanoid nuclear weapons.

The two dismounted their horses and handed the warhorses to the guards at the city gate. These guards were skinny with long necks, looking somewhat deformed. They would unconsciously drool when talking, which made Done take another look.

"The children of platinum, allies of Kalia," Yaren casually explained. He went up to pat an old man's shoulder, almost patting him into the ground, "Abus, last night was quite lively, wasn't it?"

"Go easy, go easy. I'm about to fall apart with your patting," the Child of Platinum holding a glowstone staff dodged backwards, fretfully saying, "The cuckoos couldn't take down the manor, they won't trouble the villages, right?"

The knight also showed some concern, but he was helpless. After all, the scope of Kalia was confined to the northwest corner of Lieyenia, it was impossible for the majority of the forces to venture out.

"Don't worry, the princess will find a way. If you're really worried, you can take some people back to Platinum Village."

He had to comfort the man and took Done, who was eavesdropping nearby, towards the city.

Even Platinum Village hasn't been destroyed yet? It's a good thing I came early, or it would be too boring to see ruins everywhere.

Done glanced at the city tower covered with the large Kalia Royal Family flag, but he didn't see many guards. He then passed through the dark city gate, and a dense white mist was lingering in front of him.

It was peculiar. It was bright daylight behind, but it was so gloomy in the city. In front of him was a massive garden, surrounded by a lush growth of trees and flowers, and he could also see some glowstone crystals. A paved stone path extended forward, and there were exquisite sculptures on both sides.

Flowers, sculptures, fountains, it was indeed the royal castle of Kalia. If the fog were to dissipate, it should be quite magnificent.

"Don't wander around, it's quite dangerous here." Yaren spoke from ahead, and as his words fell, Done came to a stop.

His eyes twitched as he saw two giant palms crawling down from the wall. Those fine fingers were swift like spider legs, the grey-white skin was covered with pustules, a sight that was sanity-draining.

Seeing these palm-creatures climb to him and stop one meter away, extending their finger as thick as a human thigh to stroke their body surface, just as a pet dog sniffing something.

Done, breaking out in goosebumps, almost pulled out his sword. Fortunately, these palm-creatures stroked a few times and quickly fled. They climbed onto the wall, curled up, and continued to wait for prey.

"These finger-worms are quite cute, aren't they?" Yaren said.

The sound of the knight's laughter came. Done rolled his eyes, finding nothing cute about these creepy things.

They continued in silence. The Kalia fortress was indeed as intricate as he remembered, and the dense fog easily lost people within. Should one take a wrong turn, the finger-worms buried in the ground would leap out and lift you high.

"Do you ever wonder why the fortress, despite its strong defenses, still requires your people to shed blood and sacrifice outside?" Yaren of course wouldn't get lost, leading Done up the transport wall, going towards the inner city.

"Not curious." Done looked at the wall outside. He thought that if one were to place a team of crossbowmen here, they could turn the enemies in the garden below into hedgehogs.

"Why?"

"Because remaining inside an isolated city is despair. This fortress cannot support too many soldiers. Rather than starve to death inside the city, it's better to fight bravely." Done licked his lips and calmly said:

"Most of Kalia's supplies come from Lake Lieyenia, and you can change the empty land under the city into fields which should be enough to support a thousand Kalia soldiers. A strong city defense will never be as reliable as courage. When you besiege a city for a long time, people will eventually resort to cannibalism, and loyalty means nothing in the face of despair."

The knight turned his head back, blinking, "You're more clear-headed than me. I just thought about how going from a surviving army to a defeated one would affect morale."

"I learned all this from books." Done nodded with a smile. Wasn't he from a defeated army himself?

The two got on the lift, and as the gears turned, they ascended, finally entering the inner city area. Then Done passed through the solid city wall, large hall, delicate garden, and hundreds of stone steps. If someone had a lower physical fitness, they might die from exhaustion halfway.

"This fortress is too big." Done stood on the stone steps looking back, having a panoramic view of most of Lieyenia. He had no idea as to what the cuckoos were thinking, taking this fortress was nearly an impossible task.

He walked from the afternoon until the moon rose, still some distance from Lani's magic tower.

"Hang in there, we're almost there." Yaren, wiping sweat from his forehead, took Done up to the second set of stairs. There was an ogre sitting cross-legged on the ground.

He wore a strange helmet made up of numerous lenses and was flipping a massive book in his hands. It seemed like he sensed someone approaching, so he closed the book securely.

"Lord Iji, I have brought Done Light to see you, on the Princess's order."

"Hmm, I've heard." Iji's voice was not as brutal as a regular ogre's, instead, it carried a unique wisdom. He bent down, bringing his face close to Done, looked for a long while before nodding:

"Not bad, calm in the face of change, level-headed. You are indeed talented."

"Lord Iji flatters me," Done replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, knowing that this man was Kalia's strategist, capable of smashing a cuckoo knight into mince with a rod.

Iji nodded again but didn't move away from the portal behind him. Just as Yaren was puzzled, he heard the ogre ask:

"I have a question for you. The cuckoo knights clearly still have the strength to launch an attack, so why did they withdraw and hold their position at the base camp?"

Is this a test?

Done raised an eyebrow. He didn't like riddlers but as being on the same boat, there was no need to hold back too much. Hence, he thought for a while before answering.

"Lieyenia has the Magic Academy, the Cuckoo Legion and the Kalia Royal Family. This balance..."

"Wait, the Cuckoo Legion is nothing but loyal dogs of those rebels from the Magic Academy."

Done showed a mocking face. Of course, he couldn't say that he knew about the internal situation already, he just changed his argument: "If they were loyal dogs, the Magic Academy would not have stood by during this ongoing war. If there were mages last night, no matter what, we would not have been able to hold our position. This proves that both sides are on guard against each other."

Iji knew the reason of course, so he nodded: "Alright, continue."

"Three forces form a balance. Upon realizing that taking the fortress is wishful thinking, it would be the action of an insanse party for the Cuckoo Legion to continue their attack. They need a Kalia that appears strong on the surface, so the Magic Academy doesn't dare to close its doors, because the Cuckoo Legion can't get in, but we have many ways."

Done kept talking. The balance of power indeed required the foe to be 'hidden within.' This 'foe' couldn't be too weak either.

A small battle at the manor was like a butterfly flapping its wings, changing many things. For instance, the premise of the Magic Academy closing its doors was the mutual exhaustion of Kalia and the Cuckoo Legion, allowing them to watch from the sidelines, letting both sides fight until they were drained.

"Therefore, the existence of a Kalia capable of retaliating might make the Magic Academy dare not abandon the Cuckoo Legion. Now, with the battlefield heated up, the Cuckoo Legion can find work wherever they go, whereas those mages have nowhere to go. If Kalia recovers the lost ground, why should we let our rebuilt forces be held back!"

"Well said!" Iji clapped loudly, like two huge rocks smashing into each other, creating a thunderous sound. The current situation could not be described as either good or bad, but this discernment-

"Brave and tactful, you are far better than that fool Yaren."

"Hey, why bring me into this?" The knight raised his hand in protest, for he was still half-understanding.

Iji ignored him and continued, "Strength can be improved by training, and Kalia is not lacking strong warriors. However, judgment and wisdom come from experience. Having seen your files, I can only say the term 'genius' always holds true."

Done remained silent. His sharpness was indeed blatant, but as a man, why feign weakness when you can be upright and forthright? Do they seriously consider others as fools?

"Go ahead, Princess Lani is waiting for you." Iji slowly stood up, making way for the entrance behind him. Done hesitated, thinking there was still some distance to the magic tower.

Adjusting his messy armor, he stepped forward and crossed the threshold. The scene before him opened up suddenly. In front lay a shallow pool, surrounded by high-backed chairs. The moonlight was cast into the pool, reflecting another moon.

The surface of the pool was as smooth as glass, the moon serene, spreading its glow onto a young girl. She sat in the high-backed chair facing the entrance, her head slightly lowered, hiding her face. She seemed exceptionally peaceful and mysterious.

This scene reflected in Done's eyes, calming his heart as he etched this beautiful picture deep into his mind.

The girl under the moonlight, unmatched in elegance.