Lux's Farewell

Chapter 354 [0350] The cloud of war

There was nothing wrong with Karya's judgment.

When the residents of Nasirami were still immersed in the joy of Ramos Day and the excitement of the Ramos Tumbling Contest, they did not know that Saga, the maid of the Nasirami, had quietly prepared to start a war preparation.

Due to time constraints, the preparations for this war seemed a bit hasty, but for Saga, this action is an opportunity that cannot be missed!

The Rakkor people who settled in Uzeris have already had a lot of turmoil. Sending troops at this time can not only fly the banner of "conquering the rebellion of Shurima", but also reap the benefits of fishing!

Moreover, the Noxians are too busy to take care of themselves now!

Although Nashilami did not send any spies to Noxus, Saga also learned a lot about the Besilico rebels through her husband's contacts.

Although she doesn't know the specifics of the confrontation between Du Kekao and Jericho Swain, she can at least be sure that the current Noxians are too busy dealing with civil strife to manage Uze Reese.

With chaos inside and no reinforcements outside, even if Uzeris is a fortified city, it can still be defeated with one blow!

In order to achieve the strategic goal of quickly occupying Uzeris and for the sake of secrecy, all the war preparations of Nashilami were carried out quietly.

Needless to say, the collection and deployment of grain, grass equipment, and pack animals, the former had been secretly collected as early as when the Noxians were making large-scale purchases, and the latter Saga even took advantage of the strikes in other cities’ livestock markets, and the Nashilami When the livestock market was booming, they took the opportunity to buy a large number of them.

Nashi Latin America's most elite city guards were mobilized out of the city three days ago under the pretext of "clearing sand bandits". Now they are stationed in a remote oasis in Chengxi, waiting for the next order.

The most fanatical militia recruited from the desert remnants to revive Shurima also completed their training after Ramos Day, and are currently rushing to the oasis where the city guards are located in the name of "training".

Among the registered elemental mage mercenaries, one-third received a secret summoning order. Saga took out a lot of treasured books as rewards, and formed a team that although they fought independently, they could at least provide magic spells. Supported spell groups.

At the same time, in the city of Nasirami, the larger mercenary groups have also received the special employment mission issued by Saga - war employment. Saga does not expect these guys to be the main force of the siege, but let him wave the flag to attract Nuo The attention of the Texans and Uzeris is still very good.

When the residents of Nasirama City just discovered that brand-new street lights were being laid in the commercial district, and there was a lot of discussion, Nasheramic had already made all the preparations for war.

Finally, on the morning of the third day after the end of Ramos Day, Saga announced to all the citizens of Nashramy that he was about to use force against Uzeris.

The Nasirami people who woke up in the morning were surprised to find that overnight, the proclamation drafted by the Harbor Maid herself was plastered all over the Nasherami, and the slogan "Kill the innocent, punish the rebellious" resounded all over the place. High streets and alleys.

After hearing the news, some residents of Nasiram were ecstatic, some were fearful, some were panicked, and some were angry, but the situation in Nasheramic was still fairly stable——Saga did not make the city Transformed into a war machine that rumbles like Noxus, but she is full of confidence in the next battle.

Uzeris...

It will surely come down with a drum!

Compared with the residents of Nashilami, Lux and Ino got the news of the war two days later.

On the second day after Ramos Day, they had already sold Scarash, bought two camels at a high price, and continued westward to leave Nasramme—because Carya had already smelled the breath of war, but in the end it was They chose to be silent, so they didn't realize that a war had begun until Lux and Ino came to the oasis to the west of Nasramee and wanted to approach the supply but were warned by the garrison scouts.

Lacus and Ino, who were ordered by the scouts to forbid approaching the oasis and received a copy of the proclamation for free, read the above text word by word, and then the two Demacians quickly extracted from the righteous text. A central idea emerges.

"This is a war of aggression!"

........................

In the inherent concepts of the two Demacians, Lux and Ino, the reason for declaring war of "killing the immoral and punishing the rebellious" is reasonable.

As the city-state of Shurima, Uzeris took the initiative to seek refuge in Noxus. This is like a certain country on Valoran, sandwiched between Demacia and Noxus, who once received a lot of assistance from Demacia. The principality, like turning around and taking refuge in the Noxus, should be punished very much.

However, considering the previous flirts between Nasrammy and Noxus, this punishment was carried out by Nassrammy, so the meaning is not quite right.

Is Nashilami trying to punish the rebellion, or simply occupy Uzeris?

This judgment question is really too simple.

Therefore, the first reaction of both of them was that Nashilami set off a war of aggression.

However, although it was a war of aggression, it was a dog eats a dog after all, so after Lacus and Ino came to this conclusion, they didn't have much other thoughts.

"Think about it again, is this war just as simple as a war of aggression by one city-state against another?" After receiving feedback from Lux and Ino, Kalya continued to ask, "What else does this war mean? ? Is the attack on Uzeris the entire strategic goal of Nasirami?"

"Nashramie doesn't think about unifying the whole of Shurima, does he?" Lux hesitated, "That city does have a deep foundation, but trying to unify Shurima...I think it's almost impossible."

"Don't be bound by the rules of war you heard from your father." Kalya continued, "The style of warfare in Shurima is completely different from that in Valoran."

"War style?" Lux blinked, then turned to look at Ino, "Have I lost my mind?"

"In the continent of Valoran, there are two powerful enough forces, Noxus and Demacia, so the small city-states and principalities sandwiched in the middle, even if there is any enmity, even if a war breaks out, the scale is very limited and will not expand. " Kalya also named Ino, "Tell me, what do you think about the follow-up of this war?"

"Hmm... It probably depends on the outcome of the war." Ino thought for a moment, but finally he could only give a vague answer, "But in terms of commonality... maybe all city-states will pay more attention to the army and force?"

"A very good answer, simplified." Kalya said in a relieved tone, "In Valoran, Demacia and Noxus are separate factions, with clear barriers between camps, and Demacia and Noxus inside will mediate, and the war between the camps depends on whether Demacia and Noxus will participate in the war."

Hearing what Kalya said, both Lux and Ino nodded.

"However, the only city-states in Shurima right now are Nashlami." Kalya paused, and continued, "Nashilami suddenly made a move. How do you think other city-states will react?"

"Condemnation? Fear? Alliance and mutual protection?"

"It's possible." Carya said calmly, "But no matter what kind of reaction it is, as long as there are some ambitious guys, they will take this opportunity to strengthen their armaments—no matter what the outcome of the war, an arms race has officially begun. Start and never stop."

Lux blinked her eyes, and after a moment of stupefaction, she understood Kalya's meaning, and then said worriedly: "Doesn't that mean that Shurima is about to start a...all-out war?"

"It's not there yet, but the trend is here."

"So, should we stop this war of aggression?" Lux narrowed his eyes, "Shurima's current natural conditions are already very bad, and we simply cannot afford a big war!"

"Stop it? Why stop it?" Kalya's tone became intriguing again, "Together for a long time must be divided, and for a long time to be divided must be united. Remember, Lux, not only power has a price, but everything has a price. If Shurima wants to obtain Freshmen, that will definitely not be at the tender negotiating table!"

Lux subconsciously nodded yes, and then realized something was wrong again.

"But, can Nashramei really bring Shurima a new life?"

"what do y'all think?"

Lux and Ino looked at each other, and the two recalled their experience in Ramos Day. Although they both felt very happy, they always had a feeling of unreliability, which was completely different from the time in Zaun.

So, the two shook their heads tacitly.

"Nashlami is nothing more than a catfish." Carya's tone was full of confidence again, "Before the good show begins, someone must come to heat up the scene!"

........................

The discussion of the effects of war is but an interlude.

Compared to caring about the future situation of Shurima, for Lux and Ino, there is another issue that is more important at this time: whether to go to Uzeris in the next stop.

According to their previously planned course of action, after leaving Shurima, the next stop is Uzeris, where they will replenish sufficient supplies, then turn southwest, go straight to Narima Jie, and officially start from there The climb of Mount Targon.

However, now that the war between Nashilami and Uzeris is imminent, it may not be easy to go to Uzeris to replenish supplies at this time. It's not easy, and it's hard to leave.

But if you don't go to Uzeris, then you want to cross the Dasai Desert vertically, and the supplies that the two of them are carrying now are not enough. After replacing Scalash with camels, their carrying capacity has been greatly reduced. , can no longer act in a straight line in the Dasai Desert as before.

"Is there really no large city near Uzeris?" After comparing the map for a long time, Lacus asked Karya helplessly, "How do I feel... It seems that there is a circle of isolation without cities and few oases Wrap around Uzzelis?"

"The isolation zone is not enough, but there are indeed almost no cities around Uzeris." Speaking of this problem, Carya has nothing to do, "I am very impressed. When the water network was built, the entire western route was almost covered. It was excavated manually, and there are few oases in the middle as supplements and transfers."

"Why is this happening?" Lux was a little puzzled, "It doesn't make sense..."

"It makes sense for this to happen." Kalya recalled, and replied, "West Shurima's terrain is relatively high, but Shurima's underground water level is almost horizontal. It is difficult for oases to appear in places where the peaks are relatively far away and there is no direct nourishment from snow-capped mountains, but the altitude is relatively high and the distance from the groundwater level is far away.

"Is this one of the reasons why Uzeris defected to Noxus in the first place?" Lux made an inference, "It's the same as Telishne and Belguen who were separated from Shurima due to the influence of wind direction and ocean currents. Isn't Zeris and local Shurima's business ties that close?"

"The answer is correct." Kalya agreed with Lux's point of view, "So, my suggestion is to still go to Uzeris - if you can't buy supplies, go through the black market, and if the city's martial law does not allow you to leave, then go over the wall."

Karya's words left Lacus and Ino speechless.

For them, whether it is buying things from the black market or climbing over the city wall to escape, it is an experience they have never had before.

The two little girls are very well-behaved people. After traveling in Shurima for so long, they basically adhere to the principle of doing as the Romans do.

Now when I come to Uzeris, I have to visit the black market and climb over the city wall... Although there is no problem, it is somewhat awkward.

"Can't we go all the way west, cross Uzeris, and go to Kalamanda for supplies?" Looking at the edge of the map, Ino wanted to fight for it, "It's also quite a long distance from Kalamanda to Narima Jie... ..."

"Traveling at the foot of Mount Targon will not sharpen your will." Although he will feel sorry for the two little girls trekking in the desert, but when it comes to route planning, Kalya is quite insistent, "From Uzeris to Narima Jie, along the way, your spirit and will will reach a peak. This state will be the biggest gain for you to climb the Targon Mountain. The scorching gravel of Western Shurima will make your soul and body more closely combined , the previous stop of your Nerima Jie must be Uzeris."

Seeing that Kalya was so persistent, Lacus and Ino could only nod in the end.

Then... go to Uzzelis!
........................

Lacus and Ino were not the only ones who went from Nashilami to Uzeris.

When the two made up their minds to learn some unconventional methods, the two "old friends" had just finished their day in the oasis that was under martial law by the Nashilam American army where they encountered scouts and failed to enter. march.

Sivir and Cassiopeia are currently in the oasis.

As mentioned earlier, in order to replenish the troops and put enough pressure on Uzeris, Naslami’s Harbor Maid Sagar not only mobilized the elite city guards and trained the militia mainly composed of desert remnants, but also sent Nasramai The large mercenary group issued a commission.

And Sivir and her mercenary group are one of the recipients of this entrustment.

In the past, the money-greedy Sivir would have dismissed such large-scale missions in the past, even if the female governor personally released them, but such large-scale missions have always been less lucrative and take a long time, which is not Sivir's style.

But today is different.

Not long ago, she had a big somersault in front of Kalya, not only her blood was deprived, Chalikar was "snatched away", and even the most loyal mercenaries were taken away by Kalya. Sefika, who was in control, was severely injured.

Even if Sivir herself had nothing to do, she and her mercenary group would not be able to take on any lucrative jobs.

Moreover, even if Elise is at the bottom, Sivir is not the worst one in the whole operation, but this failure still brought her a lot of pressure and trouble.

Expedition losses and pension compensation are not small figures.

What's worse, in her mercenary group, there is now a group of prospecting miners for no reason!

In order to prevent these prospectors from becoming food for spiders, Sivir counted these people as members of her mercenary regiment. After hearing the news of Elise's death, these prospectors completely regarded Sivir as their thigh, and they wanted to join the mercenary group no matter what.

And Cassiopeia, who was also in a panic, has been helping, and hinted that she "knows a more exciting ruins, but I still need professional surveyors" and so on. I hope that Rashivir can accept these prospectors.

Although she had just experienced a failure, for Cassiopeia, this failure proved her value-she really found a great site, but everyone didn't realize it at first. The value of the unremarkable dagger and the two black gauntlets is nothing more than that.

For other people, after experiencing a tragic failure, it is very likely that they will be bitten by snakes for ten years and be afraid of well ropes, and never dare to take risks again. Full of dissatisfaction.

It's not because of some bloody blood that I can get to where I am today!
I'm all on my own!

Therefore, after hearing that Cassiopeia had other clues to the tomb of the gods, she accepted these prospectors without hesitation, and even Cassiopeia became a member of her mercenary group .

However, there is a difference between mercenaries in charge of prospecting work and real prospecting workers. Sivir does not intend to keep these guys for nothing, so after returning to Naslam, she quickly found a suitable job for these rookies. It is hoped that through training, they will be more adaptable to the status of mercenaries.

At this time, the messenger of the harbor maid Saga found her and invited her to perform a mercenary mission that was "not difficult but significant".

Quests whose contents were kept secret before being accepted were actually very common, so Sivir didn't realize there was any problem—after confirming the compensation and the number of people required, and finding that everything was suitable, she readily accepted the quest.

Anyway, my cronies and thugs are still recovering from their injuries, so it's good to take these rookies out to practice at this time!

Then, Sivir was told that this was a war mission.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Sivir's head buzzed when he learned that the main goal of the mission was to attack Uzeris.

She never expected that a seemingly ordinary group task could be so exciting.

War mission, and the target is not a large-scale sand bandit group, but Uzeris!

However, after calming down, Sivir found that this task seemed really suitable.

Because although the messenger didn't say it clearly, Saga definitely wouldn't really use the mercenary group as the main force—just think about it, and the main function of the mercenaries is just a feint.

cannon fodder?

Maybe Saga has similar thoughts, but the mercenaries are not stupid, and it is impossible to be driven to attack the city foolishly. Waving the flag and shouting is already the limit. If you ask for more, then the mercenaries will really mutiny every minute. look.

So, Sivir finally took over the task.

War hires... Maybe it would be better to train new recruits?

Moreover, I just took advantage of this opportunity to explore the details of Cassiopeia!
........................

For Sivir, although this grand and powerful war employment is relatively new, in the final analysis, it is the same.

But for Cassiopeia, who was named to go with the team, being forced to be involved in this war put her in a bit of an embarrassing situation.

You know, Cassiopeia is the second young lady of the Kekao family!
Even though in the eyes of most Shurima, the two sides of this war are Nasram and Uzeris, but in fact, the two sides of the war should be Nasram and Noxus!
In other words, Cassiopeia, who was forced to participate in the war, was now among a group of mercenaries, fighting against Noxus!
Even though Cassiopeia herself has no patriotic enthusiasm, she still feels very awkward when she thinks of this-and when she thinks that the old man Du Kecao is still leading the army to confront Swain, Cassiopeia feels very uncomfortable. Feeling even more awkward.

Of course, if that's all it is, then it's fine to be awkward. Cassiopeia, who is good at disguising, is already used to suppressing her feelings, and this level of embarrassment is not enough to upset her.

What really made Cassiopeia unbearable was that Sivir would run over to harass her from time to time on the grounds that "you are a Noxian, so you must know how to fight well"!
I'm not my stupid sister, I know a hammer war?

Since I was a child, I only know conspiracy and tricks!

If you want to test me, just come here, why do you have to make such a crappy excuse?

It's a pity that Cassiopeia can't say that at all, she can only repeat over and over again that she doesn't understand this at all, she doesn't understand at all, but Sivir doesn't mean to let her go, she still comes to ask her questions whenever she has time .

No, when the team settled down in the oasis and the other mercenaries began to rest, Sivir came again.

"Have you seen Nasramme's baggage train?" Although it's been almost a day of marching, Sivir still looks energetic, "There are a lot of skaras and camels, but not many giant beasts—I heard Do your Noxian trains train drakes?"

"Maybe." Cassiopeia pretended to be careless, rubbing her calf, and answered this well-known question, "I heard that there are special people who are responsible for training and feeding places. Dragon Lizard."

"Then do you know about ground dragon lizards?" Sivir asked casually, "Where do they come from? What do they usually eat? Is it easy to raise? Can they be used in the desert?"

"I don't know." Cassiopeia shook her head, "I haven't touched it before. Folks don't know how to raise dragon lizards."

"But you are not an ordinary folk." Sivir waved his hand, showing an expression that you don't want to lie to me, "Although you don't look like a war stonemason, you should be a member of a mysterious association, right?"

Sivir's words almost made Cassiopeia's heart stop beating.

But on the surface, Cassiopeia remained calm. She grinned and put on a helpless look: "Mysterious associations require mages. How can a low-level broker like me have the qualifications? On the contrary, Yili Ruth looks more like the kind of person you said."

"But she is clearly on the same side as you." Sivir smiled relaxedly, "At this time, we can be regarded as scarabs on the same thread. You don't need to hide it from me."

"I really have nothing to hide." Cassiopeia sighed, then continued to shake her head, "I really hope that I am qualified to join them—unfortunately, I am not worthy."

"However, I can always feel a kind of creepy danger on your body." Sivir fiddled with the newly made saber while staring at Cassiopeia, "Especially because you took the initiative to join us. After the mercenaries."

"Maybe your nerves are a little sensitive." Cassiopeia spread her hands helplessly, "I'm just an ordinary person, I'm not a spellcaster, and I don't know how to summon spiders. If you weren't willing to protect me , I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to survive in an unfamiliar place like Shurima.”

"Then why don't you want to go back to Noxus?" Sivir pressed harder and harder, "You are from Noxus. Since it is not easy to survive in Shurima, why don't you go back?"

"I don't want to go back so disheveled and end up being a plaything for the rich and powerful." Cassiopeia lowered her head, her eyes drooped, and her eyes became blurred, "Noxus, the strong are respected!" , a powerless woman wants to survive, the only capital is her body..."

Sivir finally fell silent.

Cassiopeia's words reminded her of when she was just a mercenary.

At that time, Sivir was just 17 years old, and she looked very bully. When facing her, many people in the mercenary group would make some colored jokes, and then looked at her expression with anticipation, waiting her reaction.

Facing these malicious guys, Sivir had only one reaction: raised his fist.

In the mercenary group at that time, Sivir was not the best at fighting, but she was definitely the worst at attacking. Anyone who wanted to play hooligans in front of her often ended up turning into a boiled prawn—— Arched at the waist, covering the lower part, with a flushed face.

During battles, Sivir has never been afraid of pain and looks like a madman. Although he looks like a winner every time the battle is over, only Sivir knows what it feels like.

Even if he can fight, what about Cassiopeia who can't?

Although Sivir still doesn't know the details of Cassiopeia, she can confirm that Cassiopeia really has no fighting power.

And for such a beautiful girl, in Noxus, a country where the strong are respected, I am afraid that she can only rely on her own body as she said?
Thinking of this, Sivir finally sighed.

After a long time, Sivir finally shook his head and did not continue to ask questions.

Standing up, she stretched out her rough right hand, patted Cassiopeia on the shoulder, and turned to leave her tent.

And inside the tent, Cassiopeia seemed to be really sad, and after being stiff for a long time, she sucked her nose and lay down with her clothes on.

The night is dark and the moon and stars are sparse.

Tonight, the land of Shurima is silent.

　Kalya's Small Classroom Shurima's Water Table:
　　The groundwater level of Shurima continent is very consistent from west to east. Although there are slight fluctuations in specific indicators such as first water level, stable water level, water level in wet season, and water level in dry season, the overall trend is consistent.

　　This provided great convenience for the Shurima Empire to build magic nets and water nets.

　　PS. Woohoo, I still haven’t achieved [-], only less than [-], but I really tried my best.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)