Ranni said with certainty, "Shadow Keep might have once been part of the Royal Capital, or at least adjacent to it."
"Look at this overlaid map again. Jarburg is above Berett's Gaol, and Jagged Peak corresponds to Caelid's Dragonbarrow. This also explains how Godrick met Marika; the snowfield highlands aren't far from the Omen Village..."
"Combining that with the matching map shapes, I'm certain this is the complete map of the Lands Between. Doesn't the Royal Capital seem less impregnable now?"
Everyone had a sudden realization.
Indeed, it also happened to explain the route Messmer took when leading his crusader army on their expedition.
The reason people hadn't realized this for so many years was partly because Marika had hidden history so deeply, and partly because the Shadow Veil itself possessed a degree of illusory effect, keeping it unknown.
They were unaffected now because they were strong enough and had grown accustomed to it through exposure.
Many puzzling points were suddenly resolved.
Just as Ranni described, its greatest significance was that there were now more paths leading to the Altus Plateau and the Royal Capital, even forming an encirclement.
So the "encirclement" the great strategist spoke of wasn't just on a military level, but a geographical one.
While Frieren's party was adventuring in the Land of Shadow, she hadn't been idle. She had searched through ancient texts, gathered intelligence, and made logical deductions, finally piecing together a new map full of answers. A vast world unfolded before everyone's eyes.
A surprise!
No wonder Ranni rushed to Stormveil Castle immediately. It was too precious; she had to ensure she rendezvoused with Frieren as soon as possible to protect this map-in-progress.
After all, many details still needed to be added. If the enemy were to notice and try to destroy it at all costs, much would still be lost. Entrusting it to the strongest quasi-queen of the Lands Between was the safest option for now.
The escort mission was finally over, which was a relief.
She believed the Land of Shadow was the highest priority now. By the same token, she estimated Miquella was thinking the same thing.
"Once the Land of Shadow is occupied, the difficulty of besieging the Royal Capital will decrease. Even a pure Empyrean can't skip this step, unless he only wants to be a god within a sealed realm."
"Miquella will definitely compete with us. I can feel the barrier weakening."
Frieren added:
"Actually, he also wants the Scadutree's seal to be broken. That's one of the reasons for guiding his followers' party. He just needs to control the timing, so he's using mind control to adjust things, ensuring that the moment the seal is broken, he has a complete god-king combination."
"To this day, I still can't guess who will be Miquella's king?" Ranni said, looking puzzled. "If he can resurrect corpses, there are a few options..."
The name Mohg flashed through her mind. After all, specifically requesting the body of the Lord of Blood made it hard not to make a connection, but it could also be a smokescreen to create confusion. It was impossible to draw a conclusion easily.
"It doesn't matter. Whoever it is, I will kill that king."
These decisive words put everyone somewhat at ease. In the end, it would all come down to Frieren's combat prowess anyway.
"That's all for my report. For the next while, I will be staying here in Stormveil Castle, where Her Majesty sleeps."
"Is there danger?"
Melina keenly sensed something was wrong. Either the Carian Royal Family knew it was time to get closer and cultivate goodwill, or they couldn't possibly maintain such a formally respectful relationship with the future king forever.
"Destined Death has been violently returned to Maliketh, the Black Blade. We can't rule out the possibility of him making a move."
Hearing this name, the witch's heart tightened.
Although it was expected, being targeted by the strongest assassin was not a good feeling. Across the entire Lands Between, who could confidently say they were far stronger than the Gloam-Eyed Queen who once hunted gods? Even she had been defeated by Maliketh, let alone him now possessing Destined Death.
Even if his main body remains stationed in the city in the sky, he could send a projection or an avatar to assassinate them.
One could imagine how he gnashed his teeth in hatred for Melina and Ranni, wanting nothing more than to eliminate them. In this situation, there was only one person who could protect them:
Frieren.
The silver-haired girl just nodded solemnly in agreement. No extra comfort or explanation was needed; everyone knew that even in a state of slumber, she could sense danger and return swiftly.
"If there's nothing else, you should all rest. I'll remain on alert for a few days and check on the results of the Dragon Communion."
The two answered in unison, "As you command."
With this king's personality, she couldn't be bothered to digest large amounts of information piece by piece. She always adhered to the philosophy of action, believing that matters should be executed first. Standing in the present meant seeing the state of the new Dragon Communion legion.
Under Frieren's will, the entirety of Stormveil Castle bustled with activity.
A large quantity of dragon heart materials was already piled up within the castle, and with the heart of an ancient flying dragon brought back from the Land of Shadow, there was no shortage of experimental materials.
The soldiers were even more eager to participate.
For those with mediocre talent, Dragon Communion was a good path, especially since it had been very safe so far.
Previously, the healing of the Lands Between's foremost soul sorcerer ensured that side effects were suppressed, always keeping dragon mutations within a safe threshold. Now, with an ancient dragon priestess overseeing things, it was even more stable.
Florisaxx personally took charge of the first batch of new Dragon Communion initiates. Only after studying them did she discover many commendable aspects.
After breaking away from the guidance of the Ancient Dragons, the Limgrave region had not stopped advancing its Dragon Communion techniques.
This was as it should be.
She was gratified to improve upon this foundation and apply it to the soldiers, quickly creating Dragon Communion initiates and Magma Wyrms. Moreover, their stability, strength, and magical power all surpassed previous versions, making them sufficient to serve as an elite army to counter the enemy's finest.
"Your Majesty, I have also cultivated special Dragon Communion initiates."
That day, Florisaxx demonstrated for her superior a Dragon Communion initiate capable of using Ghostflame abilities. It was clear at a glance that the materials came from a Ghostflame Dragon from the Land of Shadow, and its power was even greater than that of a typical initiate.
"By the same principle, is it possible to create Glintstone Dragon Communion initiates?"
"Yes, you grasp things very quickly. We don't necessarily have to use hearts. With my guidance, we can create Dragon Communion initiates on a larger scale while also conserving materials."
"Continue with your methods. I will allocate resources. You have a free hand to create the Dragon Communion legion."
"I will obey your command."
Being entrusted with such responsibility, Florisaxx naturally worked even harder. Given time, it would be no problem for her to create the strongest Dragon Communion legion.
The Limgrave of today was more prosperous than during the era of the Storm-King, able to support the consumption. Resources invested in the army would rapidly translate into combat strength. From now on, they would no longer be the ones holding everyone back.
As Frieren witnessed the rise of the new army, another piece of good news arrived:
Flying dragons from the city in the sky visited Stormveil Castle.
They had arrived as promised.
As promised, they brought a large quantity of smithing stones, whose purity, quality, and grade were all impeccable. As expected of the oldest overlords of the Lands Between, their heritage was profound.
Ancient Dragons could naturally produce some smithing stones, and since they didn't use them themselves, they had naturally accumulated a rich hoard.
For the Southern Army, which had always scraped by with a chronic lack of smithing stone resources, this was a timely relief.
The artisans' busy days had arrived.
Thanks to the influx of smithing stone resources, weapon reinforcement for the Limgrave forces was now on the agenda. Before, they had always been frugal and calculated every expense, but now they could finally be extravagant for once and reinforce everything possible.
Combined with the equipment previously captured from the Golden Army, they could piece together another top-tier army.
As the commander, Edgar was the happiest. It was exhausting but joyful. Although redeploying and readjusting was troublesome, as long as they grew stronger, it was fine.
Previously, his biggest worry was that this batch of troops wouldn't be able to keep up with their equipment.
Now, that was solved.
The Dragon Communion initiates were further strengthened under Florisaxx's leadership, and the grafting techniques were also improved along the way. Now, the soldiers' base attributes would not lag too far behind the Royal Capital's army. With the addition of newly reinforced equipment, they could stand and fight.
Edgar didn't expect to instantly reach the same level as the Royal Capital's army, which had dominated the Lands Between for years, but they couldn't be a burden.
When the real fighting started, they couldn't collapse.
Receiving good news daily, he naturally reported frequently to Frieren:
"Your Majesty, I believe the Limgrave army currently only lacks combat experience. In this regard, we are inferior to the Liurnia region. Since the south is pacified, why not continue advancing towards the lift and station troops on the Altus Plateau?"
"Even if you station troops there, with the Omen King's personality, he won't proactively come out to give you a chance to train. It's more likely you'll encounter the army from the Volcano. Don't waste your efforts on them."
"Have you decided on a strategy for the Volcano?"
"Yes. In the future, a small number of elite soldiers will just need to advance and kill Rykard and Aldrich."
Everyone knew the Volcano was a wasteland with little development value; the costs outweighed the benefits. Back in its heyday, even the Golden Army suffered heavy losses after a long, unsuccessful siege.
Did the Southern Army have the capital to fight a war of attrition with them?
From the very beginning, Ranni had advised against large-scale combat with Volcano Manor, suggesting the outcome should be decided by the demigods themselves. This suited Frieren's intentions perfectly, so the strategy was set early on.
"Don't worry, Edgar. There will be time for them to train. The moment the seal on the Land of Shadow is broken, you all will go in."
"Understood."
How could the commander not be excited at the mention of the ancient land beneath the Scadutree? "That's right. Her Majesty will have to rely on her own people for the conquest sooner or later. Even if we absorb the Carian and Crusader armies from up there, we can't rely on them too much. That day is not too far off."
Frieren thought to herself that the Lands Between was indeed full of martial spirit; as soon as they had enough resources, they started thinking about war.
She was about to rest, so she gave prudent orders.
In addition, the development of the underground world was also proceeding smoothly. According to a report from Kenneth Haight, who had been managing Fort Haight, the ruins in the underground world were being rebuilt.
The forces of the Eternal Dynasty were gradually being integrated into the Southern Army, becoming a new strength, but they still needed to mesh, which would take some time.
Fortunately, time was the one thing the Lands Between had in abundance.
So, Frieren ordered a portion of the Southern Army to operate underground with them, specifically to continue clearing out the monsters corrupted by the Bloody Dynasty, treating it as an exercise to improve their coordination.
On another note, she also received news: D, Rogier, Nepheli, and others were heading towards the roots of the Erdtree. This was a long journey.
Knowing the path ahead was fraught with peril, they set out anyway. Exploring the origin of Those Who Live in Death was their duty, and besides, the grudge of the deathbed companion Fia was involved. They wouldn't rest until it was settled.
"Give them more assistance, and report any progress to me."
The underground world was equally vast and couldn't be explored in a short time. It would probably be a long while.
Frieren also asked about the activities at Roundtable Hold.
As it turned out, everything was normal, even quiet. Not even the envoys were making any particular moves. Had Sir Gideon Ofnir suddenly decided to behave and stop causing trouble? Impossible. When a person like that went quiet, it only meant they were brewing a bigger plot. They would never be content with peace.
As long as he wasn't a direct enemy, she couldn't be bothered with Roundtable Hold's shut-in. Letting him maintain the Tarnished organization was fine.
The lake region, on the other hand, had grown quiet.
Ever since a portion of the Carian elite, led by Moongrum, arrived at the Altus Plateau, there had been no news of conflict recently. Everything was strangely quiet.
Originally, he was only there to secure control of the lift, but somehow it resulted in a balance of power between the three factions.
Part of the reason was that Frieren had the Undead Legion ascend the Ruin-Strewn Precipice and station a group of elites there as well, to prevent the Volcano from continuing to send monsters and pour magma down that route.
The two old friends, both Lords of Cinder, had already sensed each other's presence and were facing off from a distance.
That's probably why Rykard had calmed down a bit, right?
Although the Southern Army had only dispatched a small force to secure the troop transport routes on both sides, they had already set foot on the Altus Plateau. No one dared to underestimate the symbolic meaning of this. After a thousand years, another Shardbearer was preparing to challenge the high walls of Leyndell, Royal Capital.
They represented Frieren's ambition for the Royal Capital and were constantly deploying troops. Thus, Volcano Manor and the Golden Capital were in a rare truce.
Even someone as mad as Rykard understood that with the Southern Army's current strength, an attack from them would be no joke.
Prepare for war.
The three factions on the Altus Plateau had all independently made the same choice.
Since they were willing to maintain a balance and rest for the time being, it was good news for Frieren. According to Ranni's strategy, the next focus was the Land of Shadow, which would require investing most of their forces to secure, and would certainly take some effort.
"Melina, are the doctors prepared to aid the Numen? Although Rennala provided initial treatment, the follow-up therapy is also important."
"Everything is arranged. They can enter as soon as the barrier is broken."
"...It's a shame I'm not skilled with barriers, but I know an expert in that field. I'll ask her later."
Hearing this, the maiden's face showed shock and confusion.
She was about to fall asleep, so where would she find a reliable barrier mage to consult? However, she had grown used to putting aside her questions when with Frieren, otherwise she would always be confused.
Little did she know, the one the Lands Between's foremost sorcerer absolutely trusted was her only genius apprentice.
When it came to mastery of barrier magic, Ranni's skill was godlike and self-taught, reaching a level of strength that could be considered indecipherable magic. Regarding the Scadutree's seal, she should be able to offer some enlightening advice. At the very least, she could accelerate its collapse or reduce the impact when it's broken.
"In any case, let's arrange these things for now. I'm going to rest."
Before her words faded, Ranni's figure appeared in the meeting room. The blue-haired doll said with concern, "We will guard your room."
"It's fine. Just pay more attention to your own safety. I have many contingency plans, so don't worry."
"Alright."
Melina replied with her usual calmness. After all, she had seen her partner sleep many times. Back when they first arrived in the Lands Between, she would often oversleep and laze in bed. It was only because she was busy now that she no longer slept.
As for the Mimic Tear, it yawned and voluntarily entered the Spirit Calling Bell. In a way, she was the primary close-quarters protection.
After giving her final instructions, Frieren lay down on the bed and let her consciousness drift into tranquility...
______
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