Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 420 The Supreme Lord has arrived at his loyal high cliff today.
Although they were just lonely carriages without a single horse to pull them, it didn't matter to the sorcerer and druid.
In an instant, knights, horses, bulls, and even argali sheep were summoned, and with two horses per carriage, a total of eight supply wagons were assembled.

To conserve their energy, most dwarves removed their heavy armor and entrusted it to the mages for safekeeping. Only those who were physically strong and had plenty of strength remained fully armed as a precaution.

The journey wasn't quite as dramatic as traversing mountains and rivers, but the hilly terrain on the southwestern edge of Gaoya made the villagers' housewarming celebration a little bumpy.

However, for the Sweet Wine Dwarfs, who were originally from the hills, this feeling was more than ten times better than being tossed about at sea, and they would be willing to go even if it were several times farther away.

This mixed and somewhat bloated group pushed all sorts of small carts, their creaking carriages making their way forward. Whether dwarves or villagers, everyone began to scrutinize their surroundings, their tense and somewhat wary eyes revealing no appreciation for the scenery.

The curious and wary glances from the few pedestrians along the road in Gaoyagang made it all too clear: strangers.

They arrived in Hong Kong at noon and reached their destination at sunset. It was only a short distance of a dozen miles, but the villagers, with their families in tow, walked for a full half day.

Carrying all their belongings, along with their hopes and aspirations for the future, and the small anxieties that came with them, they left Gaoya Port and headed north, following the somewhat abandoned trade route through rolling hills, finally arriving at this flat grassland before them.

Having just endured a winter, the ground was covered with withered yellow grass, but a few stubborn green shoots responded to the call of early spring, pushing through the thick soil and waving to the north wind.

Time waits not for us!
Seeing these tender green leaves that belong to spring, the monk became even more eager for the spring plowing and land reclamation.

"Münster, you are in charge of coordinating the temporary resettlement of these people. The tents that were prepared in advance should be set up before dark."

No matter how anxious they were, they had to be down-to-earth. With the issuance of a series of orders, the two dwarf brothers and the female druid each led their teams to a cave not far away, retrieved the supplies and materials stored there, and built temporary dwellings on the open plain.

Fortunately, the area is mostly hilly, with towering cliffs to the north of the plain. The north wind and cold are blocked by the mountains, which prevents the villagers, who are forced to temporarily live in tents like nomads, from being troubled by the cold wave in early spring.

This is also the common topography of Gaoyaling. Surrounded by mountains and hills, there are actually many flat areas available for cultivation. The warm climate and moderate rainfall brought about by this ocean basin-like geographical feature make this area quite suitable for farming.

In fact, Highcliff Territory itself is an important granary within the sphere of influence of Neverwinter. Although the farmland here is not as vast and flat as that of inland kingdoms like Tesel, it is not difficult to supply itself and the city-states of Neverwinter.

However, ever since the High Cliff Lords and their castle fell into the clutches of evil spirits born from the shadows, this place has been abandoned. Deep evil has spread and radiated from within the castle, turning the former lord's residence into a paradise for the undead and shadow creatures. Even half of the northwestern region of High Cliff has become a place where monsters gather and roam.

The former farms and granaries were abandoned, and only the eastern region was able to maintain its status, but it was also held by other families and not to be touched.

Although the mage, bored out of his mind, carried out a large-scale cleanup of the area while traveling in the dragon chariot, after confirming that his fiefdom was High Cliff Territory, he specially dispatched his team with chess pieces to sweep through the area several times. After several rounds of sweeping operations, there were very few monsters left in the wild, and they could basically be sent to the rare beast garden for future generations to learn and broaden their horizons.

After all, the monsters in Faerûn don't respawn, so they can't withstand this kind of exploitative behavior. Even now, while the High Cliffs region is desolate, it's remarkably safe. Furthermore, there was an unexpected gain for the mage: due to the Canaan team's repeated efforts to wipe out monsters in the territory, they inadvertently demonstrated their military prowess. As a result, even before he, Master Zhang, officially began to govern the territory, he had already established a certain level of prestige in the northwest of High Cliffs.

This is actually easy to understand. In a plane like Faerûn, humans are not the absolute dominant species in the food chain; sometimes they are just a link in the food chain.

Regardless of a lord's governing ability and methods, the requirement for military strength is usually the primary consideration. After all, no matter how incompetent and absurd these corrupt individuals may be, there is ultimately a difference between sociological cannibalism and physical cannibalism...

Given the desolation and ruin of the northwest region of Gaoya, those who persisted in staying under such perilous conditions were not doing so out of any attachment to their homeland; the reason was quite simple.

No choice!
Living in a fertile and prosperous land, one can certainly enjoy peace and tranquility. Even if one doesn't become rich and powerful, one can still manage to live a comfortable life after dealing with the taxes levied by the officials above.

But ever since the territory fell, the lord above them suddenly disappeared, and the lords who volunteered to take over the business afterward did not last long before they all took their leave.

In the very beginning, the residents of this place did indeed enjoy a few good days. There were no exorbitant taxes levied under any pretext, and no corrupt patrol teams coming to their door to extort money or bribes.

The days without these beasts, animals, bastards, and parasites are the good days!

However, this peaceful period did not last long. Kobolds, goblins, ogres, and all sorts of monsters invaded and trampled on the once fertile land. Furthermore, grotesque undead, such as skeletons, wandered the mountains and wilderness.

To think that one could peacefully farm under such circumstances was pure wishful thinking. The lord's castle was breached from within, and the defensive forces collapsed in an instant. With the remaining guards dying, fleeing, or running away, the entire High Cliff Territory was like a piece of fat meat laid naked in front of malicious spying.

If Neverwinter hadn't reacted quickly and dispatched troops to wipe them out, then...

Then there's no such thing as a high cliff.

Even though the army of Neverwinter directly crushed this rabble gathered by some evil entity and fought their way into the castle, they found that they had no way to deal with the source of the evil.

The military forces of Neverwinter could not be stationed on the high cliffs indefinitely. After the power of order faded, the dim shadow of evil once again swayed and rose in the depths of the city. Although it no longer had its former arrogance, it still coiled around and occupied this place like a vine, poisoning this land.

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(End of this chapter)