"Climb, hold my hand."
At the border between the Wizard-controlled area and the Morik Empire, a female Fire Lizard was calling for her child to grab her hand. Below her, a male Fire Lizard was raising his hands high, trying to lift his child as much as possible.
Surrounding the female, a group of Fire Lizards, none stronger than high-ranking knights, were waiting for the last family in the procession. Although this family was slowing down the group, they still did not abandon them.
Moving a bit faster wouldn't help them evade the patrols, but the little one named Climb, who looked a bit dazed, could inspire the morale of the group.
They were positioned at the edge of the Ashen Mountains in the Morik Empire, a mountain range stretching over a thousand kilometers, serving as a natural boundary for both the Fire Lizards and the Wizards.
What this group of Fire Lizards was attempting was the legendary act of smuggling.
The war between the Wizards and the Fire Lizards had lasted thirty-five years, and the taxes within the Fire Lizard Empire had been increased repeatedly. In some areas, under the demands of corrupt officials, up to seventy percent of the annual revenue had to be submitted to the Empire.
Such a heavy tax burden was unbearable for most Fire Lizards.
Riots and civil unrest had erupted within the three major empires, with the Linksa Empire experiencing a rebellion that spread across a significant portion of the empire, prompting the Dragon Beast Knight Order's commander, Barashar, to personally dispatch troops to suppress it.
The glory of the Fire Lizard King had dimmed under the harsh taxes, and among the Fire Lizards, there was a rumor that the Wizards had no interest in ordinary Fire Lizards. In that dark land devoid of the Fire Lizard King's light, the fire dragon grass had even become more abundant.
With a strong pull, the female Fire Lizard brought her child into her embrace, and seeing that his child was up, the male Fire Lizard quickly climbed up as well.
A group of them looked at the gray mountain hollow not far away; as long as they crossed this hollow, they would be in the Wizard-controlled area.
At that point, they would be free to swim in the vast sea and soar in the high sky, with vast lands awaiting them.
"Let's go," said the leading Fire Lizard. "We need to hurry and get through this hollow before sunset."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, tightening their grips on their climbing sticks.
It was finally coming to an end.
The leader took the lead, followed by the others. The Ashen Mountains were filled with Obsidian, and once broken, its sharpness rivaled that of steel blades. If one rolled down the mountain, they could die halfway if lucky; if unlucky, it would be like rolling on a mountain of knives, covered in blood as if being executed by a thousand cuts.
Suddenly, a Fire Lizard slipped and rolled down the slope, quickly becoming bloodied from the sharp Obsidian.
"Help me! Help me!"
But all the Fire Lizards silently turned their gazes away—this Fire Lizard was beyond saving.
Soon, the Fire Lizard crashed into a large piece of Obsidian, creating a bloody hole in its head.
Some Fire Lizards sighed; they had seen this situation many times and had grown numb to it.
After half a day of walking, the group finally reached the bottom of the mountain. Once they crossed the hollow, they would be free from taxes and could welcome a new life.
"Stop! You traitors!"
A voice came from the mountaintop. The Fire Lizards turned to see a Fire Lizard in a red robe, with a golden dragon claw shield emblazoned on its chest, staring at them.
"Stop your steps immediately, or I will treat you as traitors!"
The leader of the Fire Lizards looked at the emblem on the chest of the red-robed Fire Lizard, his face turning pale.
"It's the Shield of Morik!"
The Shield of Morik, an organization that had rapidly risen during the war against the Wizards.
Under the leadership of Azuhan and Akala, the Shield of Morik had become the elite force of the Morik Empire, integrating investigation, capture, trial, and imprisonment. It operated completely independently of the judicial system, reporting directly to the Fire Lizard King.
In the battles against the Black Wizards within Morik, the Shield of Morik had shown remarkable effectiveness.
Among the three major empires, the Morik Empire was the least affected by the Black Wizards, followed by the Mias Empire, which had the shortest frontline against the Wizards. As for the Linksa Empire… the Black Wizards could even manipulate the candidates for the Linksa Eye. If it weren't for the heavy losses the Black Wizards suffered from the Dragon Beast base operations, the Linksa Empire would have already become a garden for the Black Wizards.
To undermine the effectiveness of the Shield of Morik, the Black Wizards began spreading rumors among the populace, portraying the Shield as a dark organization that indiscriminately killed.
In the current Morik Empire, there were even threats like "if you don't behave, the Shield of Morik will take you away" used to scare children.
The group looked at the Fire Lizard on the mountaintop, and suddenly someone shouted.
"Run! Dying here is better than being caught by them!"
In an instant, the entire group scattered like birds and beasts, the Fire Lizards desperately running toward the dark land devoid of the Fire Lizard King's light at the end of the hollow. The Fire Lizard standing on the mountaintop couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile at this scene.
If you stay, this matter can be treated as if it never happened. But if you run, he would have no choice but to fulfill his duty.
He drew a Black Gold Scimitar from his waist and jumped down from the mountaintop.
In front of the elite Fire Lizards of the Shield of Morik, these Fire Lizard civilians were only destined for slaughter.
Before long, the Fire Lizard reached the last person in the group.
This little one stared blankly at his surroundings, seemingly not yet understanding what had happened. Beside him, a female Fire Lizard lay on the ground, her neck severed by a sharp piece of Obsidian.
"Child, what's your name?"
"…Climb."
"Climb, is it? A good name; my son is also named Climb."
"Uncle, what happened to my mom? She's bleeding a lot."
The Fire Lizard didn't answer; he didn't know how to explain the meaning of death to this little one.
He walked over to Climb and lifted him off the ground.
He felt no hesitation in killing these traitors. Treason was treason, regardless of the reasons behind it.
But the child should be innocent.
"Uncle, where are you taking me? My mom said I shouldn't go with strangers."
Climb didn't struggle when suddenly lifted; he still wore that dazed expression, looking blankly at the Fire Lizard who had picked him up.
The Fire Lizard didn't respond; he flicked his finger lightly, knocking Climb unconscious.
He had no experience in parenting; Climb's questions were better left to those professional Fire Lizards in the rear to handle.
...
In the capital of the Morik Empire, a magnificent pyramid-like building stood.
"Azuhan, the cases of smuggling have been increasing lately."
Akala lay on the table, weakly speaking to the male Fire Lizard across from her.
This was the headquarters of the Shield of Morik, and also Akala's former palace.
Azuhan, sitting across from her, was flipping through documents. Upon hearing Akala's words, he sighed helplessly.
"That's normal; the empire's taxes have reached their limit, and those Black Wizards are still causing havoc within the empire. In the future, these smuggling cases will only increase."
"Is there any solution, Azuhan?" Akala rolled over like a lazy fish. "People below have been constantly bringing me complaints; they'd rather pretend to be slaves and infiltrate the Black Wizards than go after the smugglers.
Is it really that difficult to hunt down smugglers?"
Azuhan looked up at Akala. "There's no way; slaughtering the weak is a burden for most people. Only scum would kill defenseless civilians without any pressure."
Saying this, Azuhan sighed again.
"I never expected that strict recruitment criteria would one day become a burden. If it were the Linksa Eye next door, they would probably be fighting to take on this task."
"So, do we need to recruit a bunch of scum to handle border patrols?"
Azuhan shook his head. "Not necessary. If we really recruited scum, the rumors from the Black Wizards would be validated. Moreover, hunting down smugglers is just a temporary fix; as long as the taxes within the country don't decrease, the smugglers will only increase."
As he spoke, Azuhan took a document from the drawer and tossed it to Akala.
"What's this?" Akala caught the document in confusion and began flipping through it.
Soon, her expression shifted from lazy to serious.
"You want to net them?"
Akala set the document down, her gaze sharp as a blade.
Azuhan nodded. "If we don't act soon, it will be too late. My father and Marshal Donal's plan has been completed; what remains is resource mobilization and troop allocation.
During this time, we must ensure the security of intelligence within the empire."
"What about the other two empires?"
"The Minal Empire is still hesitating, while Marshal Barashar of the Linksa Empire has already responded, agreeing to fully cooperate with our actions."
Akala frowned. "Minal is still hesitating?"
"Yes," Azuhan replied calmly. "Those bastards are still hoping the Wizards will bleed us a bit more so they can reap the benefits later."
Akala couldn't help but shake her head. At a time like this, are they still calculating? Can our counterattack really achieve the expected effect?
"I'll handle the netting. These Black Wizards are tricky; ordinary Silver Horns probably can't deal with them."
"Oh, our princess is going to the battlefield herself?"
"Azuhan! Use titles when working!"
"Hahaha, wishing you a triumphant return, my Deputy Minister."
...
At the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce shop.
"We've dealt a significant blow to the Black Wizards in the Morik Empire?"
Richard looked in shock at Bob beside him.
"Not just in Morik," Bob said mysteriously, "our arrangements in Linksa have also suffered a major setback; I heard several Third Circle masters have died."
Richard gasped. What on earth is happening in this world? Are these Fire Lizards really going against the odds?
"No, this doesn't make sense. How could the Fire Lizards suddenly launch such a large-scale attack on the Black Wizards? Could it be…"
Richard didn't finish his sentence, as Bob across from him had already voiced his suspicion.
"That's right, the Fire Lizards' counterattack is about to begin."
After thirty-five years of war, the first wave of the Fire Lizards' counterattack was finally coming.
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