Chapter 288


    "What kind of trouble?"


    "People have arrived outside the city, quite special ones. Lucan has sent me to escort you to the


    city gates immediately."


    "Special? In what way?"


    "You''ll see when we get there. Lady E, will you join us?"


    "Let''s take a look."


    Godfred led vin and E, gliding low over the ancient city, to the city gates. The gates were


    tightly shut, the wall guards were ready for battle, and the atmosphere was tense.


    A mighty roar echoed across the wilderness – a pride of majestic golden lions, strong and valiant,


    approached Stormcast with the dawn light. Their presence was powerful, their roars were


    thunderous, and their golden fur shimmered. There was an undeniable majesty about them. They


    moved slowly but exuded an overwhelming aura, causing the grass within a kilometer to bow down.


    Lucan was on edge, alert for any threat. Atop each lion sat a figure wrapped in a white cloak, their


    silence and solemn gazes fixed on Stormcast.


    As vin and E reached the city wall, they, too, were struck by the scene before them. The


    commanding presence was both real and intense.


    The leading three golden lions were immense. Their roars pierced the morning silence. mes of


    gold engulfed their bodies, burning fiercely, warping the space around them. The lions behind


    stayed a few steps back, respecting their dominance.


    "Sunfire Lions!" E eximed in surprise, peering intently. "By the gods, Sunfire Lions! Could they


    be from the Blessed Citadel?"


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    "You know of them?" vin asked. His guard was up, for Stormcast could ill afford a war.


    "The Blessed Citadel is the heart of the Royal Realm, the cornerstone of its prosperity, and the most


    formidable weapon against other Kingdoms. What brings them to the Nortnds?"


    The Royal Realm was divided into five domains: Minds, Nortnds, Soutnds, Easnds, and


    Wesnds. Minds was the most powerful and prosperous, filled with noble houses and


    organizations. Among them, the Blessed Citadel, belonging to royalty, was the foundation of the


    realm''s strength and the royal family''s might across all domains.


    The Blessed Citadel rarely ventured from the Central Domain. What could possibly bring them to


    the Nortnds, to Stormcast?


    "I''ve not crossed them. I''ve not even heard of the Blessed Citadel," vin truly hadn''t heard of the


    Blessed Citadel, but that didn''t mean he was unaware of the might of Minds. Even if the


    Nortnds and the other three domains of the Southbined their strength, they couldn''t match


    the power of Minds. Those who hailed from there always looked down upon the surrounding


    ces with the air of haughty sovereigns.


    "Lord vin, what should we do?" Lucan had never dealt with such power and felt understandably


    nervous.


    "Open the gates! If they wish entry, these city walls will not deter them." vin spected that the


    Blessed Citadel might’ve beening because of the matter with Antis. Aside from that, there


    seemed little else in the Nortnds to pique their interest.


    "Let them in. They''re likely just seeking rest," E couldn''t think of any quarrel they might have with


    the Stormcast, and besides, Minds had no cause to make trouble in Stormcast as they didn’t


    interfer with each other.


    The city gates thundered down, spanning the moat.


    vin, apanied by Lucan and the guard, personally went forth to greet the visitors at the


    ancient city''s entrance.


    Golden lions slowly crossed the wilderness to the city''s gate. The three leading Sunfire Lions were


    massive and majestic. Their golden mes burned fiercely, warping the air with their terrible heat.


    Atop each sat an elder with white hair, wrapped in white cloaks, their demeanor cold and


    commanding as they looked down upon vin and his entourage.


    The rest of the golden lions followed in formation, nearly twenty in number, mounted by young men


    and women, all radiating a formidable presence.


    They were sizing up vin, and he was observing them, but as he did, his expression changed. On


    the edge of the procession, he spotted a familiar face—Marak!


    Marak was mounted on a striking tiger, distinct from the golden lions, with a smirk that seemed to


    mock vin.


    A sense of dread clutched at vin''s heart. Trouble was brewing.