The First Vampire

Fighting a war is indeed much like a tug-of-war.

A victor can be determined in a mere instant, when one side weakens momentarily and allows the opponent the opportunity to seize control, pulling them step by step into the abyss of defeat.

Upon witnessing the situation on the opposing bank, Marquis Dawson of the North Territory had blood in his eyes.

He could hardly believe that his army of thirty to forty thousand elite soldiers on the South Bank of Ben Liu River was unable to withstand the onslaught of the Golden Lion Legion for even half a day.

The formation of the Dwarf Legion at this point was in complete disarray, with the Golden Lion Legion cutting into their ranks like sharp knives, severing and dissecting them bit by bit.

Therefore, though the actual casualties of the dwarves were not heavy, they had already lost any hope for a reversal of fortunes.

The pontoon bridge was packed with the dwarves from the North shore trying to cross over for support. However, dwarves from the South shore were also trying to escape back, causing the bridge to be almost packed to the brim and dwarf soldiers being shoved off the bridge into the river.

Naturally, there were even more dwarf soldiers being pushed into the water at the riverbank.

Given that the Ben Liu River flowed rapidly, any soldier who fell into the water while still armored, no matter how proficient a swimmer, would certainly drown.

Slowly, the dwarf soldiers had come to the realization that defeat was inevitable. One by one, they began unloading their armor, discarded their weapons, willingly leaped into the water and attempted to swim across the river.

Running away, was the only thought remaining in their hearts.

Despite knowing that the Ben Liu River was behind them, they had utterly lost the courage to fight against the enemy and chose instead to face the danger of getting swallowed by the river than to confront the enemy’s blade.

Marquis Dawson had just finished yelling his fury and was on the brink of personally crossing the river to lead the battle when the officers managed to hold him back in time.

He was panting heavily, both fists tightly clenched, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh. He watched helplessly as groups after groups of dwarves voluntarily jumped or were driven into the river.

All he could see on the surface of the river were dwarven warriors, a sight of bobbing heads and flailing arms.

Soldiers from the Golden Lion Legion who had rushed to the riverbank began to take out their bows and arrows, coldly and mercilessly shooting down the dwarves in the river.

Shortly after, corpses began to densely cover the river’s surface.

Marquis Dawson watched this all blankly, the surrounding cries of anguish and battle calls had disappeared in his deafness. He found himself becoming entirely isolated from this battlefield.

The dreams of the dwarves that had persisted for thousands of years seemed to have left him in this moment.

He was unwilling.

For this dream, he had already given far too much…

Severe and piercing pain made Marquis Dawson open his mouth wide, he tried to scream but all he could taste was blood.

“My Lord, Marquis!”

The dwarf officers saw Marquis Dawson vomiting blood before he collapsed and lost consciousness.

When dusk arrived, the heavy rain finally ceased.

The setting sun finally managed to break through the clouds, splattering the last trace of magnificent rosy light across the earth.

The battle at the South Bank of the Ben Liu River had mostly ended. The dwarf legion failed to organize any large-scale counterattack, only a few isolated bouts of desperate resistance were left.

The pontoon bridge connecting both shores of the Ben Liu River was also engulfed in raging flames.

The fire was set by the dwarfs themselves, obviously intending to prevent the Golden Lion Legion from pursuing their victory further and crossing over to the North Shore via the bridge.

However, the stranded troops on the South Bank were left completely devoid of any hope of escape, as an increasing number of Dwarves began to lay down their weapons and kneel to surrender.

“What a pity. If only Marquis Dawson were on the South shore too.”

Colin stood on the banks of the Ben Liu River, looking at the dwarf encampment on the other side and spoke regretfully.

Actually, this battle was an overwhelming victory for the Golden Lion Legion. Although the final tally of the spoils of war hadn’t been counted yet, Colin estimated that the dwarves, who were defeated on the south bank, had lost over thirty thousand soldiers.

This kind of loss would definitely cause irrevocable pain for Marquis Dawson.

The goals set prior to the battle had been successfully achieved. If the Golden Lion Legion were to retreat at this point, even if Marquis Dawson was given the courage of ten men, he would not dare to cross the river again.

However, Colin still felt that it wasn’t perfect, since he personally did not catch the one who had betrayed Marquis Garcia and sold out the Dark Cavalry.

Standing next to Colin, Scholar Doan smiled faintly after hearing his lament, “Marquis Dawson is not known for charging into enemy ranks; it’s not that easy to catch him on the battlefield.”

Colin got the hint from Scholar Doan’s words. Evidently, his previous decision to lead the legions to charge against enemy troops–though successful–had caused Scholar Doan some concern.

However, Colin didn’t give much of an explanation. It wasn’t like he could tell Doan that he has an unkillable attribute and on top of that a group of fearless Blood Shadow Guards guarding him. If anyone indeed intended to pose a threat to Colin, only the Saints from the Holy Field would have to take action against him personally.

Seeing Colin not responding, Scholar Doan didn’t insist on this topic either. Being a smart man, he knew where to draw the line.

After a moment of silence, Scholar Doan addressed another concern, “My lord, do you know why Marquis Dawson took the risk to cross the river and attack us?”

Colin’s eyes slightly narrowed, showing his interest, “Why?”

In truth, he had been puzzled by that question himself.

With the natural moat like Ben Liu River in between, the side that crosses the river to attack would definitely be at a natural strategic disadvantage.

This time, the Golden Lion Legion was able to crush the thirty thousand elites of the Dwarf Legion in merely half a day because they achieved their victory by catching the enemy in the middle of crossing the river.

Therefore, both sides had stood in confrontation across the Ben Liu River for over a month, continuously sending out small squads back and forth to examine each other’s strength, yet neither side was willing to be the first one to cross the river to attack.

However, this time, Marquis Dawson decided to take the initiative to attack.

Of course, the enticement must have been the chaos that overtook the camp of the Golden Lion Legion last night. But just this alone shouldn’t make Marquis Dawson take such a risky action.

Scholar Doan smiled and asked, “My Lord, do you know about the Solinci family?”

“Solinci?” Colin searched his predecessor’s memories but found nothing and shook his head saying, “I don’t know. Should this not be a family from the North Territory?”

“Indeed, it is not. In fact, it’s not even a family from the Glorious Empire.” Scholar Doan’s eyes were deep as if they could see through the thousand years of time, “The Solinci family was once the royal bloodline of the Dwarf Kingdom, but it has long been lost.”

The Dwarf royal bloodline?

Colin was slightly startled, he continued watching Scholar Doan, waiting for his explanation.

“Even though the Solinci family has become history, it holds a very important place in the hearts of the Dwarf clan. In fact, after a thousand years of remembrance and recollection, it has gradually evolved into a spiritual totem.

Even faith.

For that reason, if there is still a living Solinci today, as long as he calls out, the Dwarves will definitely surround him, establishing a kingdom and proclaiming him king would be a natural process.

However, because the Solinci family has no descendants left, when the Dwarves try to reestablish their kingdom in the North territory, they face a problem—

Who will be the Dwarf King?”

At this point, Colin roughly understood what Scholar Doan meant, “So, Marquis Dawson’s decision to take the initiative to attack was to use the achievement of defeating the Golden Lion Legion to compete for the position of the Dwarf King?”

“Exactly.” Scholar Doan nodded, “In terms of noble rank and power, Marquis Menam and Marquis Dawson differ insignificantly. However, Marquis Dawson is tainted with a huge scandal that affects his reputation.”

Colin nodded. He knew that this ‘scandal’ was obviously Marquis Dawson’s betrayal of Marquis Garcia to whom he had once pledged loyalty.

“Because of this reputation scandal, if Marquis Dawson didn’t have any extraordinary achievement, once the Dwarves establish a kingdom, the throne of the Dwarf King would definitely belong to Marquis Menam.”

“Hehe, what a pity. He risked crossing the river for battle and yet suffered a huge loss. It seems like Marquis Dawson no longer stands a chance to compete with Marquis Menam.”

Scholar Doan suddenly revealed a cold smile, “My Lord, I believe that Marquis Dawson might not be so willing to see Marquis Menam ascend to the throne of the Dwarf King.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Because, years ago, the Dawson family had married a direct-line daughter from the Solinci family. Therefore, when the Solinci family perished, the Dawson family felt that they were the genuine successors to the bloodline of the Dwarf King.

With the increasing reverence for the Solinci family among the Dwarves, this notion has become stronger, even turning into a sort of obsessive faith.”

It was for this reason that Marquis Dawson was willing to betray Marquis Garcia, who had been so benevolent to him, in order to create conditions for the Dwarves to build a nation.

For the same reason, I believe that Marquis Dawson will not easily abandon the idea of competing with Marquis Menam for the throne of the Dwarf King.”

Colin’s eyes lit up, he immediately realized that if Marquis Dawson wasn’t willing to give in, then this certainly offered an exploitable opportunity.

Thinking of this, they both looked at each other and their smiles contained profound implications.