Chapter 456: 444 Underground Anomaly_1
Unbeknownst to them, the sky had gradually darkened.

Mud Quagmire Fort and Mel City were both shrouded in darkness, but Mel City’s sky was filled with dazzling stars, and the bright moonlight cast upon the city walls, creating a different kind of beauty.

As for Mud Quagmire Fort, it was enveloped in thick black clouds, with no stars visible, and only the occasional rumble of distant thunder could be heard.

Looking around, apart from the torches of Mud Quagmire Fort and the Crimson Legion’s camp, there was not a single source of light.

Slowly, the time had moved into the late hours of the night, and the highest-ranking commanders of Mud Quagmire Fort and Mel City were both awake, simultaneously standing at the highest points of their respective city walls.

A few sporadic undead creatures would occasionally emerge from the swamp outside Mud Quagmire Fort, their ghostly blue flames looking extremely eerie.

Apart from a few farmers who were forcibly conscripted into the army and were startled by this scene, the original soldiers of Mud Quagmire Fort had long grown accustomed to it.

Gazing at the quiet camp of the Crimson Legion from afar, the commander of Mud Quagmire Fort secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that there wouldn’t be any activity from the other side tonight.

Meanwhile, Duke Carmela had the same thought.

Standing on the towering city walls of Mel City, Carmela’s eagle-like eyes swiftly scanned the surroundings, but apart from the stone walls on both sides and the monsters sleeping on the ground below, he didn’t find anything unusual.

In the end, Carmela’s gaze settled on the monsters below the city.

Lizardmen, Minotaurs, Trolls, and other such monsters of varying races lay on the ground without any defenses, their bellies facing the sky, snoring loudly in their sleep.

Looking at these foolish creatures, Carmela felt an urge to lead his troops out for a charge, believing that they could achieve great success in catching these monsters off-guard.

But ultimately, he suppressed the idea that had both high risks and high returns because he felt that something was not quite right.

Although he did not know the specifics of Tamora’s fall, Kari never mentioned it either, but through those Felton people who had been forcibly stuffed into the army, he could learn some simple intelligence.

Tamora, a military fortress with a level of defense almost on par with Mel City, had only held out for one day against the combined forces of these monsters and the Nord people.

At the time, at the foot of Tamora city, these monsters had also begun by snoring loudly in their sleep, showing no tension of impending war.

So, what exactly did these creatures do to contribute to the fall of Tamora, a city almost on par with Mel City, in just a day?

Duke Carmela fell into deep thought, and even after racking his brain, he could not figure out why.

Mel City had a solid defense, and due to the mountains surrounding it on all sides, if he were to attack, the only good method would be to use a force several or even tens of times larger than the defenders; and even then, preparations for a protracted battle would be necessary.

Seizing Mel City in a single day was simply impossible.

In the end, Duke Carmela only felt a headache and some fatigue.

Although sleep was elusive, it was still possible to rest his eyes for a moment.

So Duke Carmela leaned directly on the city wall, intending to rest for a short while, and a nearby guard prepared to drape a cloak over him to keep him from catching a chill.

But before the guard could place the cloak on him, Duke Carmela suddenly raised his head, looking strangely at the sleeping monsters below while reaching out to touch the brick wall in front of him.

This sudden action startled the nearby guard, who hastily asked, “Milord, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Ignoring the guard’s concern, Duke Carmela frowned and then leaned down, pressing his ear against the brick wall.

The guard watched Duke Carmela with a puzzled expression, and when Carmela stood up again, he hurriedly jumped down from the city wall without saying a word.

With his strength as a legendary swordsman, this height was nothing to him.

By the time the guard had hurriedly run down from the city wall, he found Carmela already repeating the same action he had performed on the city wall and slowly straightening up.

Furthermore, Duke Carmela’s expression was extremely solemn, and his entire face looked terribly dark.

Suddenly, Duke Carmela shouted loudly, “Someone, come!”

As a result, the guard who had finally come down from the city wall had barely caught his breath before rushing back to Duke Carmela’s side.

“Milord, what are your orders?”

Sweat dripped from the guard’s forehead, as running in heavy armor was quite exhausting for ordinary people.

At this moment, Duke Carmela had no energy to show sympathy for his long-serving guard and asked directly, “Are there spellcasters in Mel City?”

The guard answered truthfully, “I remember that among the guards of those conscripted merchants, there are a few spellcasters. They should be asleep by now. Do you need me to bring them to you?”

“Bring all of them here, and be quick about it!”

At Duke Carmela’s command, the guard immediately ran off once more.

In a short while, a few weak and disheveled individuals appeared before Duke Carmela.

These were the few spellcasters in Mel City, and they did not seem very powerful.

The Western Empire had no shortage of spellcasters, but most of them settled in Stania, a haven for spellcasters.

However, the abundance of spellcasters in Stania also led to the Western Empire losing a large number of them. Finding even these few misfits in Mel City was already quite good.

On the faces of some of the spellcasters, there were bruises, indicating that Duke Carmela’s guard had not used gentle methods to bring them here.

Without the energy to consider their feelings, Duke Carmela spoke directly, “There’s something underground, and I need you to find out what it is, whether it’s a scheme by the monsters outside the city, and discuss countermeasures!”

Seeing that the spellcasters hadn’t yet come to their senses, Duke Carmela sneered, “Of course, you can also choose to be thrown over the city wall to feed those disgusting monsters.

As a side note, I would be delighted to personally throw you down, which is an honor that many people can’t enjoy. You may consider it!”

Naturally, no one would volunteer to enjoy that honor, so without further prompting from Duke Carmela, the disheveled spellcasters busied themselves.

Using techniques such as drawing magic arrays, mumbling strange incantations, performing odd dances, or even kneeling and praying for divine assistance, these spellcasters employed all their means.

Watching the bizarre scene unfold before him, Duke Carmela’s face darkened, and he began to doubt whether he had picked the wrong people.