Chapter 120: The Summoning of the Heavenly Calamity's Lonely Star

  If one word could be used to describe the Byzantine Empire's capital of Osgiliath, that word would be:

  Miracle!

  There was once a famous poet from the mainland who, when he first arrived in Australia, made this comment: When you stand before it, all your words, all your elegant phrases seem so pale! And at this moment, my only impulse is to kneel down, prostrate myself on the ground, and with the most reverent and fearful heart, kiss this land, kiss this city of human wonders!!!

  The first glance at this miracle city left a stunning impression on Tuo.

  The most direct and overwhelming sensory shock! This shock is like a bucket of cold water poured over your head! It makes you feel as if you're being washed away by an incredible force, every nerve, every hair standing on end. The excitement and thrill of the moment will give you an inexplicable sense of exhilaration, making you want to prostrate yourself on the ground, cheering and praising the miracle before your eyes.

  Xia Ya's feelings at this moment are roughly like this.

  His mouth was open as if it could swallow an egg, and his eyes were staring like a cow's!

  Osgiliath lay on the inland sea of the Byzantine Empire.

  Its terrain is like a giant peninsula protruding into the sea, as if the gods had deliberately cut off a piece of the mountain peak that originally existed on this peninsula that jutted out to sea, making the entire small landmass that protruded into the sea a semi-mountainous terrain.

  The entire Os Giliath was built in such a unique environment. As a peninsula that extends into the sea, it is surrounded by the ocean on three sides, but only the southern side has flat beaches, while the other two sides are steep cliffs tens of meters high! Under the tidal action of the ocean, the years of raging waves, coupled with the reefs and tens of meters of cliffs, have become a natural barrier for the city's east and north faces... And it seems that the imperial rulers still felt that this was not safe enough, so they built a giant wall on the cliff, twenty meters high and ten meters wide! On top of the wall, massive towers were constructed, with one tower every few hundred meters, equipped with long-range ballistae and hidden soldiers.

  The city wall is built with bluish-white polished square rocks, and it is said that each rock weighs at least several hundred kilograms. The highest point of the city wall, if calculated from the cliff to the sea surface, even exceeds 100 meters!

  But this is still not the most magnificent place.

  On the west side of the peninsula leading to the mainland, a majestic and grand city wall that is considered one of the most impressive on the continent lies there, directly cutting the peninsula and the mainland into two parts.

  This is the real entrance to Osgiliath. The city wall averages thirty meters high, with a maximum height of fifty meters! This side of the city wall stretches for several miles, and there are twelve gates along this section of the wall, including the famous Triumphal Arch in the center, which can accommodate at least ten horse-drawn carriages driving abreast under its broad gate.

  Twelve city gates, each in a circular arch shape, are filled with Byzantine architectural style. The gate is full of the most magnificent and grand carvings, which carve the statues of outstanding heroes of the Byzantine Empire on the wall above the gate, as if an ancient hero is guarding this mainland city. There are also four towering towers around the circular top of the castle, each with a diameter of at least ten meters, which can hold enough soldiers to guard the gate.

  At this moment, what Shaya saw in his eyes was the west wall of Osgiliath facing the mainland!

  His first reaction was: This is not a city wall, but a mountain range on the horizon that cannot be seen at all!! The neat row of square and straight walls that were so high that they made Xia Ya almost drop her jaw to the ground!

  As the eye travels, the city wall is full of fluttering flags of various kinds, and the massive stone walls are piled up in a deep blue color, as if it were a sleeping monster... Under the sunlight, it even gives people a sense of sacredness and awe.

  Xia Ya's shock lasted for a full minute, and when he came to his senses, he was still staring at the majestic city wall in the distance, muttering: "Damn... such a huge city, how many years did Byzantium spend building it..."

  "Forty years." Koro didn't know when he rode his horse to Xia Ya's side, and on the way, Koro had already learned that this Mr. Xia Ya was visiting Osgiliath for the first time, and even knew that Xia Ya wasn't a Byzantine. The fat man looked at Osgiliath in the distance, although it wasn't his first time here, but he was still shocked in his heart as a Lantis person, and replied to Xia Ya's question in a low voice: "The Byzantine Empire spent forty years building this magnificent continental wonder city! And that only gave the city walls their initial scale, and after its completion, it took them more than two hundred years to make the city what it is today!! After going through six dynasties and over ten generations of emperors, they finally made the city what it is today."

  Xia Ya took a deep breath of cool air.

  Two hundred and forty years...

  "Come on! Let's go in through the Arc de Triomphe. It's your first time in Osgelia, if you don't take a look at the Arc de Triomphe, it would be a lifelong regret!" Guro chuckled: "The first time I passed by the Arc de Triomphe, my eyes almost popped out!"

  After advancing towards this magnificent city for nearly half a day, everyone finally arrived under the city wall...

  Another miracle in front of Xia Ya!

  In front of me is a big river! To be exact, it's an artificial river excavated by human beings!

  According to Gu Luo's introduction, hundreds of years ago, a Byzantine emperor ordered the peninsula facing Osgiliath to be completely cut off along the city wall, and a ten-mile-long artificial river was dug!!!

  The banks of this artificial river are paved with marble, the river bed is as deep as ten meters, and it took sixteen years to excavate. The estuaries at both ends introduce seawater, making this artificial river a moat on the west side of Osigilia.

  And this moat is at least 50 meters wide at its narrowest point, and as much as over 100 meters at its widest!

  Under the twelve city gates on the west wall, a total of 12 stone bridges were built along the artificial river to connect both banks! The narrowest stone bridge is ten meters wide, and the widest one, which leads to the Triumphal Arch, is fifty meters wide!

  Twelve giant stone bridge piers, formed twelve ties that connected the peninsula to the mainland.

  It can be said that... if these twelve bridges are cut off, then Osgiliath would become an island surrounded by water on all sides!

  Xia Ya followed the merchant team to the other side of the Arc de Triomphe bridge, and after hundreds of years of operation, this end of the bridge had formed a small town. The bustle of the town was far beyond that of Wildfire Town. Xia Ya followed the merchant team through the town, looking at the lively crowd and the colorful mainland travelers and merchants, and the Byzantine soldiers patrolling in their bright armor...

  When he finally arrived at the west bank of the bridge, looking at this wide tens of meters bridge in front of him, Xia Ya was stunned again!

  On the west bank of the bridge, there were two towers, where a battalion of imperial infantry was stationed. Their equipment was very fine, with bright armor and weapons, and they were tall and upright. The wide bridge was already crowded with pedestrians and horses, the bridge deck was made of large square stones, and the railing on both sides was made of circular pillars and stone piles.

  The merchant caravan showed their passage documents to the garrison when they crossed the bridge, and then slowly moved forward among the crowd. Xia Ya was able to carefully observe the scenery on both sides. The bridge had a wide artificial river flowing beneath it, with a bridge arch of nearly ten meters high above the water. The hundred-meter-long bridge was supported by over a dozen giant stone beams spanning the artificial river. The river water was emerald green, clearly sea water that had been channeled in. On the surface of the river, there were even some small boats patrolling back and forth. Judging from the flags hanging from the boats, they were obviously military patrol boats.

  On both sides are canals, and in the distance, one can barely make out the outlines of other bridges and city gates. Although they are too far away to be seen clearly, it is still enough to shock people.

  When walking over the stone bridge and standing under the Arc de Triomphe, Xia Ya finally let out a sigh of relief for the first time - although he had seen too much before and his tolerance had increased a lot, but seeing the Arc de Triomphe for the first time still made this country bumpkin stunned.

  Under the Arc de Triomphe, there are three arched gateways. The middle one is fifty meters high. Standing inside and looking up, you may even have an illusion that such a tall gateway seems not to be used for human beings but prepared for gods in myths.

  The arched city gate, each stone is piled up very neatly, and there is no protrusion or flaw! Above the circular giant city gate, the four towers on the castle tower seem to be inserted into the clouds. The high circular castle top floats with various flags, and on both sides of the city gate, the outer city's protruding two-winged turret... All this adds up to confirm that once war comes, each castle can become a military fortress in the shortest time - and it is also the most difficult to conquer!

  "In the history of the Byzantine Empire, there was a legendary commander who once said: 'Even if I had an army of one million men and unlimited logistical supplies, taking this city would still be a nightmare!' Kuro muttered under his breath."

  Xia Ya's heart skipped a beat as she turned her head to look at this fatty.

  Just then, Xia Ya, who had just walked out of the Arc de Triomphe, was riding a horse and heard a familiar voice coming from afar.

  "Ah ha! You little turtle, I've been waiting for you for so many days, and finally, I've got you!!"

  Xia Ya looked around and saw a group of warriors wearing light soft armor standing in the crowd on her left, surrounding a fat man with a big belly and a strange smile on his face. He was standing at the street corner, laughing loudly towards Xia Ya's direction.

  "General Rour!" Xia Ya immediately jumped off his horse and pushed through the crowd, arriving in front of him. Rour grabbed Xia Ya's shoulder and punched him in the chest: "Damn it, you took so many days to arrive, you've driven me crazy!"

  Xia Ya looked at Rourou's appearance, this guy took off the military uniform, wearing a light and luxurious noble warrior robe, with a large red gemstone ring on his fingers, and shiny leather boots, just like a noble old man going out.

  Lulu glanced at the Lanters and Wolf Fang Warriors behind Shaya, General Rabbit slightly furrowed his brow: "Lanter? How did you end up with a group of pirates?"

  Xia Ya smiled: "Met on the road... hmm, it's actually you, looks like your complexion is not bad, seems like you've gained some weight since we last parted."

  Lu's face fell, and he let out a loud "hiss" as he dragged Xia Ya to the side, saying in a low voice: "Damn it! I've been so worried lately that I almost wanted to kill myself! This time I'm really unlucky! After I returned to the Imperial Capital, the Military Department issued an order that nearly scared me to death!"

  "What?"

  "This general me!" Roderich puffed out his chest, making a fierce face: "My position as the commander of the Sixth Army Corps has been revoked! The Ministry of War ordered me to be transferred to another unit! My new position is... is... damn it, Commander of the Thirteenth Cavalry Corps! Do you understand? Kid! Now I'm your superior officer, and from now on, I'll be the new generation's arrogant general, that is... the new leader of the Rodoria Cavalry Corps!"

  Xia Ya was stunned, his expression became very strange, as if he had used a lot of force to suppress the urge to exclaim, his voice was a little hoarse, and he squeezed out a sentence from his mouth: "You... you're saying that you, you replaced General Adrick's position? You..."

  The smug look on his face immediately collapsed, and he helplessly scratched the fat on his face: "I don't know if the people in the military department have gone crazy! My nickname is General Rabbit, and they actually let me lead the 13th battalion?!"

  "Rabbits... commanding... a group of lions..." Xia Ya rolled her eyes.

  "He immediately thought of something: 'And... General Adrick?'"

  "Who?" Rour muttered under his breath: "Your former boss is in big trouble this time..."

  Xia Ya's eyes widened immediately, and Rourou hastily pressed him down: "Don't be in a hurry! He has been promoted! He is now appointed as the Deputy Minister of Military Affairs! With this promotion, he can now be considered the second-in-command of the Imperial Army——well, if only from the perspective of his position."

  "Got a promotion?" Xia Ya didn't quite understand what the fuss was about, but upon learning that Adrick had been promoted, he felt relieved and smiled: "Ah, so now you're my direct superior! However... I do have some doubts. You... this guy, can you really command the 13th Cavalry Regiment? Running away with your tail between your legs is something you're quite good at, but fighting..."

  Lu Ru was furious and glared at Xia Ya: "Shut up, you little brat! I'm your superior now! Be careful or I'll fire you and send you to manage the labor camp!"

  But then the fat man sighed, looked at Xia Ya and said in a low voice: "I'm anxious to wait for you here because of this... Hum, I knew it. You came to Osgiliath for the first time, and you must have walked through the Triumphal Arch. Everyone who comes to Osgiliath for the first time will do so."

  After a pause, General Rabbit let out a sigh: "I'd be more than happy to be your superior, but it seems that you won't be able to stay in the 13th battalion either."

  Xia Ya was stunned.

  He was somewhat dissatisfied - he had no sense of belonging to this empire, and the only sense of belonging was placed on the brothers in the 13th Legion, let him leave the 13th Legion and go to other troops to serve this empire?

  I don't have time for that nonsense!

  If you really transfer me to another place, I'll quit this job and go back home to be a hunter.

  Rouru was so clever and familiar with Xiaya's temperament, that as soon as he saw the little guy raise an eyebrow, he knew what the other person was thinking. He quickly comforted Xiaya: "This may not be a bad thing. We'll talk about this later, you say goodbye to your companions first, then follow me back, and I'll slowly explain it to you."

  Xia Ya also knew that this bustling street was not a place for conversation, so he went back and exchanged greetings with Gu Luo. Gu Luo smiled and bowed to Xia Ya: "Lord Xia Ya, it's our honor to be able to travel together with you on the way. No matter what, please don't forget, in the Galens Merchant Association, there is still a friend of yours named Gu Luo. Hehe, we will now head to the Galens Merchant Association's stronghold in Osgilia. If you have time, please settle down and send someone to deliver a message to me. Since we traveled together, we can be considered friends."

  Xia Ya readily agreed, and Gu Luo recited the address of the Galans merchant group's base in the imperial capital - actually, it wasn't necessary to say it, as their merchant group was quite famous, and could be easily found with a little inquiry in the imperial capital.

  After Kor and his group left, Afreca also came up and actively said to Shaya: "Lord Shaya, let's go register for the martial artist guild first, then we'll find a place to stay. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be staying at the old lighthouse inn in the south of the city near the docks. That inn is very famous near the docks, you can send someone to look for me anytime."

  Xia Ya nodded and seriously took down the address. With a serious expression, he said: "Alright, don't worry, I'll send someone to inform you tomorrow after I move in."

  The Lantisians and the Wolf Tooth Warriors left, while General Rul stood far away without approaching. As a high-ranking military officer and a noble title holder, he naturally had some airs and pretensions.

  After all these people left, Rour led Xia Ya riding horses away.

  "I'll tell you, kid, this time it's a bit of a hassle." Lulur hastily informed Shaya on the way: "His Majesty has issued an order, once you report back, he will let you enter the palace immediately to meet him! His Majesty wants to meet you in person... I can't judge whether this is good or bad. Hmm, hopefully it's a good thing, after all, you killed that little white face Bonfret. However... entering the imperial palace is also very dangerous, you have to be careful of the Crown Prince. But I heard that recently the Crown Prince has been living in his eastern suburban palace, maybe you won't run into him."

  He paused, looking at Xia Ya's expressionless face, and let out a sigh: "None of these are the most important thing, what's important is... someone has already sent people to inform me, and told me something. As soon as you arrive in the Imperial Capital, they will immediately take you to meet him. This person wants to take a good look at you."

  "Who? Who wants to see me?"

  "Kavihir." The fat man shivered as he spoke the name. A faint look of fear flashed across his chubby face, and he lowered his voice to a serious tone: "Listen up, kid! In the Imperial City, even if you offend the Emperor, or cross the Crown Prince, or get on the wrong side of those big shots in the military department, as long as you have military merit, you can barely hold your ground. But this Kavihir... you'd better be extra careful!"

  "What? Who is this guy? Is he scary?"

  Chubby hesitated for a moment, he couldn't help but look around, as if there was something to worry about, and as if he was afraid that his words would be overheard by someone and passed on to Kavihir.

  "Is it scary or not, I don't dare to judge directly. Well, let me put it this way." The fatty said in a low voice with a straight face: "In the Imperial City, many people hate Kavihir, including those from the imperial family, the church, the military department, and the Senate... But despite being hated by so many people, he has lived well for decades, and seems to be getting more and more prosperous." The fatty paused intentionally before continuing: "However, as for those who have been remembered by him with hatred... they are now all lying on Mount Glory - not a single exception in all these years!"

  Mount Glory... He seemed to have heard the name somewhere on his journey. After a moment's thought, he remembered - Ah yes, Mount Glory, wasn't it the largest cemetery in the outskirts of Osgilia?

  Xia Ya's expression also turned serious after savoring General Pangzi's last words.

  "This guy... what is he after? What does he want from me?"

  General Pao immediately gave a brief introduction of Kavi's identity.

  "Huh? The Emperor's most trusted advisor?" Xia Ya furrowed her brow: "What does this guy want from me? I'm just a minor character, after all... Even if I do achieve something, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with him."

  "What I'm worried about is exactly this." Rour said with some concern: "It's better if you have nothing to do with him... What I fear most is that Kavishir guy, whoever gets involved with him will be unlucky."

  Fatso wiped away cold sweat: "This guy is over fifty years old, his wife died early, his sons and daughters are dead, all his relatives and friends are dead without exception! I suspect that whoever has a relationship with him will be cursed! Even our Emperor... because he's friends with him, the Emperor is bedridden with illness, and his only son actually turned into... turned into a rabbit! Damn it."

  "My goodness! So fierce?" Xia Ya's face changed color: "It's simply a heavenly calamity!"

  Xia Ya glanced at Rour: "This, this heavenly calamity... damn it, this Kavishil, when are you going to meet me?"

  "...Now." The fat man sighed, his face stern, pointing to the front of the road: "This road is the direction to the Cavishill family's house. He sent someone to deliver a message requesting that as soon as you arrive in the Imperial City, you go see him immediately!"

  Xia Ya was furious: "You dead fat ass! How dare you tell me now?! Damn it... No way, no way! To see such a dangerous guy, I have to prepare myself at least! You, you damn bastard..."

  "Sorry, little brother." The fatty wiped the sweat off: "Kavish's request, I don't dare refuse...I don't want to be remembered by him with hatred. At my current age, I'm still in my prime and don't want to end up lying on Mount Glory so soon..."