"...That's the situation."
Kylo Knight sat on a rock, recounting his experiences to Sauron.
A pensive expression appeared on Sauron's face.
"The most urgent matter now is to retake Night Raven City!"
Kylo Knight looked pale, but a hint of urgency flashed in his eyes. He said, "As far as I know, after White Valley took over Night Raven City, Frost scholar and the three mistresses couldn't escape."
"Now, they are probably imprisoned in the dungeons of Night Raven City!"
Hearing Kylo Knight's words, Sauron nodded slightly.
Frost was a scholar in Night Raven City who had dedicated himself to assisting Oren for many years and held significant influence in Night Raven City.
Therefore, even if White Valley took over Night Raven City, they wouldn't dare to do anything extreme to Frost. At most, they might temporarily imprison him.
As for the three mistresses mentioned by Kylo, they were Oren's concubines.
According to the laws of the Taal Duchy, a woman could have at most one husband, while a man could have multiple wives. However, only the legitimate wife's children could inherit the title. Concubines were more like mistresses in ancient times.
Sauron's mother was Oren's legitimate wife. However, she passed away due to illness shortly after giving birth to Sauron, leaving the position of the Lord's wife in Night Raven City vacant.
As for the three mistresses, they were women Oren acquired later.
Of course, as a city lord, Oren had more than three women privately, including some mistresses who didn't have a formal status.
In Sauron's memories, Oren was not a licentious person. Despite having many women around him, he deeply loved his late wife.
"At dawn tomorrow, we will retake Night Raven City!" Sauron said solemnly.
After regaining control of the mining area, Sauron's forces had grown significantly. For the upcoming battle, he released all the mining slaves from the area.
Moreover, Sauron promised these former slaves that after retaking Night Raven City tomorrow, they would regain their freedom. Those who performed exceptionally well in the battle would even receive some gold coins as a reward.
Soon, a day passed.
In the year 826 of the new calendar, during the Revival season in March, as the distant sky brightened with the first rays of light, a gathered army stood on the open ground outside Night Raven City. Sauron rode at the forefront on horseback.
Beside him was the high-level Knight Conrad.
Behind them were not only two hundred Red Feather Guards but also nearly six hundred soldiers gathered by Sauron from Lighthouse Town and the mining area.
Some were originally generational militia loyal to the Swain family, while others were former mining slaves liberated from the mines.
Six hundred soldiers wore various, mismatched clothes, and their weapons were of all kinds. Few had spears or cross swords; most carried tools like hoes and forks.
Some even held wooden sticks or stones tied with ropes as makeshift meteor hammers.
Limited resources were the reason for this diversity. In a short time, it was impossible to equip six hundred soldiers with proper gear using the resources of Lighthouse Town. Fortunately, Sauron did not rely too much on this makeshift army.
For the battle to retake Night Raven City, he mainly depended on the Red Feather Guard and Conrad. The six hundred militia could at most bolster the appearance of a formidable force.
"Sauron Young Master, give the order!"
Beside him, Kylo Knight looked pale, but his eyes sparkled.
For him, only by retaking Night Raven City could he erase the previous shame. Despite not having fully recovered from his injuries, Kylo Knight insisted on stepping onto the battlefield. He volunteered to command the six hundred militia.
"Good!"
Sauron nodded slightly, saying solemnly, "In today's battle, Mr. Conrad might be troubled."
Night Raven City was different from Lighthouse Town.
The city wall, built with black rocks, was ten meters high. Once the city gate closed, it became easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even with the two hundred Red Feather Guards leading, it would be challenging to retake Night Raven City without opening the city gates.
At this moment, Conrad was crucial.
Only the power of a high-level Knight had a chance to open the city gates. It didn't need a complete breach—just creating an opening would be enough for the Red Feather Guard to charge through.
Beside him, Conrad nodded slightly.
Sauron's eyes flickered. Then, he waved his hand, ordering the Red Feather Guard to prepare for the attack.
However, at this moment...
"Young scion of the Swain family, take a look at who this is!"
A Knight appeared on the city wall.
He was tall, clad in white armor, with a stern expression. With a wave of his hand, several prisoner-like silhouettes were brought onto the city wall.
"Sauron Young Master, save me!"
"Wu wu wu!"
"Sauron, don't attack the city. The people of White Valley will push us off the city wall!"
The silhouettes on the city wall seemed to be Swain family members, and most of them, Sauron couldn't name.
But there were a few he recognized.
"Lady Rafi and Lady Sonia!"
Beside him, Kylo Knight frowned slightly, recognizing the weeping women on the city wall as Oren's wife and clanswoman.
"Molun, using women as hostages is too shameless, isn't it?"
Kylo Knight said loudly, "Are the three swords of White Valley City all of your ilk? It's truly a disgrace!"
On the city wall, Molun remained unmoved.
His gaze shifted towards Conrad, and a trace of solemnity appeared on his face. It seemed he recognized Conrad and felt a bit wary.
"Steelheart Knight, Conrad!"
A tremor ran through Molun's heart, and a thoughtful gleam flashed in his eyes as he muttered, "Isn't this guy an enemy of Oren? Why would he stand with the Swain family's brats? Could the rumors be true?"
Thinking of this, Molun's expression turned unpleasant.
Although he was one of the three swords of White Valley City, Molun was well aware that with his ability, confronting a high-level Knight like Conrad would be an inevitable defeat.
Therefore, upon learning about Conrad's presence, he had already sent someone to seek reinforcements from White Valley City. Only White Valley City's Lord, Doff, who was also a high-level Knight, had the ability to deal with Conrad.
However, White Valley City's support couldn't arrive at Night Raven City so quickly.
Molun knew that he had to hold Night Raven City for at least three days to wait for reinforcements. Therefore, he planned to use hostages as a threat.