Water Mage in the Flame Realm-Chapter 422 - 404: Return Amidst the Flames of War (Final Volume Begins) (Part 2)

But Gus’s courage was even greater.

At a critical moment, Gus made an incredibly bold decision: to voluntarily abandon the Dragon’s Nest, giving up this fortress that had already fallen during the First Double Flame War and had been severely damaged, with diminished strategic value.

He concentrated all forces back to the Scholar’s Fortress. No matter what, they absolutely must not let President Beiru truly divide the Magic Guild’s forces into two isolated parts.

Thus, President Beiru redirected his forces and moved into the Dragon’s Nest accordingly.

He joined forces with Peter, the First Knight and Beiru’s professional partner.

All of this happened within just two days.

No matter how you look at it, the Magic Guild’s side took a major loss.

With President Beiru capturing the northern Royal Court and taking the central Dragon’s Nest, he could then use these two strategic fortresses as bases of advance, continually nibbling away at the Magic Guild’s land, and finally exerting strong control over the Scholar’s Fortress.

However, no one anticipated that on the night Gus ordered the abandonment of the Dragon’s Nest, he, together with Ancient Poison and Ancient Star, personally descended upon the Dragon’s Nest.

This was because, upon abandoning the Dragon’s Nest, Gus also confirmed: President Beiru had completely lost the Warm Fire Order.

The Warm Fire Commerce Association was once able to contend with the Magic Guild entirely because President Beiru, relying on the Warm Fire Order, could single-handedly hold off Gus and two others.

Now, without the Warm Fire Order, President Beiru’s power was still stronger than any one of Gus’s trio, but with the three Earth Fire Scholars teamed up, President Beiru had no chance of victory.

In a sense, President Beiru acted boldly precisely because of his own weakness, deliberately showing off.

Meanwhile, Gus and his team feigned weakness, abandoning the Dragon’s Nest, but instead executed a night assault!

A night battle of extreme intensity occurred, with all three of Gus’s team injured, President Beiru badly wounded, and Peter, the First Crimson Knight, killed.

Gus and his team were not in a hurry to expand their successes and, unable to stay away from the Scholar’s Fortress for long, they therefore withdrew after seizing their gains, ending the descent and returning to the Scholar’s Fortress.

On the Warm Fire Commerce Association’s side, anger was high due to Peter’s demise.

After half a day’s adjustments, they launched another attack, and this time the Warm Fire Commerce Association’s forces advanced like a hot knife through butter, straight to the Scholar’s Fortress’s fortress walls!

Yet Gus and his team sat tightly, unruffled.

Because, in their view, the second Double Flame War had already been won.

In Ancient Star’s words: "The Warm Fire Commerce Association side has stretched the battle line this long; they’ve completely let their emotions override. We don’t even need to fight them now, just hold the fortress and prevent their entry, and within a week their supply will fail."

And so, a week passed, then two weeks... outside the Scholar’s Fortress, the supply from the Warm Fire Commerce Association flowed continuously.

The Flame Realm severely lacks water, the lands controlled by the Magic Guild in the west of the realm are even drier due to their proximity to the Thebes Volcanoes.

The scarcity of water often poses a more serious, urgent problem than food shortages.

Yet behind the Warm Fire Commerce Association, water sources continuously arrived at the front lines.

The commerce army actually camped right outside the Scholar’s Fortress!

"Th-this cannot be?"

Gus and his team were shameless sorts, not caring for face damage, but they were truly surprised and unable to comprehend: "The most vital water source for the Warm Fire Commerce Association is far away in Warm Fire City. Warm Fire City is to the east while our Scholar’s Fortress is to the west, separated by a great distance. How can water be so easily transported here?"

Soon, a secret letter from the Second Saint Son Tiago answered the Earth Fire Scholars’ puzzlement—

It’s the Wildfire Territory.

Behind the Warm Fire Commerce Association, it’s Andrew’s Wildfire Territory that has been continuously transporting water, resources, and even sending wounded soldiers back from the front lines while delivering new personnel to the front!

The Wildfire Territory is at the very center of the Flame Realm, not far from the Crimson Battle Lance and the Dragon’s Nest, two major strategic fortresses.

Departing from the Wildfire Territory to deliver supplies to the west of the Scholar’s Fortress is certainly closer than starting from Warm Fire City. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The problem is...

"Isn’t the Wildfire Territory deep in the Inner Sea Desert? A place even birds avoid, hard-pressed to sustain itself, where do they get extra resources to send to the front, enough to sustain a whole army?!" Gus, after receiving messages from Tiago, the Second Saint Son, who was lurking in the Wildfire Territory, found it even harder to understand!

Tiago’s response was: "There’s water underground in the Wildfire Territory."

Tiago didn’t say how much water, but unquestionably, it was a lot.

Far beyond what one could imagine.

In Gus’s original plan, enduring for another week would allow a retaliation that would end the Warm Fire Commerce Association, swallowing up the entire Flame Realm so that the Warm Fire Commerce Association no longer existed in this world.

But due to an inconspicuous Wildfire Territory, the war situation fiercely returned to a stalemate!

"The Lord of the Wildfire Territory, that’s Andrew who disappeared along with Catherine, right?"

Gus now gazed past the camps of the Warm Fire Commerce Association, beyond the Scholar’s Fortress, seemingly towards the east to the Wildfire Territory, his eyes cold, "The Royal Court negotiations failed largely because of this kid named Andrew as a variable. Even during the First Double Flame War, this brat inexplicably popped out from the Inner Sea Desert, exorcizing the Desolate Beast, causing our Flame Warriors to defect, completely disrupting our established plans! He even protected Barbara whom Lord Lidzmat specifically wanted!"