Ashen Dragon

In the few months since the invasion of the south by the Ashen Empire, the situation in the north of the Fianso continent has undergone dramatic changes, leaving countless people dumbfounded and incredulous.

First, the North Aisier Duchy was occupied by the Empire, followed by the annihilation of the thousand-year-old High Mountain Dwarf Kingdom, and finally, even the orcs of the Wuge Prairie were massacred by the Empire.

With the Wuge Prairie incorporated into its territory, the Ashen Empire has almost controlled the north of Fianso—the land north of the Radiant Mountains—with only the Thrace Kingdom and small countries left trembling under the Empire's terrifying might, heavily burdened.

In the empire's conquests, the Divine Duke of Fadlan exploded to his death, the master of Silver Heaven fell from the skies, and the embodiment of the Divine was slain...

Each battle caused the sky to shatter and the earth to collapse, enough to shake the entire Material Plane, yet the victor of each battle was always the same—Cassius, the Ashen Empire's Emperor.

The name Cassius repeatedly appeared in secret communications among various countries and major forces, appearing in their magic images, causing many nobles to tremble in fear and sweat profusely.

Of course, Cassius's name also appeared in newspapers abroad, in ballads sung by bards, and in the terrifying stories parents in the south used to scare their children.

History has a striking resemblance: in the eyes of people from all over Fianso, the Red Dragon has become a nefarious monster, a cruel tyrant, the slave master of the north.

In various countries' propaganda, the Red Dragon cruelly enslaves the northern populace, overseeing them with deceitful and cunning Half-Dragon and kobolds who whip the humans, forcing them to forge rifles in the cold winds, with even half-grown children dragged into the army as cannon fodder in the empire's conquest.

Yet, in the bard's pen strokes, the Ashen Empire's conquest was depicted as even more gruesome and terrifying, riddled with bloodthirsty peculiarities.

It's said that the soldiers with dragon bloodlines choose a thousand tender children from each conquered place to brutally consume them, offering their pure souls as sacrifices to the emperor—this is said to be the key to the Empire's army's invincibility and how the Red Dragon Emperor can withstand the Divine.

Rumors also say that the Empire's weapons are so cheap but powerful because the brutal Imperial People trap the souls of human craftsmen in the barrels, with each gunfire being the mournful wail of an innocent soul.

Many righteous individuals have stood up, calling on forces to cease purchasing the Empire's weapons, sharply pointing out—that every rifle purchase funds the Ashen Empire, letting them invade more recklessly.

Unfortunately, the countries turned a deaf ear, already stuck in the quagmire of an arms race; each time the Empire upgrades its equipment, they rush to buy, lest they find themselves at a disadvantage in the ensuing wars.

...

The Wilson Duchy is a small country near the Blackstone Mountain Range, with many hills and mountains, thus also known as the "Country of Hills."

Seventy years ago, the Legendary Paladin Cade Wilson pulled out the Stone Sword, slaying an evil Giant over thirty meters tall, leading to him being granted the title of Great Duke by the Fadlan Emperor, and the city was named Stone Sword City.

However, times have changed, and that Duke Wilson had long since died in war, with the Stone Sword nowhere to be found.

The duchy's geographic position is particularly awkward; to the south lies the Thrace Kingdom, while to the north, the Ashen Empire watches with covetous eyes, poised between these two colossal entities with the ever-present risk of being crushed.

At this moment, in the Wilson Duchy, in Stone Sword City, the chilling wind only carried the sound of its howls and the crisp steps of guards patrolling the streets, with each household's doors and windows tightly closed.

In the stone house at a remote corner of the city, a middle-aged man and woman sat across from each other, faces filled with fatigue and worry; the news of the Ashen Empire occupying North Aisier and destroying the High Mountain Kingdom had long spread throughout the city.

They were in the Wilson Duchy, one of the few remaining independent countries in the north.

Rein sighed deeply, rubbing his coarse thumb against the tabletop repeatedly: "Erin, how long do you think these days... will last?"

The woman put down the needle and thread in her hand, shaking her head, the kerosene lamp vividly illuminating the fine lines on her face: "I don't know, even the noble masters are so scared; they don't dare let us out of the city."

Rein looked out the window, his eyes full of deep fear: "It's said the Ashen Empire's army kills a thousand children every time they occupy a place; I'm scared..."

"Ah!" the daughter just coming out of the cellar screamed, her face pale, her thin and yellowed body due to malnourishment trembling slightly, almost fainting from fear.

"Ellie!" The woman anxiously stood up, wrapping the girl's body in a blanket, enveloping her in her arms full of heartache, reproaching: "I've told you not to talk about this at home! It'll get to Ellie's ears!"

The man looked at his fainted daughter, his expression grim: "But... keeping it from her like this isn't a solution, one day those brutal Empire people will conquer this city."

The woman sighed as well: "But what can we do? The borders of Thrace are rigorously guarded, everywhere else is occupied by the Ashen Empire..."

The man looked out the window, his gaze gradually resolute, his throat moving: "Stone Sword City is now a large prison; we must escape—for the sake of our Ellie."