Chapter 297: The Trident Sea Stance

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Twenty days later.

For the past several days, the military barracks of Lion City had been operating at full capacity, recruiting more and more city soldiers without pause.

What had once been a modest force of only eight hundred soldiers twenty days ago had now grown explosively into an army of thirty thousand.

The city itself had expanded to accommodate this rapid growth. New sections were constructed with careful planning, and multiple large barracks were placed at strategic points throughout the city.

Each open training ground was vast enough to hold at least five thousand soldiers at once, allowing drills and formations to be conducted efficiently.

Everything had been prepared with deliberate calculation. Ethan had personally structured the army into six divisions, each led by a commander.

Every division consisted of five thousand soldiers, forming six powerful and disciplined forces.

The individuals chosen as commanders were not selected lightly.

They were members of Ethan’s team who had proven themselves through combat prowess, defensive capabilities, and, most importantly, their understanding of strategy.

Leadership was not merely about strength, but about judgment.

Hanss was assigned responsibility over Lion City’s economy, overseeing resources, logistics, and trade.

Meanwhile, Ethan stood as the supreme commander of all Lion City forces, holding absolute authority over military operations.

“Sir Ethan,” a woman’s voice called out.

Ethan turned his head and saw a woman ascending the stone steps toward the northern gate of Lion City, his preferred vantage point for observing the surrounding area.

From here, the entire desert stretched endlessly before him.

“What is it, Laura?” Ethan asked calmly.

“Commander of Unit Four reported that they discovered a resource location that hasn’t been claimed by anyone yet.”

Ethan nodded once. He instructed Laura to meet with Hanss and relay the information.

Laura was assigned as Ethan’s personal aide, acting as his right hand in military communications.

Just as Patricia served as Hanss’s aide.

“I understand,” Laura replied.

“How is Unit Six doing?” Ethan asked.

“There’s no update for now. The last report said they were heading east.”

“Alright,” Ethan said, nodding. “Inform me immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes, Sir Ethan.”

With aides like Laura and Patricia handling communications and logistics, the workload on both Ethan and Hanss was greatly reduced.

Hanss could simply instruct Patricia to dispatch NPC workers to newly discovered resource zones, while Laura acted as the bridge between Ethan and his unit commanders.

That afternoon, without warning or any visible sign beforehand, a massive sand cyclone appeared in front of Lion City.

It was not close enough to threaten the city itself, but clouds of dust and sand were blown violently across the desert.

Ethan had already witnessed this phenomenon seven times today alone. It was neither a natural disaster nor an enemy attack.

It was transmigration.

The event had now been running for twenty days, and every city possessed its own transmigration token.

Under Ethan’s orders, all member cities of the Eastern Alliance were required to migrate to the desert region, whether they liked it or not.

This time, the cyclone forming before Ethan revealed a city belonging to one of the Eastern Alliance’s non-core guild members.

Ethan could clearly see the color of their banner as it materialized, identical to the alliance colors flying above Lion City.

Buildings formed one by one, walls rising from the sand. Within minutes, the city had fully completed its arrival in the desert.

Several members stepped out from the city gates, immediately feeling the intense heat and dryness characteristic of the barren land.

Some complained loudly, while others remained silent, indifferent to their surroundings.

But without exception, all of them turned their gaze forward.

Before them stood Lion City, far larger and more imposing than their own settlement.

“That’s… Lion City. That’s Sir Ethan.”

Ethan smiled faintly and raised his hand in greeting. The leader of the arriving team approached the southern gate and lowered his head respectfully toward Ethan.

Their arrival increased the number of cities under the Eastern Alliance to eleven. All of them were now concentrated in the heart of the desert, close to LionArk.

Still, it was not enough.

Ethan needed more cities. The greater the number of allied cities, the larger the combined military force would become.

“Among the seven cities that arrived earlier, I didn’t see Avalon or Trident Sea.”

“Did something happen to them?”

From the north, Ethan spotted the leader of the newly arrived city riding toward Lion City. He was accompanied by two guards, heading straight for Ethan.

Ethan leapt down from the city gate and landed on the ground below. The riders immediately stopped, dismounted, and knelt in respect.

“Our respects to Sir Ethan,” the man said.

“Thank you for migrating,” Ethan replied, “Which city are you from?”

“We are a joint city formed by three guilds. I represent Shadow Blade, he represents Golden Sky, and he is from Arkwar.”

Ethan smiled, both pleased and proud. He had already confirmed their willingness to relocate to the desert, but the man from Arkwar explained further.

“Sir Ethan is the authority holder of the Eastern Alliance. The three of us are alliance members. We are obligated to follow your orders.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ethan said.

“How many city soldiers do you have?”

The three men exchanged glances before one of them answered.

“Because training resources were scarce in the tropical region, our city only has around seven thousand soldiers.”

“That’s fine,” Ethan replied firmly.

“Now that you’re in the desert, you can immediately begin gathering essential resources to train more soldiers.”

“We will obey Sir Ethan’s orders.”

Before they departed, Ethan asked about the other cities, particularly Ascalon, the city belonging to Guild Avalon. The men shook their heads.

They had been informed of Ethan’s plan, but they had no idea whether Avalon had already migrated or not.

“Maybe… they’ll arrive later this afternoon,” one of them said.

“Alright. You may return,” Ethan replied.

They nodded, mounted their horses once more, and rode northward back to their own city.

Ethan turned around and leapt back up, landing firmly atop the northern gate.

Two loyal city soldiers stood beside him, silently accompanying him without saying a word.

Time continued to pass. More cyclones appeared along the horizon, one after another.

Their numbers grew rapidly, eventually reaching fifteen cities. All of them belonged to members of the Eastern Alliance.

“Sir Ethan,” Laura called out.

Ethan turned toward her. “What is it?”

“Guests from Guild Avalon have arrived. Hanss has already allowed them inside.”

So they finally came.

Ethan nodded and followed Laura toward the city center. There, his eyes immediately found Kevin, who had arrived with many of his guild members.

Among them was also the leader of one of their allied guilds.

Ethan and Kevin embraced briefly. Ethan patted Kevin’s shoulder firmly, pride evident in his expression.

“I thought something happened to you. I’m glad you made it.”

Kevin smiled, but it was not a wide or relaxed smile. He glanced sideways, and one of his team members nodded subtly, signaling something unspoken.

Ethan observed their behavior carefully. Something had clearly occurred without his knowledge.

“What happened?” Ethan asked.

“The reason we delayed our migration,” Kevin said, “was because we were waiting for news from Leviathan City, the city belonging to the Trident Sea.”

“And?” Ethan pressed.

Kevin fell silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

“Noah and Trident Sea… refuse to move.”

“WHAT?!”

Ethan’s expression hardened instantly.

So that’s it, they’re choosing to defy the alliance now of all times.

The desert wind swept past the streets of Lion City, carrying grains of sand that glimmered under the sun. Ethan clenched his fist.

If the Trident Sea won’t come willingly,then I’ll make sure they understand the consequences of that decision.

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