Chapter 978: Chapter 289: I Will Start a War (10,000 Words) (Part 3)

Lynn shook his head. "I wouldn’t say I know him."

The reason he was surprised,

was because he hadn’t expected the spy Gasper sent out

to have happened to infiltrate the very Manor that was dispatching spies to gather intelligence on Morgan Town.

Lynn went on, "There is something I need to inform you of, and you can pass it on to the spies you’ve planted, so that information can be shared between you."

"Zock Connally has sent a team of spies into Morgan Town, and they’ve already been captured and imprisoned by the soldiers."

"If the agents you sent in were to lose their lives over such a minor matter, that would be far too tragic."

Gasper finally understood.

So this was why Master Lynn had been surprised.

Gasper bent slightly at the waist, and said respectfully, "Master, thank you for your warning."

Gasper felt

that the Master Lynn before him cared more about their lives than they themselves did.

If it were any other Lord, they would never have told him this kind of intel!

Toward the Master Lynn before him, Gasper’s heart once again filled with a few more degrees of admiration and loyalty.

Gasper continued, "The reason the spies I sent were able to join their Manor..."

"is because, after those Manor Lords responded to Viscount Jon Zack and returned to their own Manors, they immediately began recruiting and expanding their armies!"

Lynn’s brows knit slightly.

Gasper kept talking.

"As for the content of their meeting, I haven’t yet received any feedback."

"But Master Lynn, what I can be certain of is that the Manor Lords’ recruiting and expanding their forces must be tied to the meeting they attended!"

Before returning to Master Lynn’s territory, he had still been guessing why those Manor Lords had suddenly started a major expansion.

But now, from Master Lynn’s own mouth, he learned

that Zok Connelly Manor Lord had actually dispatched spies to infiltrate Morgan Town.

It was obvious!

Their target was Morgan Town—was Master Lynn’s territory!

A vague sense of crisis rose in Gasper’s heart.

Even though he and those spies were now assigned by Master Lynn to operate outside the territory,

and unless they had intelligence that had to be sent back, they basically could not return home.

This was to avoid exposing their identities, and also to protect them.

Even so,

their families were still living on Master Lynn’s land.

This territory was their homeland!

Now that he knew a powerful external force meant to attack their homeland, how could he not be nervous?

As soon as he finished speaking, Gasper stared wide-eyed, waiting for Master Lynn’s orders.

Seeing Gasper’s grave expression, Lynn consoled him.

"Captain Gaspar, there’s no need to be so tense."

"The territory is very strong now—so strong it will astonish you."

"Even if Viscount Jon Zack leads a great army to storm Morgan Town,"

"they will never set foot beyond the walls and Weng City!"

Hearing the firmness in Master Lynn’s voice,

Gasper’s previously uneasy heart instantly became steady.

He nodded seriously, opened his mouth slightly, drew in a breath of air, and went on.

"I’ll investigate the content of Viscount Jon Zack’s meeting with the Manor Lords as quickly as possible."

"Aside from this urgent report, there is another."

Without needing Lynn to prompt him, Gasper continued speaking.

"Master, Marquis Duca and Marquis Polk have gone to war at Spirit Reef Port!"

A trace of surprise once more surfaced in Lynn’s eyes.

"Go on."

Gasper nodded. "I learned this piece of intelligence from a Longship Merchant who had just left Spirit Reef Port."

"Marquis Polk’s tens of thousands of soldiers took advantage of the night to reach Spirit Reef Port."

"The torches, almost joined into a sea of fire, lit up everything outside Spirit Reef Port."

"Under the glow of the torchlight was rank upon rank of soldiers in Steel Armor!"

"They wore Armor, Iron Helmets on their heads, weapons in their hands, and stood in ordered square formations."

"Heavy cavalry, heavy infantry, Archers, and a series of massive siege engines..."

"The army drawn up in square formations completely encircled the outskirts of Spirit Reef Port, leaving not a drop of water to pass."

"Even the harbor of Spirit Reef Port was shut and barred, to prevent soldiers sent by Marquis Polk from forcing their way in."

"That Longship Merchant happened to finish loading his cargo and sail out just before the harbor closed, and he happened to witness that scene."

"He said millstone-sized stone projectiles arced through the night and crashed into the crenellations, shattering them with a roar."

"He said fireballs wrapped in greasy tar trailed long tongues of flame as they fell into Spirit Reef Port."

"He said waves of thick smoke and agonized screams surged up from within Spirit Reef Port, piercing the night sky..."

Listening to Gasper’s account,

even without having experienced it personally,

Lynn already had a brutal vision of large-scale war unfolding in his mind.

Stone shots and fireballs tore through the night, smashing into the walls; the walls buckled and collapsed, crashing into the city, bringing houses down in burning ruin.

Countless tongues of flame burst from one building after another, the raging fire swaying wildly as if intent on devouring everything.

The figures of the defenders on the walls flickered in and out in the glow of the flames.

Their faces were solemn and grim, their features tight with tension and fear...

Or else,

under the blanket volleys of Arrow fire, under the shards spraying out from exploding stone shot...

they became one corpse after another, faces twisted in agony, lying on the ground, bodies drained of all warmth...

At the foot of the walls, bodies piled up like black hills; some survivors crawled through the pools of blood, dragging their mangled bodies.