"Lord Ezreal, something has happened in the Dwarven Hills," Andabella’s words snapped Li De out of his drifting thoughts, instantly sharpening his attention. He had already sent the goblins out of the city, those little shorties wouldn’t be in danger from outside threats anymore. Stanley, who was still overseeing the situation in the Dwarven Valley, would settle the goblins properly. But now, something more important had caught his attention, a ruined city was not just a disaster, more crucially, it meant the redistribution of wealth. The fall of Risel City was a painful, unacceptable tragedy for the residents who had lived there. But for Li De, a vampire, it was an excellent opportunity to get a share of the spoils. He wasn’t human, and the fall of Risel City, orchestrated by the beastmen with more than half a year of preparation, was inevitable and had nothing to do with him. What he wanted was a piece of the pie after the war. Population, especially high-quality population, was something he never stopped thinking about. Dawn City could seize large numbers of commoners from the borders, but acquiring highly skilled talent was extremely difficult. Currently, the number of literate residents in Dawn City might not even reach 20%. And this was already the result of Li De continuously holding enlightenment classes in Dawn Plaza. Children raised in a knowledgeable household where both parents were spellcasters would always have a far better chance of becoming exceptional talents than those raised in illiterate peasant families, no matter the circumstances. This was something Li De had always wanted to achieve, but the lack of talent always left him scratching his head. To this day, he still hadn’t managed to recruit a full staff of teachers to establish a proper school. That was why he had been so fixated on the whereabouts of Risel City’s nobility. “They encountered centaurs in the Dwarven Hills. The hidden city of Risel has been overrun. My clansmen sent me the message through the Blood Cloak,” Andabella’s expression, which had just warmed slightly, darkened once again. This proud girl had taken blow after blow tonight, and even her usually resolute heart was now beginning to waver. Li De was briefly stunned, memories flashing through his mind. Centaurs were a very unique race, they did not belong to the beastmen. Yes, centaurs were not part of the beastmen, as incredible as that might seem, that was simply the reality in Glory. Tens of thousands of years ago, the powerful centaurs had separated from the Beastmen Empire and established their own Centaur Empire. Although the Centaur Empire was later destroyed, ever since then, the centaurs had completely severed ties with the Beastmen Empire. Though in essence there was little difference between centaurs and beastmen, centaurs would never obey commands from the Beastmen Empire. Moreover, centaurs didn’t live on the Barren Plains. Centaurs could be found all over the Glory Main Plane, and the Nolan Empire was no exception. To the east of the Southern Province lay the Barren Plains, directly north were the Far Mountain Range, to the northeast was the Thornflower Province bordering the Radiant Empire, and to the southeast of the Southern Province was the Blue Sea Province. And at the northern border of the Southern Province, where it met the Blue Sea Province, there was also a stretch of low hills, the Dwarven Hills. The Dwarven Hills covered nearly half the area of the Southern Province and led directly to the vast open sea. And the ones who ruled over this hilly region were the centaur tribes, independent of the Beastmen Empire. In fact, at the center of the Dwarven Hills was a city inhabited by two hundred thousand centaurs, Stormwind City. Centaurs were a powerful warrior race where every individual was a soldier. Among the beastmen, only a few tribes like the golden lion race, minotaurs, and wolfmen could compare to them. Centaur archers and their domineering heavy cavalry had long been glorified in bardic songs across the Glory Main Plane. A small squad of 10 centaur heavy cavalry could crash head-on through five times their number of human heavy cavalry. An absolutely dominant warrior race. As for why the centaurs could occupy the vast Dwarven Hills, first, due to their own strength; second, because the Nolan Empire had no interest in that land. Not only because the centaurs were powerful, but also because, like the Barren Plains, that region was utterly impoverished. With no benefits to be gained and with the centaurs being hard to deal with, the Nolan Empire simply couldn’t be bothered to interfere with them as long as they didn’t stir up trouble. “Are you sure?” Li De’s mood soured. The centaurs were practically overlords of the Dwarven Hills, numbering in the several millions. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝗇𝗲𝘵 If the people from Risel City had been targeted by the centaurs, the price he’d have to pay to acquire that high-quality population would be very different. Andabella nodded gravely, a trace of gloom in her silver eyes. “Only those who carry the bloodline of House Risel can send messages through the Blood Cloak. And the cost of sending such a message, was life.” Li De shook his head. Sacrificing a clansman every time a message was sent, no one would use such a method unless it was absolutely necessary. At that thought, he couldn’t help glancing again at the crimson cloak on the girl’s back. Indeed, invoking the power of high grade equipment came at a hefty price. Suddenly, as if something came to mind, a strange look appeared on Li De’s face. “Miss Andabella, the Dwarven Hills are several hundred kilometers from Risel City. How could your clansmen have arrived there in just a few hours?” It had only been a few sun-hours since Risel City fell. Without flying mounts, even the fastest horses probably couldn’t reach the Dwarven Hills by now. Andabella shook her head, her tone suddenly growing cold. “Risel City has secret escape routes. The portion escorted out by the military after the city fell was just a small part. Five days ago, the various noble houses joined together and requested to send some of their clansmen out of the city in order to preserve the core strength of Risel City. That way, even if Risel City were to fall, it would still have the ability to rebuild. My clansmen took part in that.” Though her words were brief and the details vague, in a flash, Li De could almost see the scene. Cowardly nobles banding together to pressure Andabella into opening the secret passages so they could flee Risel City. And even her own clansmen had been part of it. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the girl who had been fighting on the front lines, ready to give her life for Risel City. Li De shook his head. Humanity had its bright side, but also an extremely dark one. The high nobles accustomed to luxurious lives, how many of them would truly be willing to die alongside the lowly refugees of this city?