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#480 - Chapter 214: Unexpected Discovery

With supplies dwindling, the soldiers at the front lines, facing shortages of food and clothing, had no choice but to turn their attention to the surrounding villages and farmers.

These armies from afar didn't care which side the unfortunate farmers belonged to; as long as their needs could be met, they resorted to any means, indulging in arson, murder, robbery, and countless other atrocities.

To protect their people from harm, the Queen's army had to frequently clash with them. Consequently, small-scale battles erupted one after another, never ceasing for months.

However, puzzlingly, neither side's high-ranking generals seemed willing to engage in a final showdown. This stalemate persisted for nearly eight months until the allied forces were the first to falter, or rather, the Tyrell and Lannister families could no longer sustain it.

Since Jaime succeeded as Duke, he discovered a harsh reality: the mines in the Westerlands, which once produced a steady stream of gold, were now depleted. This also meant that the enormous wealth accumulated by Tywin Lannister throughout his life had been almost entirely exhausted in this six-year-long war!

Meanwhile, in Highgarden, Olenna Tyrell was well aware that the Tyrell family was single-handedly supporting hundreds of thousands of troops. If the situation continued, the Tyrells would eventually be drained dry. So, she made a decisive move, issuing a stern warning to King's Landing: if the war did not end within two months, the Tyrell family would not provide even a single copper coin or grain to support the front lines.

Moreover, the soldiers at the bottom were suffering even more. They had been living in the wilderness for over half a year, struggling to even meet their basic needs. Over time, their hearts were filled with deep resentment. If this continued, the army would inevitably face the risk of collapse.

Faced with such a dire situation, Aegon VI personally went to King's Landing for an emergency meeting with Tommen. They engaged in intense discussions and negotiations in a tense atmosphere, finally reaching a consensus—they had to seize the initiative and strike first.

Therefore, their key officials quickly formulated a strategic plan, deciding to divide their forces into four groups and launch a full-scale offensive along the long front line from King's Landing to the Westerlands. Among them, Duke Jaime would personally lead 20,000 elite Westerlands troops, departing from the Golden Tooth to invade the Riverlands and strike directly at Riverrun.

Jon Connington, leading the Golden Company and some Gold Cloaks, aimed for Rosby, Stokeworth, Hayford, and Duskendale—these lords had sided with the Dragon Queen.

The main force of the allied army, led by Randyll Tarly's Reach army and Oberyn Martell's Dornish army, would attack Highgarden from the left and right, which was the Dragon Queen's base of operations.

The remaining troops would still be stationed in King's Landing, commanded by the two kings, ready to support all fronts and defend against threats from the sea.

In the Red Keep's garden, Aegon and Tommen were drinking and chatting. Despite being ten years apart in age, they got along surprisingly well. In game terms, their compatibility was extremely high.

Queen Margaery stood a little further away, her eyes fixed on the two men, a hint of worry creeping into her heart. She was afraid that a spark might ignite between them, a situation that made her uneasy. After all, the scandalous story of her first husband and her brother had spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and Prince Oberyn, notorious for being bisexual, was always a threat.

At the same time, Cersei, standing atop the tower, was also staring at the scene below, but her focus was on Aegon's identity. If they lost this life-or-death struggle, the only outcome would be everyone's destruction. However, if they could defeat Daenerys and win the final victory, she would never let Aegon leave King's Landing alive.

Cersei turned to the person beside her and asked sternly, "Qyburn, how is the matter I entrusted to you progressing?"

Qyburn quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have already sent twenty powerful dragon-slaying ballistae to the army led by Ser Addam Marbrand. As for the dragon-slaying ballistae to be handed over to Duke Jaime, they set off three days ago. I believe they will surely display their might in future battles and aid us."

Cersei said, "I hope they don't disappoint me and can bring down a dragon!"

........................

The outside world had no impact on Liu Yuan, who was deep underground. He was currently in a cave about five thousand meters below the surface.

Liu Yuan stretched his stiff body. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the temperature in the cave was already very high. He could feel his skin burning, so the temperature was at least close to 1800 degrees Celsius. Looking around, the entrance he came from was covered in lava. He wasn't worried about not being able to return; as a demigod, crossing this lava area was not a problem.

The long period of refining, although very tedious, was not without its benefits. At this time, the true essence in his body had become much more solid, and his body and divine sense had become more resilient.

When Liu Yuan turned his gaze back, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the large sphere in front of him was significantly smaller than before. After careful examination, he realized it wasn't an illusion; the diameter of the large sphere had become about seventeen meters. It seemed that his method was indeed effective. He refocused his mind and continued the previous action.

Huh? There was something else on the ground. He reached out and picked it up. He examined it closely, and it was a jade tablet the size of a cigarette case, smooth all over with only a pattern, perhaps a character he didn't recognize. It was stained with light golden blood, which he had previously smeared on the sphere and dripped on the ground.

But Liu Yuan was certain that he had checked the cave very carefully before, and this thing was definitely not there. He looked at the big sphere in confusion. Could this thing be a spatial storage device?

He played with the jade tablet in his hand, guessing what it was. Liu Yuan poured true essence into the jade tablet, and the jade tablet did have a reaction, emitting a faint glow.

Discovering that true essence was useful, Liu Yuan used his divine sense to probe it. The moment his divine sense touched the jade tablet, a message was reflected in his mind. It was a very wonderful feeling, like watching a hologram. There were three very unique runes, which looked different from different directions and contained countless information. As long as he made real-time contact, they would be interpreted, bypassing words and directly transmitting consciousness, and he could interrupt it at any time with his own will.