East of the Rockwell Kingdom lay the Darr Kingdom.
To get to this foreign border from Redwood Town, one had to travel by carriage for more than a month, passing through the 3 different Provinces in the process.
The Darr and Rockwell Kingdoms weren't mortal enemies, but they certainly weren't friends either. Currently, cautious neighbours would probably be the best description as tensions were at a low simmer.
In the past, however, these tensions had flared up greatly on several occasions.
There hadn't been a full-scale ware between the two kingdoms for over 100 years now, but both sides still kept wary eyes and significant military presences stationed at their borders, just in case.
The Lorren River served as the natural border between the two nations as it was both wide and deep for most of its length, making it difficult for armies to cross it unnoticed.
This wasn't to say that there were no established crossings, however.
There were, of course, sections of the Lorren that were calmer and could be crossed even on small boats, but if one wanted to move a large amount of goods or people in a short time, then there really was only one option, the Misty Bridge, a major infrastructure project which allowed up to 6 carriages to pass side by side across the mighty river.
When the Rising Sun Empire decreed that this bridge was to be built some 200 years ago to boost continental trade, both kingdoms strongly opposed to the idea.
But, facing the true hegemon of the Blue Sky Continent that was capable replacing any Royal Family it found less than cooperative on a whim, there was no choice but to obey.
Even before construction began, the two kingdoms knew they had to secure their side of the Lorren, and the one the Rockwell Royal Family assigned this task to was none other the newly promoted General Celestina Balfour, Matriarch of the Balfour Marquess Family.
While the decision to entrust such an important role to the youngest General of the kingdom was met with criticism from many, the Balfour Family really was the most logical choice as they already ruled over the South-East Province where the bridge was set to be built.
As the project got underway, nearly 20,000 workers and labourers were brought in on the Rockwell Kingdom's side. At the same time, the Raging River Legion, which Celestina Commanded, was deployed in full along this section of the river.
Naturally, building a massive bridge which spanned a vast river was not a project which could be completed in a month or two, so a vast number of living quarters had to be built to house the nearly 40,000 soldiers and workers.
Time passed by, and what started as a construction and military camp, soon evolved into a pseudo-city.
With this being Celestina's first major assignment after her promotion to General and her ascendance to the position of Matriarch, she spent an extensive amount of time on site and soon concluded that this place would become a vital position not only for the kingdom's defence, but also for its economic prosperity.
As such, she took the bold step of using the Balfour Family's own coffers to begin heavily investing in improving the local infrastructure, bringing in even more workers and more materials from around her territory, and the kingdom as a whole.
The Misty Bridge took nearly 20 years to complete, and while on the eastern side a sturdy military checkpoint had been established by the Darr Kingdom, on the western side, a mid-sized commercial city had sprung up.
There was, of course, a significant military presence from the Rockwell Kingdom on the western side of the Lorren, but there were also the beginnings of a sprawling metropolis thanks to the dedicated efforts and vision of Celestina Balfour.
Today, Misty City was the second largest city in the entire Balfour Family's territory, boasting a permanent population of more than 150,000 residents, with thousands more passing through its double-layered gates every day, either heading to, or coming from the Darr Kingdom.
It was entirely possible that Celestina Balfour had spent more of her life in Misty City than she had in the Balfour Family's capital of Martin. Coupled with her stalwart defence of the border through 2 major wars, she had earned herself the nickname 'Shield of the East'.
This evening was no exception to that norm.
Although the sun hadn't yet set, the distinct feeling that dusk was approaching lingered in the air as Celestina stood atop the fortress walls overlooking the Misty Bridge, the breeze gently blowing through her long, fiery-red hair which the Balfour Family was famous for.
Staring out across the Lorren, Celestina could see the outlines of the much smaller city which had been built there over the past two centuries.
When her neighbours in the Darr Kingdom realized the benefit Misty City was reaping, they attempted to emulate its success on their side of the river, but with a major trade hub already established, it was naturally quite difficult to set up another in such close proximity.
Celestina's early actions had allowed the Balfour Family to gain almost all the benefits from the flow of goods that crossed the Misty Bridge.
The incredible prosperity of Misty City was actually one of the causes of friction between the two kingdoms, among a plethora of other issues.
Though she was approaching her 300th birthday, as a Complete High-Rank Adept, a common way of referring to a Cultivator whose Spirit, Martial, and Soul cultivations had all reached the same Minor Realm, Celestina looked no older than her mid 30's and retained a kind of beauty that was best described as gallant.
It wasn't just her looks, though.
Celestina Balfour also retained many youthful traits in her personality, like a penchant for teasing her family and subordinates, and an extremely dislike of paperwork. In fact, if one were to ask the Matriarch and General what she hated most about holding those positions, Celestina would undoubtedly say 'filing paperwork'.
Navigating the kingdom's political circles probably came a close second, but that was far easier to avoid most of the time.
Finally, having cleared the backlog of reports waiting for her signature in her office for today, Celestina was now looking forward to relaxing and was even planning to sneak out into the city to see how the preparations for the Autumn Harvest Festival were going.
Although Misty City wasn't a big agricultural hub, the Harvest Festival it held each year was always a huge event where nobles, merchants, and commoners alike all filled the streets and squares to celebrate.
It was a tradition that Celestina had started over a century ago in the wake of the last major war, and she always greatly enjoyed patronizing the various stalls that were set up, experiencing the prosperity of her city first-hand.
Just as she was plotting how to ditch her aides and slip out into town, Celestina suddenly felt the World Qi around her become unusually excited. A moment later, a very faint aura wave brushed past her, one that felt somewhat like the fallout from when two powerful beings clashed.
At the same time, Celestina noticed that the Lorren was shimmering more brightly than just a moment ago, as if the sun had emerged from behind the clouds and gotten brighter; however, that was odd as it was a cloudless day.
With her brow furrowed slightly, Celestina turned her eyes to the west.
At first glance, she could tell there was nothing wrong with Misty City itself, which allowed Celestina to breath a sigh of relief, but as she panned her gaze up towards the horizon, she saw an eerie sight which left her quite unsettled.
It was barely visible above the horizon, but there was clearly some kind of disturbance far off in the distance, and Celestina's instincts were screaming at her that something terrible had just happened.
Putting together the visuals before her, and the faint World Qi tremor she had felt, Celestina quickly came up with a theory of what just happened, but the moment the thought came to her mind, she froze in place.
Even as a veteran warrior who had fought dozens of life-and-death battles in her time, Celestina Balfour took several breaths to regain her composure after surmising just what might have happened.
No matter how impossible it seems, it's the only plausible explanation, Celestina thought to herself gravely before shouting, "Allina! Marcus!"
""General!""
Immediately, Celestina two closest military aides emerged from the shadows nearby and presented themselves to their commanding officer, dutifully awaiting her instructions.
Turning to a grizzled middle-aged man with a distinctive scar across his brow, the Marquess swiftly ordered, "Man the walls and lock down the bridge. I want the city secured and the border sealed within the hour."
"Yes ma'am!" Marcus Jennings saluted, acknowledging the order.
Next turning to a young looking woman with long black hair, Celestina continued, "Ready the Sunchaser for emergency departure."
"Yes General!" Allina Crest nodded before asking, "What about personnel?"
Facing her adjutant's question, Celestina quickly listed off a few dozen names.
Hearing who their General was planning on taking with her on this sudden deployment, both Marcus and Allina were internally stunned. Each person listed was an elite among Celestina's subordinates, the best of the best in the entire Balfour Family and Raging River Legion.
Although the two of them were somewhat confused about this extreme set of orders, they still raced off to carry them out without question. At the same time, Celestina pushed Martial and Spirit Qi into her legs, disappearing in a blur as she headed back to her office, hurriedly trying to formulate a plan to deal with the disaster she suspected had just befallen the Rockwell Kingdom.