There was no fixed boundary wall, nor were there any trenches dug in the ground near the battlefield. There was only a large fort wherein the allied forces retreated after every battle, and defended from whenever the enemy armies came close.

That was the best they could do considering that the battlelines often moved back and forward depending on who had the advantage. Sometimes, entire provinces, as the areas within the rivers were divided into, were gained or lost during the battles.

For example, as a result of the chaos caused by the Armored Wyvern, the battlelines had moved in favor of the orcs, causing the Humanoid Alliance to lose a lot of territory. The civilians captured would be turned into slaves to work the fields or mines within the captured territories, while those that could not be used would be killed.

Similar things happened when the allies managed to capture orc land. Since they were all confined to the Land of a Hundred Rivers, that was all they could do. If they destroyed the lands too badly, they themselves would be losing out as well, so the battle was always for territory.

This particular time, when the delegation passed by, they saw the fort, and they saw the fight happening near it. To River’s immense surprise, despite what he had come to expect during their travels, a majority of the fighting force was actually the noble races!

Most of the vassals remained behind, within the fort, working as support or logistics. It was simply because the vassal forces just weren’t strong enough to fight, and using them as cannon fodder was actually a tremendous waste of resources.

Even cannon fodder needed to be equipped, fed, transported, and then used at the opportune time in exchange for sufficient gain. Just the amount of resources required to sufficiently outfit them would cause the allied forces to suffer a loss if they treated them as expendable. They were, instead, much better equipped to contribute to the war from the safety of the fort while the stronger, noble races fought the difficult battles on the ground.

Whether this was a result of circumstances, or whether the allied forces genuinely disdained to use them as such, it was a fact that the protection of the lands actually fell onto the shoulders of the noble races.

They faced the greatest danger, and had the highest chances of dying! River wasn’t sure if such a thing excused their behavior towards the vassal races, but he certainly knew his impression of the noble races changed after that. At least they weren’t as cold and callous as he initially thought.

As they traveled, River learned the facts of the matter soon enough. Besides participating in the war in general, all Foundation level cultivators were mandated to serve the army in some way for a minimum period of time.

For some, that service naturally came in the form of soldiers and officers, but for many it was as alchemists, weaponsmiths, forgers, doctors and so on. In short, no one could escape service of some kind.

The vassal races, simply because they had a tough time reaching such a level, often managed to get away from service. Even the forced conscriptions were not from the general populace, but from the vassal race’s standing armies and forces.

River didn’t know if this situation was because there were rules set from up above, or because they were protective of the vassal races, or for some third, unknown reason. All he knew was that things could have been a lot worse.

The whole party was in a somber mood once they passed the battlefield, all for different reasons.

Eventually, their group reached the elven lands without issue. River almost expected that they might get pulled into a battle, if only because all the news he heard was of how terribly the war was going.

Yet all that worry and stress seemed to end once they entered the elven lands. Not only had the battlefront not moved back within the territory of the elves, the elves had in fact gained ground.

Wyvern or no, the elves’ steady march seemed entirely unstoppable for no matter what the enemy threw at them, they overcame it and kept moving forward. The only obstacle to the elves was that the pace of their progress, while steady, was incredibly slow.

That is because they turned all captured land into forest, and only moved forward when the lands showed signs that the budding growth would not suddenly fail.

River thought that now that they were in the elven lands, their journey would end, but that was not the case. The specific elves that they were traveling with kept moving further and further into the elven territory, right up until they reached the very foothills of Mount Decius.

The mountain was absolutely enormous, with a majority of its body hidden by the clouds that hugged its body, exactly as River had imagined. As the seat of authority among the alliance, the mountain was the subject of many legends and tales, each grander than the next.

Of course, the only reason River could see the mountain at all was because they stood upon a wooden deck near the top of one of the ancient trees, from where a zipline would take them to their destination.

"Temporary accommodation has been prepared for you, where you will have to stay for a while. Over there, you must keep your true identity hidden, for your own protection. If anyone asks, you will claim to be promising talents I have scouted for medical training, since you seem to have genuine knowledge and skill in the field.

"Meanwhile, we will go to the mountain to submit our report, and use that opportunity to inform them about your history as well. Even as descendants of an ascendant, you are not allowed to enter the territory of Mount Decius without reason so you’ll have to wait for us to get back.

"If they decide to conduct a deeper investigation into this matter, you will need to stay here with your hidden identities until it is complete. There’s no telling how long that will take, so you might as well make yourselves comfortable."

River looked at the elf, then at Pearl, and then back at the elf.

"If you don’t mind me asking... why are you treating this as such a big deal?" River asked with a hint of scepticism in his voice. "No one else cares nearly as much. Besides, I’m sure there are countless ascendants each year. How is it possible to protect all their families for three generations?"

The elf shook his head, clear that River did not understand.

"It is precisely because there are so many ascendants that we must take this seriously. Among the humans many may not care, but the noble races who have ascendants often take it very seriously. If the protection of the mountain fails their families, more and more ascendants may choose to stay down here to protect their families rather than go up to the upper Battlefield.

"That would be a tremendous loss, the likes of which we cannot afford. Moreover, going up is far from safe. It’s a battlefield. Yes, there are chances for growth and promotion, but there are also great chances for death. Without the assurance that their family will be taken care of, few would be willing to go and participate in the battle.

"After all, rising in cultivation levels may seem like it promises a longer life, but that’s only the natural lifespan. What if they die in battle? In that case, life is actually shorter than not ascending at all. It is for that reason that these benefits absolutely cannot be compromised!"

River paused for a second and realized that he had underestimated the consequences of these rules. He knew next to nothing about the Upper Battlefield, so it was a given that his perspective would be limited as well.

Their group was separated, and River and Pearl took a zipline to a small community that they learned was actually a school! There were a few, extremely old elves, and a lot of young ones, all going about their daily lives. They didn’t seem alarmed or curious by the arrival of two humans, almost as if they were used to it.

An elf came by and brought them to their temporary housing - one for each of them, as elves did not allow cohabitation without marriage. He then also led them to their lecture rooms.

It seemed that, for better or for worse, they would actually be learning about elven medical practices, thus making their excuse into reality.

River did not mind, and Pearl found it amusing that they were living separately. She gave River a teasing look, as if telling him that he should have married her. River would only smile awkwardly and look away, as if he didn’t understand.

How could he marry her so easily? No their marriage would be a grand one - he’d make sure of it!