“The beacon tower has to be guarded more strictly!” The commander[1] thought it over and over again, and in the end, he went to the spellcasters and had them add a barrier.0

Dragon Throat Pass already had protective talisman arrays in place; they simply were not activated in peacetime. The army had several spellcasters stationed permanently, so one might assume that a job such as this would not be too difficult for them to do. However, adding a barrier to the beacon tower required money, and the commander did not have time to report it up the chain. Moreover, even if he did report it, approval would not come quickly. He would have to wait at least ten days to half a month. So he could only pay out of his own pocket to keep things running in the meantime.0

The second night passed without incident.0

However, every minute that the barrier remained active consumed energy. No matter how efficient a defensive barrier a spellcaster could craft, keeping it up for twenty hours a day would still burn through at least half a profound crystal.0

Two days was a full crystal!0

The garrison commander had been sent to the mountain-bound Dragon Throat Pass in the first place because he had no money and no connections. Everyone knew pass duty was heavy while the pay was poor. After two days of this, he simply could not bring himself to keep it up.0

He appealed for help from his superiors,...0