In Gute Territory, when Baron Olcott received Velin's letter, his first reaction was suspicion.
"Butler, go summon Chief Administrator Abbott."
"Yes, my lord."
After the Butler left, Olcott sat down with the letter and carefully reviewed its contents once more.
It bore the family's specially crafted crest, so he believed it had come from his nephew. But how had Velin learned that more than two hundred Mountain Dwarves would be escorting a shipment of Mountain Copper through the borderlands of the Graylight Wasteland?
"There are too many doubts. Should I agree?" Olcott tapped his desk rhythmically as he weighed the pros and cons.
A short while later, Abbott, Gute Territory's chief administrator and Olcott's Guardian Knight, arrived at the study. He bowed and said, "My liege lord, you summoned me?"
"Abbott, take a look at this."
Seeing his trusted subordinate arrive, Olcott handed the letter directly to Abbott for him to read.
A few minutes later, after giving it some thought, Abbott replied, "My liege lord, I believe there is an eighty percent chance that the information described in this letter is true. Your nephew would not fabricate a lie to deceive you."
"Given that they are escorting valuable metal like Mountain Copper, the Mountain Dwarves leading them must be quite strong. With your nephew's strength, he would certainly be unable to seize it himself, which is why he sought your help."
"Finally, you have already met the basic requirements for promotion to Viscount. Only military merit remains, and this is an opportunity."
"Therefore, I believe you may agree to go."
Olcott considered it and found it reasonable. His nephew could not possibly toy with him like this; it would severely damage his reputation within the family.
"Very well. Go and have the Knight Order assemble. This time, I will bring back enough Mountain Dwarf heads to lay the final brick for my promotion to Viscount."
"Yes, my liege lord."
As Olcott made up his mind and began gathering his forces, Brian in Ridge Territory immediately set out for Lake of Star Prayer with all his Bronze Knights and Knight Squires after receiving the letter, leaving the territory to Magic Knight Adrian to manage in his stead.
Finally, in Maple Leaf Territory in northeastern Cadro Province, Edgar, Alick's father, summoned his son the moment he received the letter.
"Father, you summoned me?"
Hearing this, Edgar opened his eyes, looked at his eldest son, and asked, "Velin Ex, the Fifth son of the current generation of the family—what do you think?"
Alick froze at once, unable to understand why his father was asking about this.
However, since his father had asked, he could only answer truthfully.
"I met Velin at Brian's castle and spent some time with him. He is calculating, understands how to weigh gains and losses, and most importantly, he is cautious."
"Good. Go gather men and prepare to accompany me to Velin's territory." After hearing this, Edgar gave Alick his orders.
"Yes, Father."
He did not ask why. He believed his father had his own judgment.
September 16 was an extraordinary day. Olcott, Edgar, and Brian arrived at Lake of Star Prayer one after another with their respective subordinates.
"Uncle Olcott, Uncle Edgar, Cousin Brian, please come in."
With a smile, Velin led his two elders and cousin into a carefully arranged room.
After exchanging pleasantries, Velin directly took out a terrain map he had prepared in advance and began explaining the plan.
"Uncle Olcott, Uncle Edgar, Cousin Brian. In four days, more than two hundred Mountain Dwarves will escort a shipment of Mountain Copper through this area. The strongest among them is a High-Silver Warrior."
Olcott, seated at the foremost position on the left, looked at the detailed terrain map on the table and asked, "Velin, everyone has their own secrets, but I still want confirmation from you. Will Mountain Dwarves really escort Mountain Copper through here?"
Edgar also wore a solemn expression as he stared at this nephew he had never met, hoping for a definite answer. As for Brian, he did not care. He trusted that Velin would not deceive him and did not care whether it was a lie.
"Elders, I swear upon the Goddess of Life and our family ancestors that everything I have said is true."
Seeing this, the two middle-aged men already believed Velin's words.
"Since that is the case, let us discuss the plan for this operation."
As the strongest among the four, Olcott naturally took command of the operation.
Edgar across from him nodded in agreement, and neither Velin nor Brian objected.
After all, Olcott had brought the most people: two hundred Bronze Knights, six Silver Knights, while he himself was a High-Silver Knight.
Next was Edgar, with one hundred and twenty Bronze Knights and four Silver Knights.
Then came Brian, with fifty Bronze Knights, plus himself, a Silver Knight.
Lastly was Velin himself, deploying eight Bronze Knights and two Silver Knights.
"In this operation, I will hold off the High-Silver Warrior among the Mountain Dwarves."
"Edgar, Brian, the two of you will lead the remaining Silver Knights and hold off the other Silver-ranked Mountain Dwarves."
"As for Velin and Alick, you will lead the Bronze Knights in surrounding and eliminating the remaining Mountain Dwarf transport personnel."
"Since our actions will certainly provoke retaliation, the information must remain confidential. We absolutely cannot let a single Mountain Dwarf escape."
After Olcott finished, Velin asked, "Uncle, can we use this opportunity to shift the blame onto the Centaurs?"
Everyone in the meeting room looked at Velin in confusion.
"Go on."
Velin took a bone Command Token from his clothes. The name Doris was written on it, along with the distinctive mark of a Centaur clan.
Olcott recognized the token at a glance and asked in confusion, "A Centaur Silver Warrior's token. Where did you get it?"
"Uncle, I cannot tell you that. But we can use this opportunity to drive a wedge between the Mountain Dwarves and the Centaurs, clearing ourselves of suspicion."
"Velin, this could easily be exposed. Doing so would leave us with serious hidden dangers." Having sorted through the implications, Edgar tried to dissuade him.
"Uncle, rest assured. Even if the matter is exposed, the blame will ultimately point not at us, but at the Hax Family."
After careful consideration, Olcott nodded. "It can be done. However, when making the arrangements, use Deodorizing Potion to wash away the scent on the token, so they cannot track us with magic."
"Uncle, I understand."
The next day, three hundred and seventy-eight Bronze Knights and fourteen Silver Knights departed Lake of Star Prayer with ample supplies. They headed one hundred and fifty kilometers southwest to ambush the Mountain Dwarves and seize the rare metal, Mountain Copper.
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