Chapter 128

Caslathdi held a gift list in her hand, her expression as strange as could be.

Just moments ago, she was discussing the next steps with Haino when a guard suddenly ran over and said there was a gift from Magana, specially intended for Her Highness the Princess.

A gift? What gift?

She couldn't recall ever becoming so close to that Grand Duke that they exchanged gifts.

But when Caslathdi finished reading the list, she couldn't help but clench her fists.

This is actually a list of betrothal gifts!

"What is that madman up to now?!"

Team up with her, marry Ryan? What's that all about? Is there any necessary connection between the two?

If it's just about joining forces, Caslathdi understands, because the situation seems to be at a stalemate for the time being. The most intense competition in the Southern Territory has ended, and although the Old Emperor is somewhat cruel, he is not to the point of self-destruction. He holds a large army and stays in the Imperial Capital, so it is impossible for her to break in now.

During this time, many nobles had secretly contacted her, some of whom were officers in the imperial army. The situation was slowly tilting in her favor, but Caslathdi was not sure how it would ultimately turn out.

If she could temporarily join forces with Magana, it would be a quick way to break the deadlock.

Anyway, the right of succession is in her hands. As long as she can kick her father off the throne and sit on the throne, she will have the right to mobilize the imperial army to suppress Magana.

Of course, Magana wasn't stupid (?), Caslathdi knew that the other party wouldn't just let her become Empress so easily.

There will definitely be some back and forth, and who will prevail will depend on their individual abilities.

"What's wrong, Caslathdi?" Haino, who was standing to the side, put down his teacup and asked with great curiosity.

"Teacher... please take a look."

Caslathdi didn't know what to say, so she simply handed over the gift list.

Haino was taken aback for a moment upon seeing this, then frowned and said, "Could this be that Magana is deliberately trying to confuse the issue and has actually already secretly won over Ryan?"

"Impossible, Magana isn't that smart." Caslathdi said subconsciously. "Although she did try to win over Ryan, and Ryan told me about it before, as for this time... that crazy woman is capable of anything, it's not surprising."

That's the impression Magana has always given people, and Haino doesn't know her very well, so he sees things more clearly than Caslathdi.

However, she didn't know the situation well and it wasn't appropriate for her to offer an opinion on such matters. After all, the Southern Territory was still under the control of Ryan Caslathdi, and if Ryan really was a mole, then things would be troublesome.

"Besides, teacher, when I first came to Berman City, I wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for Ryan's help." Caslathdi chuckled. "If he were one of Magana's men, he would have attacked me long ago. When I had nothing, I had no power to fight back."

Caslathdi didn't believe Ryan would betray her. This was just another foolish act by Magana, trying to sow discord through such means? Dream on!

"It's good that you know what you're doing." Haino nodded slightly, then shook his head. "So what do you plan to do? If Magana gets engaged to Ryan, this... I don't quite understand."

Honestly, it's a bit of a mess.

This relationship is more complicated than any of the research she did at the academy.

"It's simple. If she wants to make the engagement, let her. It just so happens that we're short of the final force to storm the Imperial Capital. Ryan is my vassal. If he and Magana get engaged, wouldn't it seem to outsiders that Magana has voluntarily submitted to me, making her inferior to me?"

While this might offer some consolation, it doesn't stop Caslathdi from making a fuss about it.

She wanted to publicize it extensively, to let the entire Augustus Empire know that Magana had now pledged allegiance to her and become her vassal!

No?

Ha~ Then how can you arrange a marriage between me and my vassal?

She wanted to see what kind of expression Magana would have if she came.

An hour later, Caslathdi took all the gifts to the city office for Ryan.

"This is from... Magana?" Ryan was stunned. "An engagement gift??"

No, you still have this custom?

He had never heard Magana mention this part before.

"Yes, Ryan, that crazy woman Magana, she's trying to use this trick to sow discord between us." Caslathdi said with a smile, "I don't need these things, so I'll just give them all to you. The Holy Blood Legion needs support and development right now, and it's a time when we need to spend a lot of money."

Magana sent only 'common things', and the total value of all kinds of gold and silver treasures was close to tens of thousands. Caslathdi had to admit that the mad Grand Duke was much richer than herself.

But so what?

Give me money, and I'll support Ryan.

Provocative?

Ha~ That doesn't exist.

Caslathdi is in a very good mood right now.

She simply shoved the gift list into Ryan's hands.

"Ah, the Holy Blood Legion is indeed..."

Ryan clicked his tongue, looking at the generous gift. Was he short of money? Of course he was! Very short!

The stronger the Holy Blood Legion is, the more funds it needs to invest.

He planned to build the Holy Blood Legion into an even stronger force than the Iron Blood Army, and in addition to the boost from their Will of War, their equipment absolutely had to be top-notch.

Warfare is a money-burning affair, and this is true in both my past life and this world.

It's like this: their equipment quality is 8, and yours is 3. How are you supposed to fight? They can cut your weapon in half with one slash and take you and your armor out with one shot.

Therefore, what Ryan wants to create is a super-doubled army with equipment quality of 10 and combat power of 10!

Then.

The Berman City was completely drained of its finances.

Along with Nade City and Kosotoya, the taxes collected and the money earned from the gray market during this period are barely enough to fill a tooth gap.

As for the territories in the Southern Territory, they are still unstable after being conquered, and it is unrealistic to make a lot of money from them. 'Vainay' is secretly taking over, and stability is the priority.

"Oh, right, this is for you too."

Caslathdi took a scroll out of her storage bag.

"Magic Scrolls?"

"Yes, this is a Magic Scrolls that Janus Path. Once used, it can tear through space and randomly send you to other places, which can save your life in critical moments."

Ryan was taken aback. "Your Highness, are you going to give me this valuable gift?"

This thing is a treasure! He's been trying to get Alts for so long and hasn't gotten it yet. He even tried to buy it from Gilded Merchant, but they didn't have any in stock.

According to the Gilded Merchant, this item is priceless and has no market. The last transaction was last year, when they sold one for 150,000 Soul Jade.

"Yes, Magana is unpredictable. Although she seems to want to win you over now, she might be secretly planning to do something to you. It's safe for you to keep it with you."

"Wouldn't this... be inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?" Caslathdi chuckled. "Ryan, you are my most trusted subject. Let alone a mere Magic Scrolls, once I become Empress, the position of First Duke of Augustus will be yours."

"Your Highness, you are too kind! For the sake of the great cause, I would go through fire and water!"

"I know that whatever Magana wants to do, we will respond accordingly. The ultimate goal is the same: to use her to tie down the Imperial army and create an opportunity for us to break through Baron."

At this point, Caslathdi added, "It's a bit difficult for you. Getting engaged to that madwoman will probably be hard to explain to Shally, won't it? If you're unwilling, then I'll go and refuse Magana. Anyway, her situation isn't necessarily better than mine right now."

"No, no, no, it's not difficult at all." Ryan said seriously, "I have always been devoted to the bright moon, and Your Highness has been devoted to me. I will naturally reciprocate and work hard for the greater cause! Let alone an engagement, even marriage is fine. Sacrificing the individual for the greater good is what Old Joe has always told us to do!"

"Old Joe? Who's this?"

"Oh Jonathan, I'm in a higher position than him now."

"Ha..."

Old Joe... what a strange title. But speaking of the Burning Covenant, Ryan's status as a Level 5 Investigator did surprise her. However, she still didn't know what her father was up to, so Caslathdi didn't dare to use this power lightly.

Caslathdi gave some instructions and then left.

Ryan had mixed feelings.

No, I was just about to run away, and you're giving me gifts and scrolls... I'm really embarrassed (puts it in his pocket).

"Sigh~ I have to say, following the Princess has a promising future, but unfortunately I'm about to lose my footing."

The better Caslathdi treats him now, the crazier he'll become if he finds out he's actually the mole—he'll probably never leave the basement.

So we have to make a run for it while we still can. We can't stay any longer, absolutely not.

Anyway, the situation is such that no one can be decided in the short term, so let Magana and Caslathdi compete. What does it mean to benefit from the fight between the snipe and the clam?

"I still have to die, and I want to die in a spectacular way."

All the gifts were collected and given to Ina to exchange for military funds. Later, they also needed to replenish Shally's military supplies. Although the Southern Territory War had ended, the battle belonging to the Holy Blood Legion was not over yet.

The Holy Blood Legion marched north, conquering territories. They had fought almost every battle they could, but that didn't matter. If there were no conditions, they would create them. Didn't the Kainter Kingdom always like to invade? So 'Shally' led the Holy Blood Legion directly south and attacked the Hicks Frontline.

This is no simple matter of a sneak attack or arson. Just yesterday, the latest battle report came in: 'Shally' led the Holy Blood Legion to a head-on defeat of the defenders of Hicks City, killing more than four thousand enemies!

When the news reached them, the entire Southern Territory trembled, and the entire Kainter border trembled as well.

Some lords in the Southern Territory who had initially been willing to fight have now completely lost interest. Kainter was even more bewildered. "You're fighting the Crown Prince War, so why are you attacking me out of the blue?"

Originally, although the Hicks Frontline was burned by 'Shally' last time, the losses were still acceptable. It was just that a flag was planted on our territory, right? As long as we were thick-skinned enough, we could just pretend not to care and pull it off.

This time, however, it was a real frontal attack. The Holy Blood Legion only had 6,000 men, while Hicks City had 10,000.

With 10,000 against 6,000, how could we possibly lose Dragon Riding Face?

The result was quite the opposite.

On this day, the soldiers of Hicks City finally remembered the fear of being dominated by the God of War of the Southern Territory, and the humiliation of being imprisoned on the Hicks Frontline.

Holy Blood, damn it! Holy Blood, attack!

In this battle, the Holy Blood Legion suffered fewer than a thousand casualties, and Ryan could tell from 'Shally's' interface that the team was 'upgrading'.

By learning from war and growing through experience, the Holy Blood Legion has actually acquired the growth characteristics of the Demon Legion. Although it is still composed of humans, it is definitely Holy Blood Demon Legion!

'Shally', having won the victory, did not stop and continued to pursue the defeated Hicks army. However, the reinforcements from the surrounding border cities were not coming as quickly as they had expected. They had never imagined that Hicks City would be defeated, so... now that they had lost, they dared not send reinforcements.

These lords are all the same wherever they go; Augustus was like that, and Kainter was even more so.

Moreover, in terms of fundamental combat strength, the Kainter Kingdom was far inferior to the Augustus Empire. Did these border lords only want to protect themselves and resist enemy invasion? That was a matter for the king to consider.

'Shally' seized this opportunity, taking advantage of the Kainter border army's hesitation and retreat, and marched all the way from the Hicks Frontline to Hicks City, and then—began the siege!

In a single day, from battle to siege, 'Shally' demonstrated to everyone what 'efficiency' truly meant. This Holy Blood Legion seemed like a tireless machine, fighting all day without showing any signs of fatigue, but instead growing stronger with each battle!

As the bloody mist of war enveloped Hicks, the sound of the city breaking down was like the tolling of the death knell, sending a chill down everyone's spine. More than 5,000 Holy Blood Legion were attacking the city, while the defending army of Hicks, a full 10,000 men, was slaughtered and routed!

This city also has Supernatural Being, but unfortunately their rank is not high. More importantly, with 'Shally's' current strength, she is confident of victory even if Fifth Tier Transcendent comes!

Because 'Shally' is about to advance again.

[Advancement Quest]

[Blood Sacrifice: 8425/88888]

Despite breaking through a step later than 'Lin Qi', he has now reached the Fourth Tier first. However, what makes Ryan want to curse is that this abnormal Advancement Quest, as expected, did not go as planned. At the third rank, he had to kill 8888, and then at the Fourth Tier, he directly killed 88,000!

Although he had thought that if he had to sacrifice 880,000 lives to advance to the fifth rank, he would definitely hold a sacrifice and then curse the Blood God, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and work hard to advance.

'Shally' clearly placed her hopes for advancement in the border city of Hicks.

Reliable data indicates that this border city has a population of over 300,000, and even more when the transient population is included. It is an important economic point on the Kainter border, otherwise there would be no need for so many troops stationed there.

If there are people, then a sacrifice can be made!

Ryan didn't think there was anything wrong with 'Shally's' idea. When the Kainter Kingdom's army invaded Kosotoya, burned down the entire city, and carried out a massacre inside, he never thought it would turn out like this.

The tides turn, and border wars never cease. On a grander scale, this is a national war. If he shows weakness and fails to frighten Kainter, his own people will suffer the consequences!

The city was breached quickly. Before the cannons on the city walls could fire two rounds, the gates of Hicks City were forcibly blasted open by 'Shally'. Those Supernatural Being came to stop her were killed by the blood sacrifice she released, and then the battle became unstoppable.

What happens when a group of fully armed soldiers, steeped in the will to fight, storm into a breached city?

Although some people had already evacuated through other city gates, the majority were still unable to leave in time. Some wealthy merchants and nobles were still frantically stuffing gold coins into their pockets in preparation for their escape when the Holy Blood soldiers chopped off their heads with a single sword stroke.

What does it mean for an army to collapse like a house of cards?

"This is an extraordinary army. War is truly irrational."

Ryan shook his head inwardly. The Holy Blood Legion's ability to improve was visible to the naked eye. The Blood Divine Path's enhancement of the target was perfectly reflected in all the stats. It was the most direct and violent aesthetics. It didn't care about anything fancy. It just cared about taking off the enemy's head. This was the Blood God's greatest blessing!

Seeing that the battle had stabilized, Ryan stopped paying attention.

This battle is estimated to last another day. Slaughtering the entire city will be a bit difficult, since the city gates are wide open and the enemy will definitely run away. However, completing most of the advancement KPIs should not be a problem.