Borrowing Momentum (Part 2)

The Berkeley family of Walteren City, who was willing to act as an inside agent, is one of the oldest noble families in the Lionheart Empire, with a history dating back three hundred years to the founding of the empire by Emperor Tiberon.

Ultimately, the Berkeley Family's loss of patience with the Imperial Army boils down to self-interest.

Richard Tiberon, the fourth prince of the Lionheart Empire, followed the Imperial Legions to aid the Northern Frontier.

Richard seemed eager to make his mark in the Northern Frontier. Upon arriving in Volterren, he convened a council of nobles, demanding that all nobles "show loyalty to the Empire"—and the means of showing loyalty, of course, were to contribute money and manpower.

Richard even drew up a list, demanding the cooperation of all the nobles, large and small, in Walteren City.

The nobles, who had always preferred to watch from the sidelines, were naturally unwilling to get involved. One nobleman, who held a rather high position in the area and was probably used to living a life far removed from the emperor's Richard and made a few sarcastic remarks during the gathering.

This unfortunate nobleman was killed on the spot by Richard Richard's personal guards.

This is an absolutely horrific bloodshed.

In the Lionheart Empire, where the feudal system was prevalent, the emperor and lords jointly ruled the country. The emperor enfeoffed the great lords of each province, the great lords enfeoffed the city-state lords, and below them were the minor and medium-sized nobles. Nominally, the emperor only had jurisdiction over the great lords of each province; the city-state lords and minor and medium-sized nobles below him were not vassals of the emperor.

There is a famous saying, "The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal."

Even if a middle-ranking noble Charge Prince Richard during the council of nobles, he shouldn't have been executed on the spot. The more normal procedure would have been for the prince to pressure the Highlord of the Northern Frontier Northern Frontier, who would then urge the Lord of Walteren City to punish the audacious middle-ranking noble.

However, it must be admitted that Richard Richard's violent actions were very effective, and the nobles present, under pressure, all made promises—whether they were willing or not.

The Berkeley Family was the first to agree and received praise from the prince.

However, beneath their respectful and submissive facade, the Berkeley Family had already decided on the spot to completely side with the Resistance Army.

The unfortunate nobleman who died was related to the Berkeley Family by marriage—but that wasn't the main reason. The real issue was that Prince Richard had threatened the Berkeley Family's interests. According to Richard's list, both mines managed by the Berkeley Family were to be requisitioned by the Imperial Army, which was tantamount to severing the Berkeley Family's foundation.

"The Berkeley Family has always been opportunistic, but now they're actually willing to fully commit to the liberation of the Northern Frontier. This is a rare opportunity," said a Resistance Army general.

"That's right. As long as we capture Walteren City and hold the port, we can cut off the Imperial Army's reinforcements to the Northern Frontier! The reconquest of the entire Northern Frontier and the restoration of the Vikings ' glory will be just around the corner."

"Lord Usok, give the order! I am willing to be the vanguard and the first to storm into Volterren!" said the Tagot, who was two and a half meters tall, in a deep voice.

Usok is a good leader; of course, he should gather everyone's wisdom.

"Grima, what do you think?"

Chief Grima said, "My lord, according to the intelligence provided by Obol, the Imperial Army is about to launch a pincer attack on Elu City from the north and south... If we can capture Volterren, the Imperial Army's southern offensive will naturally collapse, which will greatly relieve the pressure on Elu City."

Usok nodded, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Bai Xiaowen raise a hand.

Usok was eager to win over this newly risen necromancer powerhouse. Bai Xiaowen's initiative to attend the military conference must have something to say, and now that he had raised his hand, Ursock certainly wouldn't ignore it.

"Dio, what's your opinion?"

All eyes in the room were on Bai Xiaowen.

Bai Xiaowen: "Attack on Volterren is not a good option."

These words immediately sparked a murmur of discussion, with many high-ranking members of the Resistance Army looking at Bai Xiaowen with suspicion.

"Why? This is a great opportunity," Kevin said.

Bai Xiaowen said in a deep voice, "If Walteren City were completely unprepared, this would indeed be a good opportunity. However, on the way back, Obol was ambushed by the Imperial Army squads multiple times, and even faced Assassination by the Black Hand Brotherhood!"

"You mean... the Walteren City already knew the Berkeley Family was going to betray them, so they went to great lengths to intercept and kill the messenger?" Grima asked.

Bai Xiaowen nodded. "They may not know it's Berkeley. But Obol's exposure is an undeniable fact. If we advance south now and attack Volterren, they will definitely be on guard, and may even set a trap for us to walk right into."

The atmosphere in the room became heavy.

What Bai Xiaowen said was actually easy to understand; it was like breaking through a thin layer of paper. Even Kevin and others who were originally opposed to him couldn't help but agree with him to some extent.

"Dio is absolutely right. We can't just rush into Volterren Territory. We don't know the terrain or the military deployment there," Usok nodded. "Without an inside man, we're like the deaf and blind."

Bai Xiaowen said, "There's an even more terrifying possibility: after the Berkeley Family is exposed, they might be used by the Imperial Army to pass on false information to us... That's the trap I was talking about."

"What should we do then? The Imperial Army is attacking Elu City from both the north and south; we must send reinforcements," a senior general said.

"Dio, what do you think we should do?" Usok directly asked Bai Xiaowen for her opinion this time.

"Reinforcing Elu City is essential, but I have another suggestion," Bai Xiaowen paused for a second, then said, enunciating each word clearly, "A surprise attack on Northshire!"

"Northshire?!"

Many people exclaimed in surprise, while Usok's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he strode to the round table and carefully examined the unfolded military map of the Northern Frontier.

"Northshire... that's the capital of the Northern Frontier, and the sham Great Lord of the Imperial dogs is right there."

"If we can really capture Northshire, the significance will be immense. Those lords who are still hesitant will surely pledge their support to Lord Usok, and we can unite the entire Northern Frontier... Then, the remaining Walteren City will definitely fall in one fell swoop."

"If we take care of that old bitch Glandis sooner, the Imperial Army will no longer have a legal reason to interfere in the Northern Frontier."

There was much discussion, and many people were persuaded by Bai Xiaowen.

Of course, there are also those who disagree.

"Easier said than done. Northshire City has high walls and thick defenses, and that damned Arinas is leading a large force to guard it."

"To launch a surprise attack on the Northshire from Spiked Helm City, we need to pass through Samo Territory. Not only is Samo Territory densely covered with waterways, making it unsuitable for cavalry, but obtaining the consent of the Samo Territory is also a problem."

Indeed, no lord would agree to allow a powerful army to pass through his territory.

Bai Xiaowen had been carefully observing Usok's expression.

Although Usok was a ruthless and cunning man, Bai Xiaowen could not easily miss the subtle Transformation in his facial expressions.

"There's a chance... Looks like I can save some effort." Bai Xiaowen thought to himself, he had to give the leader a chance to shine, he couldn't be too high-profile. If the plan to launch a surprise attack on Northshire was proposed by Usok, he believed there would be much less resistance.

Sure enough, after a moment of contemplation, Usok spoke:

"I think Dio's suggestion is feasible."

A large, thick finger traced across the military map. "According to the Imperial Army's plan, an army will be drawn from both Northshire and Volterren to launch a pincer attack on Elu City from the north and south."

"Obol has escaped from Volterren, which means that Volterren is likely on guard and will probably leave more soldiers to defend it. Accordingly, Northshire should send a stronger force to continue their plan to attack Elu from both sides. They never expected that we would choose Northshire as our target... To catch the enemy off guard is our key to victory."

"As for the marching route, we can skip the Samo Territory and choose to go through here instead."

Usok's fingers traced a stretch of azure water.

"Between Samo Territory and Silverstar Island Boguayas Strait. Compared to cavalry crossing Samo Territory's complex terrain, the waterway is more time-efficient; a journey of two or three days is expected to reach the walls of Northshire City!"

"But... Lord Usok, we don't have enough warships," Grima said with difficulty.

Usok laughed.

"The Grima brothers' surprise attack on Northshire doesn't seem like a regular army siege. What's the purpose of having so many warships?"

"Samo Territory and Northshire Territory have always traded along the Boguayas Strait. All we need is an elite force disguised as a caravan to infiltrate Northshire's North Sea Port," Usok said, tapping on the map. "Look, Northshire and North Sea Port are only a few farms apart. Reaching North Sea Port is like inserting a dagger into the enemy's throat."

"Therefore, we need a trade document from the Samo Territory to obtain permission to enter the port..." Usok looked at the crowd, "Which warrior is willing to go to Samo Port and retrieve this document for me? Our time is of the essence."

Bai Xiaowen immediately raised her hand.

"Yes, there is no one more suitable than the Dio brothers. You are relatively unfamiliar, so your presence in the Samo Territory will not attract attention," Usok said.

Tagot laughed heartily, grinning widely, and said, "Yeah, if I went, I'd definitely be recognized."

Looking at Tagot's 2.5-meter height, Bai Xiaowen was speechless. However, he had already received the mission notification.

"[Side Quest: Trade Permit] Unlocked."

"[Mission Objective: Obtain a valid Trade Permit.]"

[Task Difficulty: A]

"[Task deadline: 24 hours.]"

"[Task Reward: Unknown.]"

Usok said earnestly, "Brother Dio, hurry back. I'll immediately order the formation of a temporary fleet, just waiting for your credentials."

Li Shuyi, who was standing to the side, had already silently taken out her little notebook and made notes on Bai Xiaowen's wonderful performance.

Without a doubt, attacking Northshire is in Bai Xiaowen's and her team's best interest—don't forget, their Elite Tier challenge mission requires them to go to Northshire and explore the Grand Mausoleum of North County Monastery.

Given the defenses of North County Monastery, the task would be significantly more difficult without assistance from the Resistance Army.

The Resistance Army ' initial plan did not include attacking Northshire; it was Bai Xiaowen's Mouth Escape that changed their battle plan!

When an awakened being successfully persuades a powerful Spirit Realm faction to make strategic deployments according to his will, it means that he has gained control of the "great trend" in this world.

Compared to the entire Spirit Realm Plane, the power of an Awakened One is undoubtedly insignificant. Only by learning to leverage existing power can one stir up trouble and reap the greatest benefits.

Recalling Bai Xiaowen's skillful use of Mouth Escape during his various explorations of the Spirit Realm, Li Shuyi finally understood what Bai Xiaowen's perfect score on the General Knowledge Supplementary Exam for the National College Entrance Examination meant...

The military conference has concluded.

At this time, Bai Xiaowen's reputation in the Resistance Army had risen to the level of "respect," Li Shuyi had also officially reached the "friendly" level.

The increase in reputation is certainly not achieved through Mouth Escape, but rather through the reward of escorting Obol back to Spiked Helm City and the accumulation of the Imperial Army killed along the way.

"The Resistance Army has become a major force, so its reputation is growing more slowly. Otherwise, killing a Advanced Boss and escorting a messenger back should have raised its reputation to Revered," Bai Xiaowen said softly as he left the small conference room.

Back then, Bai Xiaowen only completed an A-Tier mission to Assassination a special envoy, and his reputation soared to Revered.

Li Shuyi said, "Having a lot of power has its advantages; the quartermaster gets more good stuff..."

Mr. Grima, the head steward, had just stepped out of the small conference room when he was stopped by the unscrupulous brother and sister duo.

"Dio, you were looking for me...?"

"Show the list of merit points redemptions."

Before Grima could finish his sentence, he froze. A list of military supplies for exchange appeared in front of him—he had automatically entered "human ATM" mode.

In the exchange list, items such as food and alchemical potions are quickly skipped.

"There's also an exchange for Gold Equipment... but unfortunately, it's all standard equipment," Li Shuyi muttered.

"It's pretty good, quite comprehensive, basically all the parts are included," Bai Xiaowen said. "You and I are still missing a few parts, if we have extra Merit Points, we can exchange for a few more."

Li Shuyi flipped to the back and suddenly said, "Hey, Xiao Wen, look here."

[Frost Tome: Special item; grants the user the advanced level 1 Ice Spell Mastery perk upon use.]

[Flame Tome: Special item; grants the user an advanced level 1 Fire Spell Mastery perk upon use.]

[Arcane Tome: Special Item...]

In the "Specialties" section of the exchange list, a special item that can increase the user's magical abilities was prominently displayed!

Unfortunately, there are only three magic elements: ice, fire, and arcane. Bai Xiaowen does not have the Lightning Spell Specialty he needs.

"Could this shipment of local specialties be Kevin's products?" Bai Xiaowen recalled Kevin's skills. "It's very possible... Judging from his skills, that guy has ice, fire, and arcane elements, and they're all inscription-based skills..."

"Xiao Wen, exchanging for a Flame Tome should be useful, right?" Li Shuyi said. "Don't you have the Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts? It's Flame Combat Arts, so you should benefit from the fire magic bonus, right?"