Armed Countermeasures, a Peaceful Heart

John looked at Fanny's tightly furrowed brow, his expression grave.

He had two reasons for wanting her to produce enough Steel Bone Armor to equip a company as quickly as possible.

The first was Kevin, who would arrive in a month.

John had already prepared several plans for the envoy. He was confident he could win Kevin over, persuade him to join Faoken, and plant him inside the Neutral Faction on behalf of the People's Party.

But John still saw a risk in relying on persuasion alone.

Kevin was no fool. If Faoken could not field military strength comparable to a duchy's, his "loyalty"—or rather, his "cooperation"—might never materialize.

The Annihilation Crystal Cannon was certainly powerful enough to overawe Kevin.

But revealing that weapon would bring Faoken far more risk than reward.

That was why John had never intended to include it in the equipment review he had planned for Kevin.

To be honest, he had struggled at first to think of a way to demonstrate Faoken's strength and win Kevin over for good.

The moment he saw the Steel Bone Armor, he knew he had found his answer.

John's other reason for pushing Fanny to speed up production concerned the Froststar Clan and the Venomfang Clan. Eight days had passed since the two tribes had joined forces to assassinate him.

Krus Froststar, the Froststar Clan's sole Crown Tier fighter, had died, and the elite assassination force assembled by the two clans had been wiped out.

If John's assessment was correct, word had probably reached both clans by now.

The Froststar and Venomfang clans were likely gripped by fear. Their rulers, however, would have to conceal the news to keep their people stable and prevent other tribes from invading.

In truth, both tribes were already sitting on a powder keg.