The tall priest could no longer sit still.
He sprang up from his stone chair and bowed deeply to the High Priest at the head of the room:
"Your Excellency!"
"I believe Captain Ovid's proposal may seem prudent, but in truth, it is utterly foolish!"
The tall priest sneered and continued:
"Everyone here knows exactly what the Knight Order of Winterhold is like!"
"We killed a lone knight just two days ago, and now enemy eyes are everywhere along the outskirts of the Black Forest."
"With the enemy's situation unknown and danger all around us, you would send out just two first-tier squad leaders with a few dozen followers to probe their strength?"
"That isn't prudence. That's sticking our necks under the enemy's blade and asking to die!"
At that, the tall priest took a deep breath, thrust out his chest, and dropped his bombshell:
"For the great cause of the Holy Church, and to reduce casualties at the Black Forest Branch!"
"I implore Your Excellency to permit me to accompany this vanguard personally and provide support!"
"Since signs of Winterhold's presence have already appeared at the edge of the Black Forest, it would be indefensible not to have a second-tier combatant overseeing the operation in person!"
The entire Stone Chamber erupted again at his words!
Several squad leaders who had hoped to tag along for a share of the credit swallowed the words on the tips of their tongues in fright.
A second-tier priest was going to lead the team personally?!
That level of deployment was exceedingly rare in the Black Forest Branch's routine operations!
Yet this priest had actually cast aside his dignity to safeguard Lin Shen's credit, overturning the whole arrangement and jumping in personally to grab his share!
The short priest seated on the right completely