Thinking of this, [ Ginseng Rooster ] looked at Colin beside him, bowed and asked:
"Lord Colin, do you... wish to improve?"
Hearing such a direct question, Colin looked at the Soul Returner beside him:
Say what you want to say.
"My lord, do you think... this Lord Gelan is truly a competent superior?"
[ The Ginseng Rooster ] whispered seductively:
"Perhaps Sir Faulkner of Fortress Number Thirteen believed until his death that Gelan would come to his rescue..."
" The Shalier Knights of Fortress Number Fourteen may be waiting forever for reinforcements that will never come."
"And you are the guardian knight of Fortress Number Fifteen."
"Do you think you can achieve your ambitions under someone like that?"
"Um..."
Colin didn't answer directly, only grunted in response, but not answering was, in fact, an answer; at least [ Ginseng Rooster ] had caught Colin's restless Psionic Energy heart.
"My lord, I have a plan."
[ The Ginseng Rooster ] didn't ask Colin if he wanted a solution, or even if he could speak, but simply offered this suggestion before beginning to narrate in a low voice...
A few minutes later, more than two hundred Skeleton Alliance heavy cavalrymen stopped outside the sandcastle.
They wore the same style of heavy armor, and lined up like a black tide, ready to charge forward at any moment.
Escorted by two noticeably taller and more robust cavalrymen, a skull with a significantly higher degree of crystallization and more intricate patterns on its armor stepped forward and looked towards the sandcastle, asking:
"Who is guarding this place now? Summon your castle knights!"
The skeleton soldiers on the city wall gave an announcement, Colin soon revealed himself.
Although it was unclear what features the skeletons usually used to distinguish individuals, the heavily armored skeleton officer recognized the newcomer at a glance:
" Colin? You've arrived? Where's Faulkner?"
Colin looked down at his superior, a " Bastion Lord " whose strength surpassed his own, and felt both resentful and ashamed of his condescending attitude.
He quickly gave the order:
"Open the fortress gates and let Lord Gelan and the heavy cavalry in."
He then looked down at his superior:
" Gelan, please come in and speak with me."
Upon seeing the open fortress gates, Gelan merely snorted and led his heavy cavalry slowly inside.
Soon they saw the mound of over three hundred heads.
Seeing the corpses of his kinsmen being so humiliated, Gelan instantly felt as if he were a lifeboat filled with life:
"Damn imperialists! How dare they? How dare they!"
At that moment, Colin also approached with his skeleton soldiers and the Soul Returner. He bowed to Fortress Lord Gelan.
"Sir, it was already like this when we arrived."
"As for Faulkner, he... died at the hands of the imperialists."
Colin looked at the person in front of him, his tone carrying a hint of probing:
"My lord, a medium-sized sandcastle has been completely wiped out. This is no small matter. We should report this to the warlord and councilors..."
Before he could finish speaking, Colin felt a chilling killing intent emanating from the Bastion Lord Gelan in front of him.
"Shut up."
Gelan said in an icy tone:
"I have my own arrangements for this. You can go back after you've cleaned up the battlefield."
He looked at Colin, his voice lowering slightly but still icy:
Don't think I don't know what you're thinking.
"You've gone over your superiors' head and used that as an excuse to take over Sand Castle? You've got some nerve."
Colin understood what Gelan was referring to. He had previously used a very precious tool to report the matter of Sandcastle Number Fourteen directly to the highest-ranking official in the war zone, Councilor [ Hard Armor ], bypassing two levels of superiors, including the Bastion Lord and the Border Garrison Warlord.
Even within the Skeleton Alliance, this is not something that can be easily forgiven.
Looking back now, he may have been blinded by ambition, but now, today, he truly hopes to take charge of the defense of Sandcastle Number Thirteen!
Sandcastle Number Fifteen had previously experienced small-scale attacks by the Empire, but because both sandcastles were under his control, they were able to support each other very quickly. If the attack failed, the Empire had to retreat, otherwise he would face a pincer attack from both the defenders and the reinforcements.
The Soul Returner are faster than regular skeletons at both requesting and providing aid.
Therefore, Colin believed that if Sandcastle Number Thirteen could also be brought under his control, then he would only need to be stationed at Sandcastle Number Fourteen to ensure mutual protection of the three strongholds by coordinating support from the center.
An incompetent person like Gelan may never understand his own tactics.
Thinking of this, Colin retorted in a low voice:
"I am indeed ambitious, but..."
"Lord Gelan, you only have five sandcastles under your rule. Now, one entire sandcastle has been slaughtered. How long do you think this can be kept secret?"
"Or do you intend to just stay here with these two hundred-odd heavily armored cavalry and let these invincible troops from the wilderness do the same thing as the city's garrison soldiers?"
Even if that's the case, who will guard your large sandcastle at the rear?
"How could you do such a thing, as a warrior of the Skeleton Alliance and a Bastion Lord?"
Upon hearing these words, Gelan's expression grew increasingly grim; at least, judging from his eyes, murderous intent was about to surface.
He calmed his mind and adjusted his breathing, which was unnecessary, just like a human, before looking at Colin and saying:
"So what do you want?"
Seeing Colin's intense gaze, Gelan was indeed in the wrong in this matter, finally took a step back.
The moment that question was asked, it meant he had already lost.
But how much they will lose depends on Colin's appetite.
The tall, imposing fortress knight whispered to his superior:
"I don't want anything in particular, I just want to know how you intend to patch the breach in Sandcastle Number Thirteen. As a guardian knight of the Alliance, I cannot stand idly by and watch the defensive line be breached!"
After a moment of silence, Gelan whispered:
Okay, just this once.
" Sandcastle Number Thirteen is yours now, but this is a private transaction, and no evidence will be left behind."
"I will not report today's events to the Commander-in-Chief, and you should not go over his head to Councilor [ Hard Armor ] either."
"I will have my men deliver all of Faulkner's supplies and provisions to him on time. How about I leave this to you?"
"Now you have three sandcastles, enough to rival me within my territory..."
As Gelan spoke, she reached out and patted Colin on the shoulder, convinced she had him under control:
You must learn to be content, understand?
"Sir, I don't understand what you're saying..."
Colin coldly slapped Gelan's hand away, revealing a finger bone engraved with communication runes and already activated:
"But the [ Hard Armor ] Councilor and Osmond the Warlord might understand."