What did I learn?
What can we learn from something that happened hundreds of years ago?
The Tree Worship Church wasn't a kingdom composed of feudal nobles, and the people present weren't lords. Was it really necessary to delve into the reasons behind this history?
Seeing everyone remain silent, Grand Knight Commander Marba spoke firmly:
"Whenever I see this history, I am outraged by the disunity among the kingdom's nobles. Despite having the overwhelming advantage in military strength, they were unable to win a single battle against the Demon Allied Army composed of different races."
"Each kingdom must first lose three to five battles and suffer tens of thousands of casualties before it will truly fight back when a noble's core territory is besieged."
At this point, Marba's tone became somewhat angry:
"Isn't it a pity that those soldiers died because of their lord's selfish desires?"
Some of the knights present remained silent, while others nodded, but most still felt that Marba was playing the riddle-maker.
What exactly do you want?
A high-ranking knight asked with displeasure:
"Speak quickly if you have something to say. This isn't your personal camp."
Marba nodded:
"Yes, that's the reason."
His gaze swept over the crowd:
"In order to concentrate our forces and crush the enemy entrenched in the Aduolin Province in one fell swoop, I propose merging the Holy Crusaders Knight Order to form a larger [Legion], and electing a [Legion Commander] to be fully responsible for the command and control of the entire Legion."
Marba's tone was resolute and assertive:
Do you all agree?
The high knight commander who had first raised an objection spoke first:
"That's a good idea, but I need to find out beforehand—who's the legion commander?"
This time, Marba didn't beat around the bush; he raised his right index finger and pointed to himself, silently giving his answer.
Who agrees, and who disagrees?
The high-ranking Marba Knight Order all stood on his side, while the high-ranking members of the other knightly orders stood together according to their military ranks, creating a three-way standoff in the military tent.
Although the members of the Marba Knight Order present supported the Grand Knight Commander becoming the Legion Commander, they were not entirely confident of victory. Seeing the unfriendly expressions on the faces of the other knights' middle and upper ranks, they all looked at Marba, hoping he would take action.
However, no one present noticed that the brightness inside the military tent had been gradually decreasing since the beginning.
A scorching hot wind swept through the tent, and the Grand Knights quickly realized why the furniture had been replaced, but unfortunately, it was too late...
"You two will each take over these two knightly orders and eliminate all mid- to high-ranking members who object to the reorganization into [legions] before dawn."
"Sir, if we do that, I'm afraid the lower-ranking soldiers will..."
"Keeping these people around will only interfere with my plans. Don't forget who we're facing. If we can't even unify our command, how can we possibly win? Eliminate those people, reorganize their subordinates, and let's stay here for another day to reorganize before heading to Fir City."
"Yes, Commander Knight."
What should you call me?
"Yes, Commander."
"Very well, you can go and get back to work."
The spacious military tent was once again empty. The Duma, cloaked in the skin of Marba, sat in a high-backed chair, letting a flame roll back and forth between his fingers.
In the silent stillness, the demon Whisper:
" Geliwusi, is this also part of your plan?"
Holy City, side hall of the Holy Soul Hall.
This is a rather special area within the Holy Soul Hall, where a large number of Soul Tree are also stored.
What makes this place special is that Sailesi made some adjustments to the layout of the Holy Soul Hall a long time ago. He moved the Soul Tree of the high-ranking Stained Ones Knight Order here and arranged for dedicated personnel to guard it 24 hours a day.
Just now, seven or eight Soul Tree shattered on the spot under the pull of some unknown force, with residual heat from the hot wind still lingering above them.
Upon witnessing this scene, the night watchman in the side hall felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision.
He knew this matter was definitely not that simple. No matter where the incident occurred, the deaths of so many high- Stained Ones Knight Order were absolutely a major event.
The Night Watchman counted the number of dead Soul Tree, picked up a few Shattered pieces of wood from the ground, and walked out of the Holy Soul Hall.
He needs to see Lord Sailesi, now, immediately!
The watchman, breathing heavily, stepped out of the side hall and onto the floor of the main hall. He found the floor not as hard as before, but as soft as if he had stepped into a hole in it.
He looked down in confusion and felt his right leg stretching out, while his arms and body began to wriggle abnormally.
The surrounding sharp-edged stone pillars and straight-framed windows, everything seemed to be constantly stretching and contracting, making the whole world appear like a giant sponge.
A fragrant scent wafted into his nostrils, and the night watchman felt utterly exhausted. Coupled with the constantly distorted environment around him, he suddenly felt a slight urge to retreat.
Perhaps I should go back to the night watchman's cell and rest.
He wondered, however, why he had left the side hall in the first place?
After racking his brains in vain, the watchman let go of his grip in despair. The few pieces of wood that had been used as evidence fell to the ground, but they did not elicit any reaction from him.
Amidst a distorted and eerie hallucination, the Night Watchman staggered back to his small room and collapsed onto his bed.
A few minutes later, a furtive figure arrived outside the Holy Soul Hall.
After confirming that the Night Watchman inside had gone offline, he made his way to the side hall, used his tools to collect all the dead Soul Tree and fragments, and left the Holy Soul Hall carrying a large bag of trash.
After passing several buildings with different functions, the young, furtive figure returned to the top floor of the Records Office and knocked on a door.
A thin, white-faced, beardless old man opened the door for him himself.
Unlike Luxiusi always had a serious expression, and Sailesi, who harbored ill intentions, anyone who saw Geliwusi for the first time would think he was not a bad person.
This cardinal had a kind appearance and always wore a smile, making him an easy-going cardinal in the eyes of most clergy.
The young man who had just entered was none other than the cardinal's personal attendant.
The young man placed the bag on the ground and bowed respectfully:
"Lord Geliwusi, everything has been taken care of."
"Hmm, well done. One last thing."
"You said."
"After dawn, go find Kele and Saili, the two investigators, and transfer them to the Records Office so I can directly manage them."
"I understand, but..."
The official glanced at the fragments of the Soul Tree in the bag behind him:
Why isn't this garbage sent directly to the incinerator?
Upon hearing this, Geliwusi sighed and said:
"The incineration chamber was recently shut down, and they are recruiting a new manager."