Antiya Lisi stopped in his tracks and looked intently at Marba, saying:
"Commander Marba, I do not deny what you have said, but I also have an obligation to tell you that the situation in Aduolin Province is far more complicated than it appears."
"Based on the rebels who have been captured so far and the corpses of those who died, they all received good nutrition before they died. I have never seen a rebel whose body was deformed due to the Symbiotic Tree squeezing out normal organs, which is very rare in the Aduolin Province."
"Such a well-trained group of rebels should have begun special training at least several years ago, but the rebel leader Duolin, only arrived in White Wax Town Aduolin Province, as a bishop six months ago. This is what puzzles us at the moment."
Upon hearing this, Marba's face turned serious. He nodded, seemingly agreeing with Antiya Lisi's statement, but in reality, he already had his own plans in mind.
Whether it is a true god or a false god, as long as one touches even the slightest bit of that supreme status, doing what Antiya Lisi said is completely effortless.
But Archbishop Antiya Lisi still believed that the unheard-of Duolin was the leader of the rebels. Had Sailesi not told him the true situation in the Aduolin Province?
Why?
Was it because they feared he would surrender directly to the being suspected of being Tree God as Stained Ones, or were they simply using him as a pawn?
Marba thought for a moment and said:
"In that case, I think we should clarify the division of responsibilities beforehand."
"No problem, what are your thoughts on this?"
Antiya Lisi had no objection to the legion commander's proposal; since the other party had come from afar to help, the necessary authority should be granted.
But what does he want?
Looking into the other person's slightly aged but still bright eyes, Marba said:
"I need command of half of the Holy Crusaders."
"Anything else?"
The legion commander revealed a playful smile:
"There is none left."
"There is none left?"
Antiya Lisi looked into the other man's eyes and sensed that the legion commander wasn't lying. After a moment's thought, he nodded.
"Okay, so how should the original defense be modified?"
"Defense?"
Marba smiled and said:
"I don't think these idiots have prevented anything. The rebels are still coming and going, using this place as a public toilet."
Antiya Lisi's expression Solidification slightly, while the legion commander continued:
"Just let the other half maintain basic order; I'll handle the rest."
"Okay, that's exactly what I was hoping for."
Although he was belittled to his face, Antiya Lisi was not angry.
He has always admired capable people, and since the Grand Knight Commander in front of him could easily command three knight orders to form a legion, he must be quite capable.
Even if he relied solely on brute force, it at least demonstrates that he is a formidable fighter.
"Then go ahead and do it. I hope we can cooperate sincerely."
"Certainly."
The two got what they wanted and quickly and tacitly parted ways.
Since he was to continue managing most of the affairs of Fir City, Antiya Lisi naturally needed to plan how to deploy defenses after half of the manpower had been redeployed.
Meanwhile, Marba had already left the archbishop's study with a large stack of files. Before proceeding with his plans, he needed to understand the enemy he was about to face as thoroughly as possible.
Over the next three days, Marba did only two things: first, he examined the compiled information on the rebels; second, he examined the bodies of the captured rebels, trying to find some clues.
Antiya Lisi was unaware that the legion commander also possessed the ability to perform autopsies, but he didn't care and simply let the other party do as he pleased.
Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Marba, dressed in strange attire, quietly left the central cathedral.
He had changed his disguise once again. Symbiotic Tree that looked somewhat malnourished was growing on the side of his neck. His outermost layer of clothing was the simple winter coat commonly seen in Fir City, while his inner clothing looked somewhat bulging.
Looking down from the collar, one could see that he was wearing a breastplate pulled from the corpses of rebels under his winter coat, with some fancy gadgets still inside the pockets.
He was also wearing trousers that had been pulled from the bodies of the rebels; he had noticed early on that the rebels actually had fairly uniform uniforms.
Although the cut and trimming clearly indicate that this is a handmade product, the sheer production capacity demonstrates that the rebels should not be underestimated.
A cold wind blew, and the fire demon, who showed no fear of it, shivered slightly, then pulled its outermost garment tighter and began walking through Fir City against the wind.
Throughout the journey, Marba appeared to be staring blankly ahead, but in reality, he was constantly aware of the edges of his field of vision.
He soon noticed a citizen whose gaze was clearly off.
When the citizen looked at himself, his attention was clearly drawn to the abnormal indentation in his upper body and the pants on his lower body.
Marba took no action in response to this significant anomaly, instead continuing to walk forward as if no one else was there.
He soon made another discovery--
A lame male citizen was behaving strangely, sometimes limping on his left leg and sometimes on his right.
A female citizen was carrying two seemingly light baskets, but judging from the swaying of the containers Marba could tell that they were filled with either mud or rocks.
What kind of citizens are they if they have such power?
Wouldn't it be better to just enlist and become Holy Crusaders?
Three—in just one hour, they encountered three suspected intruders.
Fir City is so large that new rebels could infiltrate at any moment...
Marba quickly calculated the proportion in his mind and came to a conclusion.
Fir City is practically riddled with holes; there's absolutely no point in holding on.
However, he wasn't stupid. He couldn't say this, much less tell Antiya Lisi. Even if Antiya Lisi might not have been unaware of it, the rebels were too powerful, and he couldn't reveal this information, otherwise the entire Fir City would be in uproar overnight.
At this moment, Marba had already devised the optimal solution for the current situation: to let Antiya Lisi hold Fir City until the last man was gone, while he himself would begin to move around, looking for better and more ingenious opportunities to defeat the enemy.
As for Fir City?
Who cares?
Even Sailesi doesn't care about this place; for now, the only reason the city still holds a place for its ruler, Antiya Lisi, is to defend it.
Having confirmed the presence of several suspected rebels, Marba felt he still had room to maneuver...