Emergency Deployment

Kulandeer stood up, intending to find a safer place to wait. He was about to take off when he suddenly stopped. A powerful energy fluctuation emanated from the sky not far away, its aura sharp and heavy—there was another Legendary on the other side!

Sure enough, a black figure arrived rapidly, falling from the sky and crashing to the ground nearby. The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a cold expression, exuding an aura of indifference that kept strangers at bay.

"Chief Zhapulai!" The members of the local guard saluted respectfully, their voices filled with awe. The squad leader immediately stepped forward to report the situation.

From their brief conversation, Kulandeer learned that the visitor was Zhapulai, one of the Empire's two Saint Rank warriors, known as "The Executioner".

This Saint Rank, who was also the head of the Star Empire's highest intelligence agency, was located not far from the capital, and it was clear that the strange phenomenon had alerted him.

Kulandeer's heart sank. He couldn't defeat a "Legendary" warrior born and raised in the Taya Plane. If he had to make an analogy, he was like someone who grew up in a greenhouse, while the other was wild in a harsh environment.

Zhapulai regained control of the situation and waved for everyone to quiet down.

"I am Zhapulai, Chief of the Star Empire's Heavenly Shuttle Bureau," he said, stepping forward with his head held high.

Although the other party's identity is unknown, as fellow Saint Rank combatants in this world, necessary etiquette should still be observed.

Kulandeer nodded in response, "I am Kulandeer, a passing mage."

Zhapulai frowned. The Heavenly Shuttle Bureau was an intelligence agency with very detailed information on the powerful figures of various forces, including a large number of reclusive individuals.

But he had never heard of the name "Kulandeer" in all these years, and the figure, aura, and clothing of the person in front of him did not match any of the powerful figures of any force. Not to mention a Grand Magus Mentor below the Saint Rank, there was no such person among Magister.

Zhapulai's doubts grew stronger, and he decided to find out more.

"May I ask what brings you to our country?" he continued, his tone still calm, yet carrying a hint of pressure.

Kulandeer frowned; Zhapulai was starting to get a bit persistent.

"No comment," he replied coldly, his tone clearly impatient.

Too much talk leads to mistakes, and saying more is of no use. Kulandeer was surrounded by a faint Magic Power aura, ready to strike at any moment.

The situation suddenly became tense.

Zhapulai narrowed his eyes. As a veteran special agent, he had a gut feeling that there was something wrong with the "Kulandeer" in front of him.

However, the other party was, after all, a Saint Rank expert. He couldn't rashly start a war just because the other party was "passing by" and because of his own "suspicion." If this caused unnecessary conflict, the price would be too high.

"Sir, you are a guest from afar." Zhapulai softened his tone slightly, but there was no smile on his face. "Why don't you come and visit us, have a cup of hot tea, so that I can show you some hospitality?"

At the very least, I need to find out who this person is and what their background is! Zhapulai thought to himself.

A squad of elite knights clad in armor arrived at the scene and quickly deployed to encircle the High Rank expert.

Kulandeer was immediately in trouble. Zhapulai was already stronger than him, making the situation even more difficult to handle.

rice***

"Stop!" a woman's voice suddenly rang out.

A lavishly decorated carriage arrived, Janet, dressed in a magnificent long gown, quickly stepped down and hurried to the center of the field.

"This monk is a guest I invited," she quickly explained to Zhapulai. "He's new here and missed the receptionist I arranged, which is why he's lingering here. He didn't mean to disturb you, sir."

"Your Highness!" Zhapulai bowed slightly, offering a perfunctory greeting.

Even so, Janet dared not accept it lightly. She immediately took half a step back, lifted her skirt, and curtsied respectfully in return.

This Zhapulai was not only exceptionally powerful, but also an Imperial Lord and the head of a powerful institution, so she dared not be disrespectful in the slightest.

"This master comes from a family of mages in the Northern Sea Mist Kingdom," Janet quickly transcribed in her mind. "He is devoted to the study of magic, cultivating in seclusion for many years, and only recently broke through to the Saint Rank, which is why he is unknown to outsiders."

Zhapulai glanced at Janet with a scrutinizing look, knowing that not a single word the princess had uttered was true.

Janet knew she couldn't hide it any longer. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, whispering, "Lord Zhapulai, he's a powerful figure sent by the Temple of Light to deal with the Final Bone Mad Machines. We can't, and shouldn't, interfere in this matter."

Zhapulai was somewhat aware of the recent battle situation. Although the Temple of Light had just won a battle on the surface, judging from the intelligence he had access to, there was a sense that a storm was brewing.

From the perspective of the Star Empire, although they are ostensibly unrelated to this war, they have secretly reached a tacit understanding with the Temple of Light.

"Does King Xialike know about this?" Zhapulai asked.

"My brother doesn't know about this yet," Janet shook her head. "It was an emergency; the Temple of Light didn't have time to inform them beforehand."

Now, Zhapulai was in a bit of a predicament, as this matter should be reported to King Xialike.

Janet quickly came up with a plan. "I'll take the master back to my princess's residence now, and you can report to my brother." She spoke more and more fluently. "Tomorrow morning, I will personally escort this mage out of the country, ensuring that no trouble is caused and no problems arise for the empire."

Zhapulai hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement with Princess Janet's suggestion.

He summoned a trusted knight and whispered, "Report the situation here to King Xialike immediately."

"Yes!" the knight replied, turning and quickly departing.

"It was my duty, and I apologize for disturbing Her Highness's welcoming of guests. Please forgive me!" Zhapulai said to Janet.

"Your Excellency is too kind," Janet quickly replied, a polite smile on her face. "Your Excellency's dedication to protecting the Empire's safety is a blessing to the Empire!"

Having said that, she turned and walked to Kulandeer, subtly raising her hand to reveal the Quarter Hand badge on her wrist. "Master, His Holiness the Pope specially arranged for me to pick you up." She gestured towards the carriage. "You must be tired from your journey. Please come with me."

Kulandeer nodded, put away his spellbook and the Magic Power aura around him, and followed Janet out of the crowd, boarded the carriage, and left.

****

As expected, after receiving Zhapulai's report, King Xialike did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he simply ordered the Heavenly Shuttle Bureau to monitor the situation without taking any additional action to avoid unnecessary conflict.

He leaned back in his large chair, thought for a moment, and then summoned an officer from the intelligence department.

"Inform Katharine about the appearance of the Saint Rank mage Kulandeer," King Xialike instructed.

The intelligence officer was very surprised upon hearing this. "Your Majesty, why is that?"

Currently, Su Ming's side has taken the initiative to attack, inevitably resulting in the dispersal of its personnel and troops. The Temple of Light's strategy of gathering powerful individuals to eliminate the core members of the Final Bone Mad Machines at an opportune moment is clearly a sound tactic. From a political perspective, the Star Empire should be pleased to see this happen.

"Although this Kulandeer is Saint Rank, his aura is weak," King Xialike explained. "He's probably a 'fake' expert who quickly mastered some secret technique. He won't be of much use against a true powerhouse. It would be better if we did him a favor, leaving ourselves a way out and some room for maneuver."

The intelligence officer suddenly realized what was happening, saluted, and left to carry out King Xialike's order to send out the message.

At the same time, Yise witnessed a Saint Rank mage entering the Princess's residence near the Princess's residence.

This unexpected turn of events made her very alert—the operation to capture Janet was imminent, but suddenly such a formidable enemy appeared.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yise wrote a note and handed it to his subordinate, "Send the situation to the radio station and have them forward it to Chairman Su."

"Yes!"

Within half an hour, the two intelligence reports arrived in front of Su Ming one after the other.

The H-6 WZ's fuselage trembled as it flew at full speed, with the sea rushing past the porthole.

"Xialike is truly a shrewd and cunning fox," Su Ming couldn't help but curse. "Li E's assessment was absolutely correct!"

"Obviously," Katharine said confidently over the radio. "Hedging his bets is something Xialike is bound to do. I heard from Li E that you were bullied quite badly by him back then?"

"Yes," Katharine said helplessly, "I used to be too focused on the tactics themselves, and as a result, I was always outmaneuvered by his underhanded tricks. It was a time I absolutely didn't want to look back on."

"The price of growth, huh?" Su Ming smiled. "By the way, how's the infiltration situation in the Northern Continent Jurisdiction?" he continued.

"It's going incredibly smoothly," Katharine laughed. "The progress is amazing; we're almost at the point of establishing an underground branch in the Northern Continent Military District."

Katharine explained the reasons in detail, which involved multiple factors.

One reason is that the Northern Continent Jurisdiction of Light is very close to the Northern Lands, Katharine began promoting the Star Sand organization's infiltration work several months ago, laying a good foundation.

Secondly, in preparation for an attack on Dawn, the military has been building a large number of defensive facilities along the border, making the tasks of the lower-ranking soldiers extremely heavy and causing widespread complaints, which provided a suitable emotional atmosphere.

Finally, there was fear. The news that the Final Bone Mad Machines had easily torn apart three main warships of the expeditionary fleet on the battlefield using the Spirit Rain technology continued to spread, and all sorts of rumors emerged.

Everyone fears that the Final Bone Mad Machines will recreate the "Ghost Tide" of yesteryear, replicating ghosts by constantly killing ordinary soldiers, bringing annihilation to the entire continent.

Although this had a huge negative impact on the reputation of the Unfinished Bone Mad Machines, it also made the soldiers resent the Holy See, who were responsible for all of this, even more. They were angry at the Papacy's corruption and incompetence, its disregard for the lives of the lower classes, and its tendency to send them to the battlefield as cannon fodder whenever something happened.

In short, the current unrest among soldiers in the Northern Continent Jurisdiction has given the Star Sand organization a huge opportunity to infiltrate, grow, and expand its underground organization rapidly.

"It's good that everything went smoothly," Su Ming said with relief.

The power of the Star Sand Organization lies not in the front lines of the battlefield. This group of elites, who rose from the lowest ranks of the common people, possesses innate empathy and a seamless sense of identity. They have received "missionary" training and have long been engaged in the work of spreading their doctrines. The "Pale New Words" endowed them with ideas that were ahead of their time, and the popularization of the New Divine Language gave them power that surpassed that of other combatants of the same rank.

All these factors combined to create the astonishing power that Su Ming saw. On the battlefield, they might just be a blade, but once placed in the right environment, they become explosive sparks!

Therefore, while Katharine was troubled by the vast disparity in the size of their army compared to the Temple of Light, Su Ming had this feeling: since arriving in the other world, he had never fought such a rich battle!

"Should we speed up the defection process in the Northern Continent Jurisdiction and launch an uprising first to contain them?" Katharine asked.

"There's no need for that," Su Ming refused. "No need to rush. The damage and division of the enemy's morale is only the beginning!"

Mimi**

The communication ended, Su Ming put away the communicator. Outside the porthole, the setting sun was losing its last rays, and night was beginning to fall.

"Another Saint Rank enemy has suddenly appeared," Su Ming pondered, his tone gradually becoming serious.

Although his current forces were sufficient to deal with this Saint Rank opponent, he decided to make the attack plan more secure.

"Miao Xin, can the drones support the journey?"

"It's too far. We're in Eternal Night Port right now," Miao Xin said, shaking her head. "Even if a drone could fly that far, it wouldn't be able to carry enough combat payload to be of any use."

After the battle of Brown Gold Island, our troops regrouped on Silver Island. Su Ming arranged for the Dragon Guard to provide a token resistance before withdrawing entirely back to Thousand Cellars Domain.

He himself, along with Ruixiuli and others, boarded the H-6 WZ and began a long-distance transfer flight to Eternal Night Port.

Eternal Night Port is located on the Arctic Circle side of the Northern Continent. It is the port of Eternal Night Territory, which is currently occupied and controlled by the Feather Race. The supply fleet arranged by Su Ming had already arrived here in advance and was waiting for orders.

This port was the true logistical hub of this campaign.

Just as the two were about to discuss further, the voice of the liaison officer from Eternal Night Port came through the radio, "This is Eternal Night Port Lighthouse. I see a small white dot rapidly approaching above the eastern horizon. Is that the H-6 WZ that Chairman Su is aboard?"

"Your eyesight is really good," a mechanic exclaimed, glancing down at the radar screen. "We're still a full 40 kilometers away from you!"

"I'm a Feather Race, so I'm quite good at this," the liaison officer at Eternal Night Port explained with a smile, then his tone became serious, "The port area has been cleared, the wind speed is 4 knots, and the wave height is 0.3 meters. We can land at any time."

"H-6 WZ received," the mechanic replied.

The crew sprang into action, beginning the pre-landing checklist in preparation for landing.

"We need to complete refueling and equipment maintenance overnight; we won't depart until tomorrow morning," Miao Xin said to Su Ming while checking the inspection list. "If we wait until we get close to the Star Empire to release the drones, we won't have enough time to join the battle."

Su Ming thought for a moment and made a decision. He connected to the Pansy radio and briefly explained the situation.

"Immediately dispatch the Bone Machine First Battalion," Su Ming ordered Beianqi. "They must reach the designated support location within twenty-four hours, without delay!"

"Understood!" Beianqi replied, then turned and ordered, "Notify the Bone Machine First Battalion assemble immediately and form combat configuration!"

The dispatch center immediately issued an order, the alarm sounded, and the entire ship sprang into action in an instant.

Beianqi then unfolded the map to find the location Su Ming had arranged. She discovered that it was within the territory of the Star Empire, quite a distance from the Pansy.

This means that after the Bone Machine First Battalion lands, it will need to travel for 26 hours without sleep to reach its destination and complete its support mission.

"Sister Li E has already cracked the ' Detect Source of Undead ' spell, so the necromancer won't be discovered," said Beianqi. "However, the Bone Model, a weapon containing Undead Summoning, still cannot be carried."

Not only the Bone Model, Unfinished Bone Mad Machines are also prohibited from use, otherwise they will definitely attract attention and quickly expose their identities—after all, that area is within the territory of the Star Empire.

"Have the Bone Machine First Battalion carry only individual soldier equipment," Su Ming had already planned. "Also, arrange enough livestock for them to disguise themselves as an ordinary merchant caravan."

Alongside the Pansy, a large number of supply ships were also deployed. These supply ships carried a considerable number of camel-drawn beasts as land transport to support the upcoming battles.

"Understood!" Beianqi relayed the supplementary order.

The entire fleet was mobilized, and a cargo ship began to approach the Pansy. Because the White Bone Warship was now too large to be concealed, it would be used to carry people to the Star Empire's coast for landing.

"Once the Bone Machine First Battalion lands, the commotion along the way will still be quite significant," said Beianqi. "Besides, if a battle breaks out, King Xialike will definitely find out."

"It's alright." A sharp glint flashed in Su Ming's eyes. "By then, Miao Xin and I will have arrived, and King Xialike will definitely be too preoccupied to care about this!"

"Understood!"

"Also, you need to get ready on your side," Su Ming instructed. "After tomorrow night's operation, you should make your move!"

"Yes!" Beianqi shouted.

Mimi*

City of Radiance, the Princess's residence.

Janet politely ushered Kulandeer into the mansion and then instructed the maids to prepare a guest room.

"I don't usually live here," Janet explained. "I apologize for any shortcomings, Master Kulandeer." Kulandeer nodded.

Before long, the Fox Race spy Anluoke also arrived in a hurry. When he saw that the princess had successfully picked up the person, joy immediately appeared on his face.

He stepped forward to greet Kulandeer, then said to Janet, "You've worked hard, my lord. I will immediately report this good news to Lord Death Knell!"

"Also, inform Lord Death Knell that Master Kulandeer and I will depart tomorrow morning," Janet said, "To avoid any unforeseen complications."

"Your Excellency has foresight!" Anluoke praised, then left quickly, just as he had come.

Kulandeer exchanged a few polite words and then went to his guest room to rest. The discomfort he felt upon arriving in Taya made him feel unwell all over.

Janet then began making arrangements for their departure the next morning.

"Move all my personal belongings onto the carriage, and prepare another one for Master Kulandeer," Janet instructed the butler. Even though the other party was a Full Quarter Hand, as a noble imperial princess, she had no intention of riding in the same carriage as Kulandeer.

The steward bowed in agreement and quickly went to arrange for the coachman to prepare the carriage.

Four or five clean-washed young girls were brought in by a maid. They were the finest girls that Janet had painstakingly collected over the past few days.

In today's Radiant Jurisdiction, young girls with such pure and innocent looks are an absolute rarity. Using them as bribes can easily establish good relationships with those cardinals who wield real power.

Janet glanced at the "gifts" and noticed that their skin was rough and dry, and their fingertips and palms were covered with thick calluses. Janet was very dissatisfied; if they were presented to the cardinals, they would definitely be rejected.

"Lilishan, apply the skin-renewing powder to them so they can shed their outer layer of old skin," Janet instructed the head maid.

A hint of reluctance flashed in the eyes of the head maid, Lilishan, but she still lowered her head and agreed.

The powder can make these girls' skin delicate, smooth, and fragile in a short period of time, but the side effects are extremely strong. The so-called "fragile" means exactly what it sounds like. Under the influence of the drug, the girls' skin will become sensitive and fragile. Even a slight pinch or bump will leave a clear red mark.

Of course, such a fragile and easily broken appearance is a huge plus in the eyes of those important figures.

Janet sniffed the air, her brows furrowing even more. Even after washing up, she still felt a rough, unpleasant smell emanating from these girls, a smell that belonged to the lower classes.

"After applying the medicine, soak flower petals in alcohol and wipe their entire bodies several times," Janet continued to the head maid. "Make sure it's heavily scented, so it doesn't look bad when you present it."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Lilishan bowed again, her hands clasped tightly against her stomach.