420: Chapter 407 The Secret of the Faith Artifact

Naqi Royal Capital.

Due to the existence of the Church's ban, the various kingdoms of the Saul Continent did not consider much defensive convenience when choosing the locations for their royal capitals.

The royal capitals were basically situated by rivers on plains or open fields, with wide views on all sides and flat terrain, making it convenient to build roads and provide water for the subjects, rather than building cities against cliffs or canyons.

This meant that when Lake's Third Army and Second Army arrived, they had to split their forces to surround the city gates on all sides to prevent the enemy from escaping.

After all, it was a national capital; the city covered a vast area, and the city walls were towering and continuous. The siege line was forced to stretch out, and once dispersed, the manpower on each side was too sparse to break through the city gates.

If they changed strategy and concentrated their Soldiers to attack one gate, they feared the enemy would break out from other directions where the defensive strength had been weakened.

This wasn't difficult to solve, or even troublesome; they just had to wait for reinforcements to arrive. When the several major legions converged, taking down a mere royal capital would be easy.

However, the instructions received earlier were to take the royal capital, the last city of the Allied Forces, as quickly as possible, and not to let the Allied high-ranking officials hiding inside escape, dead or alive.

After the Legion Commanders of the two armies assessed the situation, they were both somewhat troubled, and the command staff looked at each other in dismay.

Aside from themselves, the other Laike Legions were busy in other cities. Many cities had been occupied recently, and they had to deploy troops to take over city defenses and organize public security.

By the time everything was handled and they arrived, it would be at least a few months later.

What should they do?

Just as they were scratching their heads, an order came from Domit in the rear—suspend the attack; surround but do not strike.

Everyone's furrowed brows immediately smoothed out.

Great, this came just in time; no more headaches now.

After the two Legion Commanders celebrated, they immediately made arrangements for all Soldiers to retreat one kilometer, moving out of the range of the enemy's magic, and assigned personnel to monitor the city's movements around the clock to prevent a breakout by the Allied Forces.

The Allied Forces looked down from the city walls and found that the aggressive Laike Legions had suddenly retreated.

They hadn't retreated far and still tightly besieged the royal capital, but there was indeed no sign of an offensive posture.

The news soon reached Novak's ears. He wondered if it was a trick by Lake, pretending to have no intention of attacking to lower his guard before launching a surprise assault.

However, after two days, Lake remained unusually quiet, with no sign of movement at all.

This left Novak at a loss. He wanted to gather intelligence, but the royal capital was surrounded and spies couldn't be sent out, so he could only passively wait for Lake's next move.

On the side of the Third and Fifth Armies, after a few days, the two Legion Commanders were also a bit dazed.

After Domit notified them to stay put, there were no further instructions, as if the last battlefield and the final decisive battle between the two sides had been forgotten.

It was much like taking a break from work; resting for a day or two was comfortable, but after a long time, an inexplicable sense of panic began to well up.

The two huddled together at night, whispering about whether they should contact Chief Legion Commander Domit to find out what was going on and why they weren't hurrying to end the war completely.

After discussing all night, they finally gave up. Lake had military regulations: subordinates had the right to question a superior's command, but that was after the war. During the conflict, the legions only had to fulfill one duty—obey orders.

The next morning.

The two Legion Commanders happened to wake up early and ran into each other on the way to the canteen.

"You're up early today," the Third Legion Commander greeted first.

"As are you," the Fifth Legion Commander said with a smile as he walked up.

After speaking, the two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Uncomfortable?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

At this moment, they felt as if ants were crawling all over them, constantly lifting their arms, shrugging their shoulders, and rolling their necks. The root cause was likely their subconscious expectation of being in a state of high-tension warfare for a long time, only to suddenly settle into ease without warning, which they weren't used to.

After moving around for a while, the slightly torturous feeling didn't ease at all. The Third Legion Commander sighed and gave up: "What do you think Lord Domit is considering?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be feeling this miserable."

"Uh, true."

The two fell silent again.

After a while, the Fifth Legion Commander, wanting to liven up the atmosphere, casually brought up a topic: "It seems Lord Domit has always been in charge of commanding the war."

"Right, the 'New Lake Military Regulations' that were distributed say that the Grand Marshal does not directly participate in war command; it's more of a symbolic role."

"Symbolic role?"

"I don't understand what it means either, but that's what the manual says."

"Speaking of the Grand Marshal..." The Fifth Legion Commander became interested. He looked around to make sure no one was near and asked in a low voice, "Just what kind of person is the Grand Marshal?"

"Be more specific." The Third Legion Commander was caught up in the atmosphere. Even though talking about the Grand Marshal wasn't a taboo, he still followed the Fifth Legion Commander's lead and spoke in a strained whisper.

"For example, his appearance? His personality?"

After asking, the Fifth Legion Commander immediately shook his head again: "It's said that the Grand Marshal rarely appears in public. Only the First Army and Lord Domit have frequent contact with him. You probably don't know either."

"Who told you I don't know?"

"Hmm?" The Fifth Legion Commander's ears perked up alertly.

The Third Legion Commander smugly teased him: "Hehe..."

"Don't dawdle, out with it."

"Cough... It's like this. Have you heard of the three vanguard legions of the Allied Forces that invaded Lake?"

"I think I've heard of them. One was called the Mad Lion Legion?"

"Yes, the other two were the Thorn Legion and the Rose Legion."

"Weren't they wiped out at Aoxia Valley?"

"Exactly, the Third Army was responsible for that battle."

"Really?" The Fifth Legion Commander's eyes widened.

"That's not important." The Third Legion Commander leaned in closer. "At that time, the Grand Marshal personally visited the front lines to boost morale. That's when I saw him in person."

"Oh?! What does the Grand Marshal look like? Is he very majestic?"

"Uh..." The Third Legion Commander hesitated. "From his appearance, he's just a very ordinary young man."

"Nonsense! How could an ordinary young man lead the entire Lake army!"

"That's why I said from his appearance."

The Fifth Legion Commander looked him up and down suspiciously: "You're not fooling me?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then tell me in detail about the Grand Marshal's appearance."

"Let me recall... Hmm... the Grand Marshal is quite tall, has a lean build, short hair, and ordinary features, but his eyes are very captivating."

"Why?"

"Because his pupils are black."

"Black? How black?"

"About... wait, look, just like his eyes—Grand Marshal!"

It was hard to describe the depth of a color concretely with words, so the Third Legion Commander looked around for a black object that matched his memory.

When his peripheral vision caught someone, he was surprised to find that person's pupils were just as pitch-black as the Grand Marshal's. He was about to excitedly point it out to the Fifth Legion Commander, but as his arm rose, he saw the person's face clearly and was startled—wasn't this the Grand Marshal?!

As the Fifth Legion Commander turned his head, he heard the shout. Before his mind could react, his body instinctively saluted: "Good day, Grand Marshal!"

"Mm." Zhang Mu walked up to them and chuckled, "What were you two chatting about so happily?"

The two looked at each other and then lowered their heads together, staring at the backs of their military boots as if the most beautiful girl in the world were painted on them, making it impossible to look away.

Talking about someone behind their back, only to have the person themselves right there—how terrifying.

Zhang Mu waved his hand to reassure them: "It's fine, it's not like you were saying bad things about me."

The two still kept their heads down, so Zhang Mu had to change the subject: "Any movement in the royal capital lately? Have they tried to break out?"

When it came to official business, the Third Legion Commander didn't dare to be negligent. He puffed out his chest and said loudly, "Reporting! They've stayed inside the city; it's very quiet."

"I see..." Zhang Mu pondered for a moment before saying to the two, "I am taking over command on-site. Go and assemble the Soldiers to stand by."

"Yes!"

The two quickly turned and ran off, while Zhang Mu activated his Shadow Technique and flew silently toward the royal capital.

...

The Royal Palace, Council Hall.

An empty throne stood atop a high platform. Novak sat in the middle of the steps leading to the platform, his arms resting on his thighs, staring blankly at the door as if in deep thought.

After an unknown amount of time, an adjutant stepped through the door and strode toward him, the parts of his well-fitted armor clashing against each other with a crisp sound that echoed in the empty hall.

Awakened by the sound, Novak's blurred vision cleared, and he saw the adjutant who had reached the bottom of the steps. "Is there any movement from the enemy today?"

"The same as the past few days. They are maintaining the siege with no sign of further action."

"Damn it," Novak muttered. "What on earth does Lake want to do? Are they playing with me?"

The adjutant, preoccupied with his own thoughts, ignored the mutterings and kept his head bowed.

Novak soon noticed and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Looking up, the adjutant hesitated slightly before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Grand Marshal, it's already a delusion for all the high-ranking officials to escape the royal capital, but you..."

"Me, escaping alone?"

"Only by preserving your life can the hope for revenge be preserved, Grand Marshal!" The adjutant took a step forward, his tone urgent.

"It's meaningless." Novak was very calm, neither scolding him nor showing any relief or emotion.

"You shouldn't just submit like this!"

"Mm..." Novak rested his chin on his right hand and tapped his cheek with his index finger for a while. "There are some things I cannot tell you; they would only bring you calamity. In any case, Lake might one day fall to the Empire, but we certainly won't be around to see it."

"I... I don't understand."

"It's better that you don't." Novak smiled and stood up. "Lake will attack the city sooner or later. When that happens, escape amidst the chaos."

"No!"

"Stop arguing. None of you can escape."

A suddenly appearing flippant tone echoed in the hall. The two were stunned. Once they regained their composure, the adjutant drew his knight's sword and pointed it at the strange young man standing at the door. "Who are you?!"

"Step back." Novak vanished from his spot and reappeared behind the adjutant, placing his hand on the arm holding the sword.

"Grand Marshal." The adjutant turned his head, his eyes confused, but he still obediently sheathed his sword and stepped back a few paces.

Novak took a deep breath, his peaceful gaze suddenly becoming sharp as it fixed on the man at the door. "Mr. Zhang Mu, this is our first time meeting, isn't it?"

"First time meeting..." Zhang Mu gave a strange smile. After a thought, he didn't say much more and asked, "Do you want to make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"Yes, a deal. You answer a question for me, and I'll let you go."

Hearing that he could live, Novak's expression didn't show the slightest surprise; instead, it grew more solemn. He understood perfectly that since it was a deal, there wouldn't be much of a gap between what the other party offered and what they sought.

After a long silence, Novak decided to probe Zhang Mu's intentions first. "What question?"

Zhang Mu knew his goal but didn't care, saying straightforwardly, "As far as I know, the history of the Naqi Kingdom is not long, and the royal family has changed many times during that period. Why would such a young kingdom possess a faith artifact, a treasure active in ancient times?"

The magic power surrounding Novak suddenly surged. His out-of-control feet unconsciously crushed the crystal floor, and his thighs sank into the soil beneath it.

"It was you!!!" He was like an enraged lion, his eyes bloodshot.

"Don't worry about that now. So, how about it? Will you consider this deal?" Zhang Mu ignored his fury and asked with a grin.

Hearing this, Novak suddenly calmed down as if the previous scene hadn't happened. He asked softly, "Is there any point in obtaining a faith artifact? The Saul Continent can no longer accommodate a second god."

"That's my business; you don't need to worry about it."

Novak was quiet for a short while before slowly speaking, "I can answer the question, but the reward is not enough."

Bargaining?

Zhang Mu narrowed his eyes. "The lives of the Allied high-ranking officials aren't cheap."

Novak didn't back down. He reached out to the adjutant behind him, snatched his longsword, and held it to his own throat. "Aside from me, everyone who knows the secret of the artifact has fled to the distant Empire."

Scratching his face, Zhang Mu smacked his lips. "A threat... I have no choice then. Fine, tell me the reward you want."

"Allow the Naqi Royal Capital to be independent." Perhaps worried that the condition was too harsh and Zhang Mu would refuse, he added, "You can station troops to monitor us, but you are not allowed to interfere in government affairs, provided we do not offend Lake."

"Acceptable. However, how can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

"If I deceive you, you can occupy the Naqi Royal Capital at any time."

"Deal."

As the words fell, Novak's tense nerves slowly relaxed, and he handed the longsword back to the adjutant. "Wait a moment."

He left through a side door and returned an hour later with a piece of parchment in his hand, which he handed to Zhang Mu.

"The secret is here. You can go to the site to verify it and withdraw the legion after it's confirmed."

Zhang Mu took it and gave it a quick glance. The paper was covered in writing, not neatly arranged but crowded together. The script was not the continent's common tongue; it seemed to belong to some remote dialect.

"Although I don't mind a wasted trip, I still hope you understand that the price for deceiving me will be very high."

"Of course." Novak said expressionlessly.

After giving him a deep look, Zhang Mu tucked away the parchment. His form became ethereal and transparent until he completely vanished.

Novak spread out his Mental Energy, searching with all his might, but there was still no trace of Zhang Mu.

"He should be a Magister, yet his invisibility magic can..." Novak's voice gradually lowered until only his lips could be seen moving silently, as if he were saying something.