As soon as the words fell, the entire assembly of extraordinary beings was montarily stunned. Acting Commander? That was a level of authority even the previous Deputy Commander hadn't attained! And now, this newly appointed Vice Commander, Rhett, had suddenly achieved it?
Their initial shock quickly turned to understanding. With such a remarkable achievent tonight, if Rhett continued to perform like this, it wouldn't be surprising if he were promoted from Acting Deputy Commander to a full-fledged commander soon.
With this realization, the soldiers began to look at Rhett with admiration and respect, and soon enough, they were cheering him on from the depths of their hearts.
After the cheers died down, Ledros continued with his post-battle speech, tallying the casualties and leading the cleanup of the battlefield.
Afterward, it was ti for the customary tradition of drinking beast wine! To be honest, this was Rhett's first ti tasting beast wine made from Shadow Tiger and Draconian blood. Listening to the surrounding soldiers discuss the effects of these two types of beast wine, he found it quite amusing.
Among them, while the Draconians were notorious among human superhumans, their beast wine was quite sought after. This was because it contained a certain property highly valued by n—it invigorated the blood flow below the waist and extended the duration of a particular form of "combat."
The long history of war at the Cold Stream front had proven that Draconian beast wine could not only help the weak beco strong but also make the strong even stronger...
Receiving a crystal goblet filled with Draconian beast wine from Ledros, Rhett eyed the fiery red liquid. He swore it wasn't the aforentioned benefits that intrigued him—he was simply curious about the taste.
Rhett held the goblet, took a light sip, and smacked his lips. His brows furrowed slightly as the taste hit his throat—it was a bit rank, making it the least palatable of all the beast wines.
Shaking his head discreetly, Rhett poured the wine out, much to the dismay of the surrounding superhumans who couldn't get their hands on the Draconian beast wine. He then filled his goblet with the Shadow Tiger's beast wine.
Unlike the Draconian wine, the Shadow Tiger's beast wine was a deep purple-red color. Rhett paused for a mont, his thoughts montarily drifting to the rman bloodline, the shell artifact fragnt, and then to the special knights modified by the Blood God Cult...
The Blood God Cult Master was still a lurking threat, and the joy from the recent victory was quickly overshadowed by this looming concern. In silence, Rhett downed his goblet. The wine was mild in flavor, with a hint of coldness, much like the silent night.
After the war, Rhett returned to the base with his troops. Once Ledros departed, he assud the duties of Acting Commander for the evening—leading the entire army in a celebration.
With the beastn on Poz Peak completely eradicated, and Ledros having dispatched a few hundred n to secure the area, the nearby region was no longer under threat from beastn. Allowing the soldiers so ti to relax was beneficial for easing the heavy tension after such a life-and-death battle.
From the dead of night until dawn, the bonfires and sounds of celebration filled the open plaza. Rhett seized this opportunity to win over the troops' favor.
As ti passed, the night gradually gave way to dawn, and the world slowly returned to its original colors with the light of the morning sun.
The brief celebration ca to an end, and the soldiers returned to their posts—those who were injured tended to their wounds, while others resud their patrols.
Rhett, not one to idle, took advantage of the brief lull to return to the hall alone. He studied the war map, comparing it with his knowledge of future events and analyzing the detailed terrain of the Cold Stream front in preparation for the upcoming patrols.
The next day, just as Rhett returned from a patrol, he encountered Ledros, who had just returned from the Cold Stream camp with over a hundred n and a large cache of fresh supplies, including food, armor, weapons, and basic alchemical equipnt.
"Good morning, Commander Ledros. Did you manage to get those prisoners safely back to camp?" Rhett asked as he quickly approached, casually inquiring about sothing that genuinely concerned him—his son Tyles was stationed at the execution grounds. The main harvest of fate points would likely co from his younger son.
Ledros, whose minor injuries had fully healed, was in high spirits. He laughed heartily and said, "Of course! You wouldn't believe it, but when I visited the prison, I ran into your youngest son. He asked to pass on his regards. He's a thoughtful child!"
At this point, Ledros seed a bit lancholic and sighed, "Speaking of which, I do miss my son a bit. But it's been eight years since I last went ho. Who knows when I'll be able to return..."
Rhett patted Ledros on the arm, comforting him. "Commander Ledros, there's no need to worry too much. I believe this war is the final Chapter. The beastn will be crushed beneath our might, and when that day cos, you'll get the chance to see your family again."
"I hope so..." Ledros sighed, taking it as a small consolation. In reality, he harbored no such illusions—the Cold Stream front had been entrenched for over a century; change was not sothing that happened easily. The best they could hope for was that things didn't get any worse.
After a mont of silence, Rhett changed the subject, getting to the matter at hand. "By the way, I have so information to report. Since you're back now, it's a good ti to discuss it. Otherwise, I was planning to head back to the Cold Stream camp alone."
Ledros put aside his wandering thoughts and imdiately beca serious. "What's the situation? Please, go ahead."
"Well, last night until early this morning, I led a patrol towards the middle of the battlefield. We ventured a bit too far and discovered over a hundred of our soldiers' bodies, mostly mid-rank superhumans, and even a few high-rank ones—our elite troops. Judging by the state of the corpses, they must have died within the past two days. There were beastman footprints nearby, and among them were traces left by at least one high-rank beastman," Rhett said, his tone growing heavier. "I have reason to suspect that the beastn have dispatched an elite force to disrupt our operations or perhaps specifically target our elite forces."
"Where did you find these traces?" Ledros' face turned serious. He didn't doubt the authenticity of Rhett's report in the slightest. In fact, after the battle two nights ago, he had developed complete trust in Rhett.
"Near the Iceline Creek, in the (39, 20) region," Rhett replied after a brief pause. He wasn't fabricating any of this; everything he reported was true. Early that morning, after returning to the temporary outpost, Rhett had studied the map. Having seen in the simulation that there would be a battle between the Third Legion and the Draconians on October 5th, he decided to patrol the area in advance. That's when he stumbled upon the traces he just reported.
Although he couldn't be sure if the beastn were the sa ones who would engage the Third Legion in the simulation, that didn't stop him from using this information to report back and find a suitable reason to request reinforcents from the Fourth Legion.
Ledros fell silent for a mont, taking a deep breath before speaking. "This is unfortunate news. If that's the case, then you should lead a team to the Cold Stream camp to report this. Try to secure reinforcents from the other legions to set up an ambush along the battlefield's center. If the beastn have indeed dispatched a harassing elite royal unit, then we must find a way to eliminate them!"
"Understood. I'll head over imdiately to report the situation."
"Take care."
In the Frost Fortress.
Prince Hogus had just finished regrouping his forces and returned to camp when he received a report that Rhett Green needed to see him urgently.
So, after dismissing his troops, Hogus hurried to the Frost Fortress, where he found Bomir, the vice-commander of the Cold Stream front, in the first-floor hall.
Seeing Hogus, Bomir quickly greeted him, "Prince Hogus, you've arrived. Rhett is waiting for you upstairs."
Hogus nodded calmly and asked, "Is there anyone else up there?"
"No, just Rhett. Everyone else has temporarily left the area. It's completely secure and confidential. Plus, the alchemical screening device upstairs has already been activated," Bomir replied.
"Good. Thank you. Please keep Rhett's visit today confidential," Hogus instructed after a mont of thought. "Tell everyone he's here for supply requisition..."
Bomir nodded knowingly, "Understood. I've just approved a series of alchemical potions for him. He can collect them at the alchemy workshop anyti."
With another nod, Hogus headed to the second floor.
He passed through a thin, transparent barrier of air, a device crafted by a Saint-level alchemist. Its principle was sowhat similar to spatial equipnt, isolating a specific area, making it nearly impossible to detect.
Rhett had been standing by the wall, examining the history of the Cold Stream front displayed there. When he saw the battle between the Grand Commander Ankus and the Draconian Saint-level warrior twenty years ago, he sensed soone approaching. Turning, he recognized the familiar face and quickly stepped forward to greet him, "Prince Hogus, long ti no see. I'm glad you made it."
"Yes, Rhett, it has been a while. Haha, I knew you'd answer the call for this Cold Stream front campaign. I was pleased when I heard the news. I also heard that you secured a victory for the Sixth Legion as soon as you arrived? Excellent! Keep up the good work, and when this war is over, I'll do my best to recomnd you for a dukedom, where you can rule your own land!"
Instead of imdiately pressing for information, Hogus exchanged a few pleasantries.
"Thank you, Prince Hogus!" Rhett smiled, then his expression turned serious. "I called you here today because I have sothing important to report."
Hearing the change in tone, Hogus' smile faded, and he beca more serious. "Is it more intel from the mysterious informant?"
"Yes, that's right," Rhett replied, feigning a heavy sigh.
"This person seems to be everywhere..." Hogus furrowed his brow before sighing. "What's the latest information?"
"Prince Hogus, are you familiar with Sheman?" Rhett asked after a mont of thought.
"Hmm, isn't that the newly ascended Saint of the Grayridge Kingdom? He rose to prominence about ten years ago, and his mastery of Light Mysticism has been invaluable on Grayridge's battlefields, particularly in tracking the movents of beastman elites," Hogus replied, puzzled. "Why do you ask? Is he involved in this intel?"
Rhett hesitated, his expression troubled as if debating whether to speak.
Noticing this, Hogus quickly picked up on Rhett's reluctance and said, "You can speak freely. If this is from the mysterious informant, you won't be held accountable, no matter how outrageous it sounds."
"Well... alright then," Rhett finally said, with great difficulty. "The latest intel reveals sothing almost unbelievable: Sheman is a traitor who has already defected to the beastn..."
At these words, Hogus, who had been pondering what outrageous act Sheman might have committed, suddenly froze. A wave of shock surged through him, his eyes wide as he exclaid, "Sheman has defected to the beastn?"
He almost followed up with, "How is that possible?" but rembering that the mysterious informant's intel had always proven accurate, he swallowed those words. His face turned grim as he asked, "What exactly has Sheman done to betray us? I an, in what ways has he aided the beastn to our detrint?"
Rhett paused, then replied, "I don't know the full details, but I do know that the beastn are plotting a plan, calling in Saint-level warriors from other battlefields, preparing for a surprise attack on the Cold Stream front. There's a possibility that Sheman might be involved in coordinating with them from the inside."
At this, Hogus was even more shocked. His usually composed deanor faltered, and he struggled to remain calm. Internally, he had no doubt this was true. He remained silent for several minutes, pacing the room, his eyes darting back and forth as he processed the information.
When he finally reached the wall, he seed to have made a decision. He quickly approached Rhett and, with a faster pace, said, "Rhett, I'll report this imdiately to the higher-ups. We'll likely need to request assistance from other Saint-level warriors. So... you know the drill, this must be kept absolutely confidential."
"Of course, I'll keep it to myself," Rhett nodded. "But be sure to remind them that this information about Sheman must remain strictly confidential. Otherwise, if the beastn learn of our request for Saint-level reinforcents, they might adjust their plans accordingly."
Hogus frowned, "Yes... I understand. I'll make that very clear."
After discussing a few more details, Hogus hurriedly took his leave.
Rhett, knowing he couldn't linger in the Frost Fortress for too long, also left shortly after Hogus departed.
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