The stone hall's windows stood wide open, and beneath the black stone vaulted ceiling, white curtains danced back and forth in the cool breeze.

Although it was only May, the early warm winds from the Jade Sea had already reached the castle of Red Copper Fortress.

Inside the hall, a young minstrel plucked at a lute, singing a low Western melody.

Despite the vastness of the hall, only two people were seated, one was Nidesar, the other was Zelaken.

Due to the minstrel's status as a slave, Nidesar did not regard him as a person.

On the shiny cedar long table, melons and bayberries from Black Snake Bay soaked in icy water.

Sauces and sugar water flowed down the edges, and several broken white bones rested on the porcelain plates.

A few black wolf pups furiously gnawed at a semi-raw piece of beef under the table, and the scents of spices, halitosis, and sweat turned the once fresh and elegant hall into a smoky mess.

Nidesar wiped his greasy hand casually on himself, burped contentedly, and reached for a wine glass beside him.

The wine glass was adorned with gold and rubies, and the crimson wine exuded a fruity aroma.

With a single gulp, nearly a pint of the delicious grape wine disappeared, and Nidesar heavily slammed the cup onto the table.

"Woo-hoo—"

After guzzling down two quarts of wine, his face flushed red, and his voice amplified twofold: "Zelaken!"

"I'm here, sir."

"Do you know what has made me the happiest since arriving in this godforsaken place?"

"How would I know, sir."

"First, hairless women!" Propping his elbow on the table, Nidesar drunkenly extended two fingers, "Second, cheap fruit!"

He picked up a melon, bit into it skin and all, chewed and swallowed it seeds and all.

"Delicious! Hahaha."

Zelaken gave a look to an attendant, who nervously brought out an ice bucket and a towel, and approached Nidesar.

Nidesar took a towel, soaked it in water, and wiped the grease and grime from his face, then leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed: "Prince Kongdai wants me to eliminate those foolish farmers?"

"To be precise, Prince Kongdai intended to take action himself but was stopped by the Church.

Because currently, everyone can see that whether it's the uprising in Rapids City or the one at Joan of Arc Castle, they are mere trifles.

But the uprising at Cold Spring Castle truly threatens the foundation of the Thousand River Valley Church, in terms of momentum, lineage, territory, strength...

Grand Duke Moliat poses a greater threat, so the Church has designated her as the primary enemy.

My guess is, and it's just my guess, the Church will tax-free the Thousand River Valley to Prince Kongdai on the condition that he quells the Cold Spring Castle rebellion."

"So, Banifus' letter is just, hiccup..." Nidesar let out a massive burp, "the Church's intention, were my appointment as a Knight Commander one of the terms of the deal between the Church and that dumb goose Kongdai?"

"Yes, capturing Joan of Arc Castle makes you the future Temple Knight Commander of the Thousand River Valley." Zelaken stated unequivocally.

Nidesar's blood-red tongue played with fibers of meat and fruit stuck in his teeth, yet the greed in his eyes remained undiminished.

As a high-tier knight who defected from the Royal Court, though he earned the title 'Dune Sculpture', in the Church's eyes, he was still raised by a stepmother.

Just like he and his Nikosak, getting assigned to the desolate Red Copper Fortress was like being dismissed.

Compared to Red Copper Fortress, Joan of Arc Castle was a place befitting his status.

"Spring plowing is done, right?"

Hearing Nidesar mention this, Zelaken knew there was a chance.

"All done, there's time at least until July."

"Have the knights been gathered?"

"All gathered, everyone's stationed at the border waiting for you, otherwise, they'd have long attacked Joan of Arc Castle by now."

"Wow, since when did this bunch of lowlives become so enthusiastic?" As if he had a bottomless stomach, Nidesar grabbed another melon, "When I summoned them before, they weren't half as eager."

Zelaken smiled, "You wouldn't know, those Salvation Army members invaded Kush Territory, executed nobles left and right, hundreds of them.

Their families were turned into laborers and courtesans, mingling lewdly with the soldiers every day, and that Demon Horn held licentious orgies with his witch sister constantly."

"Impossible!" Nidesar interrupted, "With a witch? Are they brainless?"

"Yes, yes." Zelaken quickly agreed, "The main thing is, the nobles hate and fear these rebels, they're aiding farmers in executing nobles, that's crossing the line."

To the nobles and Extraordinary Knights, they could be killed by nobles, by the Extraordinary, or even assassinated by commoners.

But they couldn't accept being executed on a scaffold by the lowest of mortals, under the guise of 'just cause', rather than dying in battle or being assassinated.

"Enough of the fluff, how many troops do they have, stationed where, and how many do we have, stationed where?"

These figures were so familiar, Zelaken rattled them off: "Based on our intelligence from Joan of Arc Castle, they have about 5000 infantry, mainly long spear soldiers and crossbowmen, plus over 500 Extraordinary Knights.

At present, roughly 2000 are stationed near Joan of Arc Castle, and 3000 near the border.

Currently, Ibe Knights in Jinhe Town and reinforcements from Kasha County number 800 Extraordinary Knights, 1200 attendant knights, and 3000 armed farmers.

With your 200 Nikosak, that gives us 1000 Extraordinary Knights.

If we add the 300 Temple Knights from Red Copper Fortress..."

"No." Nidesar, despite the drink, remained clear-headed, "The Temple Knights can't be moved, we still need to guard against the Southern Secret Faction, their methods are mysterious, can't be too careless."

"My apologies for the oversight." Zelaken hurriedly amended, "They're about to head south, we're unsure..."

"Oh, and they're not thinking of defense but want to attack me instead?" Nidesar laughed heartily as if hearing a big joke.

Zelaken chuckled along, "I too think they're overreaching, intelligence indicates they plan to head south to attack us on June 1st, it's ridiculous."

"You seem to have a lot of intelligence, is it reliable?" Nidesar asked, quenching his thirst from the earlier ice bucket.

"Reliable."

"The southern savages and mages have mostly been annihilated, so nothing should crop up soon." Nidesar kicked a wolf pup looking to snuggle up, "Deploy on May 21st, catch them by surprise before they move on June 1st!"

"As you command, sir." Zelaken, one of the Ibe Knights, was elated, "I'll start gathering and transporting supplies right away."

"Hey, wait, did I let you leave?" Nidesar discontentedly knocked on the table, and Zelaken sat back down like a magnet.

"I have one last question: what's Prince Kongdai's current situation?"

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