"No, it's okay," Locke forced a smile. He wasn't blaming Freya, but the thought of the fallen legion commander brought a wave of sorrow that he couldn't suppress.
"Sigh," Rett sighed as well, glancing at Locke and then at the others before suggesting, "Should we... go look for Artis's remains?"
Locke's body trembled at the suggestion, and he walked alone toward the lakeshore. "I'll go by myself. I roughly know where their battle took place."
Only Locke had heard the conversation between the wyverns earlier and knew the commander had suffered brutal torture. He couldn't bear to look at it himself and didn't want the others to see it either.
Laidros wanted to say something, his hand already reaching out to pat Locke on the shoulder, but Locke activated the Profound of Extreme Speed and vanished as if he had disappeared into thin air, quickly skimming across the lake and moving away at an incredible speed.
About half an hour later, Locke returned, holding a sealed bundle in his arms. By then, Rett and the others had already organized the troops, neatly waiting for Locke's return.
Locke's expression was even more somber than before. He cast a complex glance at the troops, noting that only a few were from his original unit. Though they had won, his joy was overshadowed by sorrow. He glanced down at the bundle in his arms and forced a smile. "Let's go back..."
Rett and Laidros each patted him on the shoulder, offering encouraging looks. Then, under the leadership of several high-ranking officers, the group left the Kava Valley.
Two months later...
Rett stood on a blood-soaked battlefield, having just finished a battle with an elite Shadow Tiger unit. The scene before him stirred no emotions; instead, he urged Tuck to quickly finish off the remaining twenty or so beastmen who were incapacitated.
As the notifications appeared on the screen before him, Rett reflected on the events since the Kava Valley battle. Not long after, he had received news that the orcs were dispatching more Shadow Tigers, and he sighed inwardly.
"Indeed, the thousand-strong elite Shadow Tiger force is no joke. The pressure they bring is immense. Over the past two months, the casualty rate across the legions has likely increased significantly..."
Even within his own Sixth Legion, many soldiers had perished. Although Rett was a formidable fighter, he couldn't be everywhere at once, and it was impossible to protect every patrol or mission team.
The elite Shadow Tiger and Night Cat strike team they had just eliminated had, in the past two weeks, ambushed and killed over a hundred of their patrols. It had taken Rett more than a week to finally track them down.
He glanced at his system panel, where his Destiny Points now totaled 15,193, and he felt a slight ripple of emotion.
If nothing unexpected happened, these Destiny Points would allow him to break through to a Level 9 Archmage, becoming one of the most powerful beings below the Holy Domain.
Simply put, if there were a so-called power ranking, he would undoubtedly be among the top hundred—one of the world's strongest!
Honestly, he was tempted, but he still couldn't gauge how many Destiny Points it would take to break into the Holy Domain. One thousand? Two thousand? Three thousand? Or might there be other conditions?
At that moment, the urge to break through stirred within him, but then he remembered that the King of Milan might still be secretly monitoring him, and he quickly calmed down.
"No, I absolutely cannot break through from a Level 7 Archmage to Level 9 under the eyes of a Holy Domain being. That would completely defy the world's power system—something that just can't happen!"
Taking a deep breath, Rett decided to hold off on breaking through. For now, he needed to run another simulation to gain the latest insights.
Over the past two months, aside from the orcs sending nearly a thousand Shadow Tigers, nothing major had happened on the Coldstream Front, and his Destiny Points harvesting had gone smoothly. But he wasn't sure if there would be any changes that might hinder his plans.
So, with a thought, he opened the system.
[Start a Text Simulation? Each year simulated consumes 5 Destiny Points.]
"Yes, simulate for one year."
[Goldren Year 481, December 20th: You eliminated an orc strike team.]
[Goldren Year 482, January 27th: You sent a scout team to the Raven Valley area (39, 02) to gather intelligence.]
[February 13th: The scouts returned, but found no sign of the Pale Knight or the King of Milan.]
[March 1st: You approached the King of Milan again, claiming that the mysterious informant warned of an impending indiscriminate attack on the Gorge Front by the Blood God Cult Leader and that Sherman planned to assault the Alchemy Workshop. You suggested preparing defenses in advance. The King of Milan sternly replied that they had also discovered Sherman was indeed alive and were doing everything to capture him. As for the Gorge Front, they would take appropriate measures.]
[Later, the King of Milan asked where the ash from the note was. Having anticipated this, you came up with a new excuse—that the informant was using the subtle traces of earth elements to relay messages. The King of Milan asked if the person was an Earth Saint Mage. You claimed you didn't know, but based on the subtlety of the earth elements, it would be difficult for a high-level mage of any other element to achieve this level of finesse.]
[March 22nd: You heard that a Holy Domain battle broke out in the Crimson Forest. Several Holy Domain beings teamed up to attack, and Sherman was finally killed.]
[April 7th: You received orders to follow the Eighth Legion and flank the orc army during a sudden large-scale attack. That night, a cataclysmic battle erupted near the center of the battlefield.]
[April 15th: You suggested increasing the garrison at the Boz Peak outpost due to the recent rampant Shadow Tiger attacks, and Laidros agreed.]
[April 19th: You laid an ambush at Boz Peak. That night, the orcs indeed launched a surprise attack, but thanks to the prior preparations, you annihilated the hundreds-strong Shadow Tiger and Night Cat force. You then quickly returned to support the main defense, defeating the remaining orcs.]
[April 23rd: A soldier delivered a letter recognizing your outstanding performance. Commander Ankus appointed you as the Tenth Legion Commander and requested you return to the Coldstream camp within a month to receive your orders. You shared the news with Laidros, who warmly congratulated you.]
[April 29th: After returning to the Coldstream camp, you were formally appointed as the Tenth Legion Commander by Bomir. You were surprised to find that Locke volunteered to join your legion as vice commander. This request made Ankus ponder for a long time before he ultimately agreed to the powerful alliance between you two.]
[May 17th: You led your forces to the Sixth Legion's outpost, where you found and surrounded an ambush by a hundred or so Shadow Tigers. After a fierce battle, your vice commander Locke was unfortunately killed, but the orc strike team, including eight high-ranking Shadow Tigers, was also wiped out. Regrettably, two high-ranking Shadow Tigers managed to escape with their lives.]
[May 23rd: Thanks to your brilliant achievements, the reputation of the Tenth Legion began to rise on the Coldstream Front, drawing the orcs' attention.]
[June 11th: While on another patrol mission, you suddenly felt a pressing sensation in your chest. The next moment, you heard a loud explosion, and a wave of heat filled the air. The sudden appearance of the King of Milan shocked you. A Holy Domain-level wyvern had been struck down by a fireball, and the two engaged in an epic battle. At the King of Milan's urging, you fled hastily, but you were still severely injured by the aftershocks.]
[July 21st: After a life-and-death struggle, Laurence finally broke through to Earth Knight.]
[July 28th: During your resupply at the Coldstream Front, you heard an urgent message that a mysterious figure had attacked the Gorge Front, indiscriminately targeting both orcs and humans. The attacker was eventually repelled by the combined efforts of both sides' Holy Domain beings, with the orcs suffering serious injuries due to a lack of understanding.]
[August 9th: High-ranking officials from both the human and orc sides had talks and decided to temporarily halt the war until the Blood God Cult Leader could be found. During this time, the Kingdom of Goldren agreed not to use the extermination poison, and both sides reached an agreement.]
[August 15th: You received news that the Coldstream Front's conscription order had been lifted, and the nobles who had responded to the call would be rewarded based on their merits. Due to your exceptional performance, coupled with Hogus's recommendation, you were promoted to Grand Duke, establishing your own duchy.]
[August 16th: You were summoned by the King of Milan to discuss matters related to your elevation in rank. After some discussion, the entire Southwestern Frontier was incorporated into your duchy, and you were named the Grand Duke of the Southwest in the Kingdom of Goldren.]
[August 17th: Before leaving, you invited Master Aisad to your territory. After careful consideration, he agreed to your request, but with the condition that he could not guarantee a permanent stay in Darkhawk City. If the war resumed, he might have to return to Icewind City at any time.]
[September 3rd: Clina became pregnant with your third child!]
[September 15th: The news of your promotion to Grand Duke spread like wildfire across the country, and people flocked to the Southwestern Frontier. The development of the region accelerated due to your rise.]
[October 2nd: On your way back, you heard people recounting your many exploits in battle, and you felt a deep sense of satisfaction.]
[October 19th: As more and more people arrived in the Southwestern Frontier, law and order began to deteriorate, and the extraordinary forces in Darkhawk City were stretched thin. White Hat, in particular, struggled to maintain control.]
[November 3rd: While White Hat was away on a mission, the Iron Brothers' blacksmith shop was looted by a gang of thieves, causing a loss of over a thousand gold coins.]
[November 21st: As you were nearing your territory, blood suddenly filled your vision while passing through the Yak Forest. The next moment, you lost consciousness. You died.]
[Text Simulation complete. Would you like to continue simulating?]
"No!"
As the screen gradually faded, a look of understanding flashed in Rett's eyes.
Once again, the simulation ended with his death, but Rett wasn't surprised. Based on the simulation's trajectory, it was clear that he had drawn too much attention, and the Blood God Cult Leader, no longer hiding in the shadows, had noticed him. This wasn't entirely unexpected.
Having now grasped more secrets of the world, he understood that both the Blood God Cult Leader and the orcs harbored an inescapable malice toward the native world.
So, when actions arose to weaken the native forces, no matter how unusual, it no longer seemed far-fetched to him.
But he didn't panic. He had long since grown accustomed to the prospect of death in these simulations. He still had a year to make many adjustments and changes.
There was good news in this simulation too—he had finally been promoted to Grand Duke, ruling over his own duchy!
From now on, like the Blue Diamond Grand Duke, he would be a regional overlord, wielding immense power and resources.
Rett savored the thought for a moment, then quickly gathered his thoughts. Right now, stabilizing the situation on the Coldstream Front was the top priority.
He looked around at the assembled troops and issued the command, "All units, clear the battlefield and prepare to return to the outpost!"
"Yes, Commander!!"
Upon returning to the temporary outpost of the Sixth Legion, Rett found Laidros training the soldiers on the practice field. After giving a few final instructions on the encirclement tactics, Laidros stepped out of the training area. Seeing Rett's return, he greeted him with a cheerful expression:
"Rett, welcome back! It looks like the mission went smoothly this time, with nearly no casualties among our troops. What was the strength of that Shadow Tiger unit?"
Rett quickly replied, "At most, two Level 6 Shadow Tigers and a few dozen Night Cats. Overall, nothing more than some big and small cats."
Laidros pondered for a moment and said, "Not bad, but we still can't let our guard down. Since we received the intel about the orcs deploying over a thousand Shadow Tigers, the situation on the Coldstream Front has become increasingly dire."
"I'm really curious—don't they care about their conflict with the Greywolf Kingdom? Moving so many Shadow Tigers at once, aren't they worried about disrupting the regional balance? They must be crazy..."
Rett feigned puzzlement and sighed, "The royal beastmen are more than just these few species. Maybe… they've drawn additional forces from other tribes."
"Hmm… That seems likely," Laidros nodded in agreement, then added, "Damn those beastmen. No matter which tribe they come from, if they dare to come to the Coldstream Front, we'll show them we aren't to be trifled with. However many come, we'll bury them all!"
Rett nodded resolutely. Then he heard Laidros say, "By the way, Rett, I have another task for you. It's nothing too troublesome."
"What's the task? Please, tell me."
"It's like this," Laidros began, "Freya has been short on high-level personnel for quite some time, and Frost Fortress hasn't sent any suitable replacements. As a result, Freya's performance over the past two months hasn't been great. Major missions have been particularly challenging for her, so she urgently needs a high-level extraordinary to join her ranks."
Rett blinked, feeling slightly puzzled. He asked in surprise, "Why are you telling me this? Are you planning to transfer me there?"
Laidros burst into laughter. "How could I? You're our ace; I wouldn't let you go so easily."