Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 318 - 317 Standing by the Side

Chapter 318: Chapter 317 Standing by the Side

After the arrangements to go to the City of Defense were set, Count Francken Hearthfire, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up, "Have you all finished speaking? Let me interject... Wilson Longjiu’s response might be faster than we anticipated. His power has deeply infiltrated the Eastern Border, and he could be watching us from a stone’s throw away. If we allow the enemy to move freely, this search mission could very likely encounter resistance."

"What’s going on?" Luoxia’s face flashed with surprise after hearing this, "What news have you learned?"

"Impossible," Mekefa argued, "The scout teams I arranged in the Royal City haven’t detected any signs of the Longjiu Army leaving the city, let alone running to the nearby mountains without any indication."

"Duke/Duchess, may I ask, how many days has it been since you last received supplies from Thistlefort?" Francken didn’t pay any attention to the Blooming Excalibur and instead asked the Duchess directly.

Luoxia furrowed her brows, "The last receipt was five days ago. But the supplies from Thistlefort have been mostly gathered, so it’s normal for the interval between shipments to lengthen."

"However, one of my Executive Priests has been killed, right in the middle of Thistlefort," the Count said gravely.

"What?" Luoxia was slightly startled.

Shandela’s heart skipped a beat as well.

"She would pray to the divinities every week through the Hearthfire Ritual without any exceptions... but yesterday ’The Hand of the Crucible’ sent a message to me, she missed her prayers."

"Maybe she forgot? Like... maybe she drank a bit too much last night," Mekefa shrugged.

"Warrior, are you mocking me?" A glint of annoyance flashed in Francken’s eyes, "Nothing can interfere with the Hearthfire Ritual, even if she had only one breath left, the flame wouldn’t go out, that’s also the promise of the Crucible! If she didn’t light the fire, it could only mean that her soul has returned to heaven."

"Alright, let’s not argue. We are the Alliance Army, and should look out for each other," Luoxia intervened to break up the fight, "Since your information comes from the divinities, we must take it seriously. So... I will send a Scout Cavalry squad to Thistlefort to see what exactly happened to your Executive Priest."

"No!" Francken dismissed the idea directly, "Euphie is a seasoned Talent, ordinary people simply can’t do anything to her. If the enemy could kill her, they could also silently deal with your Scout Cavalry squad. Even the Kingdom Army stationed there might fall prey! Even if that does not happen, it would take four to five days for the cavalry to go back and forth, and the enemy might have already fled by then!"

"Then what do you suggest..."

"Send this elite unit to Thistlefort first, to eliminate any hidden enemies. Only by dispatching the Royal Guards can we ensure that the enemy doesn’t stir up any trouble."

"Sorry Count His Excellency, but we are not tools for your revenge," Mekefa immediately stood up to object, "When it all comes down to it, any secret actions by the Longjiu family, the immediate threat... it’s all just in your imagination. We can’t even confirm the status of that Executive Priest right now. Detouring to Thistlefort, then heading to the City of Defense would mean at least an extra week wasted, pardon my frankness, but that does not benefit the greater good."

"I also think that you’re probably worrying too much," Luoxia’s expression remained calm as she gestured to the Blooming Excalibur to not be too hasty, "If my memory serves correctly, the commander stationed at Thistlefort is Airco, who has two thousand men under him. It’s highly unlikely that Wilson Longjiu could quietly dispose of them. An Executive Priest is indeed a valuable force, but in the face of the great task of finding the Divine Artifact, I think you would do well to wait patiently a few more days."

What’s going on? Shandela looked towards Elise with some confusion... It wasn’t surprising that the Kingdom Army was stationed at Thistlefort, but this unit seemed not to be under the command of the general’s daughter but rather the lord of Zhaixing City?

Francken Hearthfire was clearly unpersuaded, and as he stood up, prepared to argue some more, a servant ran into the guest hall in a fluster.

"Duke/Duchess, I have urgent news to report!"

"Can’t you see I am busy? Say it later."

"But..." The other party wore an expression of difficulty.

Even Shandela realized the severity of the situation.

"Wait for me a moment," Luoxia looked around the room and decided to hear the report first. The servant quickly approached and whispered in her ear.

The moment she heard the news, the Duchess’s face instantly changed!

"My Lord?"

"What is it?"

Elise and Francken asked simultaneously.

Shandela’s heart inexplicably hung in suspense.

However, Luoxia did not answer directly, her expression quickly returned to normal, and she clapped her hands, "Today’s discussion ends here, please everyone go back and rest. Additionally, I would like to ask Mr. Francken, Miss Elise, and Mr. Mekefa to accompany me to a place."

...

When Shandela returned to her residence, she did not feel the slightest bit sleepy.

She sat idly by the window, gazing at Zhaixing City beneath the night sky—it was a completely different world from Magnificent Castle. The cold wind ceaselessly swept over the windowsill, uttering a mournful howl, while the city outside was shrouded in the night, with very few lights flickering. In contrast, Magnificent Castle, despite having gone through a great battle against a Heretical Cult, hadn’t intimidated its people. Even at midnight, the central street was still lively with visitors and lights.

Initially, when she was assigned to the new colony on the New Continent, she had secretly complained for some time, feeling that she would be left in a place far from civilization, gradually being left behind by the times.

Now, looking back, she found that even the earliest days were straightforward and fulfilling—training the City of Defense forces, maintaining city security, reporting weekly to the lord, occasionally watching a play... She didn’t need to think about too much. Now back on the Old Continent, unexpectedly knighted, and having become a backbone of the Kingdom Army, Shandela realized that the matters she needed to consider had become many times more complicated. Until now, she still felt as if she were treading on air, unsteady and floating.

Thump, thump, thump.

A knocking sound came from the door.

Someone disturbing at this late hour? Shandela cautiously picked up her sword, held the door with one hand, and slightly opened a crack.

"It’s me, Ryan."

"Do you realize it’s almost midnight?" Shandela rolled her eyes but still let him in.

"Sorry, but I just couldn’t sleep at all, and there’s no one else to talk to around here, so I had to come find you," said Ryan, heading straight to the fireplace and crouching down, rubbing his cold hands, "You haven’t even changed into your pajamas; you must be like me."

The two exchanged glances for a moment, then exclaimed in unison, "Thistlefort."

"Damn, you were thinking the same thing," Ryan said, scratching his head in annoyance, "Mr. Zhao told me that to disperse the fog surrounding the City of Defense, one must first clear the closest transportation route to it. I just don’t know when he plans to execute this plan."

Shandela knew a bit more because when she was working at the Community Service Center, she had already received a commission from Paradise to start collecting various information about Thistlefort.

She had nothing to hide from Ryan, "Based on the timeline, they should have already arrived. Are you worried that the Executive Priest’s matter is related to Paradise?"

"What else could it be? I’m now practically hoping that Duke Longjiu really sent a surprise force deep into the Eastern Border; otherwise, things will be troublesome."

Shandela thought carefully for a moment, "I feel something is strange."

"Where?"

"I haven’t interacted much with Mr. Zhao but he left a deep impression on me. He is sometimes impulsive, other times very rational, but in either state, he does not glorify violence. Paradise wouldn’t kill without good reason."