This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 433 - 405: Retreat in Two Directions

Chapter 433: Chapter 405: Retreat in Two Directions

A great battle ended without anyone being injured.

Despite a somewhat anticlimactic end, the Laine had deployed so many Legends, and their combat power had not suffered obvious losses. Why then did they retreat?

This was the perspective of outsiders, after all Cyril Rolan and his men had not lost a single hair. They had only summoned and then lost Celestial Warriors, which at most only depleted some of their strength.

Continuing the battle would certainly have been possible, but they chose to retreat.

This was contrary to the Laine people’s tradition of fighting to the death without retreating. The reputation of the Glorious General was now ruined, and it was presumed his return to the country would be very bleak.

But Cyril Rolan was not considering this issue at the moment. He led his troops in retreat, but not completely. They had only withdrawn over a hundred kilometers from Amber’s Gold Coin Island and then dropped anchor.

Not returning, nor advancing, just like Cyril Rolan’s current train of thought - blocked right there.

It was not just him; all Laine people felt the same.

After experiencing that unfathomable battle, all Laine people needed to ask themselves whether the Holy Light truly stood on the side of the Undead.

If not, how could the Paladins explain their role, or how to explain that light sword stroke that cleaved a Celestial Warrior, who seemed to recognize the mysterious Paladin? How to explain that?

Upon reflection, the only explanation was that the Lord of the Dawn had sent that mysterious Paladin to aid the Lich.

But if that explanation were accepted, then all Laine people would go mad.

The deity they devoutly worshiped had sent an Envoy to help an Undead - wouldn’t all that the Laine Empire had done over the years become a joke?

That hurdle was simply insurmountable, and Cyril Rolan’s mind felt like a mess, unable to sort out any clue.

When his faith was his armor, he could be fearless and unstoppable. But once he found there was an issue with his faith, all that was left was confusion and despair.

This was the greatest weakness of the zealot.

This time, even Lucas, usually the most calm and collected amongst the Shield of Honor, could not provide an answer.

In battle, Lucas could persuade himself to enter a state of denial, but once off the battlefield, he was a devout follower of the Lord of the Dawn - his composure was also shattered.

But no matter how shaken he was, he remained the calmest of them all, and so Lucas said to all the confused people, "Regardless of whether the Lich’s words are true or false, we now have an urgent issue to resolve. Do we acknowledge defeat and return, or do we continue to launch attacks against the Lich?"

Cyril Rolan looked up at his old friend and said blankly, "I can’t even find a reason to swing my sword. How can we attack that island again? What if the Lich truly is the chosen one of the Lord of the Dawn?"

Lucas gritted his teeth and said, "Then we retreat! Make a decision. The Empire will surely receive news soon, and if we don’t return, what about our supplies? Although I’m also unclear about the truth, we can’t starve to death at sea!"

Lucas’s words brought many people back to their senses. Indeed, regardless of the truth, they must first survive. Dying on this vast sea meant they would never uncover the truth.

But that’s when someone spoke up, "If we return like this, how do we explain to everyone? We can’t even clearly articulate how we lost."

The Laine’s longstanding habit was that campaigns against the Undead ended only in two ways.

Victory, or a disastrously heavy defeat.

To fight to the death is a Laine tradition; they were no strangers to sacrifice. But now, returning unharmed like this, how would the people of the Empire view them?

Even if not killed in battle, returning like this would be no different from being dead.

Cyril Rolan took a deep breath, as if he had made some resolution, and stood up to say to everyone, "If what the Lich says is the truth, then there is a serious problem with the Empire."

Had the Ironblood General Rachel Angelo, now deceased, really committed a dire atrocity, a senseless massacre? If the Empire knew, why had they not dealt with such a person? Was the invasion of the Kingdom of Impure Hymns and the Orc Mountains really for the reasons stated in the battle reports? Worship of an Evil God and large-scale blood sacrifices in Impure Chant? Massive orc slave-raiding parties killing humans?

Were these reports true or false?

Going further back, were the Desert Dwarves truly as evil and deserving as to have half their territory encroached upon?

If true, what right did they have to lay the blame on the Lich, who, as he claimed, had always been saving the world? What crimes could he bear?

The previous Cyril Rolan would never question the news released by the Empire.

How could the message confirmed by both the Paladin and the Light Priest be false? This is something they would report to the Lord of the Dawn in their prayers. How could the Deity overlook this?

If everything is true, why hasn’t the Lord of the Dawn withdrawn his favor of Holy Light? Why are there still so many Paladins and Light Priests in the Laine Empire being promoted?

It’s too contradictory. Cyril Rolan doesn’t care about his reputation anymore; he just wants to know the truth.

"O Lord of the Dawn, please hear the prayers of the humble, and guide us, your confused followers, in the right direction."

Cyril Rolan prayed with the most devout attitude he had ever mustered in his life, as did the other Laine People on the ship. They were the most devoted followers of the Lord of the Dawn, especially in need of divine guidance at this moment.

Such is the meaning of faith.

The thoughts of thousands converged into a river that broke through the barrier between the Mortal Realm and the Divine Realm, connecting to the kingdom of the Lord of the Dawn.

Eventually, a thought descended from the heavens and implanted itself in everyone’s mind.

The Lord of the Dawn didn’t provide answers to all their doubts, but pointed them in a direction: "To seek the truth, head to the other side of the Laine Empire."

With the divine message delivered, the prayer came to an end, but confusion still lingered on the faces of everyone on the ship.

What does ’the other side of the Empire’ mean?

Cyril Rolan looked towards a blonde lady on the ship, Elizabeth Morrison, the Light Priest. As a legendary Light Priest, she was the most adept at interpreting divine messages.

Elizabeth’s beautiful features scrunched together in a troubled expression.

If it had been before, she could have immediately interpreted the divine message, but now even she began to doubt herself, lacking the confidence to interpret the Lord of the Dawn’s intention accurately.

Cyril Rolan saw Elizabeth’s difficulty and comforted her, "Don’t worry, I’m just as lost as you are. But since the Lord of the Dawn still sends us his decrees, it means he hasn’t given up on us. Elizabeth, whether what we did before was right or wrong, this is also an opportunity given to us by the Deity to make amends."

Elizabeth felt much reassured by these words. That’s right; she still had a chance. The Lord of the Dawn hadn’t given up on them.

Elizabeth collected herself and then said to the others, "This time, the divine message doesn’t connect to our scriptures, but is quite straightforward. We just need to interpret ’the other side of the Empire’ and we will naturally find our direction. In my view, there are two possible explanations.

"The first is the desert. This area has only recently been conquered by the Empire. If the Empire indeed committed unforgivable crimes in the war, then we should be able to find the answers we seek in this newly occupied territory."

This analysis was quite logical, different from the Empire’s original lands; the desert had just been conquered. Isn’t this ’the other side of the Empire’?

Cyril Rolan asked further, "You mentioned there are two explanations. What is the second one?"

Elizabeth said with some difficulty, "The second interpretation... may be just a personal feeling. I can’t find any persuasive reasons, and more so, if I actually choose this direction, it would likely be regarded as treason immediately."

"Treason?" Cyril Rolan frowned, listening to Elizabeth, it seemed he had an inkling, asking, "Do you mean the other side of the Empire refers to Allen Watson?"

Elizabeth nodded helplessly. Nowadays, everyone in the Laine Empire knew that Allen Watson had taken a stand against the Royal Family.

Allen was accused of being a traitor but later distinguished himself in the Battle of Impure Chant and saved the Laine army, personally halting the pursuit of the Githyanki.

It would have been a good opportunity for Allen to rejoin the Empire, but instead, he publicly opposed the Ryan Royalty. The claim about the Ironblood General committing massacres was also something Allen had mentioned before.

But at the time, since the Ironblood General was dead, most people didn’t delve into the matter. Cyril Rolan, who had heard of it, was also unclear and busy with his own affairs, with no time to understand it deeply; he merely thought Allen was playing political games with the Ryan Royalty.

Now, the evidence that Lich provided seemed to corroborate what Allen Watson had said.

Thinking back, many puzzle pieces seemed to fit.

Allen Watson had once been captured by that Lich—perhaps he had already learned of the Empire’s issues during that time. After he escaped and returned, he became a student of the Silvermoon Knights and the youngest Legendary Holy Warrior in the Empire. He could have had a limitless future, yet he chose treason at this time.

This development had seemed strange to Cyril Rolan at the time. Allen Watson’s father was the Supreme Decree, and Allen had earned great military achievements; on what grounds would he commit treason?

There must be an issue here, and it now seemed all of Allen Watson’s actions stemmed from one answer—he had discovered the issues within the Laine Empire long ago.

He wasn’t committing treason; he was resisting. He wanted to steer this Empire back on course.

Now, Allen Watson’s identity was indeed sensitive. Having just lost a battle, going to seek out Allen Watson without any formal request would certainly be considered an act of betrayal by the Imperial Capital.

After much consideration, Cyril Rolan gave an order: "Let’s split up. Elizabeth, you take people to the desert to inquire about war-related information and confirm whether the Empire has committed any massacre during the war. And I will take others to find Allen Watson, with the hope of hearing the truth from him,"