NOVPUB"General Nigel, the border is calling for reinforcements, should our Central Army continue to dispatch?"
They hastily asked this of Nigel, who had now reached the rank of General.
"Let The Senate decide, I think there’s really not much point in continuing to send reinforcements to the southwest."
Nigel shook his head tiredly, seemingly unsure of what to do.
Amid the constant turmoil, although Nigel was not a general who readily fought on the front lines, if they were to be attacked right down to Floral City, he would become the last line of defense, commanding the protection of the city.
His duty was equally important.
Besides, even if he went, it was unlikely he could turn the tide of the battle.
At that moment, he couldn’t help thinking of his late teacher; if he had had the tremendous power of Perlman, perhaps he could have played a crucial role on the front lines.
After the battle that night in Floral City, he once again understood the saying, "the brink of life and death strengthens the warriors of the Demon Race." The Long-lived Species, if they do not abandon their views on life and death and learn to burst forth like short-lived creatures, would find it hard to rapidly become stronger.
The fragment of "Parlony’s Grudge Record" forcibly implanted in him by Perlman was almost becoming one with him, and after recovering his self, he chose not to separate it but struggled to suppress and control its power by himself.
If one day he had to face an eighth-order powerful adversary again, he might need to rely on this barely legendary berserk ability to stand a chance.
Nigel had quickly dealt with the surrounding military and civil officers and walked directly to the back.
There was a rest area on this third level.
Lanci and Talia were drinking tea.
"Nigel, you’ve arrived."
Lanci noticed Nigel and immediately smiled.
He and Talia, due to transportation issues, had been staying in the Poseen Kingdom for nearly a week, and now they monitored the war situation and the transportation news every day, while the responsibility of looking after them had gradually shifted from Countess Rosalinda to Nigel.
Now that the war had started, Countess Rosalinda, as a Platinum Level Card Maker and a Magic Engineering Expert, had already been recruited into the military industrial sector and was extremely busy every day.
"Lanci, Talia, I’m very sorry, the war situation has worsened, and for now, we do not have a way to send you back to the Hutton Kingdom. Apart from cities like Floral City Pariel, which have a core city defense system, any other place the Magic Power Rail Train passes through could be extremely dangerous."
Nigel took off his military cap and sat opposite them, bowing his head.
Today, he brought more bad news—they would have to stay for an unknown period.
Transnational transportation was frequently attacked, and the usable stations and routes were diminishing; no one knew where a city-state might fall next.
Right now, attempting to return to the Hutton Kingdom via the limited Magic Power Rail Train involved many uncertainties.
Currently, the safest plan seemed to be to travel eastward within the country and then exit the country to transfer using a small vehicle, crossing several small countries in the eastern part of the South Continent to reach the easternmost part of the Hutton Kingdom.
Even so, it would take a long time and was highly risky.
"Given your status as scientific researchers, the Cerryti Empire could deploy sufficient force to abduct you. In the worst-case scenario, if your travel information leaked, you would face a life-threatening situation."
Nigel added.
Although the bulk of the Cerryti Empire’s forces wouldn’t directly attack inside the Poseen Kingdom, high-ranking assassins from the Cerryti Empire could launch surprise attacks, and once outside the country, even War Gods might appear.
"It’s okay, we prepared ourselves when the war started, and luckily we didn’t rush out upon waking up, otherwise, we would likely have been stopped on the road."
Lanci shook his head, reassuringly patted Nigel’s shoulder.
The last time, beating an eighth-order strong Perlman made them sweat profusely, and they had to rely on him and Talia’s Demon King special attack and tricked Perlman twice to win. Facing any of the Empire’s War Gods could lead to trouble.
And even if the difference in raw strength isn’t large, having an attribute that counters the enemy could still dominate the battle.
For example, Talia’s Spiritual Magic doesn’t affect Alchemy creatures, so if she encountered the rotten bishop farmer, she would stand no chance.
"Lanci, Talia..."
Nigel’s expression turned a bit bitter, as if he had something difficult to express.
Waiting for a better time to arrange Lanci’s return would be the safest.
At least for now, during these turbulent times, the Poseen Kingdom itself had its hands full.
"Could I ask you to become our Magic Engineers in the near future?"
Nigel finally expressed his request to them.
He already owed Lanci and Talia a debt, and now that the Poseen Kingdom couldn’t ensure their safe return but instead needed to ask for their help, it somewhat felt like repaying kindness with ingratitude, which truly made him feel guilty.
"No problem."
Lanci looked at Talia and then nodded decisively.
Nigel was their trusted friend, and there wasn’t much to discuss.
"Thank you, you’ve been a huge help."
Nigel let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t just the two Platinum Level Card Makers as Magic Artisans assisting them; with Hutton Kingdom’s lack of top combat power, having them there slightly eased Nigel’s mind.
Suddenly,
Nigel’s communication magic device rang by his ear.
"General Nigel, we have received intelligence that the second defensive line on the southwestern border is also on the verge of collapse."
The voice came through amidst a buzzing sound.
"How could it happen so quickly?"
Nigel immediately stood up.
Lanci also looked confused yet paid attention to the frontline; although he didn’t have the authority to oversee the battle conditions, he would offer some advice as a technical support expert.
"It appears that besides the Seventh Army God Philip, who has been bestowed the Blood Jade Marrow Throne, another new Army God has emerged!"
...
Nigel’s expression froze for a moment upon hearing this.
"Sorry, Lanci, Talia, I might need to verify the situation, and if necessary, I will also go to support the frontline."
He said apologetically to Lanci and Talia after he finished the communication, preparing to leave.
Lanci and Talia exchanged glances.
"Nigel, just how powerful is an Army God?"
They didn’t delay Nigel’s departure but simply followed him, asking him on the move.
Lanci had only heard rumors about the strength of the Twelve War Gods, but what level they actually were, no student from the Ichrite Academy’s Alchemy College gossiping about battle strength could match the accuracy known by a true general of the Poseen Kingdom like Nigel.
Nigel fell silent for a moment.
"If it’s the strongest few among the Army Gods, our Poseen Kingdom does not have any unit that can confront them one-on-one; perhaps only your country’s Great Priest Loren can face an Army God directly."
He responded.
"Besides the First Army God, Hesintos from the South Crayney Empire, are there any other powerful beings stronger than Loren?"
Lanci thought for a while, then asked Nigel again.
What he currently knew about the South Crayney Empire’s forces, putting aside the Blood Clan, the strongest should be Hesintos, the most powerful being of the South Continent.
The Extinct Bishop from the Northern Continent, who is also the source of the term "Archbishop-level strength," has always been on par with Hesintos, who is the first among the Twelve War Gods and bestowed the title of the Diamond Throne.
In Lanci’s view, Loren was a top-tier powerful being, highly renowned throughout the entire South Continent, and no one would question his strength.
Lanci didn’t know exactly how much stronger Hesintos was than Loren.
But as it appeared, Loren clearly hadn’t reached the level of Hesintos yet.
"...There are probably three to four who are stronger than Loren. I mean no offense, just stating the facts. Loren, placed among the Twelve War Gods, would only be considered upper-tier, not top-tier."
Nigel shook his head.
...
Lanci and Talia looked at each other again.
They truly trusted Nigel’s intelligence and judgment as being unerring.
Nigel was an extremely reliable teammate.
By contrast, a typical bad example was the Snow Witch, whose intelligence seemed to have never been accurate.
"Nigel."
Lanci suddenly called out to Nigel and had the Cat Boss initiate a Sound Sealing Barrier.
Nigel realized Lanci seemed to have something important to discuss and momentarily stopped.
"During this time, Talia and I will fully support the Hutton Kingdom’s rear, but can you find a way to arrange an identity and channel for me to pose as a merchant or something, and infiltrate the Cret Empire from the south through Aquidan Territory?"
Lanci stared at Nigel as he spoke.
It was something he couldn’t ask or trust anyone else with in Hutton Kingdom, except for Nigel, whom he deeply trusted for his reliability.
Lanci was not adept in frontal combat, but when it came to starting some ventures in the enemy’s home, he was an expert.
