In the front hall of the rebuilt Redleaf Manor, a bandit rushed in anxiously.
"This is bad, Sir!"
"Are they undead?" Bai Xiaowen asked.
"I, I don't think so. I saw two human knights leading them …"
Li Shuyi said, "Could they be special envoys sent by the Empire to interfere with Redleaf City's affairs?"
Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said, "Logically speaking, it shouldn't be so fast. I think those two knights might be people like Ian and Jerick. Let's go and take a look. Even if they are enemies, we can handle them. "
Many Redleaf City residents stood at the city gate. They were all curious and wary as they looked at the group of people in the distance.
The two knights in the lead stood shoulder to shoulder. There was no difference in status between them. One of the knights, who was sturdy and built like an iron tower, said loudly, "Is the Redleaf Manor's Lord here?"
"March is dead. I am now in charge of Redleaf City!" Bai Xiaowen appeared on the city wall and said loudly, "I am the Lord of White Stone Town. You can call me Dior. Who are you? "
The two knights rode slowly to the city gate.
"We are knights of the Holy See. You can call me Job, Lord. The man beside me is Ferdinand. "The sturdy knight raised his head and said," We've received news that there's a serious undead riot in Maple City. Under Prince Nicholas' orders, we're here to eliminate the undead. "
Job took out a stone engraved with mysterious runes. "This is a communication rune. You can use it to contact Prince Nicholas. Lord Dior, Prince Nicholas has many questions for you. "
There was a flash of light. Large patches of colorful mist rose from the communication rune. Soon, the colorful mist condensed and turned into an illusory image of a person.
It was a handsome young man with a tall figure and dazzling blonde hair. He wore an azure knight's armor, and on his back was a flashy cape with a fierce lion pattern. The silver war hammer in his hand had lightning flowing around it from time to time. Just from the illusory image, one could see how powerful he was.
The Redleaf City residents knelt on the ground and cheered Prince Nicholas' name.
"This Xiao Bai's popularity seems to be much higher than mine. She's not bad looking either. She almost caught up with me, "Bai Xiaowen muttered to Li Shuyi.
When the image of the prince appeared, Bai Xiaowen naturally had to show the proper respect. He walked down the city wall and came out of the city gate. He gently tapped his right fist on his left chest and bowed in a greeting commonly used in the Cain Realm.
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness."
Prince Nicholas nodded and said, "Who are you?"
Bai Xiaowen introduced himself.
"The Lord of White Stone Town? I remember that White Stone Town is a very small territory. It's hard to believe that you have the strength to conquer Red Leaf Territory. "Prince Nicholas's face showed an intriguing expression.
Bai Xiaowen said, "Your Highness should know that there are many groups of bandits in White Stone Town. They are all pitiful people who have gone astray. I incorporated them into my army. This way, I have a good fighting force. When I purified Red Leaf Territory, they put in a lot of effort. "
Bai Xiaowen purposely used the word "purify" instead of "conquer".
"Reorganize the bandits?" Job suddenly asked, "There's a Blackwind Bandits in White Stone Town. You also incorporated them? What about their leader, Ian? "
Bai Xiaowen replied, "Ian is already dead."
Upon hearing the news that Ian had been killed, Prince Nicholas frowned slightly, while Job and Ferdinand revealed unconcealable sorrow on their faces. There was also a trace of undetectable resentment in their eyes when they looked at Bai Xiaowen.
After all, Ian was their comrade.
However, Bai Xiaowen was not stupid enough to reveal Ian's true identity. He continued to narrate, glossing over the discovery of clues to the Plague of the Dead and focusing on the battle results. March, Jerick, and the lich Ebenezer were mentioned.
"In other words, you have removed an important nest of the Plague of the Dead for the Empire. Well done. "Prince Nicholas nodded." Also, I have seen your contribution to the Empire's conscription order. Now, you have a good army under your command. Bring them to the Black Rock Defense Line and fight for the fate of the Empire and mankind. "
A notification came from the Spiritual Realm.
"Hero-level Side Mission Step 1: The Truth of the Plague has been completed. Evaluation: Excellent. "
"Main Mission: Recruiting Your Army has been completed. Evaluation: Perfect. "
Prince Nicholas continued, "The army under your command is enough to serve as the main force of the 17th Infantry Formation of the Black Rock Defense Line. Based on this, I will give you the position of commander of the 17th Infantry Formation. This is an important military position in the Human Alliance Army. You must not slack off. In the war, if you make enough contributions, I will ask His Majesty to promote your noble rank to match your military position. "
Bai Xiaowen nodded. "I will prove my loyalty to the Empire and the people, Your Royal Highness."
He knew very well that the position of "commander of the 17th Infantry Formation" was generally held by viscounts. However, it was because Bai Xiaowen had recruited enough soldiers, more than 10 times the number of ordinary baron-level lords, that he was given an important military position as an exception.
A notification came from the Spiritual Realm. "You have completed the main mission. In the next 9 days, 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 31 seconds, you can freely explore and leave the Cain Bitwall at any time in combat state. The psionic points, equipment, and items obtained will not be lost. "
"[Main Mission Step 2: The War of the Black Rock Defense Line] begins."
"Mission Objective: Guard the Black Rock Defense Line for 10 days until the arrival of the Empire's reinforcements."
"Mission Difficulty: S."
"Mission Duration: 15 days."
After this mission, there was a special prompt. "Countdown to the attack of the survivors: 9 days, 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 31 seconds. Please rush to the Black Rock Defense Line before the countdown ends. If you are late, the mission will be considered a failure. "
"If [Main Mission 2: The War of the Black Rock Defense Line] fails, all the psionic points, equipment, and items obtained during the execution of the main mission will disappear. The gains obtained during the execution of [Main Mission 1: Enlist Your Army] will not be affected. "
Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi shared the prompt. The two looked at each other and saw a trace of excitement in each other's eyes.
What did [Main Mission 2: The War of the Black Rock Defense Line] mean?
A full 15 days of extra stay in the Cain Bitwall! It was almost equivalent to another ticket to the Spiritual Realm!
Moreover, its significance was far greater than a ticket to the Spiritual Realm. The two could start with the current situation, dig deeper into the side missions, and plan for more benefits.
Many Awakened Ones believed that the stay time in the Spiritual Realm (10 days) was too short. It was like a project that had just started and had to return because of the time limit. They could only do some short-term small projects and could not make long-term arrangements.
Therefore, a ticket to stay for 15 days was much more valuable than a ticket to stay for 10 days. It was at least twice as valuable.
Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi could stay in the Cain Bitwall for 30 days. For Bai Xiaowen, who was good at making arrangements, how many benefits could there be? It was really hard to explain in a few words. At least from Bai Xiaowen's point of view, he would not be willing to exchange 10 tickets to the Spiritual Realm below Grade C for 30 days.
And the extra 15 days of stay was a qualification that Bai Xiaowen had fought for himself.
Under normal circumstances, Awakened Ones who completed Main Mission 1 could only enlist a dozen people at most. Even if the number exceeded the mission requirements, it could not be too much. A small team of a dozen people was very inconspicuous in the Black Rock Defense Line. They could not get an important military position at all. Of course, there was no way to get extra time.
However, Bai Xiaowen had recruited 20 times the number of people and even took down the Red Leaf Territory. This meant that he had also completed the recruitment mission that Lord March had originally shouldered. This led to him obtaining the command of an entire infantry phalanx and having an important position in the Human Alliance Army.
After the Spiritual Realm's rules calculated, it judged that the role played by Bai Xiaowen — Dior S Kail Bloom, the Lord of White Stone Town, had an important position that affected the balance of the situation. He could not be casually kicked away. Therefore, the Main Mission 2 was activated.
This was also the content that Bai Xiaowen had vaguely guessed when he first entered the Cain Bitwall and came into contact with the Main Mission 1. At that time, there was a hint that said, "The stronger the army you recruit, the higher your position in the Human Alliance Army will be."
If there was no more time to stay, then what was the point of getting a higher position in the Human Alliance Army? The Spiritual Realm's rules would not give meaningless hints. Therefore, Bai Xiaowen spent a lot of time recruiting bandits to form an army.
"However, before the official appointment is made, I need to verify something," Prince Nicholas called out. "Ferdinand."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Beside Job, another knight named Ferdinand took out a monocle and put it on. Then, he carefully sized up Bai Xiaowen.
"Lord Dior is not a revenant. He is not infected by the plague."
The monocle was the Holy Light Plague Detector.
Job looked relieved. Prince Nicholas nodded. "Very good."
However, when Ferdinand's gaze turned to the others, especially the residents of Red Leaf City, he frowned.
"Wait a moment. Your Highness … Although Lord Dio and his guards weren't infected by the plague, the rest of Redleaf City's residents are all infected … There's not a single healthy person left. "
"What?" Knight Job exclaimed. He looked at the citizens of Maple City with pity in his eyes.
Bai Xiaowen had a bad feeling. "What's wrong?"
The image of Prince Nicholas waved his arm.
"Eliminate them all. Leave this task to Lord Dior and his guards. Job, Ferdinand, you are in charge of supervising the execution. Do not let any of the infected escape. "
"Yes, Your Highness." Job and Ferdinand both sighed. "Lord Dior, give the order."
"Wait, what's going on?" Bai Xiaowen was stunned.
This inexplicably familiar scene …
Wasn't there a plot like this in a game in another time and space? Infected civilians, a prince who followed the path of the Holy Light since young, and the butcher of Stratholme …
Could Prince Nicholas be Cain's version of "Arthas"?
"Did you not hear His Highness' order? Eliminate all infected civilians. There is no hope for them!" Job's voice was loud and clear. He did not care about the many residents of Red Leaf City around them.
Ferdinand said, "Your Highness, please carry out His Highness' order as soon as possible!"
Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said unequivocally, "I refuse."
"You refuse my order?" Prince Nicholas frowned and looked unhappy. "You have to think carefully! This is my decision! "
"The army's duty is to protect the people. If I receive an order to wield my sword at defenseless civilians, I will not accept it. " Bai Xiaowen made himself look like a righteous man. The residents of Maple City who were in a state of panic looked at Bai Xiaowen with hope in their eyes.
Prince Nicholas was not angry. Job and Ferdinand were not surprised by Bai Xiaowen's words.
This was because the values of the Plantagenet Dynasty were as such. The knight's creed emphasized benevolence and did not bully the weak. If Bai Xiaowen agreed to Prince Nicholas' order to massacre the entire city, the three of them would have to consider whether Bai Xiaowen was cold-blooded by nature.
"Your Highness, believe me. His Highness' order may be cruel, but it is the wisest decision!" Job advised, "Red Leaf City is not the first city infected by the Plague of the Dead. There was a similar city before, but His Highness did not have the determination to massacre the entire city. In the end, the city was filled with the undead. The Empire paid a huge price to wipe them all out."
"That's right. When His Highness gave this order, it was more painful than you think. However, as a leader, he could not show his pain. Dior, if you can't bear to do it, or if you don't want to bear this infamy, let us do it. "
Bai Xiaowen saw that the act was almost done, so he spoke the truth.
"I understand the horror of the Plague of the Dead, but blindly killing will not solve the problem. We must think of a way to find the antidote to the Plague of the Dead! I believe that there must be a way to save these innocent people. "
"You have a way?" Prince Nicholas's sharp eyes stared at Bai Xiaowen.
"In fact, one of my scholars is researching the antidote to the Plague of the Dead," Bai Xiaowen said.
"Countless scholars from the Church of Holy Light have tried to research the Plague of the Dead. Even Archbishop Arlo is helpless. I don't think that your scholar can do something that so many scholars can't. "
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