"You still haven't found him?"
"Yes, Lord Quark. Our men have spread out to search everywhere, but we really can't find the young chief of Peace Between Man And Nature." The subordinate said in fear and trepidation, "Besides, those zombie-like bastards are running amok in the imperial city. Many of our brothers have died in battle and turned into bloodthirsty monsters."
Quark looked at the guard division officer before him expressionlessly.
The man was not exactly his subordinate, but because he now had the personal order of the chief, Sacred Swordsman Youlo, he was able to mobilize the entire guards division's forces.
Quark actually did not have a fixed position in the guards division … or rather, he did not have a position at all. The others only knew that he was one of the sacred swordsman's men, hence his considerable status.
"If that's the case, summon them back as soon as possible." Quark thought for a moment and said, "Our most important mission now is to stabilize the line of defense on this street and protect the refugees as much as possible."
"I'm afraid … we won't be able to hold on for much longer."
The subordinate was unusually worried as he said, "If it's just normal civilians who have turned into zombies, then it's still fine … but if it's professionals who have turned into zombies, then it's going to be difficult. They still retain their powerful forces. If it wasn't for the guards division storing a large amount of lethal weapons all year round, our line of defense would have been breached a long time ago. However, judging from the current consumption rate, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on until dawn. "
At that moment, another high-ranking guard division officer moved swiftly and came before the two of them.
"Lord Quark, we found a secret passage in the armory!" The officer said with a surprised look on his face. "And we found a messenger in the secret passage … It's Marshal Jack's messenger!"
"Bring me there." Quark furrowed his brows.
He … did not know about the existence of the secret passage.
…
The guards division was founded by Sacred Swordsman Youlo … It had existed since King Amos ascended to the throne.
Back then, the Sacred Swordsman Liyoulo had not only controlled an army, but also established the Garrison Division, which was independent of all the systems of the kingdom. It was directly subordinate to King Amos, and could be said to be a real power figure that all the nobles in the kingdom were abnormally afraid of.
After the war was settled, Liyou Luo Cai resigned from all his positions in the army and only kept his position as the head of the guards division. Therefore, the kingdom of Elnis now only had one general, who was known as the [Iron Marshal] Jack.
It was just that the Iron Face Marshal Jack had always been outside the capital, leading troops to clean up the remaining forces hidden after the destruction of the various countries. He had not returned to the capital for many years.
Sword Saint Li Youlo and Iron Mask Marshal Jack were friends, and their friendship was not shallow. Quark knew this very well. As Riyoulo's close aide, Quark had participated in the private gatherings of the two pillars of the kingdom more than once.
Even so, why would Jack's messenger appear in the Garrison Division's armory, in the secret passage that even he did not know about?
A feeling of being distrusted gradually sharpened Quark's gaze at that very moment.
He carefully hid the rage in his heart and came to the armory to see the messenger of the marshal that they mentioned.
It was a young man who appeared to be very young. He was lightly dressed, yet appeared to be excessively mature and reserved.
"You are Lord Jack's messenger?" Quark sized up the young man and asked in a heavy voice, "Do you have proof?"
The young man then took out a token and said calmly, "This is the family emblem of the general. It's only given to his trusted aides. Your garrison division should be able to verify it. "
Quark's subordinate then whispered beside him, "Our men have identified the family emblem. It's a specially forged emblem that only belongs to the general's family in the kingdom. It's just that we couldn't find this person's identity in the household register."
Quark muttered to himself for a while before he looked at the young man and asked, "What's your name? Why are you here … and how do you know about the existence of this secret passage? This is the garrison division's restricted area. If you can't come up with a convincing reason, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't trust you easily. "
"You can call me Tianyunxin." The young man said calmly, "As a matter of fact, before I came here, I didn't know about the existence of this secret passage either. As for the reason why I'm here, it's to help you. "
"How?" Quark asked in a heavy voice.
"You've seen it for yourself. This secret passage." Tianyunxin said seriously, "It's very long, even longer than the imperial city's walls. It leads all the way to Mount Starfall outside the imperial city. The patriarch sent me here to deliver the message so that I can bring you all through this secret passage and escort the imperial city's people out of here to avoid this disaster. "
"You mean the general?" Quark frowned. "He knows about the situation in the imperial city … He's back?!"
"Yes," Tianyunxin said slowly, "Now, the patriarch is setting up camp at Mount Starfall."
"That's great!" The men of the garrison division could not help but exclaim in delight, "We don't have to guard this place anymore … The general is back! That's great! We're saved! "
Quark, however, waved his hand to silence the men behind him. He stared at Tianyunxin and asked in a heavy voice, "You still haven't answered me … How did you know about the existence of this secret passage?"
Tianyunxin frowned and said, "I've already said that I only knew about it before I came here. This was what the patriarch told me. If you have any questions, you can ask the patriarch in person. My mission is only to open this secret passage and let you all know. "
Quark said calmly, "If the secret passage is really as you say, leading to Mount Starfall outside the imperial city, then it is indeed very long. However, once the imperial city's people rush in, I'm afraid it might be a road of no return … We don't know what's in the secret passage, much less what awaits us at the exit of the secret passage … Hope, or disaster. "
Tianyunxin frowned, then said, "It's reasonable for you to have misgivings, but with the current situation in the imperial city, I'm afraid you can't hesitate for too long. If you really don't believe me, you can send someone to follow me through this secret passage … How about that? If there's really danger, you'll lose one or two subordinates at most, but as long as it's proven to be safe, you can save the imperial city's people and yourselves. "
"My lord, I'm willing to go and investigate!"
"My lord, I'm willing as well!"
Quark still waved his hand to silence the restless people. Then, he said seriously, "If you want to investigate, then let me do it … The chief has temporarily entrusted the guards division to me, so I can't let any harm come to the men of the guards division. Tianyunxin, I'll go with you. "
"My lord! You can't! "Several of his subordinates hurried forward.
What a good Lord Quark, daring in his actions. When the imperial city was in trouble, he stepped forward bravely and shouldered everything alone. Now, for the safety of his subordinates, he's even risking his life alone … Compared to that carefree young chief, he's really …
"I've made up my mind. You don't have to say anything," Quark said in a deep voice. "Let's go."
"Please come with me." Tianyunxin nodded, but he suddenly said, "My lord, you're quite considerate of your subordinates … You're a good officer who empathizes with his subordinates."
Quark stepped into the secret passage, and Tianyunxin followed right behind him. The men of the guards division immediately guarded the entrance of the secret passage, looking nervous.
"You said your name is Tianyunxin?" Quark asked abruptly in the secret passage.
"Is there a problem?" the young messenger leading the way replied flatly.
"My chief's student is called the Peace Between Man And Nature," Quark said, "I keep having the feeling that your names are very similar."
Tianyunxin, on the other hand, said flatly, "The world is so big. Even if people have the same name and surname … or even look alike, there are plenty of people out there. There's nothing strange about it."
"Indeed." Lord Quark nodded without commenting further. He then asked seriously, "If I may ask, why wasn't there any news of the chief general's return? According to the intelligence from the guards division, the chief general's latest report should have been a month ago. At that time, he should have been in the Red Nest Mountains, searching for a group of remnant soldiers. It's at least twenty days' journey from the imperial city. "
"You said it yourself. It was intelligence from a month ago," Tianyunxin said flatly. "The clean-up operation in the Red Nest Mountains was quite successful. It didn't take long."
"How did the chief general know about what happened in the imperial city?" Quark asked abruptly. "Even we are still in shock at this very moment. There were no signs of the arrival of the disaster."
"You can ask the master. Maybe he'll be willing to answer you."
"How long will it take to finish?"
"How long do you usually take to leave the imperial city from the guards division?"
Quark did not ask any more questions. He just followed behind Tianyunxin in silence, neither slow nor in a hurry. He did not say anything along the way.
…
…
Finally, he passed through the long secret passage safely and left the Dragon Queen Hilda's Dragon Emperor Enchantment. He appeared in the middle of Mount Meteor outside the imperial city.
He turned around and looked at the imperial city that was on fire all over the place, yet he felt unreal.
"The master is setting up camp in the forest ahead." Tianyunxin's voice pulled Quark back from his absent-mindedness. "This way please!"
Quark had seen Iron Face Marshal before, and it was more than once. At the exit of the secret passage, there was a squad of about 20 soldiers guarding it.
They were the elite soldiers under the Iron Face Marshal. Similarly, they were the Eagle Cavalry that once swept across the continent. They were the strongest troop under the Iron Face Marshal Jack's command.
"What a dense baneful aura …"
Quark could not help but feel shocked in his heart. After that, when he entered the forest and saw the densely packed tents that were stationed there, it was not just a simple shock anymore.
This [Iron Face Marshal] had actually moved an entire Eagle Cavalry here, and he didn't even leak any information beforehand … The secret agents of the Garrison Division were all over the place, but they didn't notice anything at all!
Someone in the guards division had intercepted the news from the Iron Face Marshal!
All of a sudden, Quark thought of the only reasonable explanation in his heart. Was there a traitor in the guards division who secretly sided with the Iron Face Marshal?
With that in mind, Quark finally arrived in front of the marshal's tent under Tianyunxin's lead. Tianyunxin was standing outside the tent at the moment, signaling Quark to enter alone.
Quark glanced at Tianyunxin quietly. Then, he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist as if it was an accident. Just like that, he held his wrist and opened the tent's flap, walking in alone.
The moment he stepped into the tent, Quark was stunned.
"You're here, Quark."
"T-Teacher, you …" Quark was stunned at first, then he suddenly showed a delighted expression. He quickly walked forward. "This is great! Teacher, you're here! "
Could it be that the one who suppressed the news of Iron Face Marshal Jack's return to the imperial city … was the Sword Saint himself?
The one who appeared in the tent was Sword Saint Lyoulo, who had disappeared from the pavilion in the lake. Other than that, there was another man in the tent.
A man with a black iron mask that only revealed a pair of eyes … the kingdom's chief general, Iron Face Marshal Jack!
When Quark came in, Iron Face Marshal and Sword Saint Lyoulo were sitting opposite each other. They were playing a game of war chess that had just been introduced from the west in recent years.
Now, it should be Iron Face Marshal Jack's turn. When he saw the chief general was deep in thought and did not even notice his arrival, Quark couldn't help but frown. He quickly walked up to Sword Saint Lyoulo and said softly, "Teacher! Now that the imperial city … "
Sword Saint Lyoulo waved his hand and signaled Quark to be quiet. "If there's anything, wait until the marshal and I finish this game of chess. Don't worry, with the current situation in the imperial city, it won't make much of a difference whether it's earlier or later. Come and take a look at this game of chess and see how we're doing. "
"Yes, teacher." Quark nodded and then quietly knelt behind Sword Saint Lyoulo. His eyes followed Sword Saint Lyoulo's gaze.
It was a one-sided situation. The one who was obviously at a disadvantage was Iron Face Marshal Jack.
"Hmm, it seems like there's only one way to turn this situation around." Iron Face Marshal slowly put down the chess piece in his hand and shook his head. "If it's possible, I really don't want to take this step."
Lyoulo could not help but ask curiously, "How do you plan to go?"
"This way." Iron Face Marshal's voice deepened. He then waved his hand and swept away all the chess pieces on the chessboard before he said calmly, "This way."
"Stupid chess, stupid chess." Sword Saint Lyoulo shook his head repeatedly. "If you continue like this, you won't be able to find anyone to play chess with you in the future."
"Then this will be the last game." Iron Face Marshal chuckled and said, "You know me. Every year, I'll give up something that I like. Then this year, what I'll give up is chess. "
"Then let's end it." Sword Saint waved his hand and swept the chess pieces that had become messy to the side. "I'll give you face and consider it a draw."
"Hah, this is the feeling of being invincible." Iron Face Marshal smiled at that moment. He then glanced at Quark who was sitting upright behind Sword Saint. "Remember this. On this day this year, Sword Saint Lyoulo was defeated by Iron Face Marshal on the chessboard. In the end, he had no choice but to ask for a draw."
"Marshal, you must be joking," Quark could only reply.
However, seeing Sword Saint Lyoulo's indifferent expression, Quark asked in a probing manner, "I wonder if the marshal has a way to enter the city and quell the unrest in the imperial city?"
"Unrest? What kind of unrest do you want me to quell? " Iron Face Marshal looked at Quark in surprise. "Didn't your dead teacher tell you why I came back?"
Quark unconsciously glanced at Sword Saint Lyoulo … The sword saint was still silent at that moment.
Quark only shook his head.
"I see. He didn't tell you … Then I'll tell you." Iron Face Marshal said calmly, "I brought the army back this time to rebel."
"What?!"
"Quark." The Iron Mask Marshal waved his hand and said in a clear voice, "Do you want to rebel against the Yamos King with me? After I seize the throne and become king, you'll be my founding hero! "
Quark almost cried out in shock … Sword Saint Lyoulo was still indifferent at that moment as if he had expected it.
These two … were still the cornerstones of the kingdom?
…
…
A maid trembled as she walked out of the palace and came to the square … Finally, with a pale face, she walked to where Boss Luo and the others were.
"You … You …" Even the maid's voice was trembling, "His Majesty, please … please come in … for … for a meal …"
"Just in time," Boss Luo smiled, "We haven't had dinner either, so please lead the way, my lady."
"Please … Please follow me …"
Nan Xiaonan instantly narrowed her eyes … It's here, it's here. After his wife was chased away, the husband finally came out.
#####
PS1: Thank you to the book friend [Nebula Ascending Wind]'s accumulated moe readers. As usual, give the capitalist boss a cup of tea (insert)?
PS2: (0/1)
PS3: Not as usual tonight.
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