Chapter 503: Inference of the Truth Behind the Incident?

Jier chuckled. He knew that Priest Bata'er had made that thing surely to express his feelings to Priest Feilina, but it was no longer possible now; the flower branches in the flowerbed had been cut down and thrown away by those Defeated Soldiers because they were in the way.

Immediately after, Jier recounted his actions in the tool room, killing two Defeated Soldiers who were doing that deed. Priest Bata'er had no comment on this: "Dead is dead. It's just that unlike the Grain Warehouse, since the secret chamber and secret passage in the tool room had long been discovered by the enemy, it's hard to avoid Defeated Soldiers patrolling and checking there. What if they discover the corpses tonight?"

"Whether they discover them or not, we are going to take Changmai Cunzi regardless. These enemies must all die; there is no significant difference. It's just a tiny difference of whether the battle is slightly more difficult or slightly easier." Jier patted his chest to give his assurance.

Finally, Jier briefly told Priest Bata'er about the private conversation of the enemy soldiers he had overheard, which surprised Priest Bata'er quite a bit: "Are they telling the truth?"

Jier shrugged: "Hard to say. It was overheard in private, so the authenticity should be guaranteed, but this is also information stated unilaterally by the enemy; what can they use to prove it? There is no evidence to prove they haven't harmed the villagers of Changmai Cunzi, but these Defeated Soldiers attacking villages and abusing surrendered villagers is indeed true and undeniable. What do you think, Priest?"

Priest Bata'er was very hesitant. He knew that Jier asking him what he thought was asking whether to spare the two of them during tomorrow's attack.

Finally, Priest Bata'er said with difficulty: "I don't know, Warrior. I don't know how to deal with them. What about you? Warrior Jier, whatever you decide to do with them, I will listen to you; you decide."

Jier nodded and said: "Then in my opinion, since they have already prepared to be killed in battle and have left behind the information they consider important in certain books beforehand, why not fulfill their wishes? Since they don't believe they can survive and have refused to surrender, then let them die. After all, they are enemies; compared to the safety of the enemy, I think the lives of our own Warriors are more important."

"Attacking the village tomorrow is not an easy task because the enemy's strength is not weak, and their personnel are sufficiently dispersed; it is difficult to defeat them all at once in a frontal battle with me. Furthermore, I intend not to let a single enemy escape. In tomorrow morning's battle, we will lead our men together to annihilate this group of enemies remaining in Changmai Cunzi! Priest Bata'er, tomorrow will be an important battle. If we can annihilate all the enemies in this area without leaving a single one, not giving them a chance to report to others, then we can have the initiative advantage in the subsequent process of attacking the Mine in the forest!"

"Because compared to here, the situation at the Mine is more complex. It is not an easy task to rescue all the captured villagers at once under the enemy's blades. We must seize every opportunity and use every means possible."

"In addition, the person behind the incident mentioned by these two enemy soldiers happens to align with what we previously inferred. This shows that behind this matter, besides that Knight Hartna, there is another person directing this Knight Hartna. If we don't catch the tail of the other party, then in the future, perhaps in a year or two, or several years later, it is inevitable that the same thing will happen to other surrounding villages. No one can guarantee that there aren't one or two mines created by the other party in the mountains and forests around the village. This time it was guiding Defeated Soldiers to mine; in the future, hiring alien races, hiring human mercenaries, or triggering civil strife in Sasi County are all possible."

Jier said solemnly at the end.

Priest Bata'er also nodded gravely, indicating that he would inform all the Cunzi Priests of the Agricultural God Church in the surrounding area about these discovered matters, letting all the autonomous villages in the south of Sasi County be on guard.

After all, one can be a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days. If there is an opportunity this time, the hand extended by the person behind the scenes must be severed.

At this moment, Jier thought of the Prophecy Poem that Dashu Bi'ao had once told him.

He whispered the content of the Prophecy Poem to himself, and then couldn't help but shiver involuntarily.

"What's wrong? Warrior Jier?" Priest Bata'er heard Jier's soft muttering and saw him frozen in place, so he spoke up to ask softly.

Jier took a deep breath before coming back to his senses: "I suddenly remembered the Prophecy Poem that Dashu Bi'ao gave me, the one about rescuing the villagers. It's truly unimaginable. A big tree, how does it know about things so far away? And why did it issue the prophecy in advance?"

Subsequently, Jier couldn't help but whisper that Prophecy Poem out:

"In the distant mountains and forests, those scorched by flames are also harming others."

"Fear and despair shroud everyone's heart, regardless of any direction or quantity."

"Only because those scorched by flames hide and endure in the dark, waiting for the messenger to bring important intelligence."

"When the Messenger of Flame gives a satisfactory answer, everyone will die."

"Follow the footsteps, watch the shadows; the key to the solution lies with that Messenger of Flame."

"Please remember the key guidance, young man; follow the footsteps, watch the shadows; the key to the solution lies with the Messenger of Flame."

This Prophecy Poem might be slightly inconsistent with what Dashu Bi'ao originally said, but Jier believed the content was not much different. At this moment, as he repeated it again, both he and Priest Bata'er had a feeling of 'so that's how it is'.

"It almost all matches up." Jier said.

And Priest Bata'er nodded: "The wise big tree, so it knew all this several days ago?"

Jier shook his head at this time, his expression cold as he said: "Think carefully, Priest. Since that Dashu Bi'ao could predict in advance what we only understand now, as well as that Messenger of Flame we haven't found yet, it means that everything in Changmai Cunzi, and even that Mine in the mountains and forests, it knew about these things long ago."

"And it, having known all this long ago, did not warn you and the village to take precautions or prevent the Defeated Soldiers from attacking the village and seizing people, letting all this happen."

Jier's words made Priest Bata'er feel cold all over. He shivered, then subconsciously took the Agricultural God Wooden Statue out of his waist pouch, and only felt better after holding the god's statue tightly in his hand.

"It, it knew long ago, but still sat by and watched things develop?" The priest said tremblingly.

Jier took a deep breath and closed his eyes: "That big tree, although it is powerful and very clever, worthy of being called wise, its interest stance does not seem to be with the Agricultural God Church."

Priest Bata'er gave a bitter smile: "There's no helping it. Although the place where Dashu Bi'ao is located was designated as a settlement by the Church, thus gradually establishing one of the earliest villages here, it is also a holy site for the Nature Sect in the Southern Province. People often come to make pilgrimages and seek wisdom from it. And long ago, when this was still the land of the Dwarves, it had already relied on its wisdom to have long-term exchanges with the Dwarves. You know, it has lived for at least a thousand years! A thousand years!"

"Not to mention our Saint Hors Kingdom, even the Empire, the Endor Central Empire, hadn't been established a thousand years ago! Think about it, think carefully; is it possible for it to have an interest connection with the villages in the south of Sasi County that were only established a few decades ago? How could a big tree link its own interests with the local humans? If there were any, I reckon only the Elves would have a way, right?"

Jier also gave a bitter smile. Indeed, he had thought too simply. To such a long-lived existence, humans are indeed a short-lived species that only appeared recently. The villages established by humans truly have nothing to do with the other party whether they live or die. Jier also didn't believe that such an existence that had lived for a thousand years didn't have some powerful means to protect itself.

Priest Bata'er added at the end: "Actually, as long as one is lucky or gains the favor of Dashu Bi'ao, anyone can seek wisdom from it."

"In that case, I've overthought it. Alright, regardless of whether Dashu Bi'ao is good or bad, just judging by its ability, it clearly saw through everything long ago. Since it has no stance, then we can trust the Prophecy Poem it gave. Therefore, according to the conversation of the Defeated Soldiers I overheard tonight, finding the Messenger of Flame sent by the person behind the scenes is the most important link to solving the problem of the Changmai Cunzi villagers."

Jier stroked his chin: "Messenger of Flame, heh, I didn't understand what this pointed to before, but after capturing a surrendered Defeated Soldier in Lanse-Qingting Cunzi, I finally understood. The Messenger of Flame refers to the people from the enemy country in the south. The other party used soldiers who could control flames on the battlefield to defeat and force back the Southern Province Noble Coalition, and the messenger they sent can naturally be called the 'Messenger of Flame'."

Priest Bata'er frowned: "The Knight Lord of this group of Defeated Soldiers must have surrendered to the enemy country in the south. After being captured by the other party on the battlefield, he was assigned the secret mission of leading his subordinate soldiers to restart the abandoned Mine in the mountains and forests south of Changmai Cunzi."

"And at the very beginning, the person directing from the enemy country in the south intended for the soldiers under him to go mining." Jier guessed: "Because the two hundred soldiers under that Knight Hartna were hiding in a hidden forest on the side of the battlefield under the chaotic situation before. These people thought they had avoided the Scout of the enemy country in the south, but in fact, their existence was known very clearly by the other party. It was only because there was another role to play later that I guess the other party didn't directly annihilate this small group of people."

"And it is very normal for these Defeated Soldiers who lost their tracks on the battlefield to disappear, because everyone else would only think they died on the frontal battlefield or in the subsequent chaotic retreat. No one could imagine they would risk crossing the Southern Mountains to reach the south of Sasi County, which has little to do with the battlefield."

"It's just that things changed afterwards." Jier raised a finger and pointed around: "Regardless of whether they saw through their fate of being abandoned later, some of the Defeated Soldiers didn't go directly to the Mine to dig, but actively attacked Changmai Cunzi, which was closest to the Mine! Their sudden attack, coupled with the villagers of Changmai Cunzi not taking the crisis seriously, led to them breaking through and capturing most of the villagers of Changmai Cunzi. Some people died in the battle of the attack, while you, Priest Bata'er, took some young children and hid in the Secret Chamber of the Church, and were not taken away together."

"I wish more that I hadn't hidden at that time, because now the villagers must really need me, need me to help them strengthen their faith and use Divine Power to soothe their wounds." Priest Bata'er said with regret.

Jier waved his hand: "That's not right. If you, Priest, had also been captured, not to mention anything else, could those children have survived safely in the Mine? They can't do work and can only be treated as a burden. Older boys and girls can help carry Mineral Ore and exert some strength, but children under ten will only be a burden. When they die, Priest, you would probably only be more sorrowful."

"In addition, if even you were captured, I don't think the other party would let you stay with the villagers. Because as long as someone has an understanding of the Church, they should know that Priests can connect with the gods through Prayer. The enemy cannot let the Agricultural God know the location of that Mine. In case the Agricultural God is furious and sends the armed forces of the Church—by the way, does the Agricultural God Church have direct armed forces in the Saint Hors Kingdom?"

Priest Bata'er said awkwardly: "I'm not too sure, I'm just a small Cunzi Priest..."

"Alright, let's assume there are. If you were captured and stayed with the villagers working hard in the Mine, you would inevitably inform the god of the specific location of the Mine. The god would be furious and send a team that the Defeated Soldiers could not resist at all, and they would inevitably fail the whole thing. So even if you were captured, you would probably be locked up separately in other nearby places, or they would refuse your surrender."

"Back to the Defeated Soldiers, they attacked Changmai Cunzi and captured the villagers to labor in the mines for them, but judging from the secrecy of this matter, once a certain condition is met, the mining behavior will probably stop."

Hearing Jier say this, Priest Bata'er said happily: "Will they release the villagers?"

Jier looked at him and asked back: "If it were you who directed Knight Hartna to sneak over to mine, especially in a situation where the nobles of the Southern Province are still gathering troops to start a war again this year, would you release those captured mining villagers? You're overthinking it. Not only the villagers, I even think that the remaining one hundred and some soldiers under Knight Hartna, except for a few confidants, will probably all have to die silently here without a single bit of news."

Jier thought one layer further: "And when the relevant subordinates are all dead, that Knight Hartna will most likely change his identity, think of a new excuse, and return to the Southern Province Noble Coalition."

He said in a grim tone: "But at this time, is Knight Hartna a noble Knight of the Southern Province? Or has he become a spy and insider for the enemy country in the south because he was placed under a strange Curse or had some leverage held against him?"

Priest Bata'er felt cold in his hands and feet, and only after circulating the Agricultural God's Divine Power to fill his whole body did he calm his mood: "How is that possible..."

Although he said it was impossible, the priest clearly already believed Jier's statement, because all of this was too reasonable and logical. Following the deductions step by step, it seemed that things should develop this way.

"If, if this is the case, then do we have to be defeated once more this year? Great Agricultural God above, after being defeated once last year, how many things happened to the entire Southern Province!"

"The troops in the noble territories everywhere were drawn away, the nobles and Knights all took their troops to the Province Capital, the villages everywhere lacked sufficient security forces, bandits arose everywhere, and evil was expanding crazily! Terrible parasitic plants were running rampant! The further increased tax rates made the farmers and farmwives in the Borisfa area unbearable and they rebelled! You and I have walked all the way from White Stone Pass and seen how many tragedies have occurred; everyone is living in pain! Warrior Jier, now we have to rely on you and me; we must defeat this group of enemies! Destroy the enemy's conspiracy!"

The more Priest Bata'er spoke, the more serious and earnest he became.

But Jier gave a bitter smile: "Why is it so important! My good Priest, think carefully, is the matter really that serious? Even if everything I said happened, what can that Knight Hartna do alone on the entire battlefield? Assassinate the Earl? Or pass on key military intelligence?"

Priest Bata'er widened his eyes: "Isn't this serious enough?"

Jier waved his hand: "Please, I don't think an ordinary Knight, one who was defeated in a single move by a formidable enemy Knight on the battlefield, could really exert much influence in terms of conspiracy or sabotage within the Southern Province Noble Coalition. At most, he could kill some ordinary Soldiers, but this time the number of soldiers in the Southern Province Noble Coalition is estimated to be vast; is that something he could finish off alone? As for stealing and passing on key intelligence, you don't think that after the crushing defeat last year, the clever people of our Southern Province wouldn't have planted their own people within the enemy army in the south, do you?"

"Just like the enemy is doing now." The Priest understood a little; the matter of the Knight Hate might seem very serious to people at their level, but to the big shots who are more powerful and have more resources at their disposal, it is just a trivial, everyday matter.

"If we infer the whole thing this way, I seem to also understand the timeline of the entire affair, and what the other side truly needs to set all this up." Jier rubbed his chin and said inexplicably.

(End of this chapter)