Chapter 159: A Mysterious Passage! Out of Money Again!

Roko nodded, saying nothing.

This was a well-known fact.

"Then do you know why, for some time now, the First Prince's army has been retreating steadily, collapsing for miles?"

A mysterious light flashed in Silas's eyes.

"Even the kingdom's most elite, the so-called 'Obsidian Legion' that was said to never fall, was defeated head-on by the Third Prince's army just a few days ago."

"What!"

Roko's pupils shrank violently.

This was the first time he had heard this news.

The Obsidian Legion was the strongest in terms of defense among the six ace legions of the Black Kingdom.

It was one of the Raymond Family's greatest reliances.

It had actually been defeated?

How could this be!

Even if the Third Prince's army were strong, it would be impossible for them to possess such terrifying combat power in such a short time!

"This is impossible!"

Roko said decisively.

"Unless—"

"Unless the Third Prince also received help from an external force."

Silas finished the second half of the sentence for him.

"Correct."

Silas's expression became somewhat grave.

"According to the intelligence network our Commercial Alliance has planted in the Royal Capital."

"The Poison Scorpion Society provided the Third Prince with a large number of elite assassins and a very strange type of alchemy weapon."

"Their assassins are elusive, specializing in the assassination of high-ranking generals and commanders under the First Prince."

"In just half a month, more than twenty decorated Knight Captains have died under their poisoned blades."

"And their alchemy weapon is a type of giant crossbow that can fire highly corrosive poison."

"It has a long range, great power, and devastating lethality against heavy armor units."

"The Obsidian Legion was caught off guard and subjected to concentrated fire from these weapons, which caused their formation to collapse, ultimately leading to their defeat."

Silas said everything he knew in one breath.

The air in the study seemed to freeze.

Roko's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

So the situation in the Royal Capital had already deteriorated to such a severe extent.

"Right now, the First Prince's army is completely surrounded in the inner city of the Royal Capital by the Third Prince's forces."

Silas watched Roko's reaction and continued to raise the stakes.

"Although there are still some troops loyal to the royal family fighting to the death."

"Everyone knows that his defeat is only a matter of time."

"At most, within a month, this civil war will end with the Third Prince's total victory."

"At that time—"

Silas did not continue, but he believed Roko understood what he meant.

Once the Third Prince ascended the throne as King.

What kind of fate would the Raymond Family face as a firm "rebel" that supported the First Prince?

The entire family would likely be uprooted!

And he, Roko, as a member of the Raymond Family, would absolutely not escape the fate of being purged.

This intelligence was heavy indeed.

It was directly related to the future survival of Roko and his Vanguard Valley.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Roko raised his head, his gaze like lightning, staring straight into Silas's eyes.

"What good does this do for you?"

"Benefits, of course there are."

Silas met Roko's gaze without flinching.

"Our Commercial Alliance only does business; we do not participate in politics."

"Whether it is the First Prince or the Third Prince, it makes no difference to us who becomes King."

"However, we do not like the Poison Scorpion Society."

A trace of disgust flashed in Silas's eyes.

"They are a group of rule-breaking lunatics."

"Their style of conduct seriously undermines the commercial rules and spirit of contract we believe in."

"A kingdom ruled by a lunatic supported by them does not align with the interests of our Commercial Alliance."

"Therefore, we need a new force capable of checking them, or even defeating them."

"And you, Master Roko."

Silas's mouth revealed that signature merchant smile once again.

"You are the most suitable investment target we have chosen."

Roko understood.

He understood completely.

This was not a simple trade cooperation at all.

This was a political investment!

Silas, or rather the Commercial Alliance behind him, had taken a fancy to Roko's potential.

They believed Roko had the ability to challenge the rule of the Third Prince and the Poison Scorpion Society in the future.

Therefore, they chose to place their bets early.

Using intelligence and resources to exchange for greater returns in the future.

What a shrewd merchant!

What a calculating Commercial Alliance!

Roko's evaluation of this organization rose a few notches in his heart.

"Why should I be your investment target?"

Roko asked calmly.

"Because you were able to start from nothing in just a few months and integrate the entire southern part of the New Wind Province."

"Because you possess the strong liquor that makes even the Dwarf race go crazy."

"And even more so, because you possess this—"

Silas's gaze became fervent once again.

"Obsidian Gold equipment capable of changing the landscape of the continental war!"

"A young Lord with powerful strength, astonishing wealth, and infinite potential."

"If we didn't invest in such a person, we would be fools."

Roko fell silent.

He was quickly weighing the pros and cons.

The benefits of cooperating with the Commercial Alliance were obvious.

He could obtain the urgently needed funds, supplies, and most importantly, intelligence.

This would allow him to take the initiative in the even more brutal game to come.

But the downsides existed as well.

Dealing with a tiger is no different from inviting a wolf into the house.

Although this "fierce tiger" of a Commercial Alliance looked tame and harmless for now.

Once his development exceeded their control or did not align with their interests.

They could bite back at any time.

"I need time to consider."

After a long while, Roko spoke slowly.

"Of course."

Silas nodded; he knew such a major matter could not be decided in an instant.

"I will stay in Vanguard Valley for a few more days."

"Waiting for your reply at any time."

"However, I personally suggest that you make your decision quickly."

Silas stood up, preparing to take his leave.

When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned back to say something meaningful.

"According to our experience, those big guys in the Orc Wasteland have never been peaceful neighbors."

"Especially when the human kingdom is in civil strife."

"Good luck, Master Roko."

Having said that, he turned and left the study.

Inside the study, silence fell once again.

Roko's knuckles tapped the tabletop unconsciously.

Once, and then again.

Silas's last sentence was like a needle, deeply piercing his heart.

Orcs—yes, there was still a huge threat looming right at his doorstep.

He closed his eyes, and the image of Tain's eyes, filled with vigilance and hostility, appeared in his mind.

It seemed some things were already imminent.

"Master!"

Martina pushed the door open and entered, her expression grave as never before.

"Something has happened!"

"We just received an emergency transmission from Patriarch Bagelumu in the Dwarf Mountains!"

"He said they accidentally discovered an ancient, abandoned underground passage while conducting mineral exploration deep in the mountains!"

"That passage can bypass Heifeng Aikou and lead directly to—"

"The hinterland of the Orc Wasteland!"

Martina's words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting the fog in Roko's mind.

He stood up from his chair abruptly.

"What did you say?"

"An underground passage that can bypass Heifeng Aikou and lead directly to the hinterland of the Orc Wasteland?"

"Yes, Master!"

Martina nodded forcefully and handed a letter to Roko.

"This is a letter written by Patriarch Bagelumu himself, and it also contains a simple map he drew."

Roko snatched the letter and quickly browsed through it.

The content of the letter was exactly the same as what Martina had said.

The dwarves of the Stone Hammer Tribe had inadvertently discovered an ancient cave sealed by giant rocks while looking for new mineral veins.

They had used all their strength to move the giant rocks at the entrance.

They discovered that inside was actually a giant underground passage wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side.

On the walls of the passage were carved some ancient characters and murals they could not understand.

Out of curiosity, they organized an expedition and walked along the passage for two full days and nights.

Finally, they found an exit at the end of the passage.

And when they walked out of the cave, the scene before them stunned them all.

It was no longer the towering mountains of the Dwarf Mountains.

But a vast, boundless blood-colored plain filled with a primitive aura.

According to their judgment, that was exactly the hinterland of the Orc Wasteland!

"Heaven helps me!"

After reading the letter, Roko couldn't help but slam his fist onto the table.

The gloom on his face was swept away.

Replacing it was unprecedented excitement and agitation!

He had been worrying about how to deal with the threat of the orcs from the north.

He never expected Bagelumu to send him such a heaven-sent gift!

This was simply like having someone bring a pillow when you were sleepy!

A surprise attack route that could bypass natural barriers and strike directly at the enemy's heart!

This instantly changed the landscape of the entire battlefield!

It allowed them to go from being the passive defenders to the attackers holding the initiative!

"Immediately! Summon Hart, Fura, and Falco! Come to my study for a meeting!"

Roko's voice became somewhat high-pitched due to his excitement.

"Yes, Master!"

Martina responded and left quickly.

Soon, the core members of the Lord's Mansion were all gathered in the study.

After Roko told them about the dwarves' discovery of the underground passage.

Everyone's face revealed the same shock and ecstasy as Roko's.

"My god! How could such a thing happen?"

Hart widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"This is great! We no longer have to foolishly guard Heifeng Aikou and wait for those orc scum to attack!"

"We can kill our way directly to their home! Twist their heads off one by one and use them as chamber pots!"

He waved his fists excitedly, as if he had already seen the scene of victory.

"This is indeed a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity."

Falco, who had just rushed back from the Dwarf Mountains, also nodded, his eyes flashing with brilliance.

"Although the Orc tribes are numerous, most are disorganized and fight on their own."

"They will never expect us to appear suddenly from behind them."

"As long as our plan is proper and our actions are swift, we can completely catch them off guard!"

"And solve the northern threat in one fell swoop!"

Fura did not speak, but her heterochromatic eyes were also burning with a fierce fighting spirit.

The little beast Tain in her arms was chirping non-stop, seemingly very excited about this plan as well.

However, amidst the optimistic atmosphere, Martina appeared unusually calm.

She waited until everyone had finished speaking before slowly opening her mouth.

"Master, everyone."

"This plan sounds very tempting indeed."

"But have we overlooked a few critical issues?"

0

Her voice was like a basin of cold water poured onto everyone's heated heads.

Everyone's gaze turned to her.

"First, intelligence."

Martina's gaze swept over the map on the table.

"Our understanding of the Orc Wasteland is almost zero."

"We don't know how many tribes are there, what the strength of each tribe is, or how many troops they have."

"We don't even know the specific location of the exit of this underground passage, what the surrounding environment is like, or if there are powerful orc tribes entrenched there."

"Under these circumstances, rushing out is no different from a high-stakes gamble."

"If we win, we can certainly solve it once and for all."

"But if we lose—"

She did not continue, but everyone understood that the consequences would be devastating.

"The second issue is logistics."

Martina continued.

"Deep behind enemy lines, conducting a surprise attack requires extremely high logistical support."

"Our soldiers need to carry enough food, clean water, medicine, and weapons and equipment."

"That underground passage is hundreds of miles long; just walking through it will take several days."

"Once such a long supply line is discovered and cut off by the enemy, our army will fall into a desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food."

"The third, and most important issue."

Martina's expression became grave as never before.

She took an account book from her bosom and placed it on the table.

"It's money."

"We are out of money."

"What?"

Hart and Falco were both stunned.

"How can we be out of money? Didn't we just seize such a large amount of wealth from Enade?"

"That money has long since been spent."

Martina gave a bitter smile.

"To provide pensions for the fallen soldiers, reward the meritorious troops, reorganize and take over Enade's territory, expand our army—"

"Plus, to deal with the potential war, we urgently purchased a large amount of grain, ore, and military supplies."

"Right now, the gold coins left in our treasury aren't even enough to support the normal operation of the entire territory for a month."

"It can be said that we are already eating tomorrow's food today."

Inside the study, deathly silence fell once again.

Hart and Falco both lowered their heads, revealing expressions of shame.

They had only seen the victory and glory of war.

But they had completely failed to consider what a massive expense was supporting all of this behind the scenes. **CHAPTER 160**