Chapter 91

Roko has always delegated the affairs of Vanguard Valley to Martina.

He himself has devoted the vast majority of his energy to the construction of the territory's armed forces.

The expansion of the Storm Knights and the training of the Knight Reservists are the priorities he is currently most concerned with.

After all, in this chaotic era, only the powerful armed forces held in one's own hands are the foundation for survival.

Martina, for her part, has no complaints about this.

She seems to have an unparalleled passion and talent for managing the territory and developing the people's livelihood.

Under her meticulous management, the spring plowing and sowing throughout Vanguard Valley are proceeding in an orderly manner.

The fields are planned neatly, and the irrigation canal system has been repaired anew.

The farmers are full of energy, their faces beaming with longing for the future.

The entire territory presents a scene of prosperity and joy.

Inside the Lord's Wooden House, Roko stands on the balcony, looking at the busy figures in the distant fields, feeling quite gratified in his heart.

With Martina there, he truly has much less to worry about.

This little fox, although sometimes a bit haughty, is truly impeccable when it comes to work ability.

"Roko, you're slacking off again."

A crisp, pleasant voice, carrying a hint of playfulness, comes from behind him.

Martina has arrived behind him without him noticing.

She is holding a thick stack of parchment documents in her arms, her snow-white long hair being blown by the spring breeze, lifting gently.

Those snow-white fox ears are twitching slightly, which is truly adorable.

"I call this inspecting the people's situation."

Roko turns around and says with a smile.

"Hmph, I think you're just idling away and spacing out here."

Martina pouts, giving him a sideways glance with her snow-white eyes.

Immediately, she hands the parchment in her hand to Roko.

"This is the territory development plan for the new year, as well as the detailed report on spring plowing; take a look."

Roko takes the parchment and begins to read it carefully.

Martina's planning is done very thoroughly.

From the division of crop planting areas to the expansion of livestock breeding scale, and then to the construction of handicraft workshops.

And the future development of trade routes, all have been considered very comprehensively.

"Very good."

Roko praises sincerely.

"With you, this Chief Administrative Officer, Vanguard Valley need not worry about not being prosperous."

Hearing Roko's praise, the corners of Martina's mouth lift slightly in a way that is hard to detect.

But she quickly straightens her pretty face again and says with feigned seriousness.

"That goes without saying."

"The talent of this Chief Administrative Officer is not something that a brute like you, who only knows how to fight and kill, can understand."

Roko cannot help but smile upon hearing this.

He puts down the parchment in his hand, his gaze falling on Martina's pretty face.

"Martina, are you interested in practicing the Knight Breathing Technique with me?"

"With your talent, if you are willing to put in the hard work, your future achievements will definitely not be low."

Martina is slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Her snow-white eyes blink, seemingly a bit surprised.

A moment later, however, she shakes her head.

"No need."

"I have no interest in the fighting and killing of knights."

"I prefer to watch this land become rich and prosperous bit by bit in my hands."

"Besides, I also have my own path of cultivation to follow."

Her tone is full of firmness and persistence.

Roko looks at her snow-white eyes shining with light, and understands in his heart.

Everyone has their own chosen path.

"Alright, since you have already decided, I won't say anything more."

Roko says.

Martina waves her hand impatiently, then, as if remembering something, adds.

"By the way, some new faces have arrived in the territory recently."

"They claim to be merchants, but they seem a bit off."

"I have already sent people to keep an eye on them secretly."

Roko frowns slightly upon hearing this.

"Oh? Any discoveries?"

Martina shakes her head.

"Not yet."

"However, my intuition tells me that these people are likely not here with good intentions."

"I will continue to keep an eye on their movements."

Roko nods.

"Hmm, be extra careful."

"The Kingdom is becoming increasingly chaotic now, and all sorts of monsters and demons might emerge."

"If there is any trouble you can't solve, remember to notify me immediately."

"Got it."

Martina responds, then turns and leaves with the stack of parchment.

Watching her petite and busy back, a hint of warmth flashes in Roko's eyes.

Time passes quietly in the calm and busy territory construction.

Roko and Fura's cultivation has also never slackened.

With the assistance of sufficient magic beast meat and the incomparably precious "Golden Vein Dragon Blood Grape."

Their strength is improving rapidly at an astonishing speed.

On this day, Roko is on the training ground, practicing the 【Great Sun Blazing Slash】.

Every time he swings the knight longsword in his hand, it carries a scorching flame aura.

The crimson sword Qi traces sharp trajectories in the air.

Suddenly, the Bronze Battle Qi in his body surges violently.

A more powerful and condensed force erupts from his limbs and bones.

Boom!

He slashes out with his sword, and a flame sword Qi several meters long whistles out.

It slashes fiercely onto a giant rock at the edge of the training ground.

With a loud bang, the incomparably hard giant rock is actually split in two from the middle.

At the cut, it is as smooth as a mirror, with traces of scorched black still remaining.

"Hoo—" Roko slowly retracts his sword, exhaling a long breath of turbid air.

A look of irrepressible joy appears on his face.

Bronze Rank Knight Mid-stage!

He has finally broken through!

Feeling the surging force in his body, Roko's heart is filled with unprecedented confidence.

Just at this moment, an aura that is equally powerful, and even faintly sharper than his own, comes from not far away.

Roko turns his head to look, only to see Fura standing there quietly.

In her heterochromatic eyes, intertwined with deep blue and crushed gold, shines a light that is more brilliant and sharper than ever before.

The aura on her body has actually also reached the realm of Bronze Rank Knight Mid-stage!

Moreover, it seems she broke through even earlier than Roko.

"Fura, you broke through too?"

Roko asks with pleasant surprise.

Fura nods gently, a shallow smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

"Hmm."

Her voice is still as cold as ever, but it carries a hint of joy that is hard to detect.

Roko looks at her beautiful face and her heterochromatic eyes filled with reliance and love, and his heart cannot help but surge.

He steps forward and gently pulls her into his arms.

Fura's body stiffens slightly, then relaxes, leaning obediently against his chest.

Feeling the soft body of the girl in his arms and her faint, delicate fragrance.

Roko's heart is filled with satisfaction and happiness.

Calm days are always short-lived.

Not long after Roko and Fura both broke through to the Bronze Rank Knight Mid-stage.

A shocking piece of news spreads violently throughout the entire Bulake Kingdom.

The old King of the Bulake Kingdom died suddenly after a palace banquet!

What is even more shocking is that before the old King died, he did not leave any will, nor did he designate an heir to the throne!

For a time, the entire Royal Capital fell into unprecedented chaos.

The major powerful princes, in order to compete for the supreme throne, began to fight openly and secretly, pulling in forces.

The entire Bulake Kingdom seems to have been thrown into a pot of boiling water, with undercurrents surging and crises lurking everywhere.

When Scout Captain Bake brought this news back to Vanguard Valley, his face still carried a look of disbelief.

"Young Master, this, this is too sudden!"

"The old King's health has always been robust, how could he just pass away like that?"

Bake's voice is full of confusion and unease.

Roko, after hearing Bake's report, frowns tightly and falls into deep thought.

The old King's death is too suspicious.

Moreover, it happened at this critical juncture, and he didn't leave any will.

There must be a huge conspiracy hidden within this.

"It seems that the Bulake Kingdom is going to be in complete chaos."

Roko sighs softly, a hint of gravity flashing in his eyes.

The political situation of the Bulake Kingdom, after the old King's sudden death without warning, slid completely into an abyss of loss of control.

Having lost the suppression of the supreme ruler, the major powerful princes revealed their most primitive greed and desire for the supreme throne.

For a time, within the Royal Capital, conspiracies and betrayals emerged one after another.

Former allies became irreconcilable enemies in the blink of an eye.

Brothers and siblings also drew swords against each other for that cold power.

The entire Royal Capital was completely shrouded in blood and fire.

And this chaotic frenzy soon spread to every province of the Kingdom.

Annexation and attacks between nobles became commonplace.

The long-dormant ambitious people also walked out of the shadows one after another, trying to get a share of the spoils in this troubled world.

Among them, the most eye-catching is the underground organization known as the "Scorpion Society."

Using the slogan "Overthrow the corrupt rule, establish a brand new Kingdom," they rapidly recruited followers and expanded their forces across the Kingdom.

Their ruthless methods and strict organization are chilling.

Vanguard Valley, Lord's Wooden House.

Scout Captain Bake rushes into the council hall, dust-covered, his face carrying undisguised fatigue and panic.

"Young Master!"

"Something big has happened!"

Bake's voice sounds a bit hoarse due to his rapid breathing.

Roko puts down the knight longsword he was wiping, his brows slightly raised.

"What's the panic?"

"The sky isn't falling."

His voice is calm, but carries an unquestionable majesty.

Bake takes a deep breath, trying to calm his surging emotions.

"Young Master, the latest intelligence has come back from the Royal Capital."

"The major princes have completely torn off their masks and several large-scale street battles have broken out in the Royal Capital!"

"It is said that even the Royal Palace has changed hands several times, blood flowing like a river, corpses strewn everywhere!"

"Some small nobles with weaker strength, in this chaos, didn't even have room to resist before being completely annexed and their families removed from the records!"

Roko's eyes narrow slightly.

The situation in the Royal Capital is even more rotten than he expected.

"What about the Scorpion Society?"

"Do they have any movements?"

Bake swallows, his voice carrying a hint of fear.

"The Scorpion Society took advantage of the chaos in the Royal Capital to launch large-scale rebellions across the Kingdom!"

"Many nobles dissatisfied with the Kingdom, and even some civilians with nowhere to turn, have been bewitched by them and joined the rebel army!"

"Their power is expanding at a terrifying speed!"

Roko remains silent.

The atmosphere in the council hall becomes somewhat oppressive for a time.

Fura stands quietly behind Roko, a hint of worry flashing in her heterochromatic eyes; Hart remains in his usual steady manner, only his tightly clenched fists show that he is not calm inside.

Martina holds a stack of reports about the territory's spring plowing, her snow-white fox ears twitching uneasily.

Her snow-white eyes are also tightly fixed on Roko, waiting for his decision.

Just at this moment, a clamor comes from the direction of the church that was just completed not long ago outside Vanguard Valley.

Vaguely, one can hear scolding and crying.

Roko's frown deepens.

"Go and see what happened outside."

He instructs Bake.

"Yes, Young Master!"

Bake receives the order and leaves.

Not long after, Bake returns to the council hall with a face full of anger.

"Young Master!"

"It's that Kelisi Shenfu from the Temple of Light!"

"He, he actually used the name of spreading the light faith to forcibly conscript the young and strong of our territory to build some prayer square!"

"A few villagers were unwilling and were injured by that Ka'erluo Qishi!"

Bake's voice is full of anger.

"How unreasonable!"

Hart slams the table, his Bronze Rank Battle Qi leaking out uncontrollably, making a slight explosion sound in the air.

"This Temple of Light is simply bullying people too much!"

Martina is also so angry that her pretty face is red, and her snow-white fox ears are almost standing up.

"Roko, look!"

"They are getting more and more pushy now!"

Fura doesn't speak, just silently grips the longsword in her hand, her eyes looking coldly toward the direction of the church.

Roko's face is so gloomy that it could almost drip water.

He has always seen Kelisi Shenfu's arrogance and Ka'erluo Qishi's domineering behavior.

He just didn't expect that they would dare to bully his villagers so blatantly in his territory!

"Ka'erluo Qishi, has he been frequently causing trouble for our Storm Knights recently?"

Roko looks at Hart, his voice cold.

Hart nods, his face equally ugly.

"Yes, Young Master."

"That Carlo, relying on being a Temple Knight, often provokes our knights on the training ground."

"In his words, he is also very disrespectful to you, Fura, and Martina."

"The brothers are all holding back their anger, only because of your orders did they not act out."

A hint of murderous intent that is hard to detect flashes in Roko's eyes.

It seems that some people really think that he, Roko Raymond, is a soft persimmon that can be kneaded by anyone.

Just at this moment, a scout responsible for intelligence delivery runs in with a panicked expression, not even having time to salute.

"Young, Young Master!"

"Latest emergency military intelligence!"

The scout is out of breath, his face full of fear and despair.

"Speak!"

Roko's voice is a bit cold.

The scout's body trembles, and he quickly says.

"According to the news just received, all the magic teleportation arrays within the Bulake Kingdom have been completely destroyed by unidentified armed militants!"

"What?!"

Once these words were spoken, everyone in the council hall was struck by lightning, their faces instantly turning pale.

The magic teleportation array is the lifeline connecting the major provinces of the Kingdom.

Once destroyed, it means that the provinces will completely lose contact with each other and become isolated islands!

Even if they want to repair it, it is estimated that it will be difficult to do so without two or three years.

"Is the news true?"

Roko's voice carries a hint of trembling that is hard to detect.

"Absolutely true!"

"It is said that it was done by the Scorpion Society!"

"They seem to want to completely paralyze the operation of the Kingdom through this method and create greater chaos!"

The scout's voice carries a sobbing tone.

It's over.

Completely over.

This is the common thought in everyone's heart in the council hall, except for Roko.

Vanguard Valley is located on the border of New Wind Province.

It was already remote, and now that it has lost the magic teleportation array, it is even more completely isolated from the outside world.

Once encountering a strong enemy, there will be no reinforcements.

After a brief dead silence, two shocking rays of light suddenly erupted from Roko's eyes.

Despair?

No!

This might be an opportunity!

An opportunity to completely break free from constraints and control his own destiny!

"Call Falco and Talos over."

"I have important things to announce."

Roko's voice breaks the silence in the council hall.

Soon, the young Guardian Knight Falco, and the Minotaur Talos, who is as sturdy as a small mountain,

also arrived at the council hall.

Falco's face still carries a hint of a young man's childishness and confusion.

Talos is still in his usual honest and simple manner, only his copper-bell-like eyes are also full of confusion.

Roko's gaze slowly sweeps over everyone present.

Fura, Martina, Hart, Falco, Talos.

These people are the foundation for him, Roko, to survive in this chaotic world.

They are also the source of his confidence to take a gamble.

"Everyone."

Roko speaks slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly entering everyone's ears.

"I believe everyone is clear about the current situation of the Kingdom."

"Internally, there is the princes' struggle for the throne and the nobles' chaotic battles."

"Externally, the Scorpion Society is taking advantage of the situation to cause chaos, and smoke of war is rising everywhere."

"And now, the magic teleportation arrays connecting the major provinces have all been destroyed."

"This means that our Vanguard Valley has completely become an isolated island."

"For a long time to come, we will be isolated and helpless."

Listening to Roko's words, Martina's pretty face becomes paler.

A hint of panic also flashes in Falco's eyes.

Talos moves his huge body uneasily, making a dull sound.

Only Fura and Hart continue to look at Roko with firm expressions.

"Being isolated and helpless is certainly dangerous."

Roko changes the subject, his eyes becoming sharp.

"But this also means that we have unprecedented freedom!"

"On this chaotic land, no one can point fingers at us anymore!"

"We can decide the future of Vanguard Valley according to our own will!"

Martina's snow-white eyes brighten slightly upon hearing this, but then dim again.

"Roko, you are right."

"However, the biggest threat we face now is not from the Kingdom, nor the Scorpion Society."

"But that Temple of Light."

Her voice carries a hint of bitterness and helplessness.

"Kelisi Shenfu and Ka'erluo Qishi are like two big mountains pressing on our heads."

"As long as they are in Vanguard Valley for one day, we will not have peace for one day."

"What's more, with the style of the Temple of Light, they will never be satisfied with just building a church in Vanguard Valley."

"Their ambition goes far beyond this."

Hart nods and says in a deep voice.

"Martina is right."

"The Temple of Light is our biggest obstacle at the moment."

"If we don't solve them, all our development plans will be castles in the air."

The corners of Roko's mouth curl into a cold arc.

"So, my decision is..."

He pauses, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Solve Kelisi Shenfu and Ka'erluo Qishi!"

"Completely destroy that eyesore of a church!"

Once these words were spoken, the entire council hall fell into a dead silence again.

Everyone was completely shocked by Roko's earth-shattering decision.

Who could have thought that just before, Roko had told them to endure.

But now, he wants to take action against the people of the Temple of Light.

However, thinking about it carefully, this decision of Roko's seems to be correct.