Chapter 361

Solit's smile slightly stiffened, a flash of cunning gleamed in his eyes.

This young noble, no doubt, is the kind who dares to offend the Second Prince.

He seized the initiative with just a few words.

From being arranged by others, he became the one taking the initiative!

Although this seemingly changed nothing about the outcome, it made a clear difference.

In the former case, I arranged the Southern Region troops as the front line, explicitly citing their superior strength.

This not only put pressure on Gervas, but also made other minor nobles grateful to me as the one making the arrangement.

But in the latter, Gervas took the initiative himself; the other minor nobles no longer felt gratitude toward me—they now thanked Gervas personally.

Assigning the task was merely a minor incident; the troops soon began their march.

"Let's go, everyone. Those orcs aren't fools—we have fifteen thousand in the vanguard, plus light cavalry scouting ahead. They won't dare attack us easily, so safety won't be a major issue!"

Soon, the vanguard camp officially set out, advancing half a day ahead of the main force.

The distance between them would gradually widen, gaining thirty to fifty li on the main army.

This way, they could scout for dangers without overextending, always able to receive support from behind.

Gervas and his group marched at the very front; Mil and the others clearly looked tense.

But Gervas, knowing the intelligence contained no reports of attacks targeting him, was fairly certain no danger would arise.

Moreover, beside them actually marched another Northern Region army unit in the front line.

That was the Northern Region Army's mounted scouts.

They were specialized reconnaissance units, capable of eliminating most ambushes and surprise attacks.

And Captain Lide, commander of the cavalry battalion, rode alongside Gervas and his group.

So he could keep close tabs on the scouts' reconnaissance movements.

This captain was easy to get along with—not as rigid as Commander Lyne—and had no conflict with Gervas.

So after Gervas shared some demonic beast jerky on the road, the captain grew even more courteous and willingly shared plenty of Northern Region intelligence with Gervas and his group.

For instance, an orc's combat power was roughly equal to two elite guards.

This was purely a matter of raw strength.

Besides, though the orc race lacked martial qi, they possessed their own supernatural powers.

Thus, humans measured orc strength using Bronze Knight, White Shadow Knight, and Gold Knight.

Though somewhat odd, it made distinguishing orc strength far easier.

Otherwise, terms like Orc Disciple, Great Orc Disciple, Orc Master, Great Orc Master—those would be impossible to remember.

"By the way, Captain Lide, do you know where the Emerald River Valley is?"

"Emerald River Valley? Of course I know—it's about thirty li ahead of us. If nothing goes wrong, we'll camp there tonight!"

"Lord Gervas, why are you asking about this?"

"Camp tonight at the Emerald River Valley?" Gervas immediately grew alert—this might be a trap.

If orcs appear there tonight, they certainly aren't just strolling.

"Nothing much—I happened to overhear a few nobles this morning warning that we should be cautious around the Emerald River Valley, since orcs might be lurking nearby!"

Gervas couldn't truthfully confirm the situation to him.

And Captain Lide, naturally, didn't believe the Emerald River Valley posed any danger.

"Lord Gervas, that's just an overreaction from nervous minor nobles!"

"Though orcs have indeed begun scattered raids, according to reports from the past two days, their farthest advance was around Red Shicheng—that's our destination."

"Red Shicheng is three hundred kilometers from Black Longcheng, requiring at least six days to reach."

"So the Emerald River Valley, deep in our rear, is virtually impossible for orcs to reach—there are countless villages and towns along the way; if any orcs appeared, they'd be spotted!"

Watching Captain Lide's confident analysis, Gervas offered no rebuttal, only nodding in immediate agreement.

"Good—then at least we can sleep soundly tonight!"

"Haha! Exactly, Lord Gervas. Rest well these two days—once we near Red Shicheng, that's when you'll need to be fully alert!"

Thus, the entire day passed in marching, with no incidents along the way.

By evening, just as Captain Lide had said, they arrived at the Emerald River Valley.

The Emerald River Valley was flanked by rolling, low hills.

In the center lay a vast alluvial plain—flat terrain and a fertile pasture.

Of course, with the Northern Region in crisis, the valley now stood empty.

Besides a few stone huts used by herders, only vast stretches of yellow-green grass remained.

"Camp here tonight! Solit, organize it!"

"Yes, Commander Lyne. I'll arrange everything."

After smilingly seeing off Commander Lyne, Solit turned to the group with a sly smirk.

"Western and Eastern Region units, camp right next to the stone huts!"

"As for the Southern Region unit, set up camp at the edge of that ravine!"

"It's more concealed—if enemies attack, it can serve as effective support!"

"Commander Solit, we're less than fifty li from Black Longcheng—where would enemies come from?"

"Besides, that ravine may be hidden, but it's too far from the river—fetching water and cooking will be a nightmare!" Mil exploded in anger.

Being manipulated by Weilade was one thing.

After all, there was some reason for it.

But this fellow Solit? He's deliberately targeting us again.

"For the sake of safety, is this little difficulty truly something you cannot overcome?"

"Furthermore, since Commander Ryan has entrusted the responsibility of arrangements to me, the arrangements I make are military orders. Do the nobles of the Southern Region have any objections?"

Solite sneered coldly.

Seeing this, Mil and the others were instantly left speechless.

Indeed, they could not challenge this military order.

"Deputy Commander Solite, of course we will not disobey military orders. Since you have arranged it this way, then being farther away is fine; for the sake of safety, this is understandable!"

At this moment, Gervas suddenly spoke with a smile on his face.

He then signaled to Mil and the others, before leading the group toward a valley more than a li away.

"Hmph! You know your place!" Seeing this, Solite was naturally filled with pride.

"Very well, everyone, let us begin setting up camp!" Solite then turned and gave orders to the teams from the Western and Eastern Regions.

The nobles in these two areas looked thoughtfully at the backs of Gervas and the others.

After all, anyone who was not an idiot could see that Solite was specifically targeting the people of the Southern Region!

"Gervas, that Solite is simply scum. We have never offended him; why is he targeting us like this!"

"Yes! This time is simply terrible luck! First Weilade, and now Solros!"

After leaving the main force, Mil and the others cursed loudly in anger.

"Everyone, actually... you may have been implicated by me! Because, previously, the Second Prince attempted to purchase my Magic Fan!"

"However, I refused him. If I am not mistaken, he must know about this matter, so he is causing me trouble!" Gervas spoke apologetically to the crowd, "

"So that is how it is!" Mil and the others suddenly understood.

However, the crowd naturally could not blame Gervas. "Gervas, you need not apologize; all of this is the fault of that despicable Solite!"

"Moreover, we are allies; we must certainly share the difficulties together!"

"Exactly, Viscount Gervas, do not worry. At worst, we will just be a bit more tired!"

The nobles spoke one after another to state their stance.

Hearing their responses, Gervas looked at the few of them with increased respect.

It seems that sometimes, nobles do still show some human feeling.

However, as the saying goes, a blessing in disguise; Solite arranging for him to be placed in this hidden valley actually suited his intentions perfectly.