St. Sunday. A small noodle shop.
“I’ll have the beef noodles. What about you two?” Robin asked the other two.
The two were Rosey Chambers and Evelyn Hall. “I’ll have the egg noodles, and I’ll have fried sauce noodles,” they said, placing their orders before sitting down.
Evelyn Hall was no longer clinging to Rosey Chambers, shivering and looking pitiful like she had the night before. Instead, she wore a crisp white shirt, her hair pulled back in a style that suggested efficiency and authority. After all, she was Silver Fox under Mr. X’s command.
“Your noodles are ready,” said the shop owner, bringing out three bowls of noodles not long after.
“Master, what should we do next?” Evelyn Hall asked Robin. She voiced the term ‘master’ very softly, considering Robin’s identity was still a secret. It sounded like a casual question between friends. But Rosey Chambers sensed something was off.
Evelyn Hall was a strong woman. At the orphanage, she was the one most people listened to. It was rare for her to ask others for advice, especially in a tone so lacking in confidence.
“Um…” Rosey Chambers was about to ask something.
“Eat the noodles!” Robin suddenly responded in a fierce tone.
“Ah… okay…” Rosey Chambers was taken aback and immediately started eating her noodles.
Aston Jones lazily lifted his eyelids. “Urgent? For the glory of my South Land, I would rather lose my life on the battlefield. There’s no such thing as urgent or not. I ask you, will you agree or not?” Maclean Lyons asked again. His tone was impatient, his authority palpable.
“Of course I agree. However, fifty thousand troops won’t be enough. Make it a hundred thousand. With me at the base camp and two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, even if ‘that one’ truly attacks, I can suppress it,” Aston Jones said slowly.
“That’s good.” Maclean Lyons nodded and left the big camp.
However, a cold light flashed in Aston Jones’ lazy eyes, and he finally spat out two words: “Fool.”
This Maclean Lyons, so forceful today, is trying to divide power. Lord Whiteford trusts him, but that does not mean others do as well. This Maclean Lyons, with his identity and abilities, is not merely here as a military supervisor. He had said nothing before simply because he had found no opportunity. Now the opportunity had arrived, and he stepped forward, continuously mentioning his son-in-law, very domineering.
But he could not stop this Maclean Lyons. He was a military commander, not a foolish one. He was already in command of eight hundred thousand troops, his achievements overshadowing his master. He ignored Maclean Lyons, a representative of Lord Whiteford. Thus, he was not far from death.
However, he called Maclean Lyons a fool because the great enemy had not yet been eliminated, and Maclean Lyons was already thinking about dividing the merits and military power. He overestimated himself and underestimated that war god.
Sometimes, as a general, he felt helpless.
Meanwhile, Maclean Lyons returned to his own big tent, sat down, and drank a cup of tea. Behind him, a man with shifty eyes emerged, clearly not a good person.
“Sir, how was it?” the man asked.
“Quite smooth. That Aston Jones didn’t dare to stop me.” Maclean Lyons took a sip of tea and continued, “Not only did he not dare to stop me, but he also gave me an additional fifty thousand troops, totalling a hundred thousand. Haha, with a hundred thousand troops, even if I face Kisia’s first war god now, I am confident I can handle it.”
He was very confident in himself. He always believed that if he could command an army, he would definitely not lose to Aston Jones. Even so, he was not inferior to Aston Jones.
“This Aston Jones is sensible. He has not yet become arrogant and complacent because he has the Emperor’s favor. However, this might not be the case. Perhaps he is just hiding it and doesn’t dare to resist for now. My son-in-law is too naive, trusting this Aston Jones too much. In this army, General Jones’ prestige has already surpassed my son-in-law. He doesn’t understand the art of being an emperor, so I will help him gather power.”
“I will definitely shake this Aston Jones. As for that Kisia’s first war god, he only has a hundred thousand soldiers, and we have seven hundred and fifty thousand. There’s a huge difference. Even if we let him kill us while we lie down, it would take him several days.”
Maclean Lyons was very confident.
The actual number of troops they mentioned was just that. In fact, the banner of the South Land army was the South Land’s 1. 5 million-strong army, all heading for the South Province. The 1. 5 million was a convention, used to frighten people.
In reality, seven hundred and fifty thousand vs. one hundred thousand!
Even if they were pigs, it would take several days to kill seven hundred and fifty thousand pigs.
“This Aston Jones is a bit timid. He doesn’t dare to attack. If it were me, I would have already pushed the army forward. Seven hundred thousand troops are enough to sweep the entire field.”
“Sir, you’re right,” the man flattered.
“You don’t need to be so humble. I remember your merits.”
“Next, I’m handing St. Sunday over to you. You’ll handle the internal affairs, and Theresa Lindsay will handle the military. I’ve already sent Jeff Reczek over. I urgently need an army, one that appears strong but is actually weak.”
“Yes,” Evelyn Hall replied.
In reality, she didn’t understand what it meant, but she didn’t ask further. She was not cut out for war. If you asked her to handle commercial affairs or political matters, she could manage with ease. However, when it came to war, a hundred of her could not compare to Theresa Lindsay. Similarly, in other matters, a hundred Theresa Lindsays paled in comparison to her.
“Have you heard? Mr. X has shown his might, killing people from the Roach family. He has incited the wrath of South Land. This morning, they dispatched an army of one hundred thousand soldiers. One hundred thousand soldiers!” The man’s words were somewhat terrifying.
In fact, he was not wrong. For ordinary people, a hundred thousand soldiers were a horrifying number. If all of St. Sunday could muster twenty thousand soldiers, it would already be considered admirable.
“What? A hundred thousand soldiers?” The people around him were shocked and hurriedly asked, “What are these hundred thousand soldiers here for? To besiege the city?”
“No, no, their leader is Maclean Lyons. He is the father-in-law of Lord Whiteford of South Land. The people of South Land call him Lord Lyons. He has come to seek peace.” The man’s words eased the fear of some people around him.
“It’s good if he’s here for peace.” One man sighed in relief.
However, someone else glared at him and scorned, “What do you mean by ‘it’s good if he’s here for peace’? Do you wish to surrender? To become a dog of South Land?”
“What can we do if we don’t? A hundred thousand soldiers are coming to kill us.”
“We still have Mr. X.”
“Huh.” The man scoffed, “Do you really believe that one Mr. X can resist a hundred thousand soldiers? Are you still dreaming of an unrealistic victory for St. Sunday? Wake up. They are giving us a way out. Don’t overstep your bounds, or the hundred thousand soldiers will be unstoppable.”
“You!” Many people glared at him.
“What, do you want to fight me? After all, St. Sunday is under the rule of South Land. What does the war party amount to?” The man scoffed again.
“You’ve gone too far!” Someone stood up, really wanting to hit him.
“Huh.” The man scoffed, then ran away.
Yes, he ran away. If he didn’t, he would be beaten right there.
However, just as he ran into an alley, he saw a man in a black robe standing there. The man had a military knife in his hand, glinting silver, “Our lord orders you to go back.”
“Go back, in your dreams!” No matter what, he was not going back.
He turned to run again.
Then, a scream. A minute later, the man came back, leaving the crowd confused. His next action shocked them even more, because he fell to his knees with a thud. “I was wrong, it’s my fault. I took money from the Roach family to spread rumors. I’m sorry, it was my mistake.”
He was crying and sniveling, as if confessing his sins.
“Ah.”
In the end, the crowd didn’t do anything to him. They let him go.
“Ah, the world is going downhill. Even though the country is in peril, these people are still taking small bribes and playing into the hands of others. But can St. Sunday really be saved?” The shopkeeper below was also a man with grievances. Unfortunately, he also knew that an army of a hundred thousand, led by Lord Lyons, was enough to change everything. Even Mr. X might be powerless this time.
“My lord? Are we just letting him go?” Evelyn Hall turned to look at Robin.
“He’s just one of many. At this moment, there are many people like him in St. Sunday, spreading this news. This is the Roach family’s tactic. We can’t catch them all, and even if we do, we will face public anger.” Robin shook his head, not caring about the man’s whereabouts. He had already given him a lesson. However, betraying one’s country for money was a serious crime. If it were more severe, Robin would have killed him. He and his brothers were fighting on the front lines. What for? To protect the great lands of Kisia. Those who were blinded by greed and sold out Kisia for a bit of money, he hated most.
“However, the news he spread is indeed true. An army of a hundred thousand, led by Maclean Lyons himself, is coming. Their goal is to help South Land take control of St. Sunday,” Robin said. However, this is not just intimidation. If their plan fails and St. Sunday doesn’t surrender, they will forcefully besiege the city. In any case, they want to occupy St. Sunday. This geographical location is too important.
“What should we do then?” Rosey Chambers raised her head.
“Eat your noodles.” Robin scolded Rosey Chambers again. This little girl knew nothing and kept butting in.
“Oh.” Rosey Chambers puffed her cheeks and continued eating.
“What about you, my lord?” Evelyn Hall finally asked, “What should I do next?” Theresa Lindsay had gone to gather the troops. So what should she do? What does “inside the lord’s house” mean?
“Wait, it’s not your time to shine yet,” Robin said. Evelyn Hall was very capable. But it was not her time to act yet. After all, Robin intended to make Evelyn Hall the city lord of St. Sunday. As for tonight, the real show was just beginning.