Inside the Meeting Hall, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Dominic's gaze swept over everyone present.
"I propose that starting today, we draw elite personnel from the Border Garrison to form a dedicated Extermination Legion."
"It would be best if we could dispatch the army into the swamp a few days after the summer Magical Tides have just ended, before the swamp has fully recovered its vitality, to thoroughly eliminate those Magical Creatures."
His gaze fell upon Raven and the stocky, thick-bearded half-dwarf Army Commander, Simo, sitting beside him.
"Raven, Simo, do you have any objections?"
Alice's heart sank.
If their family's knights were forcibly drafted to form this so-called Extermination Legion at this time, it would undoubtedly affect their upcoming secret operation.
But if they explicitly refused on the spot, it would give Dominic the perfect excuse to seize the issue and openly challenge them.
She wanted to know how her father, Raven Arevalo, would respond to this proposal that was clearly laced with probing intent.
Raven's gaze grew profound. He remained silent for several seconds, as if carefully weighing the pros and cons, before speaking unhurriedly.
"Drawing personnel to form a temporary legion... this is no small matter. As I recall, such a large-scale military operation usually requires obtaining the King Majesty's official decree, correct?"
Hearing this, Dominic smiled faintly, seemingly prepared.
He beckoned to his adjutant behind him.
Soon, a document sealed with the royal crest was passed to Raven.
"This is a temporary appointment draft personally signed by His Majesty. It clearly states that, in light of the abnormal movements of the swamp Magical Creatures and their potential threat to the border, forming a temporary Extermination Legion is absolutely necessary."
Raven took the document, quickly scanned it, raised an eyebrow, and retorted in a flat tone, "So, this isn't an official expedition order, merely a draft."
This time, it was the half-dwarf Simo opposite him who was dissatisfied. He forcefully knocked on the solid oak tabletop, producing a dull *thump thump*, his face darkening as he grumbled in a low, rumbling voice:
"Raven, what do you mean by that? Are you going to obstruct the swamp extermination like that treasonous Princess Louisa?"
"If those damned Magical Creatures break out of the swamp and threaten the safety of the Storm Fortress, none of us can bear that responsibility."
"Enough." Dominic spoke up at the right moment, interrupting Simo's agitated words, playing the role of "mediator."
But his gaze remained fixed on Raven, his tone indifferent. "Raven, this is not the first time you have publicly shown resistance to forming a temporary Extermination Legion."
He leaned forward slightly. "I recall that just this spring, the Legion dispatched a reconnaissance team to the swamp to investigate the situation. However, they were forcibly stopped by this Miss Alice behind you."
"And the final investigation conclusion was actually 'no abnormalities found'?"
"It seems your Arevalo family is deliberately obstructing the Legion's investigation and extermination efforts in the swamp."
He spoke word by word, "Raven, all of us need a reasonable explanation."
Faced with this almost accusatory questioning, Raven suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
"Heh heh..." His laughter was exceptionally clear in the silent Meeting Hall, and also unfathomable.
Dominic narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't what I said clear enough?"
Raven's smile vanished as he abruptly stood up, his presence instantly overwhelming everyone in the Meeting Hall.
He looked directly at Dominic, his voice full of sarcasm. "Then let me repeat it for you again, Dominic, you are a fool!"
"What?!" Dominic's face instantly turned ashen, and Simo also stood up abruptly.
The Meeting Hall erupted in an uproar.
Raven, however, paid no mind. He pointed at Dominic and questioned, "You clearly know the summer Magical Tides are imminent, yet you dare to propose drawing precious defensive forces at such a time to form some bullshit Extermination Legion!"
"If it were like previous years, with few Magical Creatures, that would be one thing. But now? Those Magical Creatures have breached the Graystone Bulwark, which even the Kingdom army couldn't breach!"
"How can you guarantee they won't launch an attack on the Storm Fortress when the Magical Tides arrive and the fortress's defensive strength is weakened?!"
"Can you guarantee that?!"
"When the surging Magical Tides, carrying those terrifying Magical Creatures, break through the border and flood into the Golden Tassel Plain..."
"When vast swathes of farmland about to be harvested are ravaged, countless villages are destroyed, leaving behind a mess that cannot be cleaned up, who will clean up that aftermath?!"
"Will it be that Extermination Legion you formed?!"
Raven's words hammered into Dominic's heart. His expression changed uncertainly, and he ultimately fell into silence.
Instantly, the Meeting Hall became eerily quiet, with only the sound of everyone's breathing remaining.
After a long while, Simo couldn't help but ask, "This won't work, that won't work. So, Raven, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Are we just going to let those Magical Creatures completely occupy the Dark Realm and grow right under our noses?"
Raven slowly sat back down in his seat, a trace of weariness appearing on his face. He rubbed his temples, then gently beckoned to Alice behind him.
"Alice, you tell them."
Alice gave a slight nod, stepped forward, calmly swept her gaze over Dominic and Simo, and said in a composed voice:
"I think Army Commander Dominic and Army Commander Simo, you may both have misunderstood one point."
"In facing this Magical Creature Kingdom, our current role is that of the defending side, not the attacking side."
"No one can guarantee they won't launch a surprise attack on the Storm Fortress when the summer Magical Tides arrive and the border's defensive pressure is at its greatest."
"At that time, if we don't focus all our efforts on dealing with the Magical Tides, but instead disperse our strength to form an Extermination Legion, then once the Magical Creatures truly cross the fortress, enter the plain, and wreak havoc on the farmland..."
"Even if ten temporary legions come to help afterwards, it would be difficult to make up for such enormous losses and mistakes."
"Only by first concentrating all our forces to safely pass through this summer's Magical Tides will the Legion and the Magical Creature Kingdom truly switch roles between offense and defense."
"Factoring in the rest and recovery time for knights and soldiers, considering the formation of a temporary Extermination Legion only after the Magical Tides have completely ended is the most prudent and wise choice."
The knights and record-keepers in the Meeting Hall listened thoughtfully. Many nodded inwardly, feeling that these words were not without reason.
Although the vampire clan no longer had The Extraordinary, the fact that those Magical Creatures could breach the Graystone Bulwark, which even the Kingdom army couldn't breach, was enough to illustrate their threat.
If they rashly drew personnel to form a temporary legion at this critical juncture, leading to a weakened defensive force at the fortress, it was indeed possible for the Magical Creatures to exploit the weakness and cause irreparable consequences.
In the end, thanks to Alice's forceful arguments, the issue of forming a temporary Extermination Legion was once again forcibly tabled.
...
After the meeting ended, Alice followed the members of the Arevalo family and silently walked out of the oppressive Meeting Hall, proceeding along the fortress's cold stone corridor towards the outside.
Walking behind Raven, Alice lowered her voice and said, "Father, Dominic and the others are so eager to undermine our family's power. It seems they have already discovered some clues."
Raven raised his hand and gently waved it, signaling her not to say more. "It's fine. They didn't get their way in the end. We'll discuss it in detail after we return."
On the other side, members of the Elvin family and the Barnes family remained in the now-empty Meeting Hall.
Dominic pondered for a long time before slowly speaking. "Raven may have truly discovered something."
Simo grumbled in his rumbling voice, "He's not a fool. Even if he doesn't know about the specific existence of that Lord, he should be able to sense that the relationship between our families is unusually close."
"So, what now, Dominic? Do you believe what he just said?"
Dominic narrowed his eyes, a glint flashing within them.
"What he said isn't completely unreasonable. The swamp's Magical Creature army might indeed take action against the Storm Fortress when the Magical Tides arrive."
"Pay attention to strengthening the defenses. Don't let those Magical Creatures actually succeed."
"But it's also true that their Arevalo family is unwilling to form a temporary legion."
"It's just that we currently can't find conclusive evidence linking them to Princess Louisa."
He instructed the knight beside him, "Send more people to keep a close watch on them, especially the eldest daughter of the Arevalo family."
"Once the swamp matter is concluded, immediately settle accounts with them. There absolutely cannot be a second dissenting voice within the Border Garrison."
...
Alice rode her horse away from the oppressive Storm Fortress, returning all the way to the Arevalo family Manor located within the fortress city.
Only upon stepping through the familiar gates and feeling the tranquil atmosphere did she visibly relax considerably.
However, she didn't know how deeply the Demon's influence had infiltrated her family. As usual, she returned to her room and closed the door securely.
Then, she took out a pitch-black feather from her inner pocket.
She placed the feather on the desk. With a soft *poof*, the feather burst open, transforming into a swirling black mist from which the figure of Count Bran gradually emerged.
It shook its head, flapping its wings against its chest, complaining, "Indeed, this Count is not suited for horseback riding. The jostling nearly made me sick. This is much more uncomfortable than flying."
Alice sat upright in her chair, deep in thought, casually picking up a pine nut and offering it over.
The moment Count Bran saw food, it immediately discarded all complaints. Its small, bean-like eyes lit up.
It took small, hurried steps, hopping over joyfully, snatched the pine nut in its beak, and mumbled indistinctly, "How embarrassing..."
"Little Alice, actually, this Count prefers meat, especially that Moss Monster jerky from the swamp. It has a somewhat nostalgic taste of home..."
"Alright, I'll prepare some for you next time."
She pulled her thoughts back and asked seriously, "Count Bran, can you contact that Slime Majesty now? I have some words I wish to ask it face-to-face."
"Contact His Majesty?" Count Bran muttered, swallowed the pine nut, then puffed out its chest and patted its soft belly feathers with a wing.
A Slime the size of a green bean was shaken out from its fluffy feathers and landed on the carpet.
The little Slime was still breathing and rising and falling slightly, looking as if it were asleep.
Then, Count Bran began circling the little Slime as if performing a mysterious magic spell, muttering mysteriously.
"Return quickly, return quickly..."
"Your Majesty, return quickly..."
"Your loyal Minister Bran is calling for you..."
Alice was intrigued by its strange actions and couldn't help but squat down, watching the Slime on the carpet.
Whether Count Bran's magic worked or not, the little Slime slowly opened its round, small eyes and truly woke up.
Chen Yu bounced a few times, speechless. "I'm not dead yet. What are you trying to summon my spirit for?"
Count Bran was overjoyed and hurriedly approached to ask, "Your Majesty, you're awake! I heard the Magical Creature army has completely occupied the Dark Realm. Is this news true?"
Chen Yu was no longer surprised by the speed of information transmission on the Kingdom's side. He just nodded calmly. "Of course it's true."
Count Bran couldn't help but feel smug, preening its feathers proudly. "Caw! It seems my usual careful guidance of those little ones wasn't in vain. It seems they can all stand on their own now."
It suddenly remembered something and hurriedly flapped its wings, adding, "Of course, this is mainly thanks to our wise and mighty Slime Majesty. If His Majesty is compared to a flower, then this Count is the green leaf."
Chen Yu ignored its clumsy flattery, hopped around, and turned to look at Alice beside him.
"You are Arthur's sister?"
Although the sight of a crow addressing a Slime as 'His Majesty' seemed bizarre to Alice, she quickly suppressed the strangeness in her heart and performed a Knight's Salute.
"Knight Alice Arevalo, greets Slime Majesty."
Chen Yu swayed his gel body contentedly, gave a light hop, landed on the desktop, and was now at eye level with Alice.
"Count Bran was in such a hurry to wake me up. You must have encountered a thorny issue and need my opinion, right?"
Alice nodded, recounted the intense debate earlier in the Storm Fortress's Meeting Hall, and finally raised her concern:
"Your Majesty, if our operation encounters an unexpected situation, if a change occurs at the Storm Fortress, do you have the spare capacity to resolve it all?"
Chen Yu's mind stirred.
"You are worried that those who are already the Demon's claws might disregard the threat of the Magical Tides and cause trouble inside the fortress?"
Alice admitted frankly, "Correct. Judging from the situation in the Meeting Hall today, Dominic undoubtedly already harbors suspicion and hostility towards our family."
"I worry that, in order to eliminate dissent, they might even resort to using some extreme measures during the Magical Tides, catching us off guard. We must prepare for the worst."
This was indeed a problem that could not be ignored.
Chen Yu fell into thought.
Rather than praying that the enemy is as foolish as an idiot, knowing and discovering nothing, it's better for them to make more preparations.
When planning the Magical Tides offensive earlier, Chen Yu had considered forming an ordinary Oak Guard legion to participate in the siege during the Magical Tides.
But clearly, if the other side has The Extraordinary intervening, relying solely on the Treant legion and the Magical Creature legion might not be stable enough.
Only another The Extraordinary can counter The Extraordinary.
The previous Dunlan was just a half-baked user borrowing another's power, not a true The Extraordinary.
To break this predicament.
The only thing he could currently think of was the Crown of Ignis.