"What is this?" Seth asked one night, a few days later. Rody was invited to the palace by the King that day. After an entire day of discussion, when Rody returned that evening he remained inside the study room of the Summer Palace. Soon after that, he called for Seth and showed Seth the map.
"This looks like a map." Seth narrowed his eyes as he carefully looked at it for a moment. He then smiled and said, "It looks like a military map."
"This is the map of the military base of the dwarfs’ Hakone Kingdom and the placement of its soldiers." Rody looked serious. "The King gave this to me today. I brought it back to study."
Seth gently drummed the table with his fingers. His expression did not reveal his swinging innermost feelings. He then casually asked, "Have you decided to help the King?"
Rody did not give an answer. He lightly said, "This morning, the last batch of the fleet has departed for the Radiant Empire. According to the King’s intelligence, the dwarfs’ naval fleet was busy patrolling the left side of their island territory! If nothing goes wrong, the Sauron Kingdom’s army will board the s.h.i.+ps within two days and will be ready for war."
Seth remained silent for a while. The air in the room was a little depressing. Seth suddenly showed a strange expression and said, "Rody, I think that there is something strange about this. Are there really no other motives for King Sauron to eagerly fight the dwarfs?"
"He said he is dispatching all the Royal Knights and his secretly trained army…" Rody suddenly remembered what he saw in the underground palace that day. He had not told anyone about that place.
Seth suddenly smiled and asked, "Well, you asked me to come here. What do you want to tell me?"
Rody closed his eyes and muttered, "I do not know…I have an ominous premonition that something is waiting for me on the island of the dwarf kingdom. This feeling is very strong."
Seth narrowed his eyes and looked at Rody. He then stretched out his hands and pushed the map as he said, "I am not an expert in matters of war. If you want to listen to my opinion, then I will tell you…" He glared at Rody’s eyes and continued, "I have the same feeling as you! I feel like there is something in there!"
Without waiting for Rody’s reply, Seth said, "The King is very eager to subjugate the dwarfs, what does he want to achieve? Is it for wealth? Is it for the ironwood? Or is it like what the King claimed, he would be able to suppress the other kingdoms of Roland Continent after conquering the islands. However, I feel that these reasons are not sufficient!" Seth seemed to smile and said, "I think that just these reasons are not enough for the King to take such a big risk to carry out this crazy plan!"
After that, Seth gave a wry smile and said, "Unfortunately, I am equally unfamiliar with the dwarfs as you. I have never seen a dwarf before and I do not know what kind of race they are. I do not want to comment on things I am uncertain in."
Rody suddenly felt agitated and smiled wryly as he said, "Then let us wait for time to make a decision."
Seth smiled and replied, "What are you worried about? With your strength, I do not think that there isn"t anyone on this continent who can threaten your safety."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. After that, Mouse entered the room. She looked at the two people in the room blankly. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Fielding is gone! I just found out that he is not in his room!"
"Oh." Rody nodded. He looked at Seth who was also not surprised. After telling Fielding that plan the other day, the Paladin became silent for the following two days as if he was thinking about it. It seemed like he had finally made up his mind to return to the Temple and carry out the plan.
Mouse suddenly opened her mouth and said in a strange tone. "He left a note for you."
"What?"
"He said to thank you." Mouse seemed a little sad. "He decided to go and find his own ‘standard’."
It was unknown how King Sauron obtained the information. The information was pa.s.sed back from the sea one by one. The last batch of fleets with two hundred and fifty wars.h.i.+ps had pa.s.sed through the dwarf kingdom after departing. This situation made the dwarfs nervous. According to the news, the dwarfs’ fleet was following from the back and keeping watch. It seemed like the dwarfs were very vigilant.
In light of this situation, the King and Rody discussed for a day and decided to set the troops off earlier.
Three days later, one hundred and fifty fully armed wars.h.i.+ps were ready at the same harbor. The King and Rody took many people to the pier.
"Didn’t you say the navy attacking would have two hundred and fifty wars.h.i.+ps? Why are there so few now?" Rody frowned.
The King sighed. "There is no choice. The change was too fast. The dwarf navy closely followed our previous fleet of s.h.i.+ps, further and further away. It will be silly not to take this good opportunity. So, I decided to bring forward the attack. However, we have too little time and can only gather this much power." The King then smiled wryly and continued, "Although the Sauron Kingdom may be the strongest on the Roland continent, our wars.h.i.+ps do not fall from the sky."
A large, splendid golden-wall wars.h.i.+p docked at the side of the pier. That wars.h.i.+p was a full ten meters high. Its huge hulls were completely made of ironwood, reflecting dark light. A group of silent soldiers nervously and orderly lined up on board the s.h.i.+p. There were also chariots, and horses being pulled into the cabin from the distant part of the pier.
The whole pier was shrouded in a tense atmosphere. In fact, martial law had been imposed within a fifty kilometers radius around the neighborhood from three days ago. A large number of Royal Knights loyal to the Royal Family had blocked the roads to the pier. n.o.body could leave or enter without an order.
"According to our plan, you will command this army. I am just here for show only." The King smiled and said, "Rody, I believe you will not disappoint me. Have you studied the register and the designations of the military? Just before the war, I will summon the middle-ranked officers and give out the commands. Now, let us board the s.h.i.+p!"
Rody sighed. He was feeling calm. He who had experienced many battles and killings had already grown accustomed to the atmosphere of the pre-war period.
The only concern would be Mouse and the others who were left behind in the Summer Palace in the capital. Originally, Mouse wanted to follow Rody. However, Rody took Seth’s ident.i.ty into consideration. After all, Seth was then ‘Miss Nicole’. On top of that, the situation at the Roland Continent was complicated. Precautions must be taken in case the Temple targeted the eldest daughter of the Tulip Family of the Radiant Continent. There was also a need to take precaution against any other schemes of the King. That was why Mouse and Old Mark were left behind to protect Seth.
Even if a problem were to arise, presumably n.o.body, in the whole of Roland Continent, would be able to compete against the combination of the powerful Old Mark and the top-notch Black Veil Saint’s sorcery. There would be nothing to fear even if a Paladin were to attack.
The vast and mighty fleet left the harbor and quietly set off on their journey.
It was not the first time Rody went to sea. He stood on the bow deck of the largest flags.h.i.+p. He tried to remain calm as he felt the sea breeze blowing on his face.
That wars.h.i.+p was the flags.h.i.+p of the fleet. Rody and the King were on top of the flags.h.i.+p. One thing that Rody found ridiculous after boarding the s.h.i.+p was that the King immediately ran into the cabin to rest and refused to step out again.
After inquiring in detail, Rody then received an answer that made him laugh.
The revered leader who possessed the most formidable navy on the Roland continent was actually seasick!
Rody looked around after standing on top of the deck for a moment. The Roland navy truly deserved to be elites of the sea. The entire fleet maintained a defensive formation as they sailed quickly along the planned route. Rody suddenly felt lofty sentiments when he looked at numerous wars.h.i.+ps in the distance.
He did not know what he, who has found fame as undefeated on land, would encounter at sea.
He went to look at the King. The King did not look well. Even in the dark cabin, the King’s face looked pale. The King’s voice also sounded different and weak.
After listening to a brief report from an officer, the King waved his hand signaling the others to leave. He then smiled wryly at Rody and said, "Look, I am not suitable for the sea."
Rody left without a word.
Under the guidance of the officers, Rody arrived at his own cabin.
The cabin allocated to him was large. It seemed to be furnished in the same way as the King’s room. Rody closed the cabin door as he decided to take a good rest. After all, the journey at sea would last for several days.
The cabin had a size of thirty square meters. Besides that, there was also a small room part.i.tioned out and it seemed like it was used for sleeping. Rody took off his coat and the Dragon Spells Scimitar from his waist. He then held the Dragon Spells Scimitar in his hand. He walked towards the door of the small room in large strides and pushed the door open.
The moment he opened the door, he instinctively felt uneasy as if there was someone secretly spying on him.
His eyes instantly flashed. He then rushed into the room like lightning and stayed near to the wall. He immediately felt a swift and cold wind blow past his ear. Rody sneered as he immediately stretched out his hand to pull.
There was a delicate and m.u.f.fled voice that sounded in anguish. A figure appeared in the room. One of her wrists was tightly clutched by Rody. She had already lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Rody moved as quickly as lightning. He had already pulled out his scimitar and placed it on the other person’s neck. He coldly shouted, "Who is it?"
A pair of eyes shot out a bitter and agonizing glare. Rody saw the person on the ground and could not help but blurt out. "It’s you!"
The person with a painful expression on the ground in front of Rody was Nedis.
Rody’s face instantly sank as he asked, "How come you are here?"
Nedis replied in a trembling voice, "Quickly, let go! You are breaking my wrist."
Rody released her with a solemn expression. He quietly watched Nedis got up from the ground and coldly asked, "How come you are here?"
Nedis fiercely glared at Rody. The anger on her face suddenly turned into a bewitching smile as she softly said, "I had guessed that you all have some sort of plan. Sure enough, it is just like what I expected."
She saw Rody’s impatient look and quickly said, "I secretly came on board. Using my vampire’s "Blood Escape", n.o.body would discover me."
Rody was not pleased as he asked, "Why did you follow me?"
Nedis loudly replied. "Naturally is to demand payment from you!" She angrily looked at Rody. She bit her lips and said, "I said something to you before departing after the dinner banquet at the palace, that night. Do you still remember what I said?"
"What?" Rody was at a loss. Many things had happened at the dinner banquet that night. Nedis had also left in a haste and Rody actually did not care.
"I said that I will wait for you in the garden!" Nedis faintly said, "I waited until dawn but even then, you did not appear!"
Rody was startled. He faintly remembered that Nedis had said such words before leaving that night. However, after that, he had a duel against Fielding and was busy dealing with the special envoys of the other Roland kingdoms. He had long ago placed Nedis’ words at the back of his mind. And then later, someone had plotted to a.s.sa.s.sinate Fielding and Gu Ming. Fielding was seriously injured, and Gu Ming was killed.
Those minor matters involving Nedis was naturally forgotten by Rody.
The moment he thought of that, he understood that Nedis did not harbor any evil intentions. Rody sighed in relief. His expression eased up as he asked, "Then why did you come all the way here? Following me here is simply causing trouble!"
Rody did not particularly dislike the charming woman in front of him. However, he extremely detested vampires as a result of his past experiences.
Nedis seemingly did not care and faintly smiled, "I spied from outside your residence for a few days and guessed that there is definitely something interesting you are going to do. How could I miss such an interesting thing? Naturally, I secretly followed you to take a look."
Rody felt helpless. He felt that this woman’s actions were absurd. However, now that the s.h.i.+p had departed, it was impossible to send her back.
Nedis casually sat on the bed and smiled. "Alright, stop showing me that stiff face. It seems like you were never happy every time you see me."
Rody sighed and put the scimitar on the table. He was thinking of how to deal with that bold woman in his heart and casually asked, "In what way was I not happy?"
"Hmph, you are either angry or annoyed every time you see me…Especially when I first met you, you were even more…" Nedis suddenly blushed and gritted her teeth, "Even ruder!"
Rody felt awkward and gave a faint smile. He did not continue this topic. The first time he met her was in a truly alluring situation.
The dim cabin lounge was not large. It was filled with a faintly sweet aroma. Presumably, it was the perfume Nedis used on her body. Rody seemingly felt uncomfortable and lightly said, "Since you have come here secretly, then stay right here. Do not run around. Let me think of a way to send you back."
Nedis’ expression remained the same as she asked, "Where is this fleet going to?"
Rody hesitated for a moment and then replied, "The dwarfs’ territory."
"Oh?" Nedis looked interested and said, "I saw a lot of troops on board. What are you all planning to do? Are you going to war?"
Rody coldly replied, "Why are you asking so much? Just quietly stay here. When the matter has concluded, I will send you back safely."
Nedis instantly jumped off the bed and to the front of Rody. A meaningful smile could be seen on her face. "If…if you are really going to war at the Hakone Kingdom, you will probably need me!" She seemed rather proud of herself as she continued, "Do you have any subordinate who knows about the dwarfs? The people of Sauron Kingdom are not your confidants. Besides that, their scouts do not necessarily know the dwarfs well."
Rody did not say anything. He just stared at Nedis.
Nedis smiled and said, "But now it is going to be fine. You already have an a.s.sistant who knows the dwarfs very well."
"Who?"
"Me!" Nedis pointed at herself. "I dare say that there is n.o.body on this s.h.i.+p who knows more about the dwarfs than I! When I was young, I once lived in the dwarf kingdom for four years to avoid being killed by the vampires!"
"Oh?" Rody’s eyes finally lit up as he looked at Nedis.
Rody had always lacked information about the mysterious dwarfs. That was because the dwarfs only lived in their island country and did not have any relation with the other kingdoms on the continent aside from trading ironwood. It was practically an independent existence of the world.
When Nedis saw that Rody’s heart seemed to stir, she softly laughed. Suddenly, she pulled Rody’s arm and snuggled into him as she whispered, "How about it? Your Excellency Earl Rody, do you still anxiously want to chase me away?"
Her body tightly attached to Rody’s side as she hugged his arm in her bosom. The sweet fragrance of her body drifted into Rody’s nose...