"The faith of nearly five thousand people is far from enough. At least, that’s what the guidance I received for the next stage says."

"According to the Oracle, we need to grow our followers to ten thousand as soon as possible. Only then can more of our compatriots from the Star Empire enter this world."

"So, for the next stage, do you think our Church should advance on the large city of Sutton to the west of the border, or should we expand into the smaller towns north and south of the Giant Wall?"

He’an looked at the two of them.

Potter hesitated for a moment before saying directly:

"I think we should stick with our previous Plan B. Spreading our faith by encircling the large cities with smaller ones is the safest approach."

"After all, you both know that the Blood Hunter Corps’s Hummingbird Team has already taken notice of us. Although they don’t seem to have any intention of probing us yet, I imagine our situation will become precarious once they confirm we have no connection to any other factions in their Imperial Capital."

Potter sought stability, but Helen didn’t see it that way.

"No, I still think we should strive for the greatest possible short-term gains."

"After all, you’ve seen the physical condition of the humans in this world. Forget the humans, even the power of the Blood Race is limited by the rules here."

"But we’re different. What’s more, He’an is already Tier Five! With the Power of the two of us, plus our students, I honestly think that even if we incited a rebellion in these human border cities right now, we could seize several large cities in a short amount of time."

"And what’s the population of these large cities? A hundred thousand? A million?"

"Once we harvest all that faith, forget about support from the Empire—the Divine Favor rewards you’d receive, He’an, would definitely undergo a qualitative change. Advancing to High Tier, or even Saint Tier, in a short time wouldn’t be a problem."

Helen said this, but He’an just looked blank.

’I don’t even have that kind of confidence myself. How are you, the Young Princess, more confident than me, the Divine Favored?’

’Saint Tier?’

He’an truly didn’t dare to even think about it.

After all, from what he knew, besides the Chief Player from years ago, and excluding those first-wave Players, the fastest record for advancing to Saint Tier was six years in the Game World!

He didn’t even know which batch of Players he belonged to.

’Could he really receive such powerful support from the True Game?’

Even if it was possible, He’an didn’t dare to gamble with his game character.

After all, his character was too precious, and he only had one life.

So, He’an looked at Helen and said helplessly:

"Commandery Princess Helen, aren’t you being a bit too radical?"

"Following your logic, even if we did manage to conquer a few major cities in this human world in a short time, have you thought about how we’d control the humans in those areas?"

"Furthermore, we would definitely face a counterattack from the Adams Empire. And if the Blood Race learned of a rebellion within the Empire, who’s to say they wouldn’t get involved too? Surely you don’t expect the three of us to conquer this entire world by ourselves?"

"And faith isn’t built overnight. It takes time to win people over, and it requires binding their interests to ours."

"What power do we have to bind the interests of millions of people all at once?"

"Are we supposed to rely on the three chicken farms and three plots of farmland outside the city that we’ve set up?"

"And what about our students? Could you really bear to watch them die for our interests? People have hearts. That’s why I think it’s best we take a gradual approach for now."

Potter nodded repeatedly at his words.

’This was no joke.’ Potter was quite timid. You only live once; you couldn’t be reckless.

Helen, however, didn’t directly refute He’an and Potter’s points.

After a moment of contemplation, she looked at He’an and asked:

"Mm, I understand your perspective."

"But I never said we absolutely had to start a rebellion. After all, with our current strength, secretly controlling a few people should still be easy."

"Just like the current mayor of Brighton, the City Lord—isn’t he controlled by the power of your Contract Book?"

"So, He’an, be honest. How many more Master-Servant Contract Scrolls do you have?"

"As a Divine Favored of the Civilization Pioneers, I refuse to believe that you, who are currently basking in Divine Favor, don’t have any extra Master-Servant Contract Scrolls on hand."

Helen stared directly at He’an, who had a sudden realization upon hearing her words.

"So that’s what you were after, Commandery Princess."

He’an gave a helpless smile and spread his hands. "Alright, I’ll confess. I only have two Contract Scrolls left."

"Also, I can tell you that I have two other items on me that can also control people, but with a limit of no more than five."

"So, are you suggesting I go and directly control the mayors of several large cities?"

"But don’t forget, in this world, the mayor doesn’t have the final say in every city. The garrisoned Blood Hunters are not bound by the mayors. They belong to the military and have their own code of conduct and immense authority."

"Besides..."

The three were in the church discussing their next steps. Just as He’an was about to voice his opinion, an Apprentice Knight suddenly rushed in from outside.

"Teachers, something terrible has happened!"

The three turned to look at the Apprentice Knight.

He’an frowned. "Wolan, why are you always in such a panic? The sky isn’t falling. What happened? Tell us slowly. And next time, remember to knock. Knock, you understand?"

Hearing this, the young Wolan scratched his head, his expression a mixture of sheepishness and unease.

"Oh, okay, Teacher He’an."

"Alright, go on. What happened?"

He’an was speechless. The other two also remained silent, simply looking at the student before them, who had just come of age.

Wolan nodded and began:

"Teachers, I just received a message from Wenna at the city gate. She said... she said all of the Blood Hunters who went outside Brighton City have run into trouble."

"The six Blood Hunter Squads patrolling the perimeter of the Giant Wall were caught in large-scale ambushes by the Blood Race. They were attacked in different locations, and all of them... they were all wiped out. Only six people made it back to the Giant Wall!"

"And according to the ones who escaped, a huge number of Blood Race monsters have gathered outside the Giant Wall, and it looks like they’re about to attack the section of the wall near Brighton City."

"There’s already a commotion in the city, and all the regular guards have been mobilized. I saw people standing guard by the cannons on the Giant Wall, ready at a moment’s notice!"

Hearing this, all three of them were stunned.

However, after exchanging a look, they all quickly calmed down.

"The Blood Race certainly has impeccable timing. We were just about to make our next move, and now they show up."

"So, what do you two think we should do next?"

Potter said calmly.

"Do nothing!"

Helen was the first to state her opinion.

"Blood Race attacks on the Giant Wall happen from time to time. As long as it’s not an all-out war, generally speaking, based on the last fifty years of this world’s history, it should turn out fine in the end."

"Besides, if the Blood Race attacks the Giant Wall, the Blood Hunter Corps command will definitely send urgent reinforcements. So, we don’t need to do anything right now. We just have to wait for the final outcome."

"Of course, if there’s a real risk of the Blood Race breaching our section of the Giant Wall, then to ensure the safety of our followers, we might have no choice but to bite the bullet and intervene."

He’an nodded subconsciously upon hearing this.

But he had his own ideas, so he said:

"Commandery Princess Helen’s idea is indeed a good one."

"But we can’t just stand by and watch the situation potentially devolve into the worst-case scenario."

"Therefore, I think we might be able to use our Power to carry out a covert decapitation strike against the Blood Race who initiated this war."

"Only by doing this can we ensure the city’s safety as much as possible, while also keeping our own presence concealed to the greatest extent."

"Furthermore, let’s get all the students moving. We need them to at least maintain stability in the Commoners’ district, and even secretly eliminate any Blood Race that might slip into the city."

"..."

He’an’s idea received the approval of the other two.

Thus, without any more unnecessary talk, the three of them immediately sprang into action.

After assigning tasks to all the Apprentice Knights and Warlock Apprentices, the three of them turned invisible the moment night fell, soaring into the sky and quickly vanishing into the darkness beyond the Giant Wall.