On the boundless plains, the rye grass that once rippled like waves of wheat was now buried beneath a thick blanket of snow. As far as the eye could see, the world was a vast expanse of white.

A biting wind howled, chilling everyone to the bone.

They reined in their horses on a high slope, gazing at the basin in the distance.

Only a few days ago, the Wilderness Alliance Army had been camped here in a sprawling, disorderly mess of beast-hide tents that stretched for miles. Now, all that remained were chaotic footprints, filth, and garbage.

It was proof that the Alliance Army had, in fact, been here.

As much as they hated to admit it, the reality was clear: those Wilderness scumbags had retreated...

"Goddammit! They played us!"

The Lord swore, kicking a jutting rock and instantly shattering it with a CRACK.

Everyone fell silent.

They had come here expecting a decisive battle, but instead, the Wilderness Alliance Army had simply retreated. They’d come up completely empty-handed.

It was the frustrating feeling of throwing a full-force punch into a wad of cotton.

"I must take full responsibility for this. As the commander in charge of the entire army, I didn’t even know the enemy’s main force was retreating." Fujero said calmly, touching the Ring on his hand. "I will voluntarily submit myself to the military tribunal in Bailiu City."

Anyone could see the Legion Commander was in a foul mood.

Without a doubt, this failure was significant enough to be recorded in the annals of history.

After all, on a battlefield with tens of thousands of soldiers, failing to even notice the enemy’s retreat was a complete and utter dereliction of duty for a commander.

"Fujero, this isn’t your fault," Si Kai said, trying to console him with the truth. "The Duke took ninety percent of the cavalry from the Scout Squad. With fewer than a hundred riders left and the threat of enemy Centaurs, the most they could do was patrol the camp’s perimeter. There was no way to send them out for reconnaissance. The reinforcements had just arrived yesterday when they launched that night raid. We never had a chance to send out the new Scouts."

"Besides, they withdrew too quickly and decisively. I seriously suspect they had already begun organizing their retreat before the night raid. The attack was just a feint to keep us complacent," Si Kai said with a long sigh.

No one could have imagined that an army that had just launched a night raid would be gone without a trace the very next moment.

This was hardly a spur-of-the-moment decision; they must have been planning it for days.

They walked onto a patch of flat, ruined ground. Si Kai went over to a fire pit, pinched some of the ash, and rubbed it between his fingers. He made his experienced assessment, "These fires have been out for at least six hours. That’s right around the time we repelled their attack."

Having frequently traveled through the Northern Lands and spent many nights in the Wilderness, Si Kai had mastered the skill of determining how long ago a camp had been abandoned. He was rarely wrong.

"Lord, Fujero, what’s our next move?"

Si Kai looked at the two of them, a sense of helplessness in his gaze.

Even if we sent men after them now, it would be impossible to catch them unless we used cavalry.

And even if the thousand light cavalry reinforcements did catch up, they wouldn’t be enough to stop the entire Wilderness Alliance Army.

That made it incredibly difficult to decide what to do next.

Besides, while his rank was nominally the same as Fujero’s, he only commanded a Cavalry Corps of forty-odd men. The decision to stay or go was not his to make.

"What’s our next move? We do nothing!" the Lord said irritably.

’The plan was to crush these scumbags in one fell swoop, capture a few of their highest-ranking leaders to interrogate them about the Dark Elves’ goals, and then decide whether to return to High Cliff Castle or stay and seek greater gains.’

’But now, all of that was for nothing.’

"Might as well just disband and go home. I, your Lord, have had enough of these mass barracks anyway." Levi kicked at the snow and gestured. The two hundred-plus High Cliff Castle Warriors immediately turned and fell into a flawless formation.

At a single command, they would return to camp, break it down, and head back to High Cliff Castle.

Although many questions lingered about Fulina’s departure, it had little to do with the Lord. With no battle to fight, it was the perfect time to head back and prepare for next year’s southern campaign.

"Sigh." Si Kai sighed again, feeling a strange urge to ask him to stay. "Lord, are you really leaving?"

By all rights, they should have remained for at least a few more days. The sudden departure felt surreal.

"This isn’t some dinner party. There’s no war to be fought, and do you think it’s free to feed all these men and horses every day? Or are you just nostalgic for the days of queueing up to take a piss?"

The Lord swung himself onto his horse, speaking without turning back.

Just as he said, they had gathered here to face the Wilderness Alliance Army marching south. Though the affair had ended anticlimactically...

...the strategic objective of the campaign had indeed been met: the Wilderness People had retreated deep into the Wilderness.

Since their goal was accomplished, it was only natural to return.

Si Kai was speechless. He knew Levi was right.

Yet he felt an inexplicable desire for him to stay. Perhaps it was because even though he was surrounded by his fellow countrymen, his best relationship was with this southerner, the Lord of High Cliff Castle.

"Farewell, Si Kai. If you’re ever passing by High Cliff Castle, remember to look me up for a drink or two."

The Lord waved, leaving behind only the sight of his retreating, ramrod-straight back.

The middle-aged Knight shook his head and looked over at Fujero, only to see the Legion Commander’s expression was serene.

"Do we give chase, or do we stay put?" Si Kai asked.

"Duke Fulina has sent word."

Fujero looked at Si Kai, but instead of answering, he pulled a stone from his coat that pulsed with a faint, unsteady light.

"A Transmission Stone?!" Si Kai exclaimed in shock.

As its name suggested, a Transmission Stone was one of the Alchemy Magic Items. Its function was to allow a master stone to transmit messages in real-time to its paired subordinate stone, even across a thousand miles.

It had wide-ranging applications, not only in military affairs but also for any form of long-distance communication or contact.

Its advantages were, one could say, innumerable.

However, it had two significant drawbacks that could not be ignored: one, it was expensive; and two, a Transmission Stone could only be used once. Afterward, it was no different from a common rock.

Thus, unless the matter was of extreme importance, one would never use such a Magic Item.

"When Duke Fulina left, she left this Transmission Stone," Fujero explained.

"Then, just now..." Si Kai suddenly understood why the Legion Commander had said nothing as Levi departed.

"Duke Fulina wouldn’t use a Transmission Stone unless it was for a matter of grave importance. Therefore, it was necessary to speak without outsiders present."

As Fujero spoke, he activated the Transmission Stone using a specific method.

HSSSSS~

At first, a flickering, intermittent image began to form above the Transmission Stone, accompanied by a harsh, grating sound.

But as the image stabilized, Fujero placed the Transmission Stone on the ground, and a human figure was projected from it.

"Duke Fulina."

Seeing the figure projected above the Transmission Stone, the two men bowed respectfully.