At the Lord’s call, a crowd of burly men from High Cliff Castle gathered around, as if drawn by some new spectacle.

The biting cold was somehow warmed by this crowd of steaming brutes.

With arms crossed, they all just watched the Kobold on the ground, waiting to see how long it could hold out.

A soldier’s life was boring, and with the world now blanketed in a monotonous sheet of white, it was even more so.

Faced with this situation and with nothing better to do, the Lord started a bet on the spot.

Seeing as the group of Barbarians under his command were all paupers without a coin to their names, the stakes were simple: the loser would have to wash the winner’s filthy clothes.

"I bet this thing can only hold out for a thousand heartbeats, tops. Any longer than that, and it must be an actual corpse," the Lord mused.

"So many people are surrounding it, and it’s still acting like a real corpse. I think it can definitely last for more than a thousand heartbeats," Zat said, stroking his chin with an air of deep contemplation.

"Si Kai, want in on the bet?"

Curious as to why the men of High Cliff Castle were gathered in a circle, Si Kai approached just as the Lord posed the question to him.

Looking at the Kobold on the ground, whose legs were shaking like a leaf, Si Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’This Lord Li really has a twisted sense of humor.’

The poor thing was already trembling uncontrollably with fear, yet they were all discussing it so matter-of-factly.

In reality, the Kobold lasted less than two hundred heartbeats before it broke under the burly men’s scrutinizing gazes. It scrambled to its knees, hugged the Lord’s leg, and began to beg, snot and tears streaming down its face.

"My lord, please spare me! I’m just a weak, pitiful, and helpless Kobold! It was these damned Lizardmen who forced me to come here!"

Seeing the snot on its face, Levi pulled his leg back in disgust. "Answer a few questions honestly, and I might just spare your life."

The Lord was a man of his word. He always had a soft spot for prisoners who sold out their comrades without a moment’s hesitation.

"How many days ago did your main force break through this forest?"

"Just three days ago, my lord," the straw-hatted Kobold replied honestly.

’By that calculation, the Zor Elves must have broken through the Shadow Forest not long after we set out.’

"Has a large force come up from the south to join you in the last few days?"

Levi asked.

’If that Minotaur-led Alliance Army was retreating to the main force, then even with their fastest marching speed, they’d only be half a day or a day ahead of us at most, given that we’ve been traveling day and night.’

"Yes, yes! There was! They went straight into the Shadow Forest."

"They were led by a Minotaur and a Centaur." The Kobold nodded eagerly. Then, the little wretch actually sighed in awe, "They were so tall! As strong as the Giants of legend. You couldn’t even see all of them when you looked up."

Levi shot it a look, and the creature immediately shut its mouth, once again trembling in fear.

"That’s them, no doubt," Si Kai said from the side. "Only that Centaur Leader would be described as ’strong as a Giant’."

"I can’t believe they were actually coming here to regroup. Now we’re in trouble." Si Kai wrung his hands, his face etched with worry.

He explained that the Centaur was incredibly difficult to deal with. In their last encounter, he had only managed to block one of its arrows from a great distance by using his Combat Qi. He called the Centaur a top-tier expert.

"They’re just a bunch of cowardly punks who only know how to run. Next time we meet that bastard, Lord, I’ll show you what a real one-hit kill looks like."

The Lord had zero tolerance for this kind of talk that boosted the enemy’s morale at the expense of their own.

Unlike before, he had now officially joined the Thorn Corps to provide aid, so their overall morale was now his concern as well.

He could no longer focus solely on his own High Cliff Castle troops.

Simply put, his responsibilities had grown.

As promised, Levi let the Kobold go. However, it was only allowed to head south. Whether it could survive in the icy, snow-covered landscape was entirely up to luck.

The Wilderness People defenders here had taken no prisoners. They hadn’t wasted energy chasing down the fleeing enemies either, but had intentionally herded them all southward, forbidding them from entering the Shadow Forest.

Afterwards, the largest hide tent in the camp was cleared out to serve as a temporary conference room.

The officers of the Thorn Corps, along with the few key figures who held real decision-making power, sat on small stools, huddled around a stove for warmth. Several sweet potatoes, meant to be a simple treat, were roasting by the embers. Their skins were already golden-brown and oozing sweet juices, and a faint, fragrant aroma drifted through the air.

Although Fujero was born into a merchant family, their actual social standing hadn’t been very high. The frugal habits he developed in his youth had stuck with him his entire life.

He peeled the skin off a sweet potato and began to eat with great relish, smacking his lips from time to time.

He looked just like a commoner home after a day in the fields, without a hint of the dignified bearing one would expect from the Legion Commander of the Thorn Corps.

"Damn it, Fujero, if you smack your lips one more time, I swear I’ll clock you one."

The Lord, unable to stand the sound of someone smacking their lips while eating, finally lost his patience and raised a righteous fist.

’What the hell is this Legion Commander’s problem? Can’t he eat a damn sweet potato in peace?’

"My apologies, I was out of line," Fujero said, apologizing with surprising meekness.

He wasn’t confident he could take a punch from the Lord of High Cliff Castle.

The lip-smacking stopped at once.

The other officers, who had been wearing pained expressions, instantly broke into smiles, secretly giving the Lord a thumbs-up.