Chapter 29: The Time Is Ripe (Part 2)

Simon Windwalker might play a crucial role in the future, but those seated there had to admit that if they couldn’t overcome the current crisis, there would be no need to talk about the future at all.
“What exactly is the situation right now?” Hes, still relatively young and impatient, asked bluntly.
“I personally believe the intelligence obtained from Bazel is reliable,” Neio began his explanation. Green and the others already understood that Neio was trying to make them believe certain things—things that might seem incredible.
“From the very beginning, the true goal of the dark forces has been Asia, and they are on the verge of success. All other plans are designed to serve that goal.”
If Neio was trying to explain things in simple terms, his opening statement was undoubtedly successful—it was so profound that everyone present found it hard to believe.
As the political, economic, transportation, and industrial center of Hylfanis, Asia’s importance and significance were beyond doubt. Even under normal circumstances, no fewer than 20,000 regular troops were stationed there. It could be said that more than half of Hylfanis’ military strength was concentrated there—a fact known to everyone.
“Before the Seal of Corruption was lifted, Asia was in chaos for a while,” Green said. “Due to the ongoing problems with transportation, and then the lifting of the Seal of Corruption, the ruling council acted wisely by seeking help from the Principality early on. Just two days before the Idara incident, the Wild Sheep Knights of the Principality arrived in Asia.”
The leader of the Spellcrafters nodded, confirming Green’s words. Though the Spellcrafters might stay out of worldly affairs, their surveillance system was thorough and operated independently. Because of their involvement in secret missions, few people knew about the arrival of the Wild Sheep Knights, yet the Spellcrafters learned of it immediately—even faster than organizations like the Sky Temple.
Given Simon’s status, it was impossible for him to obtain this information from within the organization. Both Green and the Spellcrafters’ leader were aware of this. But since Neio showed no sign of surprise, they easily guessed that Neio might have learned this from Bazel—and possibly knew more than they did.
“The Wild Sheep Knights are the enemy.”
The Spellcrafters’ leader was stunned by Neio’s statement and remained speechless for a long time.
Green held his ground well. He knew Neio wouldn’t joke about such matters at a time like this. “If even the forces sent by the Principality are unreliable, who else can we trust?!”
Neio ignored the exclamation in Green’s words and continued, “This is a very large and complex affair. Even someone like Bazel isn’t able to see the full picture—he’s just one of those carrying out the plans. But Bazel isn’t someone who stays put. Fortunately for us, that’s why we can get some extremely important information and insights from him, along with his predictions.”

Hearing Nio speak, everyone knew this was where it got important, so they focused their attention intently.
“The Dark Forces can be left aside for now; they’re already mortal enemies. The ones who truly stirred up trouble and played the villainous role in this incident are the Olivier family. The man I killed at dawn the previous night was named Sanders Olivier.”
“…”
Sanders Olivier—a name even familiar to the mages. There were only a few active families in the duchy, and among those, only a handful of prominent individuals, with Sanders being one of them.
“Sure enough, one of the duchy’s most renowned diplomats—successful in aligning with the Dark Forces,” Hes commented sarcastically.
Nio smiled and continued, “The commander of the demons who attacked us at dusk yesterday is Soren Anvintus.”
This name left both the leader of the spellcasters and Green puzzled. Soren wasn’t as well-known as Sanders, but the surname Anvintus made everyone uneasy.
“Soren is the current Star Priest of the Anvintus family.”
Now even Green widened his eyes in shock. The Anvintus family had been able to rule Hylfanis mainly thanks to their long-standing family military force—the Star Spirits. The Star Priest was in charge of selecting and training members of the Star Spirits. For such a position to fall into the hands of a Dark believer was alarming—how corrupted the Star Spirits must be!
Before anyone could process this, Nio delivered another astonishing statement: “Both of them are key figures behind this incident, but the real problem lies with Princess Ensbas. She’s been kidnapped, and the Duke of Ensbas believes it was the Anvintus family’s doing.”
“Huh?” Everyone was stunned.
“How could the princess be kidnapped?”
“Is this a frame job by the Dark Forces?”
“The Duke of Ensbas is quite shrewd. Why would he send the Wild Sheep Knights after the Anvintus family over this?”… After the shock, questions poured in.
“This involves a top-secret matter between the first Duke of Ensbas and the ancestors of several major families. Bazel has searched for a long time without finding anything. All he knows is that the key figure in this secret is the princess herself.” Nio glanced at the group, choosing to stop at that point on this issue.
In Nio’s view, the Divine Relics were too shocking. Though they were one of the main triggers for this major incident, they had little to do with the crisis at hand. Revealing them would only distract everyone and bring trouble. Of course, his own desire for the Divine Relics also played a role.
Nio wasn’t lying—Bazel was indeed a crucial figure. Through him, the series of events finally connected.
The Kluilou family had a long history, dating back to the founding of the Duchy of Sanvest hundreds of years ago. At that time, the first Duke of Ensbas was just an accomplished leader, the founder of the Anvintus family was also just a low-ranking officer, while the ancestor of the Kluilou family was a soldier under Anvintus.

It was this soldier who was fortunate enough to be part of the Divine Ruins incident, and at that, he was on the front lines. Out of greed, he, along with others, hid some relics that were considered mere treasures at the time. This matter was kept secret well for that generation, and although some of those people later died in battle, those who survived distributed a considerable sum of money according to their original agreement years later.

Problems arose in the fourth generation; the descendants of those who hid the treasures did not share the strong camaraderie of their grandparents’ generation. More importantly, different families faced varying fortunes—some prospered while others declined—leading to the exposure of the secret they had once kept together.

By then, all the original members, from leaders to soldiers, had passed away. After the secret was revealed, there was some turmoil, but it eventually subsided. The remaining treasures, after all, were of little value and not worth the effort to recover.

What truly had a significant impact were recent events. After generations of relentless research and exploration by a research team under Duke Ensbas, some secrets about the divine relics were finally uncovered. A key item involved in these secrets was eventually speculated to be in the hands of the Kluiliu family head.

After the death of his wife, Baron Kluiliu grew even more fond of his two daughters, spending years caring for them. By the time his daughters grew up, the Baron was already an old man. Duke Ensbas came up with a perfect plan: to marry the Baron’s eldest daughter as his consort. He hoped to retrieve the key item peacefully over time without alerting others. After several years, seeing that his daughter was living well, the Baron was also willing to distribute his inheritance. However, things took a sharp turn when dark forces began excavating the Divine Ruins.

The subsequent events were complicated yet simple at the same time. Duke Ensbas understood the importance of that item and believed the Aventus family was aware of it as well. That’s why he decided to take advantage of the situation, disregarding the fate of entire Hilfanis. Of course, with dark forces lurking behind the scenes, a perfect resolution was impossible. Even if the Aventus family, as Duke Ensbas thought, would not give up their centuries-old legacy for that item, they still had to hand over the duchess. As for Kluiliu, he was clearly unwilling to cooperate without the duchess—getting him to show up would be difficult without her.

As things dragged on, news leaked secretly. There were countless people pursuing Kluiliu, even the Holy Church got involved, along with the three major factions and several powerful organizations. Add to this the chaotic situation and the complexity of the matter—it was enough to give anyone a headache.

Nio already had a good idea of just how troublesome the duchess issue was. He chose to put aside these complicated problems for now, as the immediate crisis still hadn’t been resolved.

“We have no idea just how bad the situation in Asia is right now. But one thing is certain: if Count Bishop needs an army to stabilize the worsening situation, it must be the troops trapped in Elada.” Nio continued, with a hint of encouragement, “The good news is that the army of monsters we’ve assumed to be entrenched in Elada is actually a lie created by the dark forces. Its actual number is less than half of what we thought, and it suffered heavy losses during the fierce resistance of Elada’s soldiers and civilians, after which it was withdrawn under other plans.”
Hes’s eyes lit up. “So, in Elada, there’s only our own army, trapped and unable to move due to the rebellion?”
Elan gave Hes a glance and added, “Even so, it remains a deadly place for us.”
Ni continued, “Well, I also think it’s extremely dangerous. Who are our allies and who are our enemies? Do we really know?”
When it came to specific actions, everyone became cautious. After all, in a quagmire like Elada, it was all too easy to trap a small group like a convoy.
Nio originally had a highly aggressive plan, but it was too risky, and even if successful, it would not benefit him—at least not in the long run. He had been weighing whether to reveal this plan, or rather, he was torn between becoming a people’s hero or an egoist.
Fortunately, among those present, there were no politicians or overly cunning people. Zankin, Varug, and the others followed Nio’s lead. The mages, though intelligent, lacked experience in the world and their professional pride made them disdainful of unnecessary complexities. The leader of the spellcasters spoke first: “We all know not all disasters can be averted. This matter is far beyond our capabilities. Though reluctant and feeling guilty, I still suggest taking some cautious measures.”
Fire Mage Babo picked up on this and continued, “We’ve done enough. No matter what happens next, I don’t think anyone can blame us, and we don’t need to feel guilty. Hylfanis can’t be saved just by us.”
Ni said sadly, “But thinking that we might be able to save countless lives…”
“Maybe!” Babo interrupted. “What should we do? Use deception, infiltrate the enemy camp, and eliminate those rebel leaders amidst heavy defenses? Then reunite the army to aid Asia?” Babo shook his head. “Unless the enemies are idiots, or we have a saint on our side.”
“Or we need a miracle,” Green said, looking at Nio. He felt a faint sense of hope. He didn’t want to stand by idly, but he also knew that relying on just their own efforts to quell the rebellion in Elada was beyond the scope of ‘difficult.’

“On the path to seeking power, I’ve wished more than once that I could be colder-hearted, but so far, I remain ordinary.” Neo’s gaze as he looked at everyone sparkled with the passion often seen in young people’s eyes.
With a hint of persuasion, he said, “We’ve indeed done much and done it well, but we also know we can do even more and better. We’ll give it our all—not for honor, not for rewards, and not even caring whether others understand. Just for our faith and the desires in our hearts.”
With a firm tone, Neo expressed his stance: “For my faith, I need to become stronger. I crave power. I won’t hesitate or retreat, for otherwise, the regrets in my heart will eventually become obstacles, hindering me from moving forward. Between having my dreams crushed or dying trying to move forward, I choose the latter. I’ll do my utmost to do what I believe is right and what must be done. That’s my thought, my decision!”
Though Neo repeatedly emphasized that this was his personal opinion, everyone present understood that his passionate and inflammatory words had a clear purpose. As always, Zangin, Varug, and the others wholeheartedly supported Neo. When considering taking action, they no longer focused on the feasibility of the task but on who would carry it out. If it was Neo, there were no problems. In Carnito’s words, “Past experience tells us that Neo never engages in unprofitable ventures. We trust his judgment and ability.”
The rest were people who thought more than they acted. Sharp-minded! Resolute! They weren’t easily persuaded and often had their own unique perspectives. So, even if his words were emotionally stirring, they weren’t enough to change their minds immediately—after all, everyone knew that if they did act, they would have to take extreme risks.
“Is there a plan? How exactly will it be done?” The young Hess asked on behalf of everyone. If it was truly actionable, the mages were willing to contribute.
“The rebel factions are complex, full of conflicts and rivalries. At the end of the day, it’s all about power and profit. More specifically, Bazel is ambitious, and the other rebel leaders are fully aware of this. So my plan is to continue Bazel’s second step: blackmail!”
Green frowned and asked, “Are you saying to use General Shegridden as a hostage to gain power and profit?”
Neo nodded.
Green shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “Do you realize how many sensitive issues this will create?”
Neo clearly understood what Green meant—taking risks, going to extremes, making great sacrifices, only to end up labeled as “too ambitious to control.” While Bishop, the Hylfanis Council, and even the Celestial Temple might honor and praise him, they would surely be wary behind the scenes. And it wasn’t just Green who realized this.
“I just want to have a clear conscience.”

Nio’s brief yet powerful response surprised wizards like Green. In their impression, Nio was by no means a noble and selfless person dedicated to the greater good; they never expected him to act in such a way during such a major event.
“I don’t understand! I really don’t understand! Did I misjudge him? Or is the benefit Simon can gain from this far greater than the drawbacks, I just didn’t realize it?” Green was utterly puzzled…