Chapter 30: Military Planning (Part 1)

“Brave and fearless, wise and decisive.” Both Green and the other mages fully agreed that this description applied to Neo. Moreover, they all acknowledged the need to owe Neo a great deal—without him, not only would the mission fail to achieve remarkable results, but even survival might be uncertain.
Yet still, the mages were unwilling to accompany Neo on this “crazy” venture, and their stance was surprisingly unified. In Green’s words, “There are some things where, even if certain favorable conditions exist, the situation itself exceeds our capabilities, making it unfeasible. This isn’t just a matter of daring to take risks.”
Indeed, Neo agreed that Green’s reasoning wasn’t an excuse but rather rational and in line with the mages’ straightforward style.
Their attitude reminded Neo of a saying: If everyone says no except you, who is wrong?
Neo remained unshaken at all. He chose to go his own way. He said he was willing to plunge into danger, but if he were lucky enough to succeed initially, he hoped others would cooperate later.
Seeing Neo speak so confidently, Green doubted he had truly sought their input from the start. In fact, using the word “consult” was even inappropriate—Neo must have already made up his mind, and this discussion was merely a formality to prepare everyone.
The truth was close to Green’s guess. Great achievements required great risks. If they fought head-on, even the strongest warriors from the Holy Realm wouldn’t stand a chance against tens of thousands of troops—Neo was well aware of this. Since a direct approach wouldn’t work, they had to take unconventional routes. All Neo could do was use the information at hand, exploit the opponents’ weaknesses, and devise clever tactics to stand a chance of success.
It must be said this wasn’t Neo’s usual style. Great victories demanded great risks. Even a small mistake or poor coordination could leave them in a difficult situation, risking failure. Who could guarantee no mistakes? And even if they could, how could they ensure the opponent would always act as expected?
Neo had thought it all through, yet he chose to proceed, with little pressure to do so. The reason was simple: aside from vanity, the success or failure of this mission didn’t matter much—its value lay more in practice than in tangible gains. After all, the struggle between the ruling faction led by Count Ambentus and the revolutionaries seeking to seize power was essentially a fight among themselves, only complicated by the involvement of various forces like the Dark Clan and demons.
Of course, besides logical analysis, there were emotional considerations. Personally, Neo wanted to achieve great feats and gain fame and titles. Melian was kind but not particularly intelligent, so Neo wasn’t entirely at ease, even with a shrewd best friend by his side. Publicly speaking, it was the people—seeing countless innocents suffer and die couldn’t be ignored. Neo couldn’t claim to be that detached.

Time was pressing, and the brief meeting ended after just over half an hour. Another half hour was spent preparing; Neo entrusted Esok’s affairs to Green before riding off on a spotted owl alone. Still, it was already past 10 p.m… At this time usually, Commander Griffin would have already gone to bed. He had a very regular schedule that he never deviated from, especially in recent years. Others might not be aware, but Griffin himself knew well that his energy and stamina were declining sharply—he felt sleepy at fixed times, no longer possessing the reputation of being as resilient and alert as he once was.

Yes, this man with thick, curly gray-bearded hair and a robust build was Bear Fox Griffin, the commander of the 1st Hylfanis Marine Regiment and also the supreme commander of the over 40,000 regular troops sent to Elara.

“Sir, do you think Bazel might…” The middle-aged man with dark skin and severe balding stopped speaking halfway through, interrupted by Griffin’s gloomy and icy gaze. The tent was illuminated by flame-like light from magic crystals, but this light didn’t bring warmth to Shegridden—at least in his eyes, it only made Griffin appear even more formidable and imposing.

Bennett Shegridden, Baldwin Shegridden’s twin brother, was considered a worthless good-for-nothing by his own brother, who had pushed him into a hopeless situation… Griffin had no deeper impression of this man beyond these superficial notions. “A good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing—his questions are stupid!” such thoughts flashed through Griffin’s mind with contempt.

As a soldier born into a prominent family but not of noble blood, the word that best described Griffin’s life was “struggle.” Family members, outsiders, allies, enemies… To stand out, to gain status, wealth, power, and glory, Griffin fought like a warrior without cease. Even this rebellion was just another manifestation of his struggle—he hated those incompetent members of his family who held important positions due to blood relations, as well as Bishop Ambentus, who controlled Hylfanis for the same reason. With such a temperament, he looked down on this worthless man who was nearly 40 years old yet accomplished nothing, even having his wife seduced away.

Griffin’s disregard and disdain left Bennett extremely awkward. After all, there were others in the room besides him and Griffin. But years of hardship had worn down Bennett’s resolve, leaving him helpless. He forced a smile and stopped speaking. Instead, an officer sitting to Griffin’s right leaned forward slightly and whispered, “Captain Bazel and his guards are undoubtedly capable. More importantly, this operation was completely sudden—something we analyzed beforehand. The fact that no news has been sent back yet suggests everything is going smoothly. If not, given the seriousness of the matter, messengers would have returned long ago.”

Bennett nodded frequently, though he actually knew very little about military matters and had no interest in them. His questions stemmed merely from his deep fear of Baldwin and his subconscious desire for comfort.

“Bruce, there’s some truth to what you say.” Bennett smiled at the officer explaining things to him, a hint of flattery in his smile. Bennett was useless, but not entirely stupid; he knew full well that Bruce’s respect was only for show, after all, he was now the leader of the Stormtroopers. Even so, he appreciated Bruce’s gesture, as being left standing there in front of everyone was indeed embarrassing.

At that moment, a guard in white armor from the First Marine Regiment stepped in steadily. “Reporting to the general, Officer Hulion has sent the guard to see you.”

Griffin frowned and leaned forward. “How many returned?”

“One person, general.”

Griffin leaned back in his large lion-skin chair, exchanged a glance with an officer sitting to his right, then said to the guard, “Let him in.”

It was Nio who entered. By now, he had removed his flesh-and-blood armor, appearing as a standard professional soldier—strong and capable. “The Night Walk Guard salutes General Hessen and all the officers.” Nio didn’t mention his name or rank, and even the insignias and titles on his armor had been removed.

Griffin remained expressionless and silent, staring at Nio with a cold gaze.

Seeing Griffin’s reaction, the others in the tent also stayed quiet, seemingly even controlling their breathing so that the footsteps of the patrols outside could be heard clearly.

The atmosphere grew tense in silence, and the pressure increased. Nio stood there like a spear, his expression solemn, but the repetitive movements of his left hand—stretching and then clenching—revealed his nervousness and anxiety.

Most in the tent noticed Nio’s movements. The officer who had previously exchanged glances with Griffin leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Even Bennett, who was nearby, couldn’t hear it, but Nio, with his extraordinary hearing, heard clearly: “General, it’s Somer, one of Hulion’s trusted lieutenants, from the Peyton family. I remember this habit of his…”

Griffin showed no reaction, simply uttering a cold word at Nio: “Speak.”

“General, the operation was a complete success. Aside from Simon Windrunner, who was injured and escaped, the rest were captured or killed. That man is now in our hands. Also, all the spellcasters surrendered without any injuries. Officer Hulion requests that 15,000 troops be dispatched to Plavang…”

Griffin snorted coldly, interrupting Nio’s report, and ordered sharply, “Someone, strip off this man’s disguise! I want to see who dares to impersonate a member of the Night Walk Guard and spread lies.”

At Griffin’s command, six guards in white armor rushed in. They were the finest among the First Marine Regiment, each with a combat skill level of at least 12. They immediately pinned Nio down and pushed him outside.

“General, general, I’m not pretending! I’m one of Lieutenant Hulion’s guards, General…” Nio’s pleas were meaningless; his disguise had been exposed, and those fierce guards dragged him away. It wasn’t just about removing his disguise—based on their years of experience under Griffin, they knew Griffin’s orders were meant as a lesson to Nio.

Inside the tent:

“Always hiding, playing tricks, indecisive—the Peyton family is full of such people!” Griffin growled in anger.

“I’m afraid Lieutenant Hulion is aware of this too, which is why he sent Somer. The Peyton family controls several mines and two key transportation routes…”

Griffin waved his hand, cutting off the officer behind him. “I know. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be as simple as just giving them a few punches.”

Nio wasn’t beaten into a mess, but after a brutal beating, his body swelled by two sizes, and every movement caused excruciating pain from the bruises. Yet inwardly, he expected this beating; in fact, he was quite satisfied, as it meant he had basically passed the test. To understand why, we need to go back to the beginning.

First, within the rebels, there were intricate complications among allies, military ranks, nobles, and interests—like a tangled mess.

Second, Bazel Hulion was destined to seize this opportunity to rise to a higher status and power. In other words, if the rebels’ plan succeeded, the Hilfanis territory would include a significant share for the Hulion family. This was determined by the resources under Hulion’s control and his role in the operation.

Third, as a representative figure of the Hulion family, Bazel’s ambition had long been noticed by others. Still, they had no choice but to use him—after all, Bazel wasn’t just leading a night raiding squadron. The fact that even some families from the Peyton clan placed their young members under Bazel’s command showed recognition and even optimism.

Under these circumstances, Bazel using this Esok operation to demand military power and gain an advantage in dividing the spoils was within Griffin’s expectations.

“Hmph, impatient and clumsy!” Griffin could fully understand the feelings of someone capable and self-important who seizes an opportunity after years of waiting. But he thought Bazel, with his abilities, could do it more gracefully, rather than being so eager for quick success and using threatening tactics to control an army.

In fact, Griffin was quite perceptive. Bazel wasn’t a fool—he had initially had reasonable plans, as he always saw himself as a king. Unfortunately, Bazel ran into Nio, suffered a severe setback, and had his actions read by Nio, leading to the “clumsy” situation Griffin mentioned.

“Bazel’s performance” undoubtedly angered Griffin greatly, but he still needed Bazel and the Hulion family for many things. Even the land nobles like the Peyton family couldn’t be offended, mainly because the revolutionaries wanted a sweet cake, not a moldy one. Thus, restraint and patience were essential—of course, it was mutual.
“But this time, beating you won’t help either. It’s your fault for resorting to this stupid disguise…” Griffin felt a bit smug after beating ‘Summer’ mercilessly. Getting revenge and humiliating him was his real intention.
It had to be said that Griffin’s calculations were quite good. Summer had no one to complain to; it was he who disguised himself first. With just one sentence from Griffin—“How would I know it’s Summer? What if it’s a spy or an enemy pretending?”—he could wash his hands of the matter entirely.
With his subordinate beaten, Bazel could only swallow his anger and try to comfort Summer politely, despite feeling disgusted. After all, Summer was an important member of the Peyton family, the eldest son of the current head, Anderson, and one of the best among the younger generation. Bazel needed the Peyton family’s support.
As for why Summer needed to disguise himself, Griffin could understand it. As he had said before, the Peyton family was full of opportunists. Summer clearly realized that Bazel sending him to seek help was forcing him to take a side, so he came up with this idea. Disguising himself as an ordinary guard was just a cover.
It was because Neo had enough information, along with Nancy’s help in planning and on-site analysis, that he was able to use the double-disguise tactic. The first disguise was to turn himself into Summer Peyton, achieved through modifying the energy cell, at the cost of 5% of its recovery value to end the cooldown period prematurely. The second disguise was done with potions, turning him into an ordinary night guard—a real person, but like the real Summer, he also suffered nakedly in Esok.
The purpose of the double disguise was two-fold: to make Griffin and the others believe Neo was Summer, and to distract them. His amazing body modification skills and ability to fully recall memories allowed Neo to succeed once again. Griffin indeed didn’t get stuck in questions like “Was the operation really successful? Sending someone here to demand 15,000 troops to cut the cake early—was it really just because of Bazel’s eagerness?” Instead, guided by Neo, he skipped over the key issues.
‘Summer,’ after being beaten, was indeed in a sorry state. Griffin found it amusing, but pretended to ask, “Are you… Summer? Anderson’s eldest son?”
‘Summer’ looked as if he were holding his nose and enduring pain, speaking with a hint of grievance, “Yes, General. It’s me…”
The rest was simple: Griffin’s feigned surprise; ‘Summer’s’ confession after his scheme failed; and Griffin’s intentional or unintentional message—that Bazel was too eager for success and not fit to achieve great things, and that one should be cautious investing in such a person…

Of course, food must be eaten bite by bite. Griffin didn’t expect to succeed in tearing apart the relationship between the Hulion family and the Peyton family just through this. Moreover, Griffin hated the fickle Peyton family; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the chance to beat up “Summer.” For Nio, the key was to bypass the sensitive issues. To achieve this, he cooperated fully with Griffin in acting out the drama. Finally, with an “honest” attitude, he relayed Bazel’s instructions to Griffin: “Captain Hulion meant that among the 15,000 troops to be assembled, the Headhunter Corps should be the main force. It’s best not to have a single member from the Great Cross Corps. If that’s not possible, the Blaze Brigade and the Byron Brigade must be rejected…” Griffin grunted twice, thinking, “What a nice plan he has!” This operation to rescue Eradah involved three groups of troops: Griffin’s First Marine Regiment, Shegridden’s Great Cross Corps, and the Headhunter Corps. Among them, the Headhunter Corps was the only unit that wasn’t heavily influenced by the XX family or its people. Deployed through tokens, it had the smallest number of members but extremely strong combat power. As the supreme commander, Griffin used this unit to support his First Marine Regiment, thus gaining control of the situation. The Great Cross Corps was the largest group in this operation, numbering 20,000 men. Though their combat strength was average, accounting for half of the total troops, they couldn’t be underestimated. But now, due to the real and fake Shegriddens, it had been split into four brigades. One was under Bruce’s control, another still obeyed orders, while the remaining two were the Blaze Brigade and the Byron Brigade. These two brigades were the problem—their commanders were very dissatisfied with the army’s “encirclement” tactic and had barely suppressed their objections in the name of Shegridden. Ten thousand regular troops, though unpleasant to deal with, were still real soldiers. A well-organized regular army couldn’t be formed in a short time, nor could it be easily destroyed. The revolutionaries planned that once Asia was broken and the current ruling council led by Bishop fell, they would raise the banner of driving out darkness and reclaiming Asia, and then the two brigades would obediently submit. By then, even if the officers tried to cause trouble, the rank-and-file soldiers wouldn’t agree. Using a puppet to control the Great Cross Corps, Griffin and the others were well aware of the dangers involved. One of the main reasons Griffin beat up “Summer” right from the start was to achieve this effect. “Trying to use the Peyton family as a bargaining chip? Hmph! I’ll show you what happens when you kick the rock that’s about to hit you!” Griffin understood clearly. Bazel had used Summer as a card, but now, due to the deception, he had been dealt a counterstroke. Griffin wasn’t afraid of Summer or the Peyton family behind him, especially after Bazel’s overly hasty actions. But Bazel was afraid. Compared to Griffin, he didn’t have as much strength—because not only did he have to fight outside, but there were also competitors within his own family. “Bazel, Bazel… Since you made such a stupid move, don’t blame me…” Griffin seemed to already see Bazel’s panicked face facing his uncontrollable subordinates…