Chapter 012: The Ancestor

As a priest of the Holy Church, one’s greatest strengths naturally lie in defense, healing, and fanaticism—magical effects that are well embodied in the specialized armor of the Sacred Light Knights. These armors possess these magical effects, though not very pronounced. However, given the Sacred Light Knights’ strength of 50,000 members, having a few higher levels of these effects on their armor can make a significant difference in large-scale battles.

“However, Your Highness, the Sacred Light Knights answer directly to the Pope. Will the Pope support us?” Abraham asked, puzzled.

“Don’t worry, Master. Since the Pope was willing to pass on his Holy Angel Guard to me, mobilizing some of the Sacred Light Knights shouldn’t be too difficult,” Fischer said with a smile.

Abraham had not yet heard about the Church’s extensive assistance to Fischer in seizing power from Old Green in the north. Otherwise, knowing that 10,000 Sacred Light Knights, along with an archbishop and four realm-level elders, had already been deployed to deal with Old Green, he would not have asked such a question.

“Master, how many court mages are at level three or above?” Fischer suddenly asked.

“There are 1,300 court mages in total: 200 at level six, 120 at level seven, 34 at level eight, 6 at level nine, 2 at the sacred rank, with the rest being at levels four to five,” Abraham replied quickly.

“Good. Starting today, take half of the court mages with you to the capital of the Kudlan Province—City of Kud,” Fischer said abruptly.

“Your Highness, what if Du Fan and the others take a different path?” Abraham asked immediately upon hearing this.

“That’s impossible. Even if Du Fan takes another path, I’ll still force him to pass through the Kudlan Province,” Fischer said with a smile.

“Moreover, Kudlan serves as the granary of my Gavin Empire and is a necessary route for Du Fan’s southern advance. More importantly, the Kudlan Province is easy to attack but difficult to defend. If Du Fan doesn’t take Kudlan, where else could he go?” Fischer said calmly.

“Yes, Your Highness! I’ll set off right away!” Abraham replied eagerly.

After saying that, he immediately turned and headed for the door.

“Alva,” Fischer added.

“Your Highness, I’m here!” Hearing Fischer calling for him, Alva replied immediately.
“Order Sorro to lead 20,000 troops from the Imperial Guard to the province of Dubai, and station them near the province of Kudlan!” Fischer said.
The province of Dubai was located to the west of Kudlan Province. The Flying Tigers were the elite unit of the Imperial Guard!
“Order the Eastern Legion to dispatch the Green Dragons to enter Bafi City from the north,” Fischer continued.
The Green Dragons were the main force of the Eastern Legion, numbering 30,000. Bafi City was an important city to the north of Kudlan.
“Order the Western Legion to send the Black Snakes to enter Kota City from the west.”
The Black Snakes were the main force of the Western Legion, also numbering 30,000. Kota City was a sizable city to the west of Kudlan.
“Order the third legion of the Guard Army to set out immediately and enter the city of Kud in Kudlan Province!”
The third legion of the Guard Army was the strongest among the eight guard legions, with a strength of 100,000 troops!
“And you personally, take 500 spies and infiltrate Kud Province to spy on them,” Fischer added as his final order.
Hearing this, Alva staggered slightly.
“Your Highness, things can’t be that serious, right?” Alva suddenly asked.
“Extremely serious! With the capture of Xiaohan Pass, the strength of the Northern Legion has been fully revealed. Alva, I ask you—would any general in the empire dare to lead 130,000 troops to attack Xiaohan Pass? Even if someone did, would that general claim he could take it down in just one day and night?” Fischer pressed.
“I’m afraid no one would,” Alva replied gloomily.
“Now, this might be our last chance. If Du Fan leads the Northern Legion into the four southern provinces, we’ll face huge troubles later,” Fischer said suddenly.
“When the Northern Legion meets Du Fan’s southern army, I really can’t think of anyone in the empire who could hold them back.”
“With those well-trained soldiers from the Northern Legion alongside Du Fan’s 400,000+ southern troops, the combat strength of those southern forces will likely rise several levels right away,” Fischer said coldly.
“At that point, even if the entire army of the Gavin Empire is mobilized, it will be difficult to take back the four southern provinces.”
“If that’s the case, Your Highness, I’ll handle it right away,” Alva said promptly.
“Go and convey my orders quickly,” Fischer said. “Make sure all troops are in place before Du Fan enters Kudlan Province!”

Shadow Assassins! Just from the name, it’s clear that this is a secret force that hides in the darkness, remaining inactive unless necessary! The Shadow Assassins answer directly to the emperor! They are all battle experts who have gone through brutal training! A small portion of their members are fearless brutes from the common people—those who were secretly pardoned by the emperor for committing serious crimes and recruited into the Shadow Assassins’ ranks! The number of members in the Shadow Assassins’ unit is small, but each one is extremely fierce! Just like the regular tribes of the Shadow Assassins, they have three distinct characteristics: first, absolute loyalty to the emperor; second, combat energy levels of at least level three; third, they are all fearless warriors—those who, even with a blade piercing their heart, can still keep their eyes wide open and thrust their weapons into their opponents’ bodies! The true terror of the Shadow Assassins lies not in their own combat skills, but in their willingness to sacrifice anything to complete their missions—even knowing they might lose their lives, they would never flinch. “Du Fan, I’ve brought in my best fighters just to deal with you this time!” Fischer said, shaking his head slightly. Then, he suddenly stood up and headed deeper into the palace. After about ten minutes, he arrived at a secluded courtyard. In front of the courtyard gate hung a large sign reading “Forbidden Area. Those who enter without permission will be killed without mercy!” Fischer gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, the door closed automatically. Inside, the scene was completely different from outside! The courtyard was filled with yellow soil and black sand, creating a desolate and profound atmosphere. In the distance, amidst the sand and soil, stood a solitary grave. Behind the grave grew a strange tree with entirely crimson leaves; its shape was also very unusual, with branches crisscrossing in a chaotic manner, giving off a sense of grandeur and disorder—like facing a majestic man who has endured countless hardships! In front of the grave lay a crimson long arrow, and there wasn’t a single word on the tombstone! A tombstone with no inscription! Just as Fischer approached the grave, the crimson sword suddenly rose from the ground and lunged at him! Seeing the sword heading straight for his face, Fischer still stood motionless!

“Ancestor, the current head of the Austin family requests an audience,” Fisher suddenly said loudly as the sword appeared before him.
Hearing Fisher’s words, the crimson long sword came to a halt abruptly.
“Come in!” a voice said.
As soon as these words were spoken, the grave split open, and thethe split part kept changing. Soon, a house with blue bricks and black tiles appeared.
As the crimson long sword was planted in the ground, the wooden door of the room opened.
Entering the room, a tall man with grayish-white hair stood with his back turned to Fisher. The man suddenly turned his head, and instantly, a sense of sword energy filled the entire room.
The man, who appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, had eyes that shone like sword beams, causing Fisher great pain.
“Not bad, not bad. I never expected the Austin family to have a genius like you,” the man said, a hint of smile appearing in his eyes as he looked at Fisher.
That smile made the entire room seem to glow brightly for a moment.
“Ancestor, you’re too kind. No matter how much I train, I’m not even one-tenth as good as you!” Fisher quickly replied.
“When I was your age, I had just reached the realm level. But judging from your energy, a large part of it already possesses the attributes of divine power. With your current cultivation, breaking through to the divine level shouldn’t be too difficult,” the man, whom Fisher called his ancestor, said.
“Actually, my cultivation isn’t the result of my own efforts. Ancestor, I was just extremely lucky to become a half-divine being. But to go any further would be extremely difficult!” Fisher said directly.
“What! You’re a half-divine being?” Hearing this, the ancestor seemed somewhat stunned.
“Yes. In front of you, ancestor, I dare not hide anything,” Fisher said seriously.
“Hmm. It seems you’ve had some extraordinary experiences.” Hearing this, the ancestor suddenly asked, “Could it be that you met one of those people and received their inheritance?”
“Yes, ancestor,” Fisher replied immediately.
“It seems that person has already entered the divine realm!” After getting Fisher’s confirmation, the ancestor spoke with a hint of melancholy.

“Yes, ten years ago, my mentor passed that thing on to me and entered the divine realm,” Fisher said.
“Then tell me, what do you need from me this time?” The Ancestor immediately changed the subject and asked.
“It’s like this—I want to ask the Ancestor to help me deal with someone,” Fisher said promptly upon hearing the Ancestor’s question.
“Who is it? Someone even you and the Church can’t handle?” The Ancestor showed a surprised expression upon hearing this.
“Yes! Ancestor, that’s precisely why I’m asking you for help—because I’m not confident enough!” Fisher stepped forward and bowed deeply.
Watching the supreme ruler of the Gavin Empire kneeling before him, the Ancestor showed no reaction at all, as if it were entirely normal for such a high-ranking figure to kneel before him.
“I think if even you and the Church can’t solve it, even if I step in, it likely won’t make any difference!” the Ancestor said right away upon hearing Fisher’s words.
“If the Ancestor takes action, success is guaranteed!” Fisher hurriedly replied.