After seeing Tristan off, Todd summoned Cumberland and Alfonso and showed them the church documents.
After reading the document several times from beginning to end, Cumberland and Alfonso exchanged a glance. Cumberland cleared his throat and asked Todd, "Grand Master, what are your thoughts on the mission assigned by the Church?"
Todd touched the bridge of his nose with his finger and said helplessly, "How do you see it? Since the Church has publicly released this document, it means that they have made up their minds to drag the Knights of Twilight into the Eastern War. But on the other hand, the alliance between Silver Ring City and the barbarians must have put a lot of pressure on the Church."
Cumberland then asked, "Do you think we should send troops?"
Todd nodded: "Sending troops may be a last resort. The legitimacy of Twilight Town and the Knights is based on the Church's recognition. If we don't send troops or respond passively, it will inevitably arouse the Church's resentment, which will be detrimental to our future development."
Upon hearing this, Cumberland gave the speaker a meaningful look.
Alfonso, holding his helmet in his hand, thought for a moment and then said, "The North Stone Mine is the Silver Ring Kingdom's largest source of revenue. Its silver ore production accounts for 70% of the kingdom's fiscal income. Therefore, the number of guards and the fortifications at the mine are second only to the Silver Ring capital city in terms of defensive strength throughout the kingdom. Moreover, in addition to these guards, we also need to consider another possible army—the barbarians. For such an important stronghold, Silver Ring City will definitely request the barbarian army to assist in its defense."
At this moment, Cumberland suddenly said something unrelated to the meeting: "I've heard that the higher-ups in the church have heard about the Knights of Twilight recruiting mutants as soldiers and using explosives."
Todd was taken aback and quickly asked, "Where did you get this information?"
“Knight Dion has many friends among the secular nobles of the Papal States…” Cumberland adjusted his posture and looked at Todd, saying, “In fact, it was only a matter of time before the Church learned of these secrets of the Twilight Knights.”
Todd focused his gaze on the official document, nodding slowly: "It seems the Church's request for the Twilight Knights to attack the North Stone Mine is a deliberate attempt to send us to our doom..."
Alfonso slammed his fist into his thigh and said in a deep voice, "Then we'll use the excuse of insufficient manpower to abandon our advance on the North Stone Mine!"
Todd leaned back in his chair, his expression grave. "We can't do that. Although we've signed a peace agreement with the North Island tribes, it's not a solid one. The pirates could turn against us at any time. Besides, we still have many enemies around Muxi Town. It's not wise to antagonize the church at this time."
Cumberland stroked his silver beard: "This mission issued by the church is actually more like a test."
"Test?" Todd asked, puzzled.
"Testing the attitude of the Twilight Knights towards the Church." Cumberland looked at the 'protective umbrella' flag on the wall of the Grand Master's office and began to explain to Todd, "The establishment of the Twilight Knights is different from that of the other three major church knight orders. In terms of time, the other church knight orders took three years or even more than nine years from planning to actual establishment, while the Twilight Knights obtained the Holy Decree in less than half a year."
"From the perspective of purpose, other church knightly orders were established to deal with the invasion of heretics and to deter secular royal power. As for the establishment of the Twilight Knights, the church appears to be doing so to obtain the formula for the Crystal Relic, but the real intention is to use Twilight Town to attract the enemy's attention. Grand Master, think about it. Without sending any reinforcements, the church is asking Twilight Town to deal with the three forces of Silver Ring City, pirates, and barbarians at the same time. This is already treating the Twilight Knights as a pawn."
Cumberland paused for a moment, then looked at Todd and continued, "Finally, there's the composition of the personnel. Most of the high-ranking members of other knightly orders are devout nobles or clergy members of the church. But the Grand Master of the Twilight Knights was originally an ascetic monk from a monastery, and most of the soldiers are deserters from Silver Ring City. Add to that the gunpowder used by the southern heretics and the alien species defined as 'posthumous children of demons,' how could the church feel comfortable letting such an 'unconventional' knightly order develop?"
After hearing Cumberland's analysis, Todd's eyes widened, and he looked at him in surprise.
Seeing the other person's expression, the old man waved his hand and said, "These are not all my words; most of them were compiled by my old boss and friend, Earl Emerson."
Todd immediately became interested: "So where is the Earl now? I'd like to see him."
Upon hearing the question, Cumberland shrugged. "That old tortoise stayed in Duskwood for a while before returning to Silver Ring. I repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay. His answer was always the same: the royal family had done him a great favor, and if he abandoned the kingdom and left, he would never forgive himself."
Todd sighed and dropped the subject.
The three discussed the matter for a while and finally decided to venture into the North Stone Mine.
Alfonso was responsible for selecting suitable candidates from among the refugees, training them, and incorporating them into the army. Cumberland was responsible for the preparation of the troops and the development of tactics.
As Alfonso left the room first, Cumberland slowed down. Todd knew that the latter still had something to say to him, so he moved closer to him.
The old knight lowered his voice: "Grand Master, what is your opinion on the official document stating that the Church allows you to establish a secular kingdom?"
Todd glanced at the old man: "Personally, I think this is the Church's preparation for the future political landscape. If the Twilight Knights do indeed conquer the North Stone Mine and establish a Knights Kingdom, in the near future, if the combined forces of the Silver Ring and the barbarians are defeated, the Church can instigate a war between secular kingdoms to restrain the increasingly powerful Twilight Knights..."
Cumberland turned to the side and said in a low voice, "Grand Master, you should know that this is not what I want to ask. Regarding the matter of the secular kingdom, what I want to know is 'your' opinion?"
Todd's heart tightened. He stopped and stared into the old man's eyes, realizing the deeper meaning behind Cumberland's words. However, he could not discern any hint or intention in the old man's eyes.
A few seconds later, the commander gave up on pursuing the matter further and said softly, "It's pointless to talk about the future now. Let's wait until everything happens, and then we'll know the answer."
Cumberland turned his head back, and laughed as if to console himself: "Commander-in-Chief, you're right. Who can predict the future?"
The old man walked toward the gates of the Knights' headquarters, his figure eventually disappearing into the sunlight.
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