Gerald's team camp was located at the edge of the main camp, close to the towering side of the ice rock.
The atmosphere in the camp was solemn and murderous. Twenty knights wearing half-light armor were silently inspecting their weapons or resting with their eyes closed. Each of them exuded magical fluctuations of about the seventh level.
When they saw Gerard coming in with Mark's team, they all looked at them with scrutiny and a hint of subtle curiosity.
Gerard introduced the situation of Mark's team in concise language, emphasizing that they were from the "Thirteenth Regiment" Captain Alfonso's side, and temporarily joined to assist in performing non-core auxiliary tasks.
When the knights heard the names of "The Thirteenth Regiment" and "Alfonso", Mark noticed that there was a hint of admiration on their faces.
Mark hadn't expected that Alfonso's name would be so useful in other knightly orders.
It seems that being able to become the leader of the Knights of the Church of Holy Light requires some talent.
After the introduction, Gerard handed Mark's team over to an old knight to lead.
The old knight with frostbite scars on his face patted the few vacant stones beside him for heating and said in a hoarse voice:
"Sit down. The rocks on the glacier are freezing, but there are cushions. I'm Old Tom from the squad, the archer.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll mainly follow my team and identify remaining magical traps. Anna will be responsible for guarding high positions and providing long-range support. Mark will be responsible for sensing abnormal magical fluctuations and coordinating to dispel them when necessary. Monica will be responsible for stealth exploration of suspicious shadowy areas. Dwarf brother... you're very strong, how about helping us carry the warning roadblocks?"
Enzo had no objection to this arrangement. It wouldn't cause much trouble anyway, and he had already met the former members of the Graybeard tribe.
Chief Torge is possessed by the 'Heart of the Star' and he is powerless to do anything about it. He also doesn't want to go back to the existing tribe's territory. He decided to wander around the continent with Mark in the future.
When the day comes when he is really too old to cause any more trouble, then he will go to the tribe land that Torge said is really peaceful and will not be disturbed.
Later that day, during a brief free time, Mark found Monica who was checking her equipment. The two of them talked in low voices under the cover of the howling wind and snow at the edge of the camp.
The wind and snow howled at the edge of the Eighth Knights' camp, blowing up ice chips that hit the temporary soundproof barrier.
Mark and Monica used this natural cover to talk in low voices.
"He's stalling for time." Monica's voice was extremely low, like a cold wind blowing through a crack in the ice. "Captain Theodore, the name is to recruit for defense, but in fact, he wants to keep us, the 'important intelligence source', within his sight.
"He doesn't trust us. Our strength is completely insignificant to his knights. He's afraid we'll get out of control, or..."
Mark leaned against the cold rock wall. His sternum was no longer in danger after being treated by the priest, but he felt even heavier in his heart.
This is also because Theodore didn't know that his [Forbidden Scripture] had the property of special attack against the Church of Holy Light, otherwise he would have lost his life here.
He nodded slightly, his eyes showing a calm and insightful look. "It would be strange if he trusted us. This is the style of the Holy Light Church. The struggle for power and profit is the main theme.
“Especially when it involves a potential major threat, it means a great achievement, and he will not easily let the insider go completely free.
"We are from the Thirteenth Knights. Leaving us here allows them to use our combat power to do some peripheral chores, and also allows them to observe us closely to ensure we don't talk nonsense, or even use us as bait when necessary.
"We need to paralyze him, of course, but he'll be exposed sooner or later, especially since my skills are different from those of a normal clergyman, and Xiao Mu... We must find an opportunity before the Eighth Knights figure out our true identity."
Monica's fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of her dagger. "Breaking in is a bad idea. He's a legend, and his knights are elite. We need him to let his guard down. On the surface, we must do our duty."
"I agree." Mark's eyes swept over the figures of patrolling knights illuminated by the campfire not far away. "Follow them, learn the real legion combat mode, and become familiar with the terrain and potential dangers deep in the ice field.
"This will only benefit us when we go to the Lor Swamp or the Misty Forest later. At the same time, we can take advantage of the Knights' resources and the relatively safe environment to rest and stock up on necessary supplies. This is especially important for the knowledge you need to master. You haven't had the opportunity to interact with such a large group of high-ranking members of the Church of Holy Light before."
"I understand." A shrewd glint flashed in Monica's eyes. "I'll gather what we need in the most inconspicuous corner, without attracting attention. Once the time is right and the supplies are ready..."
"...Set off immediately," Mark said, his tone firm. "The target is the meat grinder on the border between orcs and humans, the Lore Swamp."
In the following days, Mark's team was like the most qualified temporary non-staff members and was completely integrated into the huge war machine of the Eighth Knights.
They were assigned to Lieutenant Gerard's Third Scouting Team and strictly obeyed his orders.
The will of Captain Theodore turned into the ruthless attack of the Eighth Knights.
The huge knight group, with the Frostwhisper rift collapse zone as its center, followed a route defined by the church's intelligence network and Theodore's experience, and penetrated deep into the core area of the Arctic ice field, where they began a thorough and thorough cleanup.
Along the route, all camps, strongholds, and resource points that were discovered or marked as controlled by the Dark Church were reduced to dust under the iron hoofs and holy light of the Eighth Knights.
Obviously, this information was not collected after learning that the "Oracle" of the Enlightenment Society was lurking in the Dark Church.
Mark even suspected that if the Eighth Knights wanted to, they could easily get information about the Star-Moon Church, the Frost Sect, and the Battle Blood Sect.
Mark's team participated in every raid and battle.
The initial battle was like driving away hyenas on an ice field.
Most of the encounters were with the Dark Church's outer outposts and small groups of defeated soldiers, or groups of ice-native monsters attached to the Dark Church.
Ice and snow puppets, groups of snow monsters, dire wolves contaminated by dark magic...the opponents are weak and limited in scale.
The Eighth Knights did not take the path of occupation and persuasion, but generally pushed forward horizontally.
Those who don't surrender will be killed, and those who surrender will generally be killed after being tested for dark faith.
Anyway, Mark really hasn't seen many captured Dark Church soldiers escape the sight of the Eighth Knights alive.
It was also because of this experience that Mark finally believed the previous records in the church about the First Knights destroying the country.
This is basically the style of all knight orders...
Well, the Thirteenth Knights don't seem to be showing any signs of that at the moment.
Anyway, in Monica's opinion, these knights of the Eighth Knight Order are all reckless men.
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