Hearing Yun Zhe say that he wouldn't be leaving for the time being, Gao was very happy. Although he didn't know why Yun Zhe had suddenly changed his mind, having Yun Zhe around would indeed save him a lot of time and energy.
Gao, of course, was unaware that Yun Zhe's main reason for staying was that during his search for Akdina, he overheard the sentiments of many people. These sentiments weren't about having enough to eat and drink, or living in peace and prosperity. Instead, they were filled with complaints about hardship, food shortages, unfair trade, and so on. In Yun Zhe's mind, these issues were far more important than conquering enclaves. Therefore, he decided to stay and address these problems first. As for the task of seizing territory, he planned to entrust it to Blaze. Firstly, Blaze got along better with the new recruits; secondly, Blaze was skilled in cavalry, mobile, and less likely to cause problems.
Of course, Yun Zhe also had a personal motive. He wanted to focus on training the remaining Aluru people and the few hundred veterans. Yun Zhe planned to train them well, using them as seeds so that they could quickly form combat power should the army expand in the future.
That evening, Ellie and Jerok arrived at Yun Zhe's tent, both quite nervous. After all, they didn't know if Yun Zhe knew about their secret visit to Akdina. Yun Zhe, however, acted as if nothing was amiss. He spent the entire night chatting with Ellie about everyday things or talking about the military with Jerok, showing no sign of knowing their secret.
This finally put their minds at ease. Now that Akdina is gone, this outcome is the best possible result for them.
Yun Zhe pulled out a stack of papers from behind him and handed them to Jelock. "Starting tomorrow, strictly follow these requirements and begin training the Aruru and veterans." Jelock was taken aback. "Sir, are you entrusting the entire training to me?"
Yun Zhe nodded. "I have other things to do, so I'll leave the training to you. But I'll check on you every day, so don't slack off." After saying that, Yun Zhe looked at Ellie and asked, "Ellie, can Usa take over?"
Ellie thought for a moment, "I'll go back tonight and bring Usa over."
Yun Zhe was slightly taken aback, then nodded silently.
The atmosphere inside the tent became strange again. Jerok glanced at the stack of papers, thought for a moment, and then left, citing preparations for training as the reason. Ellie, without waiting for Yun Zhe to say anything more, followed him out.
Yun Zhe gave a wry smile, watching Ellie's departing figure, and his mood became depressed again.
But Yun Zhe didn't have much time to be depressed. He quickly composed himself, listed out the things he needed to do tomorrow and the problems he needed to solve recently, and then scheduled time for each one.
In Yun Zhe's view, Gao had only welcomed these refugees into the castle; as for governance, there were still many things that needed to be done well.
Ellie was also in a bad mood. She didn't leave; her mind filled with romantic thoughts, she went to the nearby woods to clear her head. She resented Yun Zhe for not stopping her from leaving, and felt guilty for having done so behind his back, suspecting he might already know something. At midnight, after much thought, Ellie decided to confess to Yun Zhe. But when she returned to the camp, she found only Yun Zhe's tent still lit. Startled, Ellie quietly approached the tent and saw Yun Zhe writing rapidly under the dim light, surrounded by scattered papers.
Ellie watched for a long time, but ultimately gave up the idea of going in to explain. So she quietly left the tent and headed straight for Donic City.
Under the moonlight, many places still shimmered white because of the unmelted snow. Ellie hurried along when her pupils suddenly contracted as she saw a black figure moving towards Donic Castle.
Akdina!
Ellie was confident she wasn't mistaken, but she stopped and didn't provoke the woman again. Ellie had no clue how Akdina had become so strong; she only knew that Akdina was completely unable to use her bloodline to suppress and control the woman. She also lacked considerable strength and speed. If it were only the latter, Ellie could attribute it to her being a vegetarian. But the former made her wary.
Ellie suddenly had a bold idea: "This woman has been lying all along; she's definitely older than me!" As for why she went to such lengths to conceal her age and get close to Yun Zhe... Having shed her romantic fantasies, Ellie became more perceptive. She carefully recalled every detail of this woman's appearances, and ultimately arrived at a conclusion that even shocked herself.
"This female elf vampire might be the mastermind behind the whole thing in River Valley Village." Although there was no evidence and the logic was a bit off, Ellie's intuition told her that this was very likely.
Now, she's heading towards Donic City again. Could there be some new conspiracy at play?
Akdina's transformation from rival to mastermind brought Ellie to her senses. She became cautious and shrewd, no longer the impulsive girl of just two days ago. She felt a mix of regret and relief at having driven Akdina away from Yun Zhe. With these complex emotions, Ellie slowed her pace and began to silently follow Akdina, wanting to see what new schemes she had up her sleeve.
Meanwhile, in the more distant capital, Tedler, returning with advanced experience, shattered the illusions of those besieging the capital with a heavy cavalry charge. Coupled with trouble at home, Clayton and Marquis Morris led their remaining troops to retreat from the capital. The Galician royal family, most determined to retake the capital, were now isolated and had nowhere to go, forced to flee south like headless flies.
Meanwhile, the Field army, trapped in the isolated city, lost the courage and ability to pursue the enemy outside the city. They could only symbolically chase after them for a dozen miles, just to make a show of it.
The annual Winter Solstice Festival is approaching, and the battlefield has seen a rare brief period of calm.
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