Chapter 603: Prelude to War

Jieluo stood at the top of the Tower of Heaven, overlooking the bustling Holy City of Hermes at her feet.

The number of believers heading to the plateau had doubled compared to previous years, as had the new Judgment Army – Yongdong alone had supplied the church with nearly 20,000 people. The army, which had suffered losses in previous battles with evil beasts and the Kingdom of Wolfheart, was quickly replenished, and its size even exceeded that at the beginning of the war.

It could be said that unifying the Four Kingdoms was the only correct decision made by His Eminence Oberlain. Once Graycastle and Dawn fell into the hands of the Holy City, the church would undoubtedly usher in a new peak.

However, it was far from enough, she thought. This peak was more than enough to rule secular kingdoms, but it was still not comparable to the Union with the Fertile Plains.

If they wanted to win in the Battle of Divine Will, the church had to do more.

"It's not Isabella this time?" Taifulun's voice suddenly came from behind. Jieluo turned around and saw the three archbishops entering the hall in turn.

"Her Eminence has sent her to Dawn to carry out a supervisory mission," Jieluo bowed slightly to show her respect. "Today, I will replace her in presiding over this meeting."

"Is His Holiness really that busy?" Aer shrugged. "Doesn't even have time to see us?"

"Watch your attitude, Aer," Sori Dar frowned. "His Eminence has his own plans, and you are not allowed to question them."

"I was just saying."

"Sitting in that position can indeed be very busy," Taifulun smiled. "When His Eminence Oberlain was still around, I often heard Mien and Heather complain like that."

"Indeed," Jieluo gestured to the three of them, then walked to the small table by the window. "Let's talk here."

"Not going to the secret room?"

"Now that the church's situation is very good, who would eavesdrop on our conversation and leak it out?" Jieluo said easily. "Even the most stubborn nobles know which side to choose."

"But there are always some people who like to go against the tide," Although Taifulun didn't quite agree with her statement, he didn't insist on going to the secret room. The other two were even more indifferent.

"Are you talking about the Fourth Prince of Graycastle?"

"Who else?" The old man took a sip of tea after sitting down, and said angrily, "Our plan to surround the Western Territory failed. Not only the Purified, but even the High Priest ran back to Hermes. It's ridiculous!"

"His Eminence agreed to their withdrawal," Jieluo said unhurriedly.

"You mean... Mien?" Taifulun was stunned.

"One step slow, every step slow," she nodded. "Ever since Silver Whip was killed in the Dragonfall Ridge, we have fallen behind Roland Wimbledon. By the time we learned of this news, it was already three months later. It would definitely be too late to send new people. So you don't need to be harsh on the Purified under your command. Their sticking to Graycastle will only make them targets for Roland."

"No need to punish them? I want to take this opportunity to hone Emma's temper," Sori raised an eyebrow. "She always questions my orders."

"That must be because your orders are full of loopholes," Aer sneered. "After all, for the Judgment Warriors, using their brains is a difficult thing."

Before Sori could reprimand him, Jieluo had already spoken first, "Listen to her questions more, it may be of great help to you. But if you want to discipline your own Purified, I won't say much. Just don't make too much trouble. Every Purified is a hard-won treasure of the church."

"Yes, Lord Jieluo."

"But... why did Roland rob the God's Stone of Retaliation?" Taifulun pondered. "Could it be because of the relationship between Silver Whip and Storm, he sensed the existence of the Purified?"

"Perhaps he knew it long ago," Jieluo said noncommittally. "We all know now that he started recruiting witches a long time ago, and he is also involved with the people of Sleeping Island – and the abilities of witches are strange and varied. It is not surprising that they know the news of the church."

"Taking away so many God's Stones, but there is no news of a large sale on that side, this is not a good sign."

"Not necessarily," she tapped on the table, focusing everyone's attention. "This is also why His Eminence summoned you here today. The intelligence agencies in the Secretarial District have recently discovered abnormal grain purchases in Coldwind Ridge. In addition, the ships going north from Redwater City are unbelievably numerous, almost one or two every day. But Silverlight City has not seen these ships sailing to the capital, nor has Three Bay River."

"..." The three looked at each other. "Where did those ships go?"

"You have all been busy recently recovering the war materials deployed in Dawn, so it is normal that you have not paid attention to the situation in Graycastle," Jieluo said bluntly. "After excluding the east and west sides, there is only one place they can go – Northland's Silent Valley Town. There is the only tributary connected to the Redwater River, and it is also the town in northern Graycastle closest to Coldwind Ridge."

With the memory of the Azurewater Queen, she knew the distribution of towns in Graycastle like the back of her hand, "In other words, Roland Wimbledon is mobilizing the resources of his territory and concentrating them in the Northern Territory. What he wants to do, the answer is self-evident."

None of the three bishops were fools. They quickly understood what Jieluo meant, but understanding was one thing, believing was another, "Wait, do you think Roland is planning to attack the Holy City of Hermes?"

"It's not what I think, but the conclusion analyzed by the intelligence agencies, and His Holiness also agrees with this speculation – the victory in the capital has made him confident, thinking that the Holy City of Hermes is also vulnerable, and it is not difficult to make this decision. It is true that his snow powder weapon is far stronger than Tifico, but we are not unprepared. That's why His Eminence allowed the church personnel in Graycastle to evacuate temporarily," Jieluo spread her hands. "The nobles can't stop him from sweeping the churches everywhere because he's already prepared to openly be enemies with us."

"He... is crazy!" Sori exclaimed.

"The Wimbledons are all crazy," Aer swallowed. "Garcia is, and so is Roland."

"This news is of great importance, we should do further confirmation," Taifulun pondered for a moment. "Why don't I let the Purified under my command go to Coldwind Ridge to investigate?"

"No need," Jieluo denied. "We will attack Graycastle sooner or later, so it saves us the trouble if he concentrates his troops. This way we don't have to attack city by city like Wolfheart – as long as we defeat the Fourth Prince, the war will be over." She looked at Taifulun, "How long will it take us to complete the material preparation?"

The old bishop said in a deep voice, "About two weeks."

"What if we send an advance force of about a thousand people? Plus three hundred God's Punishment Army."

"A team of this size can set off tomorrow."

"Very good," Jieluo stood up. "Instead of waiting for Roland to come and cause us trouble, we should take Coldwind Ridge first. Isn't he collecting food there? Maybe it can compensate us for some of the God's Stone losses. Sori Dar, you are responsible for this advance force. Take Coldwind Ridge within three days."

However, she did not get an immediate answer.

The three hesitated for a moment, and Taifulun asked, "Is this your meaning, or His Eminence Mien's meaning?"

"..." Jieluo suddenly felt a surge of anger in her heart. These fools, she was the successor recognized by Oberlain, and also the orthodox continuation of the Union. How dare a mere mortal question her? She suppressed the fire in her heart and smiled as if nothing had happened, "Of course it is His Holiness's decision. If you have any questions, you can ask him in person, but the affairs of the Secretarial District are very heavy, so it is best not to interfere with His Eminence's work unless there is something special."

"Yes, we respectfully obey the Holy Will." The three bishops put their hands on their chests.