176: Chapter 176 Assault

[Divination 4: High Priest Bartholomew, who bribed an informant in advance, will join forces with Gustat, Tharos, and two High Orcs sent by the Troll Tribe of the Orc Race to surround and assassinate Wells and Montgomery.]

Bribing an informant! The Troll Tribe!

Two High Orcs! An encirclement and assassination!

This divination information was completely beyond Lister's expectations; he hadn't expected anyone to be so bold.

To dare to directly betray their own people at such a critical juncture of war with the Orc Race, and the ones being betrayed were two Golden Knights.

One could imagine that if Montgomery and the other were truly ambushed and killed, the situation on the front lines would instantly collapse.

At that time, the entire Western Frontier Territory would be exposed to the blades of the Beast Tribe, becoming lambs to the slaughter.

Then again, he somewhat admired the audacity of the Beast Tribe for directly seeking out two High Orcs as helpers, especially from the Troll Tribe.

The Troll Tribe was a tribe within the Orc Race that was significantly more powerful than the Beast Tribe; they were often seen on the northern battlefields, and their fierce reputation was widespread.

However, what he cared about most was High Priest Bartholomew being able to obtain such important intelligence at this critical juncture.

This not only indicated that the person bribed held a position of some status and had even infiltrated the Count's Manor, but it also showed that the priest's ability to gather intelligence was very strong.

For a moment, he etched this High Priest deep into his mind; if he encountered him in the future, he would have to deal with him very carefully.

Thinking of this, he began to worry. He faced a problem: how to convey this news to Montgomery and Wells, or to Count Theodore.

As for simply watching Montgomery and the other be ambushed and killed, he didn't consider that at all.

Setting aside their importance to the entire Western Frontier, even looking at it from a selfish perspective, if they died, then his efforts in coming to the Western Frontier Territory would be in vain.

If he wanted his previous plans to be successfully implemented, he had to ensure Montgomery and Wells survived and continued to maintain the confrontation on the front lines.

The current Iron Thorn Territory Branch could not withstand any major upheavals; at least until next spring, they had to pass through this cold winter peacefully.

Lister's tightly furrowed brow was seen by the several people nearby, and they all showed looks of concern.

"Brother, are you alright?"

The soft, sweet voice of concern caused Lister to snap back to his senses instantly. He quickly looked at Christina and regained his smile, saying, "Brother is fine, I was just thinking about some things."

"You don't need to worry."

is

Hearing him say this, the few people were immediately relieved. Knowing that what he was thinking about must be important, they all quieted down and stopped disturbing him.

Although his train of thought had been interrupted, Lister suddenly came up with a solution.

Actually, the method was the same as what he had thought of before, just with a different recipient for the message.

If he wanted to send the message to Montgomery and Wells, or to Count Theodore, using the Magic Cloud Eagle was indeed the fastest way.

But delivering it to them directly would face a major problem: there was a high probability it would expose him.

After all, facing a Magic Cloud Eagle of unknown origin, these three experienced men would certainly become suspicious and send people to investigate.

Lister believed that with their abilities, they could definitely follow the clues from the Magic Cloud Eagle and eventually find him behind the scenes.

At that time, how would he explain the source of his information to the three of them? He feared even a hundred mouths wouldn't be enough to explain it.

As for the idea of having the Magic Cloud Eagle drop a message and run, that would absolutely not work with those three.

Forget running; the moment it entered their sphere of influence, it would likely be shot down as an enemy scout.

He had worked hard to obtain the Magic Cloud Eagle; how could he let it die for nothing like that?

Therefore, since he couldn't deliver the message to them directly, he would deliver it to someone very close to them—

Tiffany Ferdinand!

As the youngest daughter of Count Theodore, not many days after Lister arrived at the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, she had also come to a nearby territory.

Don't let Lister's usual busy schedule with the development of his territory fool you; he hadn't neglected gathering information on the surrounding lords and powers at all.

Even if they weren't his enemies, understanding the situation of his neighbors would be beneficial for his future development of the Iron Thorn Territory Branch.

That said, when he learned that Tiffany had also come to be a Pioneering Lord, he couldn't help but feel surprised.

It wasn't that he looked down on women, but in his memory, female lords were truly few and far between.

The difficulties one had to face were much greater for a woman than for a man, especially in a dangerous place like the Western Frontier Territory, so he actually admired Tiffany's courage.

Furthermore, Count Theodore had never hidden the fact that she was the little princess of the Ferdinand Family.

Thus, besides him, many surrounding Pioneering Lords knew the news of Tiffany coming here to be a Pioneering Lord.

He didn't know what those lords thought, but presumably, it wasn't bad.

Because in the reports from the Soldiers he sent out, many lords in the area radiating out from Tiffany's territory often personally led people to her territory.

They called it "exchanging commercial trade" for the sake of appearances, but anyone could see their true intentions.

They were just lusting after her!

One had to know that this was the precious daughter of the famous Border Count Theodore. If these young lords, most of whom were effectively in exile, could win Tiffany's favor...

Then forget about returning to their family territories; even the inheritance rights for the next lord would be within their grasp.

So for this dream that had only a tiny chance of success, they had to try until they were completely exhausted.

Therefore, during this time, these lords had tried every possible way to send money and resources. Anything they thought could win Tiffany's favor, they did, short of carving out their own hearts.

Unfortunately, even though Lister had never met Tiffany in person, he could see her thoughts from how she treated these people.

She didn't accept any of the money, resources, or other tangible items, but in the construction of her territory, she would often "reluctantly" accept the serf labor lent by those lords.

This tactic of taking everything without leaving a trace made Lister sigh in admiration at its brilliance.

Later, even if these lords turned resentful out of unrequited love, there was nothing they could condemn.

After all, I didn't take your things, and you forced the labor on me yourself. What does it have to do with me?

Consequently, the infrastructure development of Tiffany's territory during this period was incredibly fast, making even Lister quite envious.

Actually, he hadn't originally intended to keep paying attention to her territory, but the commotion there was just too great.

With lords "visiting" from time to time, the scale was so large it was hard not to notice.

It was precisely because of this that most of the defensive forces in Tiffany's territory were used for territorial management.

His Magic Cloud Eagle would then be able to silently deliver the message into Tiffany's hands.

As for whether Tiffany would believe the news, Lister wasn't worried at all.

In this sensitive period, even if a smart person doubted the source and authenticity of the news, they would certainly take it seriously and report it.

After all, this news posed no harm to her or Count Theodore; it was merely a warning.

On the contrary, if the news was true, it would save two Golden Knights, or even the entire Western Frontier Territory.

So he believed Tiffany would weigh the options clearly; otherwise, he would truly have to doubt her intelligence.

After deciding on the plan, he didn't delay and quickly wrote down the message with pen and paper.

He then summoned the Magic Cloud Eagle, Ying Feng, who had been stationed by his side on standby, handed the letter over, and after a few instructions, watched it quickly fly away.

Regarding Lister's series of actions, the nearby people did not intentionally look or listen. They knew that the things Lister did personally were all very important.

If he didn't tell them, they wouldn't take the initiative to ask. What should be told to them would naturally be told; they needed to have a sense of propriety in their conduct.

After finishing this, Lister once again joined everyone in happily tasting the delicious tea and snacks.

Beast Tribe, Front-line Grand Commander's tent.

The main seat, which should usually be occupied by the army's Grand Commander Tharos, was occupied by a different Orc today.

Its face was similar to a human's, but it retained many physical characteristics of lion-type magical beasts, and its entire body radiated a strong—

—sense of overwhelming pressure.

It was the leader of the Beast Tribe, Gustat.

On both sides below the main seat sat two Orcs who were equally extraordinary in presence.

The two on the left were Grand Commander Tharos and High Priest Bartholomew; the former had a burly build and an imposing aura, while the latter was lean and had a strange, chilling aura.

On the right were two High Orcs from the Troll Tribe, the brothers Bart and Barry. Their builds were even taller than Tharos', and they sat in their seats like two small mountains.

Seeing the arrival of the two, Gustat, sitting in the lead, was in a very good mood. His voice laughed freely like a lion's roar, "Haha, with the two of you here to help us this time, I believe Montgomery and Wells will soon sacrifice their lives to the Beast God."

"The Chief is right; I've long been itching to tear them apart," Tharos echoed with a fierce smile.

Bart and Barry also broke into unrestrained smiles upon hearing this, looking like demons from hell, making one's hair stand on end.

For this assignment, although they had taken great risks to come, if they could successfully kill two human Golden Knights—especially the quite famous Montgomery and Wells—

Then they would not only severely damage Theodore's forces and cause a massive weakening of the defensive power of the Kingdom of Peidan's western border, but also enhance their own reputation within the Orc Race. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

Unlike the confidence of the four of them, Bartholomew, in his seat, kept a calm face—it was even a bit unsightly.

But this unpleasantness was not due to the behavior of the other four, but rather caused by his own psychological changes.

Noticing this, Gustat asked, "High Priest Bartholomew, what is wrong?"

As the words fell, the gazes of the other three also landed on Bartholomew.

Raising his eyes slightly, Bartholomew's raspy and cold voice rang out.

"Chief and everyone else, I suddenly felt a bit uneasy just now."

"Uneasy?"

The four were stunned for a moment, then showed looks of surprise and suspicion, not knowing what could make a dignified High Priest feel uneasy.

Seeing this, Bartholomew looked solemn and continued, "The only thing recently that could make me feel uneasy seems to be the assassination of Montgomery and the other. Perhaps there has been some change in this matter."

"A change?" Tharos' tone shifted as he questioned, "High Priest, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Perhaps he didn't notice the change in Tharos' tone, or perhaps he didn't care.

Bartholomew still responded calmly, "By change, I mean that this assassination mission might encounter problems, or even fail."

As the words fell, the expressions of several people changed instantly. Tharos even laughed out of anger, "Heh, High Priest, this kind of joke isn't funny."

"You should be clear about how long we've prepared for this and how much effort we've put in."

"Now, hearing what you mean, are we supposed to give up on this ambush and assassination?"

The brothers Bart and Barry also looked slightly displeased, looking at Bartholomew with questioning eyes.

For this assassination mission, they had come a long way from the north under great pressure. If they failed to complete the task and came for nothing, wouldn't they become a laughingstock upon their return?

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment. The next second, Gustat in the lead laughed and said, "The High Priest certainly didn't mean that; he's just a bit worried."

"Everyone knows that the decision for this assassination was because of the intelligence the High Priest bought. And that person who was bribed has cooperated with us for a long time and is hidden very deep in the Western Frontier."

"Although I admit Theodore's ability isn't bad, I believe it's almost impossible for him to discover and completely root out that person."

"Besides, even if some accident occurs, with the five of us working together, should we be afraid of any changes?"

These words of mediation did not make Bartholomew feel he had misspoken, nor did they eliminate the unease in his heart, but he knew that saying more now would be useless and would only cause internal strife.

Moreover, Gustat's analysis was not wrong. The person who sold them the intelligence was someone he had personally interfaced with and developed; they would not be discovered so easily.

Thinking of this, his tone softened slightly as he apologized, "The Chief is right. I must have been overthinking earlier. Please do not take it to heart."

As the words fell, Tharos and the brothers Bart and Barry immediately relaxed their expressions and regained their smiles.

They were determined to succeed in this assassination mission. The former had fought Montgomery and Wells for many years and strongly desired to see them dead.

The latter two had come with a mission and were under great pressure from above; they could not allow themselves to return without success.

Tharos laughed loudly, "High Priest, I think you've just been too tired lately. It so happens that not long ago I captured quite a few human women; I'll send you a dozen or so to help you relax."

"Thank you for your kindness, Grand Commander, but I'm afraid my body cannot handle it."

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