99: Public opinion, divine "purification," and a combination of soft and hard tactics

Brian's response was swift, precise, and multi-layered.

Like a master chess player, he made decisive moves for different pieces.

The noose of public opinion—targeting the Valen nobles.

Just as several great nobles in southern Valen were secretly pleased with their delaying tactics, a storm of public opinion against them, manipulated by Spirit Eye, swept across the entire continent overnight.

Through controlled networks of folk bards, tavern rumor channels, and suddenly appearing 'frontline soldier's family letters' publications, a series of highly inflammatory stories began to circulate:

"Grain is molding in southern warehouses, while Blizzard Fortress warriors gnaw on frozen black bread!"

"Who is sucking the blood of frontline heroes?—Exposing the luxurious lives of southern mine owners."

"The delayed arrow: Bureaucratic shirking behind the annihilation of a frontline squad."

These stories were vividly detailed, emotionally charged, and struck directly at people's hearts.

They did not explicitly name the nobles, but all clues clearly pointed to the marquises and counts who had delayed supplies.

The public's anger was instantly ignited!

Especially in the north, which was constantly threatened by orcs, public indignation reached its peak, and protests and demonstrations began to emerge.

Even more terrifying was that this public pressure quickly fed back into the political center of the Valen Kingdom.

The King and the council, who had initially tried to tacitly allow the nobles to bargain, suddenly came under immense pressure.

They realized that if they did not take a stand, the entire kingdom's reputation and legitimacy would suffer devastating damage.

The King of Valen was forced to issue a direct order to those nobles in an extremely stern tone:

"Immediately, unconditionally, and in full, meet all requisition demands of the Supreme Commander! If you offend again, you will be treated as traitors!"

Political isolation and the label of "treason" instantly panicked the nobles.

The foundation of their power, on which they depended for survival, was shaken; no amount of wealth seemed to matter in the face of surging public opinion and the iron fist of royal authority.

Mountains of supplies were loaded onto vehicles with unprecedented efficiency and continuously transported to the north.

This barrier, based on self-interest, crumbled under the noose of public opinion.

Divine Revelation "Purification"—targeting the observers.

The old mage who submitted the sensitive report soon received a formal invitation from the Supreme Commander.

The letter was respectfully worded, inviting him, a "highly respected" expert in spiritual magic, to the Military City Supreme Commander for academic exchange and to "guide" the newly established spiritual defense system of the Supreme Commander.

The old mage arrived at the Supreme Commander with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

He received an exceptionally high-level reception, and to his even greater surprise, Brian himself met with him.

In a quiet reception room, Brian's attitude was humble, and he discussed several profound spiritual magic problems with him, displaying knowledge that earned the old mage's sincere admiration.

The conversation grew increasingly harmonious.

"Master's spiritual perception is indeed keen,"

Brian's tone shifted, carrying admiration.

"To be honest with you, to counter the potential spiritual pollution from orc shamans, I have indeed been experimenting with a large-scale spiritual defense network recently, which might have left some faint traces during testing, and I didn't expect you to notice them."

This explanation was reasonable and instantly dispelled most of the old mage's doubts.

"So that's it! It was my recklessness, I almost misunderstood you!" The old mage quickly apologized.

"No matter, Master's rigorous attitude is exactly what we need."

Brian smiled, personally pouring him a cup of calming herbal tea.

"To thank you for your correction, and to make my defense network more perfect, please allow me to perform a deep 'spiritual cleansing' for you; this is crucial for me to refine my technique."

In the face of Brian's sincere gaze and lofty status, the old mage agreed without suspicion.

He relaxed his mind and accepted Brian's spiritual guidance.

He only felt a warm, pure, and vast spiritual energy, like a sea, enveloping him, as if he were soaking in a hot spring, comfortable and secure, and some spiritual injuries accumulated from past research seemed to be smoothed away.

He didn't notice at all that, in this extreme comfort, a Mental Seed, far more refined and powerful than before, and almost integrated with his spiritual essence, was silently implanted deep within his consciousness.

He was no longer a threat; instead, he became an incredibly stable, high-level chess piece deeply embedded within the opponent's intelligence system.

iron oath's Teachings—targeting the Gale Knights.

Three days later, just as Commander Galt thought his delaying tactics would still work, a fully staffed iron oath guardian hundred-man squad, accompanied by twenty breaker robots, marched with heavy, synchronized steps to the edge of the Gale Knights's main training ground.

They made no provocative statements, just stood there silently, like a suddenly descended iron forest.

The human officer leading the team saluted Galt with a standard military salute:

"Commander Galt, by order of the Supreme Commander, my unit will conduct adaptive training here and engage in a 'friendly' coordinated defense exercise with your unit to deepen mutual understanding."

Galt's face turned grim; he knew this was Brian's response.

He could not refuse!

The exercise began.

What the Gale Knights was most proud of was its group charge, like a mountain collapse and a tsunami.

Commander Galt personally led three hundred elite knights in a desperate charge.

The sound of hooves was like thunder, and the battle aura glowed in a continuous sheet, creating an astonishing momentum.

However, when they crashed like a giant wave against the shield wall formed by the one hundred iron oath guardians, the expected scene of overwhelming destruction did not occur.

That iron wall, combining energy shields and physical tower shields, remained motionless!

The knights felt as if they had crashed into a mountain, and the immense recoil sent both riders and horses tumbling.

Immediately after, the twenty breaker robots deployed behind the iron oaths adjusted the angle of their shoulder missile launchers slightly.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!"

They did not use live ammunition but fired magic marking rounds for the exercise.

However, in the exercise system's judgment, dazzling red lights exploded among the charging knights.

On the giant scoreboard next to the training ground, cold numbers flickered:

"Gale Knights, first charging echelon, all 'eliminated'!"

Commander Galt reined in his warhorse, looking at his devastated and incredulous subordinates behind him, then at the silent iron wall in front, which seemed to have just completed a trivial task.

The fortress of pride in his heart developed a huge crack!

At this moment, the human officer walked over at the opportune moment, his tone calm:

"Commander Galt, the bravery of the knights is admirable. The Supreme Commander asked me to convey to you that in the future expedition, the Gale Knights will be entrusted with the important task of 'Honorary Vanguard,' and your order will be among the first units to be equipped with new robots and receive priority protection from the Sanctuary robots."

The carrot and the stick fell almost simultaneously.

After witnessing the insurmountable iron power and seeing a future of greater glory and benefits from integrating into the new system, Commander Galt's last resistance completely crumbled.

He took a deep breath, heavily pounded his chest with his right hand, and performed the most standard knight's salute to the officer and the iron giants:

"Gale Knights, we respectfully obey the Supreme Commander's command! From this day forward, we fully accept new training!"

Three undercurrents, under Brian's precise and efficient methods, were either crushed, transformed, or subdued.

The entire process was clean and swift, causing no major ripples, yet it thoroughly deterred all potential observers and resistors.

When the Gale Knights began enthusiastically learning new tactics with the robot instructors, when southern supplies arrived at the front lines ten times faster than before, and when the last potential leak was turned into an asset, Brian's integration of the Dawn Continent entered a new, irreversible phase.

"Master, the interior has been basically cleared!" Spirit Eye summarized.

Brian stood at the top of the Mage Tower, looking north.

The wolf riders of the orc main force's vanguard had already appeared at the far end of Blizzard Fortress's long-range observation magic mirror's field of view.

"Then," he said softly, "it's time for our iron oath guardians to say hello to this world."