142: Transfer

Under Artemis's sharp verbal assault that day, Blade Claw, however unwilling, had no choice but to accept the facts, sitting on his stone toilet, hoping that the High Priest—who was also a double agent—could bring him some good news.

Although, he didn't hold out much hope for that anyway.

Sure enough, more than half a year later, that scoundrel of a High Priest brought him bad news.

On this day, Blade Claw was flipping through memorials with utter boredom when, suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

"Report—" The messenger stumbled into the great hall, dropped to his knees with a thud, and said in a hoarse voice, "Your... Your Majesty... the High Priest... has returned!"

Blade Claw stood up abruptly and headed toward the city gate.

Not long after, Jonnison's familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the great hall. However, this figure was vastly different from the past.

Jonnison limped inside; his once magnificent priestly robes were tattered, stained with filth and blood, looking like a rag. His face, which always wore a hypocritical smile, was now pale as paper and covered in stubble—where was there any trace of the High Priest's former majesty?

Following behind him were Bloodfang and Iron Bone. These two fierce generals were no better off. Bloodfang's right arm was missing, the wound wrapped in thick bandages through which bloodstains were faintly visible. Iron Bone was even more miserable; one leg was severed at the knee, simply splinted with wooden sticks, and he limped as he walked, looking painful just to watch.

As for the accompanying soldiers, it was even more unbearable to look at. Some were missing arms, others missing legs; they were all covered in dust and grime, dejected, with no resemblance to an army at all.

Blade Claw looked at the remnants of his army before him, his eye twitching. He forcefully suppressed the rage in his heart, pointed at Jonnison, and asked in a trembling voice, "High Priest, can you tell this King, is this what you meant when you told me not to worry?"

Upon seeing Blade Claw, Jonnison immediately began to wail, tears and snot streaming down his face: "Your Majesty... you must seek justice for me and the two generals! That Rock Stele... that Rock Stele is just too cunning!"

"Cunning?" Blade Claw sneered, "I think you are all just too useless!"

"Your Majesty, you don't know!" Jonnison wailed, recounting their encounter in the Feishuang Icefield with added embellishments.

According to Jonnison's version, as soon as they arrived at the Feishuang Icefield, they were tricked by that brat, Rock Stele. That kid had somehow learned a set of crooked, evil Formations and trapped them inside, giving them a terrible time.

After finally breaking the Formation, they fell into an ambush set by Rock Stele. That kid led a group of the Rebel Army, appearing and disappearing like ghosts, hitting and running, leading them around in circles.

Generals Bloodfang and Iron Bone fought bravely, but they were outnumbered; one lost an arm, the other broke a leg. Jonnison himself had nearly lost his life.

"Your Majesty, it is not that I and the two generals are incompetent, it is truly because that Rock Stele is too powerful! If you don't believe me, you can ask Generals Bloodfang and Iron Bone!"

Bloodfang and Iron Bone exchanged a glance and lowered their heads, saying nothing. They knew clearly in their hearts that Jonnison's words were heavily exaggerated. But matters having reached this point, in order to avoid being the target of his anger, they could only play along with Jonnison's act.

Blade Claw looked at these three scoundrels who dared to deceive their king, his teeth itching with rage. If he hadn't been receiving regular reports from the Raven Eye troops, he might have actually been fooled by these three guys playing the victim.

He really wanted to slap these three to death right now, but he couldn't do that. After all, the High Priest, needless to say, still had some utility value.

As for the other two, their loyalty to him was unquestionable; if it hadn't been for the pig of a teammate dragging them down this time, even if they were outmatched, they wouldn't have ended up like this.

"Enough, all of you shut up!" Blade Claw roared, "A bunch of trash, and you still have the face to wail here?!"

The three of them immediately fell silent, lowering their heads, not daring to speak again.

"Get out! All of you get out of my sight!" Blade Claw pointed at the city gate and roared, "Seeing you makes me annoyed!"

The three of them, as if granted amnesty, scrambled out of the great hall.

Blade Claw couldn't be bothered to stay there any longer; he returned to the palace and sat alone on his throne, his chest heaving violently. He closed his eyes, and the various warnings Artemis had given him surfaced in his mind.

"Rock Stele, High Priest... and the other candidates. Just you wait, victory will definitely be this King's!" Blade Claw said through gritted teeth.

Blade Claw pondered on the throne for a long time, but as the saying goes, the more he thought, the angrier he became. He decided to go back and find Artemis to tell him what happened and ask for his counsel.

As a result, just as he returned to his bedchamber and before he could open the secret passage, he received a message from Artemis.

The general meaning of this message was that Artemis told Blade Claw not to come looking for him for the time being, until he could think of a way to make the High Priest leave the capital again.

Because there might be an envoy accompanying the High Priest back, he had to use a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain to avoid exposing himself.

This message instantly calmed Blade Claw's restless heart, and he felt a strong sense of malice, like children quarreling while an adult stepped in to take sides.

Time passed quickly, and another half a year went by. In this year or so, due to the lack of Blade Claw's absolute combat suppression, the living environment for the Rebel Army could be described as thriving.

Although they were generally still in a suppressed state, in some places, several Liberated Zones had already been established.

At this time, Blade Claw summoned the High Priest once again.

Inside the palace hall, Blade Claw sat high on his throne, looking down at Jonnison from above. After more than half a year of recuperation, Jonnison's complexion had improved quite a bit.

"High Priest, how has your body recovered?" Blade Claw's voice was low, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's blessing, there is no major issue." Jonnison bowed and saluted, keeping his posture very low.

Blade Claw nodded slightly, his fingers tapping gently on the armrest of the throne, making a "tap-tap" sound that echoed in the empty hall.

"High Priest, you have seen it too. Ever since the last battle in the Feishuang Icefield, the rebel forces in various places have become increasingly rampant, even setting up some 'Liberated Zones'—this is simply outrageous!" Blade Claw's tone gradually turned cold.

Jonnison lowered his head, not daring to reply. He knew that Blade Claw was about to start "settling scores."

"These unruly people, every one of them is ungrateful, daring to betray the glory of the God!" Blade Claw slammed the throne and shouted angrily, "This King wants them to know who the master of this land is!"

Jonnison's heart tightened; he knew this guy was going to cause trouble for him again.

"High Priest, as the bridge between humanity and God specifically appointed by God, it is your responsibility to educate these ignorant people and let them return to the embrace of God." Blade Claw stared at Jonnison, saying each word clearly.

"Your Majesty's meaning is..." Jonnison asked tentatively.

"This King wants you to go to those 'Liberated Zones' to preach!" Blade Claw's voice was resolute, "Tell those ignorant people that only by believing in God can they receive salvation! Only this King is their only reliance!"

As soon as Jonnison heard this, he knew that Blade Claw had no good intentions. This wasn't preaching at all; it was clearly sending him to his death! Given how the Rebel Army in those "Liberated Zones" hated Blade Claw to the bone, if he were really just an ordinary High Priest, wouldn't going there be like a sheep entering a tiger's den?

"What? You are unwilling?" Seeing that Jonnison was slow to express his stance, Blade Claw frowned, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, how could I be unwilling?" Jonnison hurriedly put on a smile, "Being able to reawaken the people's faith in God is my honor. It's just..."

"Just what?" Blade Claw asked.

"It's just... Your Majesty, you also know that the Rebel Army in those 'Liberated Zones' are not kind folk. These old bones of mine have no strength to truss a chicken; if something were to happen..." Jonnison said with a troubled expression.

"Hmph, what are you afraid of?" Blade Claw snorted coldly, "This King will send 'Black Scale' and 'Poison Fang' to assist you."

"Black Scale" and "Poison Fang" were two other capable generals under Blade Claw; one excelled in defense, the other in using poison, and both were troublesome characters.

"With the help of Generals Black Scale and Poison Fang, it will naturally be foolproof." Jonnison said this, but in his heart, he was thinking about how to pit his teammates against each other again.

Although "Black Scale" and "Poison Fang" were powerful, compared to "Bloodfang" and "Iron Bone," they were still a bit lacking. Last time there was Rock Stele, this time there were comrades in the Liberated Zones; the advantage was still with him.

"Your Majesty, look... could you send a few more men?" Jonnison asked cautiously.

"What? You still think it's not enough?" Blade Claw's expression darkened, "High Priest, do you think that the generals under this King are just decorations?"

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, I don't mean that." Jonnison hurriedly explained, "I am just... just worried that those rebels are too rampant; if the same thing as last time were to happen, it would not be worth the loss."

"Hmph, that's all the people you get." Blade Claw said coldly, "Take them or don't; if you don't, you can go by yourself."

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely do my best." Jonnison said helplessly.

"Hmm, that's more like it." Blade Claw's expression softened a little, "There is no time to lose, prepare to set off now."

"Yes! Your Majesty." Jonnison bowed and saluted, then exited the great hall.

After Jonnison left, Blade Claw sat alone on the throne, a cold sneer appearing on his face.

"High Priest, Liberated Zones... I would like to see what kind of waves you can stir up!" Blade Claw muttered to himself.

"Someone come here!" Blade Claw suddenly shouted.

"Your Majesty." The personal guards arrived in response.

"Send people to continue watching the High Priest for me. This time, not only do I want to monitor his actions, I also want to know his every word and deed."

"Yes!"

Blade Claw watched the personal guards leave, calculating in his heart: "High Priest, oh High Priest, last time you dared to plot against me, this time prepare to be stabbed by me."