Early the next morning, everyone gathered to prepare for departure.
The team had more people than on the way here. Gray and Pas's Red Scorpion Mercenary Group joined, and a few more carriages were added to carry four coffins and the severely injured knights.
In addition, Count Caspar sent along a thousand-strong escort army, making for an impressive procession.
After a symbolic farewell ceremony by Count Caspar, the group set off.
The entire team was enveloped in an atmosphere of solemnity and seriousness. Every person was ready for the upcoming challenges. Except for Gray.
Yes, except for Gray.
Only Gray was brimming with enthusiasm.
*For Yilin and the knights loyal to her, gaining the support of Count Caspar was merely the first step in their quest for the throne. The road ahead was still full of thorns, and the long journey had just begun. But for Gray, his goal had already been achieved. It even felt like reaching the pinnacle of "Lich life."*
Since the Black Cat refused to stay inside the armor any longer, Gray found two ropes and tied the cat to his back. A knight heading out with a cat on his back looked incredibly comical. The Black Cat strongly objected, but clearly, its objections had no impact on Gray's decision.
Not only that, Gray voluntarily took on the role of scout because he had just learned the term last night and thought it suited him well.
So, people saw a knight wrapped in thick armor, with a Black Cat on his back, riding a horse, darting back and forth at the front of the procession, as swift as the wind.
"There's a small river one kilometer ahead, and a village five kilometers out!"
"A team is approaching from behind! I asked them, it's a merchant caravan!"
"There's a village two kilometers to the left! I counted, there are 121 people!"
"There's a forest one kilometer to the right, and these are the fruits from the trees!"
Riding his tireless bone horse, Gray would occasionally dart through the middle of the team, never lingering for a moment, leaving behind only a brief sentence or two, or something else entirely. For instance, he even captured a gopher, claiming it had traces of magic power.
"Doesn't he ever get tired?" Huoersi was dumbfounded; it was his first time seeing such a diligent scout like Gray.
"Isn't that how a scout should be? I think he's quite humorous," Yilin chuckled.
"Youth is wonderful, full of energy," Pas sighed from the side.
Generally, when something unusual happens with a person, the people around will quickly notice. But when everything about someone is unusual, no one bothers to pay attention anymore.
Charging up a slope on horseback, Gray drew his longsword with a "clang" and shouted, "Your Highness, rest assured, your loyal knight will rescue you from peril and never let any evil forces harm you!"
Several farmers working in the fields in the distance looked up at Gray expressionlessly.
"If drinking wasn't prohibited for you, I'd suspect you were drunkenly riding in broad daylight. Wait a minute, where did you learn those lines?" the Black Cat on his back suddenly blanked out.
"From the 'Knights' Guide to Success!'
"The 'Knights' Guide to Success' had that? Let me see it."
Getting off his horse, Gray put the Black Cat down and took out the 'Knights' Guide to Success.'
"It's a novel! You planned to become a knight with just this novel?" The Black Cat had only flipped through two pages before shouting.
"A novel?"
"A storybook, it's not any kind of guide to success!"
"Oh, is that a problem? This book is well written. If I become a knight like in the book, I'll find a bard to write about my adventures! Turn them into songs!" Under the sunlight, Gray raised his longsword high.
*The Black Cat felt it was losing its mind. This Lich was sprinting down the wrong path with no way to stop him.*
*What could be worse than a Lich becoming obsessed with knight novels?*
"We should consider building a castle and doing some evil deeds instead. Really. That's what a Lich should do."
"Silence! I am now a righteous knight! See my badge! Don't instill me with evil thoughts!"
"..."
*Faced with Gray's righteous words, the Black Cat and the bone horse next to him were momentarily speechless.*
…
"What if an evil dragon kidnaps the princess? Dragons are usually very powerful, and I'm not sure I can defeat one."
"Why do you think you'd encounter an evil dragon kidnapping a princess?"
"Aren't there many? I read about it three times in this book."
"..."
…
"If we find treasure, it seems we should distribute it to the poor. But what if I don't know many poor people?"
"How many times did the book mention finding treasure?"
"Seven times."
"Oh, don't worry, you'll meet plenty of poor people."
*The Black Cat didn't want to argue anymore and just wanted to bite the author of the book.*
*Modern novelists are becoming more irresponsible, writing all sorts of nonsense! Didn't they consider that a Lich might read their novels?*
…
Yilin and Pas stared at Gray from a distance, their faces filled with confusion.
…
At nightfall, the team set up camp in the wilderness. The thousand-plus people team, viewed from afar, looked like a field of tents and bright lights.
Having traveled the entire day, the soldiers were exhausted. Except for those on night watch duty, everyone else ate and quickly retired to bed.
As for Yilin, her work seemed just to begin.
Inside the tent the soldiers pitched for her, she endlessly planned and handled various tasks.
"These armors are no good, they need to be replaced. Go back ahead and have the blacksmiths start making some spares. Check if anyplace sells them, it'd be better if we can buy some."
"Yes!"
…
"We need to gather food. Take this letter to the mayor, tell him to find a way. Make the millers work overtime, we need more bread."
"Yes!"
…
"Have the bank issue me five thousand gold coins, using the six estates in White City as collateral. They should agree."
"Yes!"
…
"Miss Yilin, Count Caspar has given us fewer troops than we expected."
"It's normal for it to be less. Let's hope he brings enough troops to join us later. Did you probe the leader of the troops?"
"I tried talking to him on the way. Unless he's exceptionally good at hiding it, Count Caspar doesn't seem to have given him any secret orders."
"Find a way to stabilize him and make him one of our own."
"Yes."
…
Gray stood to the side, listening intently, then quietly asked, "What are they doing?"
"No one told you what's going on?" Pas whispered back.
"No," Gray shook his head.
Pulling Gray aside, Pas quietly said, "You know that our Miss Yilin is the only daughter of Duke Beisher, right?"
"Um... I think so." Gray racked his brain, trying to remember what "only daughter" meant, but found he had entered a knowledge blind spot.
Was it the same thing as a unicorn?
Pas hesitated, realizing Gray's odd reaction, but continued, "Two months ago, Duke Beisher passed away. You understand what that means, right?"
"Passed away means died! I understand that!" Gray got excited, finally hearing a term he'd learned last night.
"I wasn't talking about whether he died or not! I meant..." Pas was getting really irritated. After looking at the busy Yilin in the tent, he patiently said, "I mean Duke Beisher died, and naturally, his only daughter, Miss Yilin should inherit his title."
"But then a guy named Jones appeared, claiming to be Duke Beisher's illegitimate son. Duke Beisher never mentioned having an illegitimate son, not even to his trusted steward Abi Robbs. How could that be possible?"
"Having an illegitimate son wouldn't be much of a problem anyway. According to the law, illegitimate children can't inherit property or titles. But the problem is the King brought out this illegitimate son. The King has the authority to grant legitimate inheritance rights to an illegitimate child and did so. That caused trouble. As a male, according to the law, once given inheritance rights, the illegitimate son immediately became the first in line, over Miss Yilin."
"With all this turmoil, the vassals of the Beisher Family were unhappy. But the other side was the King. Although the Beisher Family is strong, that's only when there's consensus. Miss Yilin hasn't inherited the Duke title yet and doesn't have the authority to command the vassals' armies. And some vassals have already betrayed the family. The Beisher Family's unfavorable situation is apparent, leading many vassals, even if unhappy, not to stand up, and some even sided with the King, like Count Caspar. As for Miss Yilin, she only has a small, loyal portion of the Beisher Family's forces and her mother's inheritance."
"This is Miss Yilin's situation now; she needs to gather the Beisher Family's vassals as much as possible. Though it won't be enough to contend with the King, she can bet the King wouldn't dare provoke a civil war. Civil war with heavy casualties would invite interference from other countries."
"Got it now?"
Finishing his explanation, Pas looked at Gray. Gray stood there like a statue, staring back at Pas.
"Didn't get it?"
"I think... I got it." Gray's mind was spinning, but too many unfamiliar terms left him unsure.
Seeing Gray unresponsive, Pas seemed to lose interest. He casually patted Gray's shoulder, "That's about it. Ask me if you have more questions. Message gathering is my specialty. Don't worry too much. In noble wars, we can always surrender if necessary. They rarely pursue ordinary folks. We don't have titles or lands they could strip. Well, I don't, but you do. Hahaha."
With that, Pas walked away.
After Pas left, the Black Cat on Gray's back asked, "Did you really understand?"
Gray got nervous, "I understood the last part: to defeat the lord called the King, or else the knight title I just got will be gone!"
"Yes. What about the rest? Fully understood?"
"No."
"No worries, I'll translate for you. Basically... she's in big trouble! I told you before that bad luck is contagious. If you meet an unlucky person, either stay far away or kick them! We should leave here quickly and you can continue being a Lich! Trust me!"
After this impassioned speech, Gray remained unresponsive.
Stalemate, stalemate, and more stalemate.
Sighing, the Black Cat eventually said, "Fine, you two unlucky guys spread your bad luck. Can things get worse? Hahaha... maybe they can."
*At this moment, the smile on the Black Cat's face grew increasingly bitter.*