Zain glanced at Rocky thoughtfully. He had given a sound suggestion, but Zain was still wary of the
Ghost Fief's army and Rocky himself. After all, they worked for Layla. They might betray Zain, which
would be quite troublesome.
However, he couldn't think of any other way to transport the water and food except through the help of
the Ghost Fief's army.
On his end, Rocky patiently held his silence, for he knew that Zain needed to make this decision
independently. That would also prevent Zain from laying the blame on him in the future.
"Odin, please go back to the Ghost Fief's army at once. Ask Leader Gilbert to collect all the clean water
in the Wind Plain and send it along with the food in two days. I also want you to take Israel with you, so
he can assist you with the preparations,"
Zain finally decided.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness." With that, Rocky nodded, turned around, and left.
"Your Royal Highness, I see that you are still wary of Odin!" Adrian suddenly remarked.
"Of course. He may seem like a simple person, but that's only for show. However, for the time being,
we have no choice but to depend on him,"
Zain confessed with a sigh. His eyes gazed coldly into the horizon that Rocky had disappeared in.
On the flip side, Rocky found Israel and passed on to him Zain's orders. Israel then accompanied him
as he returned to the camp of the Ghost Fief's army in the Wind Plain.
The resentment in Israel's eyes remained strong, even as he traveled alongside Rocky. He felt
exceedingly envious of Rocky because the most outstanding Godly Genius of the nine fiefs used to be
him. Israel had been used to people worshipping the ground he walked on, but since Rocky had
defeated him, he couldn't seem to surpass the other man. Although they were both Godly Geniuses of
the royal family and were on an equal footing now, Rocky kept on achieving so much, which left him in
the dust. Therefore, at this time, the enemy he wanted to kill the most was Rocky.
Of course, Rocky knew what was on Israel's mind. He didn't care about Israel though, as the man was
no threat to him at all. Thus, he paid no attention to the other man and his sullen treatment of him, for in
his eyes, Israel was like a child throwing a tantrum.
After returning to the camp of the Ghost Fief's army, Rocky went to Gilbert and relayed Zain's orders.
Seeing that Israel had accompanied Rocky, Gilbert figured Zain didn't trust them at all and had even
sent Israel to monitor their movements. Fortunately, they had already planned and prepared for
everything.
Then, Gilbert called on the whole army to collect clean water by all means.
It only took about half a day before the Ghost Fief's army had collected enough water for the royal army
to last three more days. They stored it in bamboo tubes and loaded them with the food.
"Let's go!" As soon as Gilbert gave the order, the Ghost Fief's army instantly moved out, escorting the
water and food to the royal army's camp in the Red River Valley.
However, when they got to the Red River Valley, they found that fifty thousand soldiers led by the Elite
Fief's leader had blocked the entrance. They couldn't enter the valley.
Left with no choice, the Ghost Fief's army set up camp and racked their brains for a solution to this
predicament. How could they break through when they were so outnumbered?
"When did they start to block the entrance?" Israel murmured, looking puzzled.
"It must be after they burned the Red River Valley. They probably thought Prince Zain would retreat
through the entrance, so they blocked it in hopes of an ambush. However, the prince must have
surprised them by not retreating," Rocky explained after pretending to think for a while.
"Enoch is such a cunning trickster!" Israel cursed under his breath.
"This army was our opponent the last time we suffered a great loss, and the Elite Fief's leader calls the
shots. Be careful, they're not easy to deal with!" Gilbert warned as if he was frightened by their
opponent.
"Since when have you become so cowardly, Leader Gilbert? Isn't the strength of the Ghost Fief's army
on par with the Elite Fief's? We can charge headfirst into the valley as long as we can guarantee the
safety of the water and food. Those need to be prioritized and sent into the valley," Israel said with
much disdain.
Rocky and Gilbert exchanged knowing looks. Evidently, Israel could not care less about the Ghost
Fief's army and whatever they might lose. If the two armies fought against each other outright, both
sides would suffer extensive losses. However, Gilbert and Rocky would never allow the soldiers of the
Ghost Fief's army to risk their lives for undeserving people like Zain.
"It's too risky to break through that siege by force. I think it will be better to divide our soldiers into two
groups. One group will distract Enoch's army, while the other group will wait for the opportunity to break
through the entrance, sending water and food into the valley," Rocky suggested.
"That sounds good. I will escort the water and food, and you two will be in charge of distracting Enoch's
forces. Is that agreeable to you two?" Israel instantly volunteered.
"But escorting the water and food might be too dangerous. Let me do it instead!" Gilbert deliberately
tried to volunteer, knowing that Israel would take advantage of this opportunity to make a name for
himself.
"Leader Gilbert, you need to stay here because only you are on par with the Elite Fief's leader. If that
guy dares to make a move, we need you here to take care of him. As for Odin, his incredible
intelligence will be crucial just in case Leader Gilbert is not available to take the reins of the Ghost
Fief's army. Therefore, I'm the most suitable person here to lead the group that will carry the water and
army provisions." Just as they expected, Israel insisted on leading.
"In that case, thank you, Israel," Gilbert answered as if he had given up, even when he had no plans of
taking the position anyway.
He then gave ten thousand soldiers to Israel, who led them as they carried the water and food the royal
army needed. Gilbert and Rocky, along with the remaining soldiers, went to distract Enoch's army.
Since they had limited time, Gilbert and Rocky swiftly led their forces to the Red River Valley's
entrance, where they pretended to launch an attack. Enoch had forewarned the Elite Fief's leader not
to fight the Ghost Fief's army head-on, so even though he didn't understand why Enoch would order
that, he still obeyed the prince and instructed his men to defend instead of attack.
Rocky needed to create an opening for Israel and his team to break through, so he fought seriously at
first. He led the Ghost Fief's army forward, and their forces fought their way through Enoch's army.
Once they successfully breached Enoch's defenses, Israel made his move, and his forces carried the
water and food into the Red River Valley. They broke through the encirclement by force and finally got
into the valley.
Under Enoch's instructions, the leader of the Elite Fief refrained from giving chase to Israel and his
men, and they focused on fighting Gilbert, Rocky, and the Ghost Fief's army instead.
Seeing that Israel had successfully broken through the siege, Rocky and Gilbert instantly stopped
fighting and led the Ghost Fief's army back to the Wind Plain.
"It looks like our plan has gone smoothly!" Gilbert said to Rocky once they have settled down.
"Did you notice how cautious Israel was against us? But he certainly didn't expect that I soaked those
bamboo tubes' covers in special herbs. Once they drink the water those containers hold, they will only
get more and more thirsty!" Rocky sneered.
"But what if they find out?" Gilbert asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry. Those herbs won't leave a trace, and any clue of their presence would fade away the
moment they drink the contaminated water. Prince Zain won't find anything." Of course, Rocky would
not leave any evidence.
"Now, let's see if Enoch can take advantage of the weakest moment of the royal army. He must land a
good blow against Prince Zain soon," Gilbert muttered, looking excited. After all, he couldn't wait to see
the two parties fight.
"This has nothing to do with us anymore. The road has been paved, and we can only wait and see."
Rocky knew that he couldn't predict exactly what would happen next. No matter how good their plan
was, there were still chances that something unexpected would happen. Therefore, everything was
now in Enoch's hands, as it was up to him if he could take advantage while the royal army were at their
weakest.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda