"A new Knightly Path expedition? Now?"
Westheid was stunned, not quite understanding why this expedition was happening.
As he recalled, the Country of Yonglan hadn’t launched any new expeditions during the Age of Strife. Just dealing with the Heaven-Devouring Wave was more than they could handle, with the Knights fully occupied suppressing it... ’Huh? Mivana?’
Westheid gave the Wolf-eared Maiden a deep look, and she responded by blinking and tilting her head.
’Oh, right. Mivana’s original destiny was to be dominated by the killing instinct of her Cursed Blood. But now, the Lady Knight is perfectly fine by my side. Her murderous urges have been significantly tad, to the point where she can walk the Knight Path without fear of being consud by bloodlust.’
’No wonder the Country of Yonglan has the spare capacity for an expedition.’
He thought about it a bit more and realized this was definitely sothing the Country of Yonglan would do.
The Country of Yonglan was different from other nations. It didn’t have as many hidden pitfalls. Compared to the mortals of other realms, who had been spoiled by the Divine Ancestor, the Yonglan Knights were relentlessly self-reliant. They never put their faith in future generations to solve their problems; no matter the difficulty, they believed they could cut down any obstacle with the blades in their hands.
If it weren’t for the Heaven-Devouring Wave, the Country of Yonglan might have truly been a bastion of integrity among the Realms of Order. Everyone else was panicking, busy maintaining order and reassuring their people.
But for the Yonglan Knights, the best way to reassure the people was, as expected...
As if to confirm Westheid’s suspicion, Mivana nodded and continued:
"Yes. The Chaos Shock and the severing of the connection between the divine and the mortal have affected the Country of Yonglan as well. To counteract the chaos caused by losing contact with the Divine Ancestor, and to boost morale, the knightly council at Gale Heart has decided to organize a Knightly Path expedition."
The Wolf-eared Maiden’s eye, half-hidden by her hair, glead as she spoke in a low voice:
"An unprecedented... and massive Knightly Path expedition."
It was a thod that perfectly suited the Yonglan Knights. In a country where Knight Lords governed their own lands, only a Knightly Path expedition could rally all the lords. It would both purge the corruption brought by the Chaos Shock and unify the people, preventing the nation from fracturing in an era without the Yonglan Riding God.
It was perfectly logical. There was just one unsettling detail.
"The laws and rules of the Country of Yonglan... they aren’t in effect anymore, are they?"
Westheid looked at the silent Mivana. As if he had seen right through the Lady Knight’s thoughts, he asked cautiously:
"Is your status as a Knight Lord still recognized? And your holand... is it even considered part of the country in the eyes of the Yonglan People?"
These two questions struck at Mivana’s deepest fears. The Wolf-eared Maiden’s face turned ashen. She bit her lower lip and slowly shook her head.
"I don’t know... If Teacher Viona were still here, the Dusk Lamp Territory would probably be fine. But now... how my ho is judged will depend entirely on the will of the Expeditionary Army."
In the official chronicles of the Country of Yonglan, the fourteenth expedition was an unprecedented, disastrous defeat.
In the mainstream view of the Knight Country, the Dusk Lamp Territory—a land predominantly populated by Beastn—was not seen as conquered territory. It was a mark of sha from a past defeat, a stain that urgently needed to be wiped clean.
From Mivana’s own experience growing up, the entire domain of the Dusk Lamp Territory had been thoroughly isolated, cut off even from trade with neighboring lands.
Westheid asked, "Do you want to go back?"
Even though he hadn’t yet obtained the Cursed Source Blood Tier T0 Talent, Westheid couldn’t bring himself to ask her to stay. Telling Mivana to ignore the fate of her people would be too heartless.
"No, not yet."
Mivana shook her head and replied:
"The preparations for this Knightly Path expedition will take a long ti, so the Dusk Lamp Territory is safe for now. Besides, the worst-case scenario isn’t guaranteed. I just need to prove to the Expeditionary Army that my kinsn are not a threat. The Knights should be able to understand."
’Are you sure they’ll understand? And not just take your people’s heads in exchange for military glory?’
Westheid held his tongue. His understanding of the Yonglan Knights was likely deeper than Mivana’s. Wherever the Knight Army passed, stones were put to the sword, grass was put to the torch, and the people were replaced.
’The Lady Knight seems to be clinging to illusions. She has to understand that Knights of Chivalry are the exception. Mainstream Yonglan Knights are, to a man, born war fanatics—virtual Chosen of Khorne, and "experts" at loving the people.’
Even in the Age of Strife, their thods hadn’t changed from the past. In a way, the Heaven-Devouring Wave almost seed like karmic retribution for the Knights.
"I’ll be heading to the Country of Yonglan later, too."
After thinking for a mont, Westheid said:
"Once I’ve stabilized the situation on the border, I’ll head over right away and back you up."
"!!!"
The mont he finished speaking, Mivana’s eyes widened, and she stared at Westheid in astonishnt.
"What? Are you the only one allowed to help reclaim my ho? Am I not allowed to help you defend yours?"
Westheid said with a smile:
"Becoming the Knight King isn’t so simple. It’s too difficult to do it alone. Don’t refuse. And even if you do, it’s no use. I’m going."
This wasn’t just about helping Mivana. In his original plan for ascending to godhood, Westheid had intended to take control of the Country of Yonglan’s power.
In any case, the Knight Path was simply too appealing. If he could command the Yonglan Knights, he would be able to make up for his lack of military power.
If it weren’t for Mivana, Westheid would have planned to take the Knight King’s throne for himself. But if the Wolf-eared Maiden wanted to do it, that was fine too. She was on his side, after all.
Mivana said, "No, it’s just... wouldn’t that be considered interfering in the Knights’ internal affairs? The Yonglan People are very xenophobic. You would be heavily targeted."
"Then we’ll fight."
Westheid’s response was very much in the style of a Knight:
"The path of the Knight King is to beat everyone into submission. If we can display absolute power, all difficulties will naturally resolve themselves. That is the Yonglan way of life."
Mivana tilted her head. "With the Qinghui Legion... against the Yonglan Knights?"
When it ca to the art of slaughter, the Yonglan Knights were second to none in the Mortal World, save perhaps for the Celestial Vault Kingdom; they were unstoppable. Mivana may not have approved of her holand in many ways, but its martial virtue was absolutely beyond question.
"Why are you looking at like that? Do you have no confidence in ?"
Westheid waved his hand dismissively.
"I’m not afraid of a fight. In fact, the thought of war excites . What’s happening on the border? That’s not a real war. We’re just beating back a few waves of the Chaos Tide. A war with the Country of Yonglan, now *that’s* a fight. The Knightly Path expedition has tens of thousands of people, with Sword Spears and Light Cannons. I hear they even have a Riding God Giant Statue."
But at the last mont, Duke Qinghui added a caveat:
"That being said, we’re not even at the Legend rank yet, so we shouldn’t be boasting. Once we achieve the Legendary Celestial Rank, then these words will have so weight."
"We will reach the Legend rank."
Upon hearing this, Mivana’s expression beca resolute. She placed a hand over her heart and declared, "Both Teacher West... and I."
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