I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

So, were they smuggling into the country? Or smuggling overseas? Or were they doing something else within the country? Lu Yuan felt a headache coming on.

Please don't get involved with any certain things. I really can't hold back anymore. I just came here to study peacefully.

"No matter what, it's all a problem!" Lu Yuan thought to himself, cursing incessantly.

"Secondly, there's the Dead Lands," Blanca's voice trailed off, "They've completely given up there."

"Really? You can't hold on anymore?" Dean's voice was tinged with surprise.

"This is different from the information I received. A month or two ago, our family was told that the City of the Dead had achieved a partial victory. How come it suddenly seems like they can't hold on? Has something happened there again?"

"Sigh." Blanca sighed softly.

"A large number of residents and some city guards from the Dead Lands have begun to evacuate in batches," Blanca continued. "It is said that something horrific has happened in the Dead Lands, but information cannot get through there. Almost all sources of information have been blocked, and our family has been unable to obtain any useful information. So even now, I don't really know what happened in the Dead Lands."

Blanca tapped his fingers on the table: "But it can evacuate an entire defensive line of residents and some of the city guards, so we need to prepare for the worst."

"The third thing is also related to the City of the Dead. The large-scale evacuation there has caused significant problems with resettlement," Blanca continued.

"Those who have been evacuated need to be taken over. Resources are already scarce in the North, and with so many more people to feed, the cities are struggling to cope. The central government is preparing to send people to take over from the tribes and see if they can accommodate some of them. But I personally feel it's not realistic, really not realistic."

"From what I've heard, the tribe simply can't take in so many people. If they do, they'll quickly run out of steam. With their current population and food reserves, they simply can't last that long."

Dean then took over the conversation.

"So the tribes won't budge, and the cities can't accept them all," Blanca said quietly.

"So, are we just going to send them as refugees? If that happens, what will happen to the people of the Dead Lands? The North will probably descend into chaos."

A few moments of silence fell over the private room, the firewood in the fireplace crackling softly.

"And what about us?" Leon asked directly.

"What does this have to do with us? We're still in the Knight Academy. Even if we were to participate in a mission, it wouldn't have anything to do with refugees, would it? After all, the Knight Academy wouldn't accept these people."

"It's a very big deal," Blanca said, looking at him.

"Our group's mission is related to these things. One is to settle the evacuated residents, and the other is to investigate smuggling. Both are extremely dangerous because... there are some people of unknown origin mixed in with the refugees, and smuggling is said to involve refugees as well. But no matter which mission it is, we don't have many days left before we receive the assignment. Coming to the Knight Academy means being prepared to take on such dangerous missions."

"The reason I've gathered you all together is to remind you how to approach missions in the coming days."

"Let me add a couple of points," Eli suddenly said.

All eyes turned to him. Eli, who was usually not very talkative, was sitting very upright.

"I heard this from the Grand Knight Commander of the Astronomical Bureau," Eli continued.

"The situation largely matches what Blanca said, but not in such detail. However, the Grand Knight has confirmed the smuggling, and all the men have been dispatched. But there's one thing Blanca didn't mention." Eli paused,

"This mission is not necessarily about following orders, but rather about having some room for independent choice."

"What do you mean? Can't I refuse a mission?" Harvey asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No, it means we can form teams freely," Eli continued.

"It means you choose your own teammates and form a team."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

If we could freely form teams, many things would be much easier to solve. The worst thing about the Knight Academy is being with strangers, or rather, acting alone.

In that case, many people do not have the experience and ability to handle such tasks alone.

But being able to team up is different; everyone has different strengths, which greatly increases the survival rate.

"Wait a minute." Dean suddenly raised his hand, looking at Blanca.

"Let me ask you something more direct. Since you've come to the Knight Academy and gotten involved in this matter, your family must know something. Didn't they offer you any help at all?"

"Yes, there are some, but not many." Blanca was quite frank; she didn't hide anything.

"You know the Knight Academy; no one here can interfere arbitrarily. But my family won't abandon me. After I participate in this mission, they will provide some assistance, but not much. Because my brother has recently had some trouble, sigh..."

Branca paused, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"The family is in a somewhat awkward position right now. At most, I can guarantee that I won't run into any major problems during the mission."

Dean raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, but did not press the matter further.

Since this involves matters within the Solheim family, it's not something outsiders can interfere with.

"Alright, that's all I wanted to say." Blanca sat up straight again, looking around at everyone.

"Now that I've brought this up, you should understand that we'll be forming teams in advance. Of course, I'm not insisting on this."

Blanca spread her hands.

"You can team up however you like, with us, with your family members, or with people you know—it's all fine. The only thing I want to remind you is to prepare well in advance. The reason I called you all here is because we came together, and I thought it would be better to let you know beforehand. Of course, this was also Eli's suggestion."

"Then I'll go first," Leah said gently, putting down her cup.

"It's highly unlikely that I'll be transferred to the front lines."

Leah spoke slowly.

"Because my methods are very special, as you have seen. Just yesterday, several knights contacted me. I should be assigned special missions afterward, which I estimate will involve making some special emblems or something. If you are confirmed to be transferred to the front lines, I can prepare a batch of emblems for you in advance."

Leah continued,

"Of course, you can also enchant your existing crests, which can be helpful to some extent when you encounter danger. You can tell me what type you need, and I can customize one for you. So you don't need to look for me when you go on missions, because I probably won't be going."

(There will be another chapter tonight. The default daily reading is over 6,500 words. This is just a hint; I won't mention it again later. The timing is uncertain.)