The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Jeremy stepped out of his tent and saw Viner stop a patrolling soldier and ask him a few questions in a low voice.

After hearing this, the soldier gave a disgusted look, casually shoveled a shovel to Vina, and pointed in the direction outside the camp.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: dig a hole for yourself to solve.

"I will get an explanation for you."

Realizing that Vina wouldn't be back anytime soon, Jeremy turned and headed toward Vadia's tent.

-----------------

"That's good."

Wiener carefully wrote down what he had learned on a piece of cloth, then wrapped the crystal bottle in the cloth and carefully buried it in the ground.

He patted the dirt off his hands and left a unique mark on the tree trunk behind him that only members of the Silver Wolf Class could understand.

After confirming that everything was arranged properly, he walked towards the camp feeling refreshed.

Just as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by two guards.

"Um, I'm Lord Jeremy's personal guard. I just went out to relieve myself. May I come in?" Viner asked in a low voice.

"Let Jeremy come out and get you," the gatekeeper replied coldly, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Then please inform them for me?"

"Report it yourself."

"If you won't let me in, how am I supposed to report this?"

"You can go in when Jeremy arrives."

No matter how Wiener tried to explain, the other party mechanically refused, making him secretly wonder if the soldier had gone mad from taking drugs.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a calm voice came from behind.

"Let him in."

Vadya approached slowly, his tone exuding an unquestionable authority.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately sheathed their weapons, creating an opening for Vina.

"Lord General."

Wiener hurriedly bowed, but inwardly he felt a growing wariness of the other party's sudden appearance.

He was confident that the other party would not see through the illusion, but this encounter did not seem like a coincidence at all.

Wadja nodded. "It's a waste for a guy like you to stay with Jeremy. How about coming with me?"

Upon hearing this, Vena was slightly taken aback, then revealed an expression of being flattered: "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but Lord Jeremy has been kind to me, and I'm afraid I can't bear to part with him."

"That's up to you."

Wadya snorted coldly, seemingly disdainful of Viner's choice.

When Viner returned to her tent, she saw Jeremy standing outside, his face showing a hint of disappointment: "Why didn't you agree to him!"

Chapter 642 The Strategy of Luring the Enemy

In Jeremy's view, following Vadya was the only way to resolve the side effects of the Awakening Potion.

Little did they know that Wiener had never drunk the potion in the first place.

Compared to the unpredictable Vadia, it's naturally easier to act by following Jeremy's side.

“I would rather follow you than him.” A faint smile played on Vina’s lips.

“Never mind,” Jeremy sighed, yet felt a sense of relief. “How are you feeling now? Do you have your Awakening Crest?”

Wiener initially wanted to deny it outright, but then he thought that if Vadya found out that he hadn't changed at all after drinking the potion, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

"Yes, look!"

He stretched out his hand and used the Mirror Image technique to simulate a faint line on his arm.

Jeremy had never seen such a fragmented and short emblem before. He frowned and asked, "What kind of emblem is this?"

"Of course it's the Emblem of Power!" Venere waved his fists a few times, then strode to the tent, picked up a stone block, and lifted it up with all his might.

"That's... pretty impressive." Jeremy forced a smile.

He didn't want to hurt Vina, but anyone who had awakened a crest could achieve that level of power.

It is a terrible loss to awaken such a useless emblem at the cost of one's life force.

Unbeknownst to the two, a soldier who was supposed to be on patrol nearby suddenly stopped and took in everything that was happening.

Meanwhile, Vadia was sitting in the main camp deep in thought, the image of Viner lifting the stone block flashing through his mind, and he couldn't help but sneer: "Trash really do attract each other."

Before this, he still had a sliver of interest in this lowly soldier who dared to refuse his proposal.

So after seeing the emblem of Venus's awakening, that interest vanished.

A guy who has no real power but only some clever tricks is not worth paying attention to at all.

"Never mind, as long as it doesn't get in the way," Vadya said softly.

-----------------

Shortly after Vina left, a silent presence appeared at the spot where he had buried the crystal bottle.

Jessica looked around to make sure no one was there, then reached out and wiped the mark off the tree trunk.

Then, she drew her longsword from her waist, and precisely plunged the tip into the ground, quickly unearthing the intelligence left behind by Vener.

The whole process took only a few seconds. After filling the pit, her figure disappeared from the spot, as if she had never appeared.

"This is a message sent by Wiener."

Back in Gosa Canyon, Jessica spread the strips of cloth and the crystal bottle out on the table.

The group, who were discussing their next move, had grown accustomed to her elusive nature and turned their attention to her.

Adele picked up the crystal bottle and examined it closely, her brow furrowing slightly: "This is the potion that can awaken the emblems of ordinary people?"

“According to what Vena said, this stuff can forcibly awaken a person’s emblem, at the cost of draining their life force,” Jessica said in a deep voice. “I haven’t had time to analyze the specific ingredients yet, but among the enemies we’re about to face, there are two thousand emblem users who were catalyzed by this potion.”

“We encountered something similar when we were in Kunji Village. It turns out it was the work of the Empire.” Samif still remembered this incident.

After a moment of silence, Adele slowly spoke: "I was unaware of this matter, but since it was my oversight, I will take responsibility for it."

"As long as Lucien can be overthrown, I will not allow it to continue to harm the world, no matter the cost."

Treating the empire's soldiers as disposable expendable resources.

Behind these two thousand emblem envoys, countless innocent lives have been sacrificed.

This kind of inhumane behavior is something she cannot tolerate under any circumstances.

The group did not doubt Edel's determination, but the most pressing issue at the moment was how to deal with the upcoming enemy.

“Since the Holy Knights have dealt with similar opponents before, could you share your experience?” Feld asked.

Aloy frowned, recalling the battle at the time: "Back then, we were only facing some bandits and brigands. Now, we're facing the Empire's regular army, so the reference value is probably limited."

"Aside from basic military skills, the level of awareness of these people can be uniformly regarded according to the standards of the Great Emblem."

"Two thousand Grand Heralds?" Sigurd was somewhat surprised.

If it weren't for the support of the Holy Knights, this number would have been several times that of the Iceblade Knights.

Even in the Paladin Order, where everyone is a Herald user, not everyone can awaken a Grand Herald.

“They awaken through the catalysis of drugs, which is extremely unstable. If the awakened emblem does not reach the level of a major emblem, their body and mind will soon collapse,” Jessica said.

“I suggest we hold our ground,” Aloy offered his opinion. “While we are not afraid to confront them head-on, the power of the emblems accumulated within these guys will erupt in an instant after they die.”

"If we fight on the plains, even if we win, it will only be a Pyrrhic victory."

Now that the coalition forces have the advantage of the Gosa Gorge, defending the city is the best option.

“But what if they don’t launch an attack?” Sigurd asked.

“That would actually be a good thing,” Aloy continued. “As time goes on, their physical condition will become more and more unstable, making them much easier to deal with.”

“We can’t delay,” Edel rejected the suggestion. “Since they can turn ordinary people into Emblem users, the longer we drag this out, the more people will be killed.”

"Moreover, the real trouble among these people are Waldersee and those two demons. As long as they don't die, they can gather even more troops at any time."

“Vina did mention a solution to this,” Jessica said, pointing to the strip of cloth. “He wants us to issue a statement saying that Juta used a wishing spell to break the dungeon seal and release several demons. St. Freya Academy will send the Holy Knights to assist the Empire in eliminating the demons.”

"Are there really any reinforcements?" Edel asked Aloy.

“The academy itself needs to reserve some forces to guard against the kingdom’s actions. This is all the support the Holy Knights can provide,” Aloy admitted. “Even if reinforcements arrive, they won’t be able to get here in a short time.”

“We don’t necessarily need reinforcements. We just need to make them fight us before the reinforcements arrive,” Jessica chimed in, a shrewd glint in her eyes. “Just spread the word that the hero is on his way, and they won’t be able to resist.”

"As for the two demons mentioned in the intelligence, I'll deal with one, and the other—"

Jessica was about to suggest giving it to Venere, but Adele interrupted her, saying, "Give the other one to me. Venere went through so much trouble to infiltrate; there's no need for her to be exposed so early."

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Chapter 643 The Greedy Vadia

"Are you sure?" Jessica asked curiously.

The Wave Messenger cannot be summoned repeatedly in a short period of time, and Feld is responsible for leading the army to confront Vadia head-on. It is somewhat difficult for Edel to deal with the demons alone.

"At least holding them off shouldn't be a problem." Adele smiled slightly, looking at the Blazing Demon standing quietly by the table, with more confidence. "If you want to solve this, you'll have to come and help me."

“Of course,” Jessica said, relaxing a bit as she saw that the other party didn’t intend to fight back. “If something happens to you, all our efforts will have been in vain.”

“If you’re wielding a weapon crafted by Venere herself and still get easily defeated by a demon, you’ll never be able to hold your head up again,” Edel laughed.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and a silent understanding arose between them.

“Then it’s settled.” Jessica nodded, then picked up the crystal bottle. “I’ll go analyze this thing now.”

"I'll wait for your good news." Edel watched Jessica leave, then looked at the few people who remained. "Let's discuss the details of dealing with the Vadia army again."

-----------------

"You mean, not only are the Holy Knights' reinforcements on their way, but even the heroes are on their way?" Vadya stared at the latest intelligence in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Yes, General." The messenger nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, I get it."

With a wave of his hand, the messenger retreated with a sigh of relief.

As the tent flaps closed, the camp became much quieter.

"Could this be a feint?" Jeremy couldn't help but speak up in the deathly silence. "There have indeed been reports of demons wreaking havoc in the east, and the heroes may not necessarily be after us."

“In any case, it won’t stop us from taking back Gosa Canyon.” Vadya glanced coldly at Jeremy.

The information about demons appearing in other places has not yet been confirmed as true or false.

But within his camp, there were two genuine demons.

If Arios is indeed within the Empire's borders, he will surely come knocking.

The only correct course of action is to conquer Gosa Canyon before the heroes arrive, and then let these two demons hide.

Wadya paused, his tone growing even colder, "If you're scared, you can find a safe place to stay as soon as possible."

“I—” Jeremy’s expression changed drastically.

He was about to retort when someone beat him to it and smoothed things over.

“No one wants to avenge this humiliation more than Lord Jeremy, but the rebels are extremely cunning, so it’s best to be cautious and not fall into their trap,” Viner said, bowing.

As Jeremy's only confidant, he was not allocated a seat, but he was still qualified to attend the meeting.

However, after learning that Vena had only awakened a fragment of the Power Emblem, Vadya's interest in him had long since waned.

Hearing this reminder, I felt like I was being taught how to do things, and I was quite disdainful.

“It’s not your place to command me. If you’re so eager, why don’t you be the vanguard? After we break through the city, you’ll get the credit,” Vadya said with a mocking smile.