Chapter 95

Facing the argument that was taking place in the temporary supervisory committee meeting room, many of the people present were silent. Captain Colin had a look of anger on his face, the veins on his neck standing out like writhing earthworms. Jerome's eyes had a hint of gloom as he watched the two people arguing. Some of the other teachers remained silent, while others whispered to their neighbors, exchanging opinions. Most of the teachers had some reservations about the task that was being assigned.

"Gentlemen..." The tall, thin man with a mustache and a fancy silk hat looked around at everyone, his tone condescending, "This is not a negotiation, but merely a notification. The goose neck grass and golden wolf marrow are materials specifically requested by Master Abian for the preparation of restorative potions. The Black Flame City military is in dire need of a large quantity of these potions. In the vicinity of Black Flame City, these materials can only be found in the Crescent Grassland. Your trial teams are already in the Wild Wolf Valley, which is the closest to the Crescent Grassland. The Black Flame City Management Committee has entrusted me to bring this order. For the students, this trial will be a better form of training!"

"Are you asking these kids to risk their lives for training?" Jerome sneered.

"Which year has a trial gone smoothly without casualties?" The man with the silk hat replied calmly.

"The Crescent Grassland is much more dangerous than the Wild Wolf Valley. The golden wolves there travel in packs, and a Level 2 golden wolf is not something ordinary students can handle. If the Black Flame City Management Committee needs goose neck grass and golden wolf marrow, they can send people to collect it. There's no need to let a group of students take such risks..." Captain Colin's single eye glinted with a cold light. "I've served in the Black Flame City military for many years. How come I've never heard that the military has become so extravagant that they can afford to equip their forces with restorative potions?"

Perhaps aware of the one-eyed man's temper and strength, the man with the silk hat was slightly more restrained when facing Captain Colin, but his tone remained somewhat aggressive, not minding that his lie had just been exposed. "Captain Colin, the affairs of the Black Flame City military high command are not something we can concern ourselves with. Everyone knows what major events have been happening recently. The relationship between Black Flame City and the entire Andaman Alliance with the Norman Empire and the Sun God Dynasty is becoming increasingly tense. The military is already stretched thin. Some important figures in Black Flame City need to stockpile some restorative potions, so Master Abian is very busy. This is just a small matter. I only need to issue a few tasks under the name of the temporary supervisory committee. The higher-ups have already approved it. I will handle the specifics, and you just need to cooperate... " He sneered again, his small-mindedness evident. "Of course, I know that you have a lot of influence among the trial students. Many students will listen to what you say. If anyone wants to cause trouble for me during this task, they are welcome to try. If I can't complete this task here, I will report everything that happens to Master Abian and the management committee. Hey... hey... then you might have to face people who are not as easy to deal with as me!"

The name of Master Abian and the recent situation of the Andaman Alliance made everyone fall silent. Abian was the chief alchemist of Black Flame City, a powerful figure who could make anyone in the room feel immense pressure. The current situation of the Andaman Alliance was even more dire. Just last week, the Red Scarves, who had disappeared for a while after a setback in Black Flame City, reappeared and suddenly attacked another city of the Andaman Alliance, Lance City. After causing significant casualties and losses, the Red Scarves fled. The garrison of Lance City pursued them relentlessly, but the Red Scarves disappeared in the border region between the Andaman Alliance and the Sun God Dynasty. The pursuing garrison of Lance City was ambushed and annihilated by the Sun God Dynasty's army. After displaying some of the bodies of the Lance City garrison in the territory of the Sun God Dynasty, the Sun God Dynasty expressed great anger, accusing the Andaman Alliance's army of disrupting the peace of the border and deliberately provoking a conflict. Part of the Sun God Dynasty's army had already begun to gather in the border region. Everyone knew it was a conspiracy, but knowing it didn't change anything. Besides the Norman Empire, the Sun God Dynasty had finally shown its fangs to the Andaman Alliance. The entire Andaman Alliance was now on high alert.

"A few golden wolves and a pack of wolves won't be more terrifying than the armies of the Norman Empire and the Sun God Dynasty that these students might soon face!" Seeing the silence of the crowd, the man with the silk hat added.

"This trial is free for all students. No one can force them to do anything, not even the Black Flame City Management Committee and Master Abian!" Captain Colin glared at the man with the silk hat. "This is our bottom line?"

"Heh... heh... Don't worry, I believe some students will cooperate with me. No one will be forced to do anything!" The man with the silk hat smiled confidently...

...

Ten minutes later, standing on a windowsill of the outer fortress, Captain Colin watched as more and more students gathered at the task announcement area below. In a fit of anger, he punched the granite windowsill, causing a large chunk of stone to fall. He turned his head, his single eye looking at Jerome, who had a somewhat melancholic expression. "Jerome, you're the smartest. Tell me, in less than a month, has the situation outside really become so dire that the big shots are preparing for a retreat?"

"Does a lion need to explain why it eats a rabbit? This is what General Lin Changjiang, the commander of the Norman Empire's Northern Frontier Army and the governor of the Northern Frontier, said when the Norman Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked him about the Black Flame City incident. General Lin Changjiang instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey this message word for word to the Andaman Alliance. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did just that..." Jerome also sneered. "The lords of the Alliance thought they could continue to use the Black Flame City incident to engage in verbal sparring with the Norman Empire, ultimately making a big issue small and a small issue nonexistent, and then stay out of it to make money safely. But they didn't expect that this time, the other side didn't even bother with surface-level efforts. They are directly showing their fangs. The lion wants to eat the rabbit, and the rabbit is definitely scared. This time, the Norman Empire is serious. The people in Black Flame City, who only want to do business, are preparing for a retreat. Restorative potions? What good are restorative potions when others want to cut off their heads? They are busy preparing some restorative potions while their heads are about to fall off. They are still meticulously counting their money and thinking about their gold. Black Flame City can't spare the manpower, but if they triple or quintuple the rewards, there will be plenty of pioneers and adventurers willing to come to the Crescent Grassland to earn some extra money, helping them prepare these not-so-valuable goose neck grass and golden wolf marrow. There's no need to let someone like Samira, who is always looking for opportunities to climb the ranks, take advantage of the situation and make the trial students face greater risks!" Jerome sighed. "I originally wanted these students to complete the trial without worries and give them a beautiful memory. Now it seems impossible!"

Saying this, Jerome turned to face Captain Colin, looking at him seriously. "After this trial is over, I will resign and leave Black Flame City..."

"You're leaving?" Captain Colin looked at Jerome with surprise.

"I've been thinking about this for the past few days. Can't you see that chaos is coming? Whether in the Sun God Dynasty or the Norman Empire, or even the entire Blackson Human Corridor, the real big shots are already making various preparations for the future. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, in three, five, or ten years, the Third Human Holy War will break out. Once the Holy War starts, billions of lives will turn into corpses, countless countries and cities will become ruins. No one knows how long this Holy War will last, or even if humanity will survive after the Holy War. In such a chaotic world, following a group of people who only count gold and do small business has no future. If you want to find a backer, find a bigger one. I don't want to be cannon fodder for a bunch of guys with silk hats. What about you, do you want to leave with me? Let's go out and explore together?"

Captain Colin frowned, struggling. Today's events made him feel defeated. This sense of defeat, combined with recent events in Black Flame City and the Andaman Alliance, made the one-eyed man waver in his loyalty to the Black Flame City management, which he had served for over a decade. As Jerome said, when the commander of the Norman Empire's Northern Frontier Army, General Lin Changjiang, said those aggressive words that made all the Black Flame City soldiers with blood in their veins furious, what was the Alliance's parliament doing? What was Black Flame City doing? They weren't declaring war or preparing for a fight to the death. Instead, they were arguing. In the Alliance's parliament, a large group of people were bickering, demanding that Black Flame City send all the evidence of the recent incident to Lance City for a so-called hearing. The panicked Black Flame City was also preparing to comply, trying to play a delaying game. Such behavior was very disappointing to Captain Colin. The weakness of the Alliance was evident. A group of people who only count gold and do small business might thrive in peacetime, but in such a chaotic world, they would only be others' fat meat on the chopping block.

"What, still thinking about Teacher Daina? Afraid to leave her, worried that a beautiful woman won't be ready to go through the trials with you?" Jerome hit Captain Colin's sore spot.

Mentioning Teacher Daina, Captain Colin's face turned red, and he stubbornly argued like a child, "So what if I am? I've saved enough money to buy a house over 100 square meters near Bright Avenue soon..."

"Wow, how sweet. You two are truly a perfect match..." Jerome laughed mockingly.

"Damn it..." Captain Colin threw a punch at Jerome, but the well-prepared Jerome slipped away, retreating to the door and making Captain Colin's punch miss.

"Trust me, Colin, you and that woman have no future!" As he left, Jerome said seriously to Captain Colin.

"Nonsense, I feel that Teacher Daina has a good impression of me!" Colin continued stubbornly.

"That's your delusion!"

"On what basis do you say that?"

"Have you ever seen a swan fall in love with a bear?" Without looking at Captain Colin's furious and ugly face, Jerome quickly ran off. "I need to keep an eye on that guy with the silk hat. If he does something excessive, I might have to cause some trouble. I hope the students you've taught are smart and that fewer of them get carried away!"

... (To be continued...)

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