Chapter 35

In the palace of the Principality of Gels, Duke Gels wore an anxious expression on his face. He had given his granddaughter a magical item that could transmit signals across the entire city of Maitian. Another one was with him, and it would alert him if she was in danger. Now, the magical item on Duke Gels was flashing wildly. The usually composed and steady man could no longer remain calm. He even considered taking action himself, but the consequences... All he could do was worry. He roared, "Quick, go save my Lucia! She's outside the West Gate. Tell me, what was she doing outside the city?"

Someone ran out to arrange the rescue, while others joined in the worry. The steward, enveloped in battle aura, rushed over and reported, "Ninth Princess went out to distribute food to the civilians outside the city, influenced by the Hillary Francis family. The Francis family is distributing food in the squares of the capital today."

"Hillary Francis, Francis, my leniency is not a reason for you to act. Absolutely not. I just don't want a civil war in the principality. Have my concessions and goodwill made me appear weak?"

Duke Gels, his face as cold as ice, gritted his teeth and spoke each word slowly. He was not a fool. The Francis family's act of winning the hearts of the people in the squares, followed by his granddaughter going out to distribute food and then encountering danger, clearly had a connection. Did Hillary Francis think he couldn't defeat him? Or that he wouldn't dare to fight him?

"Pass my order: cleanse the principality's garrison in the capital, control the target ministers, mobilize the principality's guard corps, seal off the capital, and send secret letters to the nobles at the border. Some people don't want me to resolve this peacefully. I will not give them peace."

Duke Gels' voice became calm, and after speaking, the corners of his mouth twitched, as if he were both crying and laughing. The steward accepted the order and left, understanding that the Duke no longer wanted to endure. If the Ninth Princess survived, the Duke might show some restraint. If she didn't, the principality would face a brutal civil war.

******

Amidst the anxiety, anger, and despair of countless people, and the sinister smiles of others, as the battle cruiser of the Mitchell Empire approached, and as the civil war in the principality was about to be ignited, Nalasha floated, blinked her eyes, and stared at the gradually appearing cruiser, entranced.

Nalasha bit her finger and asked excitedly, "How many military merits would destroying an enemy nation's battle cruiser earn? Now, Brother Murong is a viscount, a count, a count."

Moses had stopped circling and was also watching the cruiser approach. He saw a large tube on the cruiser pointing at them and couldn't help but shout, "Young Master, Miss, don't wait, use the trump card."

He didn't know what his master's trump card was, but he was clear that the young master and the young lady hadn't used their full strength in the previous battle. If they didn't act now, what if the estimation was wrong?

"Um!" Gongsun Murong uttered a single word, then took out two items, weighed them in his hand, took a deep breath, and swung his arm.

A whistling sound pierced the air. Three seconds later, under the terrified gazes of everyone, the Mitchell Empire's battle cruiser, which was at least 2,500 meters high, suddenly plummeted like a large rock.

Everyone was stunned. Such a large cruiser just fell. In their shock, they knew they were saved. In their shock, the cruiser exploded with a loud boom.

"Charge! Six people flew out of the cruiser, capture them, there are military merits," Nalasha shouted excitedly.

She flew forward first, the crash site being less than a thousand meters away, with smoke and dust still rising. Another wave of light fell on the guards, providing group support. In the most critical moments, mages must demonstrate absolute professionalism, which Nalasha had learned in the academy and didn't forget to show.

Gongsun Murong arrived first, one hand holding Nalasha on his shoulder, the other holding a sword, his figure becoming elusive. If one had to describe it, it would be: one move, one highlight; one pause, one step further; one blink, one horizon; one instant, one approach.

Nalasha also used the Light Mirror and Ice Mirror spells, and the entire area was filled with their figures.

"Charge!" Moses shouted, his body full of strength, and he charged forward, as did the other adventurers with all their might.

Lucia was stunned for a moment and then shouted, "Charge!"

She flew out, chanting: "Under the guidance of the Spell God, water spirits of the universe, heed my call—Ice Shield."

Then, as if remembering something important, she said, "Oh, my affinity for wind is the highest, I can instantly cast many wind spells. Nalasha, wait for me, let's fight together."

A typical academy style, well-learned in theory but confused in real combat.

Of the six people who came out of the cruiser, four fainted immediately. The remaining two were in poor condition and very frightened. Seeing the same figures all around them, they were knocked unconscious before they could think of how to resist.

"Captives, all six are alive, restrain them," Nalasha, sitting on Gongsun Murong's shoulder, ordered imperiously.

Moses and the others were very skilled, first tying them up, then searching them, checking their mouths for anything, and covering their heads and ears with clothes to prevent any resistance, suicide, or information exchange.

Lucia was envious. How could there be such a big difference among guards?

"Learn well. Only after comparing strengths do you realize who is truly strong. Pride and complacency are sins. People only regret when they encounter danger, but regret does not lead to redemption. Effort is what the gods pay attention to."

Lucia, who couldn't curse, felt these words cut deep into the guards' hearts, piercing their souls. All their pride had been shattered in the previous battle.

Hadn't they learned? They had.

They had learned to protect the center by constantly changing positions when facing ranged enemies. They had learned to observe the enemy during combat to estimate the necessary adjustments. They had learned to decide how to engage based on the quality of the enemy's weapons. They had learned to position themselves and observe the combat environment. They had learned to trust their companions to complete their tasks and provide support.

These were the lessons their teachers had repeatedly emphasized. But only in a crisis did they realize that the adventurers from the countryside and the border, whose battle auras were lower than theirs, were truly strong. Their instant reactions, textbook-like movements, and responses, as well as their calm expressions and determined gazes, and their absolute obedience, perfectly demonstrated who was superior.

Nalasha wouldn't think about such trivial matters. Her guards' coordination was normal, and she also cooperated in the attack. This was basic and didn't need to be emphasized.

What she cared about most was how much the exploded cruiser was worth. It was a war trophy, right? Right?

She first put out the fire with a pile of snow and then asked Lucia nervously, "Can you see what was damaged? Can it still be sold?"

Lucia, with the advantage of her age, quickly forgot the situation and observed the area, nodding and saying, "Yes, the crystal core exploded, but the main materials of the cruiser can be re-smelted even if some are broken. The materials that form the crystal core's energy system are the most valuable. Collect them, we... we will, right?"

"Yes, ours," Nalasha understood what Lucia was asking.

"Truly delightful, wow, Nalasha, we will have our own battle cruiser, our own. I want to fill my room with dolls, and the walls will be pink, and the chandelier will change colors at least five times, and more..."

Lucia had already claimed the cruiser as her own and was thinking about how to decorate it. Moses and the others were busy cleaning up the debris. There were still people alive in the cruiser, who were knocked out, tied up, and thrown to one side, while the dead were gathered and thrown to the other side.

After the people were dealt with, they started cleaning up the unburned items from the cruiser, taking them out one by one and arranging them. They also collected the parts and materials that had been blown away during the explosion.

This was all money. The young master and the young lady had less than ten thousand gold coins left, so they needed to save as much as possible. The money they had was earned with their lives, especially the valuable crystal cores, which they had used for themselves.

The flames from the cruiser were extinguished, the items were organized, and the people were dealt with. At this point, the leader of Lucia's guards remembered the most important thing.

He smiled humbly, stepped slowly to Nalasha, bent his waist, and lowered his head, asking softly, "Miss Nalasha, may I ask you a question?"

"No," Nalasha shook her head and gave him a smile.

"Uh!" The guard leader was stunned. This wasn't what he had expected. Shouldn't the response be "Please speak" or "I'm happy to answer"?

Was the rejection too direct?

Sighing, the guard leader felt it was his fault. Was he trying to outsmart a little girl and expecting her to understand the rules and cooperate?

So he changed his strategy, "Miss Nalasha, do you believe me? Seeing your move, I felt the whole world changed. The spinning wind, and the constantly flying..."

"Brother Murong, I'm sleepy, I want to sleep," Nalasha yawned, rubbed her eyes, and said to Gongsun Murong.

Gongsun Murong immediately picked up Nalasha, "Get in the carriage, go to sleep."

"Ah!" The guard leader widened his eyes and shouted.

"You have to tell me first," Lucia said unhappily, upset that the guard had bypassed her to ask Nalasha. "Am I not a princess?"

"Yes, Your Highness, please forgive my rashness, I was just too anxious. Your Highness, don't you find it curious what the trump card was that brought down the Mitchell Empire's battle cruiser? We all heard what Moses said."

The guard leader finally asked his question.

Lucia was stunned for two seconds, "Yes, the battle cruiser just fell to the ground. What was it, what was it?"

"Moses, show it to the princess," Gongsun Murong instructed as he put Nalasha in the carriage.

"Yes, Young Master," Moses responded, showing the item the young master had thrown to everyone.

"Ah? A Mike War Charm?" The guard leader was even more stunned.