Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

The sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent, followed by a flurry of shouts and neighing.

Cassius was still pondering when he heard the commotion and his heart skipped a beat.

He looked up and exchanged a glance with Vera beside him; both of them saw a deep unease in each other's eyes.

"Report—"

Another soldier covered in blood rushed into the tent. This time he was dressed as a supply corps soldier. His leather armor was charred black, and his face was patchy with black and red marks, making him look like he had just crawled out of a stove.

"General! The supply train has been attacked!" The soldier fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling. "Lord Hans, Lord Gray, Lady Lina... they're all gone! The supplies are all burned!"

Cassius's face was ashen.

"What did you say?!" Vera Stonefist jumped to her feet, her iron fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "What do you mean 'all gone'? There were over a hundred professionals left! They're all fucking dead?"

The soldier shrank back in fright, stammering, "They're...they've just disappeared... It seems Lord Gray and Lady Lina were summoned to the grove by Lord Hans, and then we haven't seen them since. The other professionals seem to have gone to Lord Hans's place for a meeting..."

"We were on duty until midnight when we suddenly heard a buzzing sound, and then we saw a glowing person flying in the sky..."

"A glowing person?" Edwin Frostwhisper opened his eyes, a rare look of seriousness appearing on his usually gloomy face.

"Yes, yes! The faint golden light emanating from him, and the buzzing sound, came from him. Wherever he flew, our brothers fell... and then all the supply wagons were burned..."

"Buzzing? A noisy shield?" Edwin stood up, walked up to the soldier, and stared into his eyes. "What other spells did that man use?"

Yes, there is!

The soldier nodded vigorously. "He launched a lot of rockets, and fuel too..."

"Didn't you see what that person looked like?"

"That person...doesn't quite resemble Lord Hans..."

The soldier said cautiously, "But it must be a coincidence. Lord Hans and the other two lords must have been killed by that man!"

Edwin frowned, paced back and forth, and after a moment's thought, said, "That shouldn't be Hans. There must have been a mage who killed those three elite-level professionals first, then impersonated Hans to call a meeting of professionals, killed them, and then burned the supplies."

"Since they didn't attack directly, it means that person wasn't actually that strong..."

He turned to look at Cassius, his voice somewhat grave: "General, but the mage who attacked the cavalry was at least of the Exemplary rank."

The tent was deathly silent.

Not long after the news of Redmond's death arrived, an even more shocking piece of news came—the supplies were burned, and hundreds of professionals were wiped out.

Moreover, there is at least a mage of the Exemplary rank on the other side.

Vera plopped back into her chair, slamming her fist on the armrest with a dull thud: "A bad start... Why is there a Paradigm-level mage here? Can we even win?"

Cassius didn't speak.

He stood in front of the map, looking at the city of Rild marked on it. The small circle now looked like a gaping maw, waiting for them to crash into it.

The other generals looked at each other, their faces not looking too good.

A young general muttered under his breath, "The vanguard is gone, the supplies are gone, and a large number of professionals have died... How can we fight this battle?"

"Shut up!" The older general next to him glared at him, but his own face was ashen.

Cassius remained silent for a long time.

Then he turned around and strode out of the tent.

Outside, the night sky was dotted with stars, and the Milky Way stretched across the horizon. A gentle evening breeze swept through the camp, carrying with it the whispers of the soldiers—the news had spread and couldn't be suppressed.

Cassius stood under the starry sky, his scarred face appearing deathly pale in the moonlight.

He looked up at the stars that had hung in the sky for billions of years, and suddenly let out a long breath.

"Alas, only the highest god knows."

He muttered to himself, his voice so low it seemed to be squeezed from his chest.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Vera walked to his side, hesitant to speak.

"Give the order," Cassius said, his voice regaining its calm. "The entire army halts, sets up camp, constructs fortifications, and holds out for reinforcements."

"The supplies..."

"Have the supply convoys speed up their delivery." Cassius turned to Vera. "Also, send an urgent letter back home, explaining the situation. Tell His Majesty we've encountered a mage of at least the Exemplary rank and are requesting reinforcements."

Vera nodded, but her brow furrowed even more: "General, wasn't there already an army of 80,000 men prepared to follow up? Will His Majesty send more?"

Cassius gave a wry smile.

"That's probably not enough," he said. "No matter how many ordinary troops we have, they can't stop a Paradigm-level mage. If our entire force is wiped out here, the southern gateway to the Sassanid Kingdom will be wide open. His Majesty will not stand idly by."

He paused, then added, "What's more, we already had a second wave of troops on their way. They were originally intended to expand our gains, but now..."

"Ugh."

……

Meanwhile, the surviving soldiers from the supply train were housed in a designated area.

They gathered in twos and threes around several newly lit bonfires, seeking warmth and calming their nerves.

Someone pulled out a tattered deck of cards from his pocket. It had been salvaged from the burnt supplies; the edges were charred, but it was still usable.

"How about a few rounds of small bets?"

The man shook the cards.

Several soldiers nearby exchanged glances and then moved closer.

"What do you want to play?"

"Let's go all in, what else can we play?"

"What are we betting on?"

"I'll bet..." The man thought for a moment, then pulled out a few copper coins from his pocket. "I'll bet on this. We're out of supplies anyway, what's the use of keeping money?"

These words were so true that the soldiers fell silent.

A moment later, someone took out a few copper coins and slapped them on the ground.

"Come on then!"

The cards clattered as they were washed, the firelight reflecting on several dirty faces, each with a different expression. Some were numb, some were bewildered, some were fearful, and some feigned indifference.

"Do you think we can make it back alive?" a young soldier asked in a low voice.

The person next to him glanced at him and said, "Why are you thinking so much? It's just gambling!"

"That's right, it's your turn to place your bet."

The young soldier pushed out his last few copper coins, then sighed, "Sigh, better eat sparingly. If we finish these rations, the supplies won't arrive yet..."

"Pah! Pah! You jinx!" someone next to him quickly interrupted, "Shut your stinking mouth!"

The young soldier awkwardly shut his mouth, but he couldn't suppress the unease in his heart.

He looked up to the north, in the direction of Rild City, the direction from which the flying, glowing figure had disappeared.

The night wind howled, and he shivered for no reason.