I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

After eating one steamed bun and savoring it during the day, I picked up another one.

"Although my sister's cooking skills are no longer enough to open a shop, they are sufficient for everyday meals. If it were me, I would feel that even if I got tired of eating my sister's cooking, it wouldn't be enough."

"...Hey, let's eat them all then."

"I would be delighted."

The immortal smiled as he watched Bai Zhou eat all five buns.

"Sister, please save some porridge for me next time. Eating steamed buns on their own is a bit dry."

After drinking a glass of water, Bai Zhou offered some suggestions.

"Okay, either way is fine."

When Baiyue put down the cup, the immortal happily embraced him.

"Does Sister know about the strange actions of the Ursus army?"

During the day, he held the fairy in his arms, digesting his food while asking her questions.

"What strange move is this?"

The boy shook his head in confusion, then gently flicked his tail, snuggling close to his own.

Bai Zhou chuckled softly, then recounted what he had heard from Ye Ji.

"...Even if I were in command, I wouldn't issue such a bizarre order."

Although he didn't understand military strategy, he still knew how to press his advantage.

"So, Xiaobai, why are they doing this?"

The solution still requires the question setter. This year, instead of guessing, I chose to directly ask for the answer.

"Perhaps that's why."

On his way back during the day, he thought about it carefully and, combined with the information he had recently obtained, he had some guesses.

"Whether it's a full-scale mobilization or a sudden withdrawal, it's probably all related to the prophecy that Dalovich received."

"A prophecy? Is it about that guy named Lapsin?"

"It's Rasputin, my sister."

In broad daylight, he picked up the immortal and walked towards the bed.

"Perhaps he learned of some prophecy from his god and then warned Dalovic."

He couldn't stop smiling during the day.

If that's the case, then Dalovic must be feeling terrible right now.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were actually going to listen to a so-called prophetic action by one person.

"I just don't understand what's going on in the Ursus people's heads."

Nian obediently lay down in bed, then turned over and wrapped her arms around Bai Zhou's waist.

"But as long as we win, that's all that matters."

She disliked war. Having only been on the battlefield for half a month, she was already fed up and couldn't wait to end the war and return to her carefree, leisurely life.

"Yes. That's right, as long as we win."

The lynx was alone in the house, fiddling with a Bagua lock.

"Ugh……"

A soft sigh escaped in an instant. Kal'tsit put down the unlocked lock and turned her head to look out the window.

The weather is great today.

But the person she was waiting for never came.

Because she was in a strategic location and had no connection with the garrison there, Kal'tsit kept within ten meters of the house in order not to cause trouble for Bai Zhou.

But... it's been three days already.

Bai Zhou had vanished without a trace, and the woman who delivered the food daily was unaware of this due to her low social status, leaving Bai Zhou no opportunity to even inquire.

"Kal'tsit, may I come in?"

Bai Zhou knocked on the door, and then heard a series of hurried footsteps inside.

"Your Highness."

The door opened, and Bai Zhou saw a lynx that looked relieved.

"Why do you look like this? What happened?"

The lynx's appearance caught Bai Zhou's attention.

"Your Highness... I've been staying indoors these past few days and I'm getting restless."

She stepped aside to let Bai Zhou into the house, closed the door, and Kal'tsit poured him a cup of freshly brewed tea.

"Wow, that's really good."

After taking a sip of tea and savoring its flavor, Bai Zhou generously offered his praise.

"Has Your Highness been busy with important matters these past few days?"

Kal'tsit gently asked, pushing the untouched snacks of the day towards the daytime.

"Yes, Ursus has deployed new troops. It's the Fourth Army, which was originally stationed in the northeast of Ursus, and the Seventh and Ninth Armies in the north. The movements of these 150,000 men must be carefully investigated."

Taking another sip of tea, Bai Zhou frowned slightly and continued:

"But what's particularly troublesome is the mobile city [Volga] that the other side has deployed."

The battles between mobile cities are a true meat grinder.

When the heavy city walls crashed together amidst the deafening roar of the city's engines, causing a terrifying sound like an earthquake, countless soldiers who had been guarding the walls surged towards the enemy like ants in a tidal wave.

The mobile cities do not stop moving after the impact; they go full speed ahead, using even greater impacts to smash and crush the opponent's walls, blocks, and soldiers until one city is destroyed, laden with corpses.

“Volga…”

Kal'tsit sighed.

"Your Highness, regarding this Volga..."

Her emerald eyes met those deep blue amber eyes, and the lynx pursed her lips, slowly speaking:

"I do know some information about this Volga city."

The triumphant return of the thirteenth; questions raised about the lynx.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!!!"

An old rooster, proud and strutting, perched on its rooster perched on its wing, as the morning sun rose slowly from the other side of the mountain, accompanied by its long crow.

The sun dispels the darkness, bringing warm light and carrying home wanderers back with it.

"Ah! It's Apan! Quick! Tian Lao Er! Go and call Apan's mother! Her son is back!"

A farmer carrying a hoe, preparing to plow the fields, immediately spotted the young man standing outside the village, peering into it. Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed in delight.

"Third Uncle! No need, no need! Fourth Uncle! Come back quickly, don't trouble yourself! I'm going back to see my mother right away!"

The young Rupert, called Apan, looked at the villagers he hadn't seen in a long time, and his previously stiff face softened considerably.

But he spoke too late. The man he called Fourth Uncle raised his voice, and in no time, everyone in the village knew that Apan's mother's good son had returned victorious from the army.

"Haha, good lads. When we entered the city a few days ago, the storyteller told us about your great victory and triumphant return. I was thinking that you should be back in the next few days."

"My left eyelid has been twitching since I woke up this morning, and I knew something good was going to happen. Well, I was really looking forward to your return."

"Brother Pan, did you gain fame and glory in the expedition? Did you bring honor to the people of Dianzhou?"

"They always say the battlefield has no eyes, but has Apan been injured?"

“Brother Pan is agile and skillful, how could he possibly get injured?”

When the only young man in the village who had joined the army returned home, all the villagers were overjoyed and came to find him, surrounding him and talking to him affectionately.

"I wasn't injured. Of course I earned the honor! I killed eighteen bear bandits!"

Having escaped the terror of the battlefield and the cold winds of the frontier, and returned to their warm and peaceful homeland, the young people, who had been trembling with fear because of war and death, seemed to have forgotten all of that and chatted happily with their relatives as they had before.

"Alright, alright, it's getting late. Those who need to get to work, get to work. Brother Pan just got back and needs to rest. He doesn't have much energy to chat with you roughnecks. Hurry up and go, there will be plenty of time to chat later."

The village chief, leaning on his cane, began to shoo the crowd away.

"Haha, that's settled then, Brother Pan, I'll come see you again tomorrow."

"Brother Pan, my family just slaughtered a sheep yesterday. Come over for dinner tonight."

"Brother Pan, I've brewed some new wine. Let's have a few drinks together tomorrow. Now that you're a great hero, don't get drunk after just a couple of cups!"

The village elders who came to visit the young man said goodbye to him with smiles and laughter.

After saying goodbye to his fellow villagers, the young man sighed, then turned around and looked at the old woman who had been standing at the door watching him.

"Mother, I'm back."

"...It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."

The old woman's voice trembled with barely concealed joy.

"Don't stand outside, come inside and eat. Mom made your favorite braised pork."

"Those people too, they started talking to you as soon as you got back."

"She doesn't know how to take care of herself while she's out there. She's lost so much weight in just a few days."

The old woman set out food for him, sat down in a chair, and kept talking incessantly. As she talked, she suddenly lowered her head and began to cry softly.

"Um……"

The young man buried his head in his hands, shoveling large mouthfuls of rice into his bowl, his chest heaving violently.

■

The immortal kicked open the door and walked into the house dejectedly.