Pick One

Under normal circumstances, Karen would never have drunk this glass of iced water. The dragon scale floating inside was essentially the equivalent of tossing one of Augie's body hairs into the cup. Yet in a situation like this, Karen had no room for choice. He raised the glass and drained it in a single gulp. Setting the empty glass down, Karen took the initiative to pick up the wine bottle and top off the Whip-Wielder's goblet with red wine. Foden brushed a fingertip lightly over the rim of his goblet without picking it up. Immediately after, he walked toward the other side of the dragon's back, Karen following close behind him. "Daan thinks very highly of you. He feels you're being held back in my Whip of Order and wants to transfer you to his knight order. What are your thoughts?" "Your subordinate wishes only to remain in the Whip of Order." "Is that because I, Foden, am standing right in front of you?" "No. It is because the Whip-Wielder is standing before your subordinate." "Heh. The High Priest originally intended to betroth Daina to you, wanting to make you his son-in-law." "Lord Whip-Wielder, I already have a fiancée, and we share very deep feelings for each other." "Mm, which is why I turned him down for you." "Thank you, Lord Whip-Wielder." "You are capable and young. You do not lack avenues for advancement. Being the High Priest's son-in-law might be a wonderful thing for others, but for you, the drawbacks would actually outweigh the benefits. "A clean background is actually quite fine. The higher you climb, the more precious it becomes. Don't squander it for nothing." "You praise me far too highly, sir." "People from the Temple reached out to you, didn't they?" "Yes. They asked me a few questions." "You answered very well—on both ends." "Your subordinate—" "No need to explain. That was how it ought to be handled in the first place. You don't need to be overly resistant toward the Temple; just maintain normal contact. How should I put it? At this stage, because of our High Priest, it has become very difficult for the Temple to get anything accomplished. Even so, they still retain the ability to ruin things. Do you understand?" "Yes, your subordinate understands." "Alright, it's time for me to go." "Will you not sit in the command tent for a while, sir? What I mean is, everyone is eagerly looking forward to hearing your guidance." "No need. I only came by for a casual look, and what I saw today has long exceeded my expectations. Although the broader outcome down there is decided, the battle isn't over yet, after all. You will certainly be very busy." Foden reached out and patted Karen on the shoulder. "Even though I witnessed this victory you pulled off, my view remains unchanged: quit while you're ahead when necessary. You can continue winning battles, but on this foundation, the moment you suffer a single defeat, you will easily tarnish an already dazzling record. It simply isn't worth the risk." "Yes, Lord Whip-Wielder, I understand." "Oh? I thought you would argue back and declare that you would spare no sacrifice for the cause of Order." "I understand your meaning, sir. Sometimes, learning to preserve oneself is also done so that one may make greater contributions to the cause of Order in the future." Foden paused for a moment, then shook his head with a laugh. "No, I'm afraid that if you keep winning battles, I won't have a suitable post to arrange for you once the fighting is over. Or perhaps I should vacate my seat for you to take?" "You must be joking, sir." "Heh, there are only so many seats, and not a single one is empty. Not only are there people sitting in them, but countless pairs of eyes are watching from the sidelines. Even as the Whip-Wielder, prying open a vacancy won't be easy. Do you have any ideas?" "Your subordinate feels that continuing as Regional Chief after the war would actually be quite fine. Operating at the local level makes it easier to act freely, and it trains a person much better." "Trains a person?" Foden cast a look at Karen and remarked testily, "You're about to run the Yorktown Region like your own private garden. Who down there could possibly train you?" "Lord Whip-Wielder, your subordinate did so in order to push forward reforms." Foden gently stroked his chin. "We'll see. When the fighting draws near its end, I'll make arrangements in advance to see which seat below suits you, and who ought to be shifted out. It's been a while since I ground my teeth internally; I don't even know if my bite is still sharp." Standing nearby, Miguel was completely dumbfounded by this exchange. He had truly never imagined that the Whip-Wielder would one day speak to a subordinate like this, discussing personnel arrangements so plainly and bluntly. Who knew which lord would fall on hard times next, forced to yield their seat to Army Commander Karen upon his return from the war to report on his duties. *Phew...* Miguel breathed a long sigh of relief in his heart. Fortunately, his secretarial post was of low rank. Otherwise, he genuinely believed Karen would be far better suited to being the secretary than himself. Small wonder the two secretaries before him had stumbled in matters involving Karen, ultimately ending up tossed into Augie's mouth as snacks. The gap in professional capability was simply insurmountable. "Alright, go attend to your duties." Foden climbed into his carriage. After finishing packing their things, Miguel flashed an enthusiastic smile at Karen before stepping into the carriage. He knew that Karen had already been personally selected and brought into the Whip-Wielder's direct cadre, but this time was practically an explicit declaration that Karen had been pulled into his inner core—and placed near the very top of the hierarchy. Considering Karen's age... even Miguel, as a secretary, could not help but conclude that the Whip-Wielder was grooming Karen as his chosen successor. Therefore, once outsiders and others within the system saw the Whip-Wielder's post-war appointments for Karen, they would undoubtedly lean toward that same train of thought as well. Before interacting with Karen in person, Miguel had only read his dossier and felt the young man's speed of promotion was astonishing. After interacting with him, Miguel realized his original perspective had still been far too conservative. Karen called Little Kanna to leave Augie's back. Little Kanna came skipping over from the dragon's head, cradling a bundle of dragon scales in her arms—and essence scales from the head at that, with a deeper, richer luster. "Why did you harvest so many?" "To brew water for you to drink." "Give them back to Augie. I don't need them." "The big, clumsy dragon has lots of scales. She won't mind. It's fine!" With that, Little Kanna transformed into a bone dragon. Karen shook his head helplessly and stepped onto Little Kanna's back. Augie swiveled her draconic head, casting a glance at Karen and Kanna, a trace of grievance in her eyes. Back in the carriage, Miguel sat down and closed the door. As he picked up a blanket to drape over the Whip-Wielder's knees, the Whip-Wielder gazed out the window at Karen flying away atop the bone dragon and spoke: "I still don't like him." Miguel remained silent, not daring to chime in, because he truly couldn't see the slightest hint of dislike for Karen in the Whip-Wielder. Yet Foden was speaking from the bottom of his heart. With a subordinate like Karen, even if you promoted him as his superior, you couldn't derive any sense of accomplishment from it. He simply didn't seem to need your cultivation at all; he had already raised himself exceptionally well. All you had to do was promote him according to standard procedures, and then create the environment he required. This feeling... was almost identical to the years he had spent following the High Priest. He had only needed to stand behind the High Priest, obey his instructions, and do the tasks assigned to him properly, and everything would unfold in a matter-of-course manner. If either of these two individuals were missing, Foden wouldn't feel this way. Yet as luck would have it, one stood above him and one stood below him—both present at once. This left Foden... a bit weary of it all. He had just finished sending one up, only for the one below to report for duty, giving him no chance to rest. "Sigh, after serving the old one, I still have to serve the young one." Hearing this lament, Miguel's expression didn't change, nor did the motion of pouring wine in his hands, yet the body beneath his clerical robes began to tremble faintly. There were words that would get him scolded if he failed to understand them; but there were also words that would get him killed if he dared to understand them. Fortunately, the Whip-Wielder did not continue, merely closing his eyes. ... When Little Kanna landed, Muri immediately came forward and began reporting on the latest battlefield situation. Overall, accompanied by the fatal strike from Neo's side, the Church of Laks' entire defensive system across the Zuomaisi Mountain Range was in a state of collapse. At present, the entire Army Group was advancing rapidly, while the enemy, powerless to resist, had begun scattering to break out. This was not surprising. The more an army relied on a central command hub, the more fragile it instantly became once that hub was lost. Sometimes, advantage and disadvantage were separated by only a thin line. "To open up an assault corridor for the attacking forces as early as possible, Battalion Commander Aisen led a suicide squad of array masters to press forward and neutralize the enemy's perimeter defensive formations. He suffered a magical backlash from the formations and is currently unconscious. In addition, Captain Dake of the cavalry is critically wounded and undergoing emergency treatment..." Karen raised a hand. "Is now the time for me to listen to casualty reports?" "No, your subordinate merely—" "The battle isn't over yet. Your focus shouldn't be placed here right now." "Yes, Commander. The subsequent advances of the various units shouldn't pose any problems, but that Spear of Sin is still standing there. Your subordinate feels we should prepare a contingency plan early, or unexpected variables might easily arise." "Have Old Saman lead a team of craftsmen to follow up. First, lock down the space surrounding that divine artifact to snuff out any possibility of the Church of Laks attempting to summon it back remotely. "Then have Aisen... have the deputy battalion commander of the array masters take men to place a basic seal on the Spear of Sin. After that, contact the knight order and request that they deploy spatial containment priests from headquarters at maximum speed to collect the artifact." "Yes, Commander." Karen turned his head, looking toward that great spear in the distance that seemed to stand between heaven and earth. A pity. Since this divine artifact had been exposed publicly, it could only be handed over. The next time such an opportunity presented itself, he would probably attempt to claim the divine artifact for himself. Back then, Qihe had merely been a minor Jurist, yet he had usurped a divine artifact; his own current conditions were countless times better than Qihe's had been. "Commander, regarding the report on the artifact's failure..." "We don't need to write that. Vice Commander Neo certainly didn't anticipate it failing when he led the assault team's charge. "Nowadays, we don't need to be as overly cautious about certain matters as we used to be, worrying about explaining everything clearly for fear of raising suspicion. "Leave the questionable points as they are. "When the knight order investigates, I am an Army Group Commander; when the Whip of Order investigates, I am the Whip of Order. "Since it will be us investigating ourselves either way, what trouble could possibly arise? "Just gloss over those doubtful points in the report. For anything you truly don't know how to explain, standardize it with an exclamation: "'All of this is thanks to the blessing of the God of Order.'" ... After Augie flew back to the logistical supply base, she reverted to human form and stepped into the carriage. The Whip-Wielder still had his eyes closed, as though asleep. Near Augie's forehead, an area the size of a fingernail was missing hair, looking like a bald patch. Miguel pointed a finger at the corresponding spot on his own head. Augie reached up and touched it, and the area was promptly covered over. The carriage entered a teleportation array. After several successive teleportations, it returned from the front lines to the front of the administrative temple. Miguel softly reminded him, "Lord Whip-Wielder, we have arrived." Foden opened his eyes and sighed. It was rare for him to sleep so well, yet it still had to be interrupted. However, it couldn't be helped. He had gone to the front lines as a negotiating representative; upon returning, he naturally had to report back to the High Priest first. As Foden ascended the steps, he saw Mobiten standing above. Mobiten smiled. "Congratulations, Lord Whip-Wielder." News naturally traveled faster than a carriage. It had taken a considerable amount of time to travel from the Ninth Army Group to the logistical supply base, which allowed the battle reports to arrive ahead of him. In the eyes of outsiders, this battle had been directed by him—or at the very least, overseen by him in person. After all, how could there be such a coincidence? The moment he arrived, the corps directly subordinate to him immediately launched a major campaign and achieved splendid results. Foden couldn't be bothered to clear up such a misunderstanding. He merely gave Mobiten a brief reply: "Thank you." Right after, Foden added, "Congratulations to your grandson as well." Neo had always held an inconspicuous deputy post, because his identity had been fabricated for him by Karen. As for the chief post, back when it was merely the Yorktown Militia Regiment, the commander was Muri. After upgrading to the Whip of Order Corps, Karen took the post of corps commander; once Karen was promoted to Army Group Commander, Muri naturally assumed the role of corps commander. Karen's record was dazzling, but beneath him, Muri—who had consistently acted as the "figurehead commander" and "military steward"—had also risen through the ranks at a startling pace. A look of awkward embarrassment crossed Mobiten's face. "Mm, yes." Foden said, "I think it's time you find an opportunity to address your relationship with that grandson of yours. Family traditions are important, certainly, but I fear that if you don't handle it soon, he will be able to establish his own independent house." As the Whip-Wielder, regarding family secrets of this sort, it was only a matter of whether he wanted to know, not whether he could know. Mobiten nodded. "You are right, Lord Whip-Wielder." Ending the conversation, Foden continued walking inside. Because night had fallen, the daytime scene of people bustling about and reports flowing back and forth had quieted down. At this moment, there were two people inside the administrative temple: one was Norton, and the other was also Norton. One High Priest was reviewing a thick stack of documents, while the other High Priest sat surrounded by flowing water, reading a book. Foden walked to the depression at the center of the water currents. "High Priest." The High Priest set down the cigar in his hand, looked at Foden, and chuckled. "Well? Did you have fun?" "The news certainly traveled back quickly." "What traveled back wasn't just news—stories have already branched out from it. They say you, Foden, personally oversaw and directed the victory of a major campaign. Word is already spreading that the people in our church who know how to fight aren't in the knight orders, but in the Whip of Order. "Furthermore, I read the report Daan sent me. With the Zuomaisi Mountain Range uprooted, the allied forces' logistical supply lines will suffer immense problems for a long time to come. Because of that, I have approved Daan's proposal to launch a new round of large-scale offensives." "High Priest, you know full well that I don't know the first thing about fighting wars. When I arrived, there wasn't even a welcoming ceremony. It truly was pure coincidence. Once the fighting started, I just sat up there and watched the whole thing." "Was it good to watch?" "Not at all. My heart ached terribly for our losses." "Haha, oh you. Fair enough; everyone knows you poured a fortune into that corps, so it's natural for your heart to ache." "The main thing was that I couldn't make sense of it at first, fearing the battle might go poorly and squander our strength for nothing. Only after the scales of battle tipped in our favor did I finally relax. As long as it benefits the overall situation, the sacrifices are worthwhile." "It seems our Little Foden lacked tact, causing our Whip-Wielder to worry in fear for so long in vain." "He did very well. He is a talent. No—the capability he has displayed can no longer be described merely as talent. I believe he now possesses an undeniable value to our holy church." "Daan said the exact same thing. In this report, he once again asked me for the boy. I'm truly feeling a bit embarrassed to keep turning him down." "High Priest, you can tell him to come ask me directly." "No, I'd better push it aside for you. I'm afraid the two of you might come to blows. The war is still ongoing; I don't want rumors spreading of internal strife between the Whip of Order and the knight orders. "However, you are quite right about one thing: if all the people of the Whip of Order are lost on the battlefield, it would indeed be heartbreaking. No matter what, we will still need to rely on them to restore operations after the war." "High Priest, that wasn't what I meant." "It is what I mean. Once the large-scale offensive Daan is currently initiating concludes, transfer that Whip of Order Corps back. "Since it was for blooding the troops, those who have achieved good results can step down. There is no need to keep them stationed at the front lines, and it will free up room for other groups sent up to train afterward." "High Priest, are you preparing to conclude this war?" "A true conclusion is still early, but preparations can begin." Norton set down the book in his hands and leaned back slightly. "It is a war, after all; it cannot be halted on a whim. The groundwork still needs to be laid in advance." "That ought to be Kred and the others' responsibility." "It is indeed their responsibility, but the preliminary work must be handled by you. Set the Whip of Order's intelligence network into motion and provide me with the most suitable candidate list. "The way to end this desert war is to ignite a new war. Bear in mind, on the front lines, we have only deployed three knight orders." The moment his voice fell, the surrounding water vanished, and the space around them plunged into darkness. Immediately after, flags slowly descended one after another, hovering in the air around them. Every single flag represented an orthodox religion, and without exception, all of them were part of the allied coalition. "A flock of sheep huddling together might seem brave, each daring to bleat. But when you truly grip a blade and prepare to pick one to slaughter, they will instantly fall silent in collective terror." The High Priest pointed a finger at the surrounding banners. Smiling, he said: "Whip-Wielder, pick one."