Smoke swirled throughout the meeting room.
Old Morgan sat at the head of the long table, holding a cigarette that was nearly burnt out. His cloudy eyes were half-squinted, as if he were dozing.
Alice stood by the window, her arms crossed over her chest. Her fingers tapped her forearm impatiently, her expression grim.
Mary sat opposite Old Morgan, holding a list with a furrowed brow, occasionally crossing out a name with a pen.
Valentine leaned in the shadows of the corner, his signature green eyes half-closed as his long fingers unconsciously toyed with a button on his cuff.
Hans sat in another corner with his left arm wrapped in bandages. His face was somewhat pale, but his spirits seemed decent as he wiped a dagger with one hand.
Lu Yuan pushed open the door and entered, and everyone’s gaze shifted toward him.
"Sit down." Old Morgan nodded to him, a length of ash falling from his cigarette.
Lu Yuan pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing around the room.
"What’s the situation?"
"Not good." Mary set the list down and rubbed the bridge of her nose, her voice weary. "In the sudden attack last night, we lost two brothers, and five others are seriously injured."
She paused before adding, "Several from the Holy Armored Army were also injured. If they hadn't been on the front lines, that squad would have been wiped out."
Alice let out a cold snort and turned around, her Thunder Warhammer leaning against the wall with a muffled thud. "What the hell do these bastards want?!"
No one answered.
Mary remained silent for a moment, set her pen down, and spoke. "Furthermore, there's something wrong with the Deep Sea Church’s offensive."
Everyone looked at her.
"Based on the recent battles, the Deep Sea Church has been consciously slowing their pace of attack whenever our main forces are at sea." Mary’s voice was calm, her finger tapping the tabletop. "Yet they wait until the Holy Armored Army arrives to launch a truly large-scale assault."
"On the night Captain Sivating arrived, the Deep Sea Church launched yesterday's attack."
"It doesn't make sense."
Alice frowned, her arms dropping from her chest. "You mean... they're waiting on purpose?"
"I don't know." Mary shook her head, folding the list and putting it away. "But what's certain is that the Deep Sea Church is consciously depleting our combat strength."
"Not just the Nightwatchers, but they’re targeting the Holy Armored Army stationed here as well." Her gaze swept over everyone. "Don't forget, the settlement area is right behind our base. A large number of civilians evacuated from the outer city live there."
"They’re forcing us to fight with our lives."
Hans stopped wiping his dagger, his brow furrowing. "Trading lives for lives?"
"Something like that." Mary nodded. "Most of the mutated entities they send out are low-level trash, but there are so many of them, and they specifically charge toward us. They’re using cannon fodder to wear down our personnel."
She pulled out a small booklet and flipped to a page.
"There's one more thing. I had people keep an eye on the inner city, and they found some interesting things."
"A massive amount of weapons and supplies recently appeared at the Viscount’s mansion, claimed to be supplies brought along with the Holy Armored Army."
Her finger pointed to a line in the booklet. "But the quantity is exaggerated. Alchemical weapons, holy water, gunpowder, grain... enough for a long-term war of attrition."
"It's as if they're preparing for something."
Old Morgan flicked his ash, his cloudy eyes squinting. "Anything else?"
"The Viscount summoned the inner city nobles and representatives of the merchant chambers yesterday for a closed-door meeting." Mary closed the booklet. "The contents are unknown, but after the meeting ended, the Archbishop of the Holy Church set off for the Viscount’s mansion."
Hans paused and looked up. "The Archbishop went to the Viscount’s mansion personally? What about the cathedral district in the north of the city?"
"They left some people, but the main force followed the Archbishop."
Silence fell over the meeting room.
Hans sheathed his dagger and muttered, "So the Deep Sea Church is wearing us down, the Viscount is hoarding supplies and holding meetings, and the Archbishop is running to the Viscount’s mansion..."
"Everything is converging on the inner city." Mary picked up the thread. "It's as if they all know something is about to happen."
"But we don't know."
The atmosphere was heavy.
Hans shifted his injured left arm and broke the silence. "If we can't figure it out, don't think about it for now. But one thing is certain: the inner city knows something, and they can't keep a lid on it anymore, which is why they called the Archbishop over."
"Strengthen our guard and keep a close eye on the inner city. We can only wait for them to show their hand." Valentine’s somewhat lazy voice rang out. "After all, under the imperial treaty, we have no right to interfere with the Viscount in non-emergency situations."
Old Morgan hadn't spoken, silently smoking with a gaze that was cloudy yet sharp.
After a long while, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, grinding it twice before speaking:
"Strengthen our defenses. Let’s take care of ourselves first."
"Out of all the factions right now, our combat power has suffered the most. Be extremely careful."
He looked up and addressed them one by one:
"Valentine, coordinate with the Holy Armored Army and expand the patrol range. We’re a bit blind right now; we need eyes."
Valentine opened his eyes in the shadows, his green eyes flickering as he nodded without a word.
"Mary, you’re in charge of base defense. Ensure no stragglers break in."
Mary acknowledged him and tucked the list into her pocket.
"Hans, your injury hasn't healed, but as long as you can move, take a few people on local patrols. Don't go too far."
"Understood." Hans tucked his dagger back into his belt and nodded.
"Alice..." Old Morgan looked at the woman by the window. "Get some rest. There might be a tough battle ahead."
Alice pursed her lips and picked up the Thunder Warhammer leaning against the wall, hoisting it onto her shoulder, but she didn't argue.
"Also, I’m preparing to call headquarters for reinforcements."
Old Morgan looked around and continued, "The situation in Gelimu Port has exceeded the bottom line, and I have reason to suspect the Viscount is deliberately marginalizing us Nightwatchers."
"Combined with the clues gathered before, I think it's time for some people's positions to shift."
Just as Old Morgan finished speaking, the communication crystal on the table suddenly lit up with a faint, eerie blue glow.
A low voice came from the crystal:
"Nightwatchers, the Ascension Society has matters to discuss."
Old Morgan raised an eyebrow, not responding immediately.
He glanced around the meeting room and waved his hand at everyone.
"Everyone out for now."
Alice frowned and glanced at Old Morgan, but she didn't ask any questions. She shouldered her warhammer and turned to leave.
Mary, Valentine, and Hans also stood up, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
The door closed.
Only Old Morgan and Lu Yuan remained in the meeting room.
Only then did Old Morgan look back at the communication crystal, pressing his finger down on it. "Speak," he said calmly.
"The Arbiter and Marcus are our people." The voice on the other end was flat. "We want them back."
Old Morgan leaned back against his chair, fished a new cigarette from his pocket, and lit it slowly.
"Fine."
He exhaled a cloud of smoke, his voice unhurried.
"But you’ll have to leave something behind."
Rate on N.U.
