The next day, near the edge of the Border Forest.
An elite cavalry squad arrived at the scene.
Upon reaching the forest boundary, several men dismounted and took out pieces of red cloth to cover their hands.
As they slowly walked toward the interior of the forest, the Zerg lurking nearby did not move to stop them.
Covering one's hands with red cloth was a ritual within the Kingdom of Clear, and it was actually recognized by surrounding nations as well. As long as someone appeared on a battlefield with this cloth over their hands, it signified that they were an envoy bearing a message.
Generally speaking, magic beasts would not understand such a signal.
However, as a princess of the kingdom, Xia Jin was born into the nobility and should certainly be able to recognize it.
After they had traveled several hundred meters into the forest, several Zerg suddenly appeared. They hissed at the men but did not attack. Instead, a hydralisk in the center raised its forelimbs, making a gesture that forbade further advancement.
The nervous knights looked at each other in silence.
A moment later, the swarm parted, and Xia Jin appeared in their line of sight.
The moment he saw the breathtakingly beautiful young woman, the leading knight was visibly dazed.
Once he snapped out of his trance from her perfect features, he immediately knelt on one knee and saluted. "Princess, Lord Amelo is willing to submit to you. He believes that Your Highness is the legitimate heir of the kingdom and the only existence capable of exercising the kingdom's power on behalf of the royal family. Only you can truly resolve the crisis currently facing the kingdom."
"He is a clever man," Xia Jin said with a light smile. "Go back and tell him that I will soon lead my army into the city of Tate. Furthermore... have him notify the surrounding lords and ask them where they stand."
Hearing this, the knight's heart skipped a beat, but he still answered respectfully, "Yes."
The meaning was already very clear.
The Kingdom of Clear, this powerful nation, had essentially entered a state of civil war from this moment forward.
An exiled princess was returning with her supporters to seize power.
This was something unthinkable in the past.
The entire ruling structure had been extremely stable; the stalemate of a country that had not seen civil war for countless years was being broken just like that.
This was no traditional minor squabble between lords over private interests, but a war that was about to engulf the entire kingdom.
The even more terrifying part was: would the many lords with their own hidden agendas take this opportunity to declare themselves kings? Or would they make other plans?
Carrying this series of thoughts, the knight and his companions left the forest.
On Xia Jin's side, although the swarm had lost nearly twenty thousand units in the previous battle, the resource harvest from that fight was substantial. This allowed her to decisively produce more queens, which slightly increased the growth rate of the swarm.
Of course, for Xia Jin, it was still not enough.
Before further increasing her numbers, she wanted to see if she could obtain resources to upgrade the Zerg Hive through Count Amelo.
After all, a Hive upgrade was the fundamental way to increase the overall strength of the Zerg.
The battle with the lord's army had also made Xia Jin realize that human mage legions were indeed formidable. The mage unit raised by Amelo, which consisted mostly of Tier 2 and Tier 3 members, could be that powerful. When she faced the elite official legions of the kingdom in the future, the combat would likely be even more intense and cruel.
"Yan Yu, send an elf to the queen to report the situation. Tell her I have defeated Lord Amelo and am preparing to march into the kingdom. As part of our cooperation, I will keep my promise."
"Yes."
Yan Yu was actually quite shocked in her heart.
The experiences of the past two days had made her realize that the girl before her was actually a princess of the human kingdom.
Even a princess could be exiled; she could only conclude that a human nation like that was truly beyond her understanding.
At least among the elven race, any form of internal strife or lack of unity was nonexistent.
...
An elf with a relatively lower Tier 6 standing was sent back to relay the information.
After waiting for three days, Xia Jin led a swarm of nearly thirty thousand Zerg into Amelo's territory.
Unlike last time, they came openly and honorably.
Amelo, who had prepared long ago, also ordered a unit of troops to receive them at the nearest town.
When they saw the dense, countless terrifying creatures appearing before them, every soldier's emotions were extremely complicated.
No one could have imagined that the Princess of the kingdom would return here in such a manner.
In truth, for a weak person, being exiled to the Border Forest was almost the same as a death sentence. This scene today had far exceeded their understanding.
At the front of the swarm was an exquisitely decorated carriage.
A female knight and over ten soldiers guarded the perimeter of the carriage.
After being enhanced by Xia Jin, Ellie now possessed Tier 5 strength, and several of the soldiers had reached Tier 4. Among humans, they were considered respectable powerhouses.
Seeing the vehicle arrive, a legion commander from the lord's army dismounted and stepped forward. "Welcome, Princess. I have been ordered to receive you. Please accompany me to the city of Tate."
After speaking, he climbed back onto his horse and began leading the party toward the capital of Amelo's territory.
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