Pure martial scrutiny flickered within his gray eyes.
As a total “battle maniac,” Gore calculated in his heart what the outcome would be if he fought the young girl before him.
Gore, the Sword Saint of the Rhine Knight Kingdom, possessed a gaze as heavy as a mountain.
Beside him, Sana Liehuo, the Dwarf Prince, had eyes sparkling with a craftsman’s unique curiosity.
He was already mentally constructing countless improvements for the Floating Magic Circle.
Five pairs of eyes converged simultaneously on Su Nian.
Within the banquet hall, the atmosphere felt eerie.
Of course, Sana Liehuo also had a small task from his youngest daughter: to bring back Su Nian’s autograph.
Isabella of the Golden Metropolis possessed charming eyes that shifted with the shrewdness typical of a merchant.
She had already begun to ponder the commercial value of the Floating Magic Circle and how to extract the maximum profit from it.
Archbishop Silas of the Holy City remained shrouded in the shadow of his hood.
His gaze was cold and sticky, an uncomfortable stare that made Su Nian frown subconsciously.
Finally, there was Ranur of the Redmaple Royal Family.
His gaze was the calmest, yet it was the one that kept Su Nian most on guard.
Fortunately, the focus of this banquet was not her personally.
There was official business to discuss—the formation of the Allied Forces and the critical issue of command rights.
These so-called Heroes of the Five Capitals each represented the massive interest groups standing behind them.
After a few brief pleasantries, the rhetoric quickly turned sharp.
“Forming an alliance is fine, but my Rhine Knight Kingdom must hold at least half of the command rights!” Sword Saint Gore’s voice was as loud as a bronze bell.
Merely standing there, he exuded an unshakable pressure.
As the representative of the most powerful nation among the five, he expressed this stance as a matter of course.
“Bullshit!”
The Dwarf Prince, Sana Liehuo, flared up, his beard bristling, “In terms of fighting, you knights are indeed formidable. But what about equipment? Without the forging of our Flame City, what will you use to fight the Demon Race? Wooden sticks?”
He slammed his hand on the table.
“Command rights must be held jointly by the Five Capitals!”
Although Ironforge Country was weaker in national strength, it possessed irreplaceable advantages in forging and alchemy.
Sana knew very well that while they could form an alliance, they could not let their voice be absent.
Isabella, the President of the City-State Alliance’s merchant guild, elegantly swirled the wine glass in her hand and parted her red lips.
“Why must you two be so angry? In terms of combat command, our Golden Metropolis is indeed inferior to you all. However, war is a matter of logistics and gold coins.”
Her tone was lazy, yet every word hit the mark.
“Without the Chamber of Commerce mobilizing resources across the entire Continent, the Allied Forces would go hungry within three days. In my view, I should have the final say over logistics command.”
Her meaning was clear: she wouldn’t fight for military command, but she had to secure logistics.
“Hmph! Wouldn’t that mean President Isabella could decide the life and death of our army with a single word?” Gore’s eyes turned dangerous.
“No.”
“If Lord Gore can open his mouth and ask for half the command, what’s wrong with us wanting logistics?” Isabella refused to back down even an inch.
“By this.” Gore gripped his sword with both hands, and a sharp sword intent instantly permeated the entire hall.
“What? Does Lord Gore intend to strike me?” Isabella showed no fear.
To sit in the position of President of the Chamber of Commerce, she was certainly no fragile flower.
“I am not in the habit of striking women,” Gore huffed coldly.
“Does Lord Gore look down on women? There is a much more powerful lady right here.” Isabella turned her gaze toward Su Nian, her words dripping with implication.
Su Nian, who had been silently drinking tea and watching the drama, nearly choked.
‘What’s going on? Why am I suddenly involved?’
Gore re-evaluated Su Nian, the battle intent in his eyes growing even more fervent.
To a battle maniac, finding a qualified opponent to spar with was just as important as securing national interests.
Su Nian naturally sensed the fighting spirit Gore was emitting, but she chose to ignore it.
‘Forget it, forget it. I just want to finish this meeting quickly. I can see my dear husband this afternoon!’
After three hours of arguing, the Heroes of the Five Capitals finally finalized the plan for the formation of the Allied Forces.
The City-State Alliance and Ironforge Country would be jointly responsible for logistics.
Ironforge Country would focus on weapon supplies, while the City-State Alliance would handle all other types of resources.
The Knight Legions would be led and commanded by the Rhine Knight Kingdom, while the Mage Legions would be led by the Red Maple Kingdom.
As for the demands of the Holy State…
Archbishop Silas of the Holy City spoke : “The will of the God of Light shall guide us to victory over the darkness. The actions of the Allied Forces must receive the blessing of the Church.”
“Therefore, each legion of the Allied Forces requires a clergyman of Deacon rank from the Holy State to accompany them as an overseer and to be responsible for healing the soldiers.”
It seemed the Holy State gained nothing, yet they ensured every legion had a Deacon following them.
In the end, it could be said that every party got what they wanted.
However, although the general plan was agreed upon, one matter remained unresolved.
That was… the candidate for the Commander-in-Chief.
Because no one could convince the others, the position of Commander-in-Chief was left pending.
Su Nian watched these people fight back and forth for power from the side, with only one thought in her mind—let it end quickly, she missed her husband.
Immediately afterward, the conversation turned toward the key assistance for this alliance.
“Attacking the weak points of the Demon Race from the air via Floating Warships… is a tactic that has never been tried before. Is it truly reliable?” Archbishop Silas asked darkly.
This question was like a stone causing a thousand ripples.
Everyone present knew that the technology for the Floating Fortress—or rather, the Floating Airship—was provided by the “Star-Moon Saintess” before them.
To question this technology was to question her personally.
Su Nian’s brow furrowed slightly as her sky-blue eyes turned toward Silas.
This Archbishop had made her uncomfortable from the start, and now he was directly jumping out to find fault.
“Is the Archbishop questioning my ability?” Su Nian’s voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.
Silas’s expression remained unchanged, “I am not questioning the Holy Lady’s ability. It is simply that war concerns thousands of lives; we must be cautious.”
“To use something that has never been tested in actual combat as the main force against the Demon Race? I fear it is too risky,” Silas continued.
Seeing this, Prince Elvin immediately straightened his back.
Wearing a smile that suggested he held the winning hand, he stepped in to intervene.
“Everyone, please rest easy. You all witnessed the power of the Floating Fortress not long ago.”
He stood up and opened his arms, attempting to draw everyone’s attention to himself and play the role of the one in control.
“To eliminate everyone’s doubts, an inspection of the Floating Airships will be held this afternoon.”
“The inspection ceremony this afternoon will naturally provide everyone with a satisfactory answer.”
“I wonder which house manufactured these Floating Airships?” Ranur spoke up at that moment.
“The manufacturing task was undertaken by Shadowmoon Manor, the most capable estate in the city. Mo Yuan Sir’s technical prowess is well-known in Academy City,” Isabella said as she lifted her wine glass, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.
Hearing the words “Shadowmoon Manor,” Su Nian’s heart stirred.
“They were manufactured in our Academy City, of course.” A hint of pride flashed in Prince Elvin’s eyes.
“I hope they won’t disappoint us.”
Ranur looked toward Su Nian and said, “In that case, let us wait and see.”
After Elvin finished speaking, a smile spread across his face.
His men had already tampered with the warships.
‘When the time came, Shadowmoon Manor and that Mo Yuan would both be finished!’