"Bad news, Your Royal Highness!" the deputy commander shouted in panic as soon as he rushed in.
"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?" Zain asked with furrowed brows.
"Yesterday, many of our soldiers had been experiencing diarrhea and vomiting. At first, we thought that it was because they just failed to acclimatize to the new surroundings. So, we didn't really pay special attention to the matter. However, this morning, those who were experiencing the said symptoms had increased to over ten thousand. Therefore, we suspect that our soldiers had been poisoned!" the deputy commander reported in a gloomy tone.
"Poisoned?" Zain's face darkened as soon as he heard the news. He then scolded sternly, "Fools! Why didn't you check our drinking water before you drew it?"
"We did, Your Royal Highness! But last night, all the soldiers were starting to suffocate because of the smoke that enveloped the Red River Valley. Their faces were also covered with dust. Therefore, as soon as they finished pitching the tents, our soldiers ran to the nearby river to cleanse themselves and be refreshed. We are guessing that the water from the river was already poisoned by then," the deputy commander gave a logical assumption.
"Damn it! Enoch must be the one behind this shameless scheme! I didn't expect that he could still pull off something like this. I was careless. It looks like the fire that spread out in the Red River Valley is also a part of his plan!" Zain felt that he had underestimated his uncle yet again. His victory caught him off guard. Hence, he never expected that Enoch could set up such a trap after pulling his troops out of the fortress.
"Do you know how powerful the poison is?" Adrian butted in and asked.
"It still remains unknown. But according to what we can observe from the soldiers, even if they get detoxified, I'm afraid they will still stay weak because of dehydration. It means that they won't be able to fully recover in just a few days," the deputy commander remarked hesitantly.
"What a bunch of pathetic idiots! Go back and tell every soldier that they should no longer drink from the rivers nearby. We have to assume that my uncle had already poisoned them. Send out troops to search for new sources of clean water. One more thing! Send someone to the camp of the Ghost Fief's army and summon Odin. We need him here to detoxify all of the poisoned soldiers!" Zain instructed impatiently. He knew how treacherous his uncle was, so he was sure that the poison was not ordinary. Thus, their military doctors might not be able to handle it. At this point, the prince speculated that their only chance to overcome this was through Rocky's help.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness!" Right after answering, the deputy commander left in a hurry and carried out the instructions given to him.
"But Your Royal Highness, didn't you just decide to keep Odin and the Ghost Fief army idle in the meantime? I'm just a bit worried that Odin might refuse to offer his help out of spite," Adrian insinuated.
Hearing this, Zain couldn't help but grit his teeth in embarrassment. Then, to save face, he blurted coldly, "Humph! Would he have the guts to refuse me? I will not hesitate to punish him for disobedience if he dares to refuse my order!"
Meanwhile, back in the camp of the Ghost Fief's army, Rocky was collecting a large number of well-proportioned herbs and putting them into the Magic Spiritual Space.
It seemed that he was already preparing in advance, knowing that it would just be a matter of time before Zain sent someone to summon him.
Then, just as he expected, a few hours later, Zain's men arrived to inform him that the prince wanted him back in the camp of the royal army.
Without any delay and complaint, Rocky joined Zain's men and headed straight to the royal army's camp.
"Greetings, Your Royal Highness!" As soon as he arrived at the royal army's new base camp, Rocky directly walked into the commander's tent to pay Zain a visit. He then bowed respectfully at the prince who was already waiting for him.
"Odin! At last, you're here!" Zain felt relieved the minute Rocky showed up. With the current situation of the poisoned soldiers, he knew that only Rocky's medical skills could solve the pressing issue. According to the latest report he just received, more than fifty thousand soldiers had been evidently showing the symptoms of poisoning, and more than a hundred of them had already died of dehydration.
With this, Zain wasted no time and informed Rocky about what was going on.
"I see. That sounds terrible," Rocky responded, pretending to be concerned.
"Yes, it is. Therefore, I hope that you can help us treat them!" Zain said politely. After all, he could only rely on Rocky's medical skills now.
"Oh, am I allowed to do something for the royal family again?" Rocky revealed a faint smile, taking a subtle jab at the prince.
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