The Medallion novel Chapter 1968

"Because of the severity of the previous fire that scorched the valley, I can say that almost all the soldiers suffered from injured throats, lungs and spleens. Moreover, the damage to their throats could not be cured in such a short period of time. Hence, I guess that they just have an illusion that they feel thirsty," Rocky explained.

"Ha! How do I know that you're not making this thing up? Do you have any evidence to support your claim?" Zain felt very suspicious and didn't take Rocky's words seriously.

"Not a problem. You can ask several medics to examine the throats of the soldiers. I'm sure that after they checked their condition, we shall see whether I'm telling the truth or not," Rocky said confidently.

Hearing this, Zain's brows raised, and he quickly signaled Adrian to let the medics examine the soldiers. Immediately after, Adrian walked out of the camp to do what he was told.

Then, about fifteen minutes later, Adrian came back. He directly walked towards the prince and whispered something in his ear.

After hearing Adrian's report, Zain revealed a frown. It seemed that Rocky was telling the truth. They random checked a few soldiers and all their throats were indeed injured to some degree. Moreover, according to the medics, the hot weather also contributed to the illusion that made the soldiers desperately yearn for water.

"Fine. Since there is no problem with the water, I will let this matter go." Although Zain was quite disappointed, he had to stop blaming Rocky without any clear evidence against him. After all, he could not make trouble for Rocky and Gilbert if they were really innocent. Most importantly, the army of the royal family had suffered heavy casualties this time, so he was in dire need of military support. The prince knew that the army of the Ghost Fief was powerful enough to subjugate Enoch's soldiers before, so he needed them all the more right now.

"Prince Zain, our defeat in this battle made a huge blow to the morale of our army. I think it's necessary for us to reconsider some of our strategies and plans," Adrian proposed thoughtfully.

"I know. Does any commander here have a brilliant idea?" Zain immediately looked around, still feeling a bit irritated.

However, at this time, all the commanders suddenly lowered their heads. It was obvious that they were afraid to take on such a huge responsibility. After all, there was a great chance of them dying in the battlefield.

"Nobody? Good-for-nothing bums! You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Zain snapped when no one dared to speak a word.

"Calm down, Your Royal Highness. I might have an idea." Finally, Gilbert spoke up.

"What is it?" Seeing that Gilbert was about to offer a suggestion, Zain became curious.

"Since Prince Enoch thought that he has already won the battle, he will definitely become arrogant. I think we can take advantage of this and cajole him into having a negotiation with us. At the same time, we can use that chance to make our next move," Gilbert replied in a low voice.

"Hmm, I see. That plan might work. Prince Enoch has two high-level Spiritual Emperors, but we have three high-level Spiritual Emperors on our side. In addition, we have more than ten middle-level and low-level Shura Realm masters. With our strength, we just need a proper timing to defeat Prince Enoch. Once we succeed, Your Royal Highness, you will be able to regain control of the situation," Adrian reiterated, agreeing to Gilbert's plan.

Since no one had any other idea, the other commanders also nodded in support of Gilbert's proposal.

"It sounds feasible. However, how can we guarantee that my uncle will take the bait? Everything rides on the assumption that he will negotiate with us. What if he refused?" Zain squinted his eyes.

"That should be quite easy, Your Royal Highness. If we use the Purgatorial Tripod as bait, Prince Enoch will surely fall for it. He probably doesn't know that the Purgatorial Tripod is no longer in my hands, so I can still persuade him. I just need someone who can represent you to go with me," Rocky instantly volunteered.

Zain hesitated for a second before he finally agreed. He thought that among anyone else, Rocky had the best chance of completing the mission. After all, the young man was right when he said that Enoch would likely take the bait if the Purgatorial Tripod was involved. Then, Zain turned to Adrian and said, "Adrian, go with Odin and act as my representative."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," Adrian replied, bowing towards Zain as he took the order.

Eventually, Rocky and Adrian left the tent.

"I didn't expect that everything will go as you predicted. This defeat is going to be a great humiliation to Zain and the royal family!" As they got farther from the tent, Adrian couldn't hide his mocking smile.

"This is just the beginning. Although Enoch won this time, the royal family's strength is still greater than what we can actually see. We still need to be cautious in our next steps." Of course, Rocky wouldn't let his guard down just because his plan was working rather smoothly. He knew that there was still quite a long way to go before he could complete his goal.