He asked a string of questions in succession, as if truly anxious. The soldiers standing around exchanged glances, and then an officer stepped forward and responded respectfully.

"Reporting to Your Highness the Prince, the demons who attacked Withered Wood Port have already been routed by our General Hamoldon, and the port has now returned to peace... Please do not be alarmed."

After pausing for a moment, he continued speaking.

"Baron Ticky Cosia should be with General Hamoldon, and I can fetch him here for you."

"Already routed?"

Luo Yan looked slightly surprised at the officer, as if hearing this news for the first time.

His tightly furrowed brows loosened slightly, he calmed himself, and then said,

"No need... Since they are together, take me to them. I want to personally thank your general for today's events."

With that, he turned to the Governor's Mansion servant sent by Captain Kaidesen to reward the army and ordered,

"How can we celebrate the triumphant return without wine? Go to the Governor's Mansion and bring ten barrels of rum to share with the soldiers!"

Originally, they were not allowed to drink.

But if it was a reward from the Prince, it was different, and even if General Hamoldon blamed them, they could pass the responsibility to His Highness the Prince.

"Oh oh oh!!"

"Long live Prince Colin!"

"Long live the Empire!"

The soldiers cheered the wisdom of His Highness the Prince, and then sent several strong young men with the Governor's Mansion servant to fetch the wine from the warehouse.

Luo Yan then looked at the officer beside him, who instantly understood and nodded, saying,

"Your Highness the Prince, please follow me... I will take you to see the General."

Luo Yan nodded slightly, remounted his horse, and followed the officer toward the fortress on the nearby hill.

On the fortress walls, the Corpse Ghost soldiers on duty had already withdrawn, replaced by the Withered Wood Port's militia.

They also did not recognize Luo Yan's face, but like the sailors from Saint Yil Castle, they recognized the Purple Moon Badge on his cloak, guessed his identity, and all bowed in salutation.

"Your Highness the Prince!"

Luo Yan did not exchange pleasantries with them, only slightly nodded, and then handed his warhorse over to the guarding militia.

"Take me only this far; from here on I'll go by myself."

He nodded at the leading officer in gratitude and then strode confidently toward the camp within the fortress.

In the center of the camp, the main tent's bonfire crackled fiercely.

Hamoldon was leisurely reclining in his seat, savoring the delicacies he hadn't finished earlier.

With a full belly, one is prone to indulgence. These days, the Baron of Withered Wood Port had been treating him with good food and drink, but he still felt something was missing.

Withered Wood Port was a scenic place, rich in resources, but a bit too quiet. The taverns were full of big burly men, just like Saint Yil Castle, without even a single dancing girl to serve drinks.

Is this suitable?

This is really inappropriate!

General Hamoldon couldn't help but consider the Governor of Withered Wood Port, perhaps opening a brothel here?

This doesn't really seem like something an Imperial General should be doing, but... sometimes urgency allows for pragmatic measures.

He had already repaired the port and the quarry, so why not a place for soldiers to have leisure?

Yes, indeed it's lacking.

General Hamoldon began planning again, perhaps turning Withered Wood Port into a vacation spot for the Imperial Navy—or rather, a rest base. And the Lizardmen here were quite adept at ship repairing.

Getting professionals to do irrelevant tasks ultimately ends up chaotic. This naval general had no idea that his plans were already veering off course.

His thoughts continued to wander, and somehow, he thought of that fledgling Demon King he encountered this afternoon.

Speaking of which—

That youthful face was truly handsome, especially with that expression of shame and rage, which tempted one to throw him in a dungeon and torment him.

He never used to understand why the nobility of the Empire preferred keeping boy toys over pretty girls. Now he got it a little—if it were that guy, it wouldn't be unthinkable...

General Hamoldon suddenly snapped to attention, a cold sweat crossing his forehead. He downed a mouthful of rum to suppress the wicked thoughts in his heart.

That was close——

Indeed, what a tempting demon!

He almost got ensnared!

Seeing General Hamoldon's cup emptying, the clueless Ticky hurriedly refilled it, eagerly urging him to drink.

"The General has a great capacity for liquor! Let's continue! Haha! Tonight we won't rest until we're drunk!"

His intention in urging the drink wasn't to take advantage of Hamoldon, mostly because if he got this guy drunk, he wouldn't be asked too many questions.

Most lies are exposed due to inconsistencies. The more he spoke, the more loopholes there were. To avoid a slip, he would just have to keep his own words to a minimum and get the other party to talk.

While the two exchanged cups, a report suddenly came from outside the tent.

"His Highness the Prince has arrived!"

Both Ticky and Hamoldon were taken aback upon hearing this. They put down their cups and rose to face the tent's entrance.

Almost at the same moment, the tent's flap was lifted, revealing a face marked by sharp contours and a commanding aura.

Unlike those soldiers who only recognized the badge and not the face.

General Hamoldon did not immediately see the Purple Moon on the cloak. But just upon seeing the face clearly, he determined that this person was no ordinary individual!

This was his keen perception honed in the Holy City—true nobility does not need badges to demonstrate their status.

Merely by standing, they automatically become the condensation core of the masses, the center of everyone's expectations.

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