Rode knew very well that the actual commander of this team was Molly.
He was just a leg-hugger, occasionally providing some special services.
Neither the main force nor the commander was him.
Rode leaped out of bed.
"What's the matter?"
Molly took out a stack of clothes and some miscellaneous items from the bundle behind her, and placed them on the makeshift low table.
"This is something a team member found at the edge of the giant pit."
Rode flipped through it. The clothes were very new, as if they had just been taken off, and the miscellaneous items were combat supplies, a few exploding fire pots, a few invisibility spells, and a few short-range teleportation spells.
His brow furrowed, thinking of the exploding fire pots in the giant pit.
"These are from the enemy."
Rode immediately said.
"Followers of the Apocalypse? Or opponents?"
Molly's expression remained unchanged, but her voice carried a hint of coldness.
"It should be opponents. The fire pots and spells are not something the Followers of the Apocalypse can easily obtain. Recently, the Followers of the Apocalypse have been severely hit by the internal adjudication, almost disappearing without a trace. They wouldn't suddenly emerge at this time."
Rode sneered, "Their actions are no different from the Followers of the Apocalypse now. These people want to detonate the monster nest and let the tide of monsters engulf us."
A mysterious light flickered in Molly's eyes. When she obtained these items, she instantly guessed their conspiracy and also knew in an instant that if it weren't for the big boy in front of her, they would have failed.
Was this also part of your calculation, Lord Theodore?
When will I be able to have such wisdom?
Molly thought silently, and said calmly.
"I have already conveyed all the information from today to the king, Lord Horus, Lord Thalorian, and Lord Amado. The royal city will soon know that we have achieved a huge victory, and will also know that some people are resorting to any means to murder their compatriots, attempting to deliberately cause the failure of the expedition."
"This violates the agreement we made in the Supreme Council. If the Elder Council is not insane, they should thoroughly investigate this matter."
Rode sneered, "Don't get your hopes up too high. Our evidence is only these few pieces of clothing, and those opponents won't leave too many traces if they're not idiots. We won't be able to find out anything."
Molly fell silent.
"What's worse is that the failure of this operation does not mean they will give up. This means that in addition to dealing with the monsters, we also have to guard against the dagger in the back."
A hint of worry finally appeared in Molly's expression.
According to the latest intelligence from the Legion, the monsters in the town of Fuxing are very difficult to deal with. In addition to the giant monsters and soulless skeletons, there are also some dream demons.
The combat group that set out is not strong, yet they have to face such a severe challenge.
She couldn't find a way to win in her rational mind.
But Rode only showed a confident smile and patted her shoulder.
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"Don't worry, little Molly, no one is better at hunting down these scum than me. I used to kill them in the sewers like killing chickens, known as the terminator of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I'll kill them, one by one, or in pairs."
His strong confidence infected Molly, making her hide the worry and panic deep in her heart.
A person who has created miracles many times, saying that he can create miracles again, even without reason or justification, is enough to make people believe.
Molly's expression became aloof again, coupled with her gold-rimmed glasses, giving off a feeling of a head teacher.
"Commander, please mind your words. You are not yet seventeen years old, younger than my brother by a year. Please address me as Deputy Commander or Miss Molly."
Rode smirked, "You only see my appearance, but in fact, my mental age is much older than yours. You can even call me big brother."
Molly said coldly, "Being mature at a young age is a psychological illness, and the inexplicable pursuit of vanity stems from a lack of attention in the past. You need treatment."
"Forget it, are there any other matters?"
"This is our battle arrangement."
Rode quickly read through it and frowned, "Why are only half of the people deployed each day?"
Molly said seriously, "Commander, this is an expedition deep into the dark world. Thalorian is quite far from us and cannot provide us with strong support. We must keep enough reserve personnel to deal with any possible emergencies."
"More importantly, this will be a quite long war, not a decisive battle with one blow. We can only slowly erode the town of Fuxing, and it is crucial to rationally allocate the soldiers' spiritual power, physical strength, and mental will."
"At the same time, we also need to consider the corrosion of the soldiers' souls from fighting the monsters in the dark for a long time. This is the most critical consideration."
Rode's face darkened.
Having only half the people deployed each day was very unfavorable for his plan.
But Molly's words were correct.
Spiritual power is the physical strength of the soul. If it is overused, recovery will be very slow. Not everyone has the rapid recovery ability he has, and with his spiritual power now greatly enhanced, his recovery ability has also become inadequate.
Rode pondered for a while and asked, "Is there a way to avoid the corrosion of the soul?"
Molly replied, "It cannot be avoided. Even if we fight within the range of the fire, even if we do not come into contact with the monsters and use long-range means to eliminate them, there will still be some kind of long-distance spiritual connection. The monsters are a collection of corruption, pollution, distortion, and curses. This connection will inevitably lead to the contamination of your soul."
"It is well known that our souls have three layers: gaseous layer, luminous layer, and core layer."
"We must purify when the contamination stays in the gaseous layer. The warriors only need to meditate within the range of the fire and take purification elixirs to achieve this.""If you reach the luminous layer, you must return to the royal city to undergo the purification ritual at the Soul Church."
"Once contaminated reaches the core layer, it is incurable, and all that awaits is corruption and decay."
Molly's voice became low.
"My father turned into a monster like this, his bones pierced through his flesh and turned into claws, killing my mother, my brother, and almost killing me."
Rode's heart trembled, and he blurted out, "Your brother is not one year older than me..."
Molly answered softly, "If he's still alive."
"Sorry..."
But Molly's expression didn't change much.
"No need to apologize, I have long sworn to devote myself to the holy fire, to ignite more fire, illuminate a larger area, and kill all the monsters in the darkness. That is my greatest dream in this life."
"For it, I can give everything, and what you are doing now is practicing my dream."
Rode was slightly moved in his heart. Molly looked aloof on the outside, but her heart was actually very passionate.
After thinking for a while, he asked, "As long as there is some kind of connection with the monster, we will be contaminated?"
Molly nodded gently.
"The deeper the connection, the greater the contamination. When you stare at the darkness, the darkness is also staring at you. Those who kill monsters will eventually become monsters."
"Please remember this law, which was obtained through countless blood and death."
"Contamination is inevitable, assimilation will be completed. Even the gods with divine power will eventually become unspeakable existences. We are ultimately just mortals."
Silence continued in the room for a long time.
The firelight also became dim.
The evening had passed, and the night of the dark moon had arrived. The power of the fire was suppressed, and the light would also weaken.
After an unknown amount of time, Molly broke the silence.
"That's why our basic tactical principle has always been: try to use more combat personnel of the same level to fight monsters. No one is allowed to continue fighting monsters in the dark for more than four months."
"The royal city has established a detailed rotation mechanism for this."
"My combat arrangement is the application of this mechanism."
Rode woke up from his contemplation and suddenly showed a smile.
"Molly, I have come up with a way to greatly reduce the pressure on the warriors and reduce their contamination."
Molly looked at Rode, with a hint of disbelief in her eyes.
Rode stood up, showing a smug smile.
"Molly, do you know? I have hunted countless monsters, cleared the sewers, killed the abyssal serpent with one blow, and stared the corrupt dragon to death with just a glance."
"But when the Soul Master at the Soul Church checked my soul, the evaluation was..."
"Your soul is as pure as a virgin, without a trace of contamination."
Rode looked at Molly, and his smile became even more obvious.
"That's my specialty."
"So, the warriors can leave the final blow to me, and let me bear the burden of killing the monsters."
"My soul can self-purify and wash away anything unclean."
Molly's eyes finally showed a change.
She remembered every word on Rode's file, and indeed, there was such a record.
But she originally thought it was just a description by the Soul Master, indicating that Rode's soul was relatively clean and uncontaminated, so he could go to the front line with peace of mind.
She didn't expect him to have this ability.
"But..." she hesitated, "this purification has its limits, right? If too much filth accumulates, your soul may undergo a mutation. Once it enters a state of corruption, it will be very troublesome."
Rode smiled.
Of course, there are limits. As long as he depletes his 99678 points of humanity, he will be contaminated.
In other words, as long as his humanity is not exhausted, he will never be contaminated or eroded.
And as long as he continues to inspire people and bring hope to them, his humanity will never be extinguished.
Now, Rode increasingly agrees with the king's words:
"True victory is not in killing how many monsters, but in inspiring the fighting spirit in our hearts."
I must thoroughly implement this principle.
Rode thought in his heart, but his face was very serious.
"Molly, of course, there are limits to my abilities, but they are not easily reached."
"And now, the royal city and the holy fire are in imminent danger. How can we, as Thalorians, not fight for it? The fire has illuminated us, sheltered us, bestowed us with life and soul. How can we not protect it?"
"For the royal city and the holy fire, I can offer my soul. Please don't feel sorry for me, just let me bear this heavy and arduous task."
This statement was so beautiful that Molly didn't believe it for a while.
She looked at Rode with a skeptical look.
The latter scratched his head and had to use his killer move.
"This is also one of the reasons why Lord Theodore ultimately chose me."
Molly fell silent for a moment, and finally chose to believe.
"I will adjust this combat plan and no longer consider the impact of contamination. In the end, two-thirds of the people should be sent to battle, and one-third should stay behind."
This was no ordinary matter. It was equivalent to changing from two shifts to three shifts, increasing efficiency by 50%.
Rode smiled, "That's really great."
Molly said seriously, "But there are several things that need to be noted. First, the warriors must fight with all their strength and not hold back. Only when the situation is safe can they leave the monsters for you."
"Second, since all of us are melee fighters, it is not suitable for large-scale combat. They must be divided into small teams to fight in a wider area, and you need to quickly shuttle back and forth."Rode smiled and said, "Molly, I just need an opening in psychic energy, a flaw in the soul, to deliver a fatal blow. Warriors don't need to grind monsters down to half-dead."
Molly pondered for a moment and asked, "Is it grass?"
It took Rode quite a while to realize she didn't mean that.
"Ah, right, it's grass. This spark is strong enough to penetrate the soul's gap and destroy it."
Molly nodded and said, "In that case, we can further optimize our battle strategy. I'll rewrite a new combat plan to maximize our advantages."
"But,"
She paused, then continued.
"This will make you more tired."
Rode patted his chest and laughed, "Men are never afraid of getting tired."
Molly glanced at him and said coldly:
"You seem to be someone who takes the idea of manhood seriously. Don't suppress yourself too much. Responsibility and duty correspond to each other. Our treatment is only given to those who contribute more to humanity, regardless of gender."
Rode scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "I know, after all, I'm just one of the many kings under Her Highness Green Feather."
Molly frowned slightly:
"Green Feather will not be the next king, and you will not be her king consort. If you wish, she could very well become one of your wives."
Rode laughed it off, "Let's talk about that later. By the way, why didn't Aunt Yusef and Mephisto come?"
"Because we left in a hurry, Central Healer Yusef and Taboo Mephisto didn't manage to get on the vehicle in time. They will arrive later."
Molly pushed her gold-rimmed glasses.
"Also, I've paid Mephisto's weekly salary of 8,000 silver soles and Yusef's 5,000 silver soles. Commander, I must remind you, you shouldn't hire such expensive people."
"Later, I will write a list of the most cost-effective hires for you to follow."
"Furthermore, I have informed the royal city that, in addition to the loan of 300,000 silver soles, your weekly salary will also be temporarily allocated to my account for management and use."
Rode looked at her with slight dissatisfaction and muttered, "Haven't even been to bed, and you're already managing the money."
But he didn't say more.
After all, what couldn't he entrust to such a shrewd, cute, and capable assistant?