Aleryadi’s smugness froze instantly on his face.
His pupils contracted sharply.
His body instinctively leaned forward, almost hitting the edge of the table.
“What did you say?!”
Aleryadi’s voice shot up, laced with disbelief and a hint of panic.
Kelaite acted as if he hadn’t noticed Aleryadi’s loss of composure.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, his tone as flat as if he were stating some trivial matter unrelated to himself.
“Yes. The transport line heading your way had a problem. There were quite a few casualties.”
At those words, Aleryadi couldn’t stay seated any longer.
He shot up, his face a mix of terror and fury.
“The Northeastern Transport Line?! Heavy casualties?!”
He strode around the table in a few steps and rushed in front of Kelaite, practically grabbing the other man’s neat collar as he demanded:
“When did this happen?! What exactly happened?! Was it… or was it the Strange? Goblins? No, the Second Factory couldn’t have circled from the south to the north…”
Kelaite calmly watched Aleryadi, letting him hold his collar.
The faint, elusive curve on his lips remained unchanged.
“Neither.”
“I’ve already consulted the Great Artisan God. Over there, it’s Leopold, along with the chieftain of the Inteke Tribe.”
“Leopold? Who’s that? I’ve never heard that name before.”
After Kelaite said this, Aleryadi gradually let his emotions settle.
He did know the Inteke Tribe—they were a Dwarf tribe like the Watkan Tribe.
But why… would the Inteke Tribe come to obstruct the Church?
If he remembered correctly, the Watkan Tribe was behind the Kanoqiesi Forest, while the Inteke Tribe was in the Kostershka Mountains…
The Inteke Tribe was a considerable distance from the northeast.
Even if they were to attack, shouldn’t they strike the southeast first?
As he thought, Aleryadi calmed down.
He released Kelaite’s collar and kept mulling over the reasons.
“No need to think. The Great Artisan God said the entire Inteke Tribe has probably ceased to exist.”
Seeing Aleryadi still pondering why the Inteke Tribe had appeared, Kelaite couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
“Ceased to exist? What do you mean?”
Having just calmed down a bit, Aleryadi now clenched his fists again at Kelaite’s words and expression, his brow twitching.
“Literally. The current Inteke Tribe is likely all Leopold. His Holiness once dealt with a Leopold that had reached the Moho Layer in the Watkan Tribe.”
“…”
Kelaite’s words only made Aleryadi more confused.
What did he mean by ‘all Leopold’?
Seeing the deepening confusion on Aleryadi’s face, Kelaite looked weary, then sighed in exasperation.
This guy’s reaction speed is slower than the sheep Luther Sage raises.
How did he even become a Cardinal?
“Simple. It means the Inteke Tribe is wiped out. Even if there are Dwarves left, they’re Dwarves wearing Leopold’s skin.”
“As for whether you might ask if Leopold is still alive—for that question, use that not-so-big head of yours and think it through. Since there are that many Leopolds, how could the real Leopold still be alive?”
Kelaite’s words made Aleryadi’s expression turn extremely ugly.
But Aleryadi held back his burgeoning anger and said in a low voice:
“If Leopold is at the Moho Layer, even if Commander Kamani went, it would be useless… No, I need to go find Archmage Mosen!”
As he spoke, Aleryadi walked past Kelaite and headed toward the door.
He couldn’t let this task fail, or His Holiness would surely blame him!
But before Aleryadi could take two steps, Kelaite snagged him with a golden rope and yanked him back.
“Kelaite! At a time like this, you’re not worried?!”
Hearing Aleryadi’s accusation, Kelaite paused for a moment.
He really wasn’t worried.
Then he shook his head with a wry smile and reassured him:
“No need to panic. Not all Leopolds are that strong. The two Leopolds that intercepted our transport line were only at the Shallow Water Layer.”
“Shallow Water Layer?!”
Aleryadi frowned.
Though hearing it was only the Shallow Water Layer eased his mind a bit, his confusion wasn’t lessened.
“Then why…”
Kelaite rubbed his brow, his tone turning serious, no longer light.
“Both Leopolds… were hiding in a Black Mist. What blocked the transport line were the undead they summoned.”
“There are a lot of undead, and the number of Knights I can allocate is limited. Even if Lightforce can effectively damage the undead, it can’t deal with that many… and I can’t just charge into the Black Mist.”
“Right now, the transport line from the Southern Mine Vein directly to the Northeastern Stronghold has to be temporarily halted. If we only ship via the Base to the Stronghold, it will significantly reduce the rate.”
Kelaite’s words made it impossible for Aleryadi to maintain his calm expression.
Especially that last part—”significantly reduce the rate.”
To Aleryadi, it sounded like a death sentence for his Northeastern Stronghold plan.
He didn’t ask Kelaite why he didn’t send more men.
As another Cardinal, Kelaite’s mission was no easier than his own.
He not only had to protect this transport line but also many others.
Once the manpower was spread out, there really wasn’t much left.
Since the Northeastern Stronghold was a new outpost, Kelaite had already sent a considerable number of people. Trying to argue with Kelaite now would not only make him look petty but also be completely pointless.
That said, he had just become a Cardinal, and his very first task had already run into two such incidents.
First Hel, then Leopold.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated Aleryadi became.
But frustration aside, he absolutely could not mess this up.
Because of Hel, Kamani definitely couldn’t be reassigned.
The other Deputy Commanders were all stationed at various strongholds, and one had to ensure the safety of the Base—none could be pulled away either.
Archmage Mosen was still recovering from his injuries, and Sage Luther wasn’t necessarily willing to help.
“What did the Great Artisan God say?”
After racking his brains, Aleryadi finally deflated and turned his gaze to Kelaite, as if hoping the Great Artisan God could intervene.
After all, the Great Artisan God knew the details about Leopold.
“The Great Artisan God is still forging the Wonder Building Core and can’t easily step in. As for the Dwarves of the Watkan Tribe, none of them have mastered Lightforce, so they can’t effectively harm the undead.”
“However, the Great Artisan God said he could send Theodore… I thought this is primarily the Church’s own affair, so I came to look for Kamani first.”
Kelaite’s words initially disappointed Aleryadi, but then the turn gave him a new glimmer of hope.
He didn’t have many men either.
The establishment of the new stronghold was far more dangerous than expected, forcing him to station most of his Knights there.
Moreover, Aleryadi was well aware that even if he could spare a sizable force, as long as the two Leopolds capable of summoning undead remained unresolved, the trouble would keep coming endlessly.
At this moment, since the Great Artisan God was willing to let Theodore help, seeking out Theodore was undoubtedly the best choice.
But why could Theodore solve it? If he remembered correctly, Theodore was also a Dwarf from the Watkan Tribe.
Meeting Aleryadi’s gaze, Kelaite smiled.
“Her faith is more devout than the vast majority of the Faithful. His Holiness personally bestowed Grace upon her. Also, Theodore herself is at the Moho Layer.”
At that, Aleryadi immediately understood and no longer felt surprised.
“Moho Layer, huh…”