It had already been a week since that conversation, and everyone had recovered to a manageable amount. At this point, the rest of their recovery required attention from physicians and proper medication. Further camping in the wilderness without supplies would be more harmful as the colder nights came. They had to leave now. However, before that, they had stacked together a makeshift pile of rocks inside the cave and inscribed a few words. It looked shabby but this was the best they could manage in the wilderness. It was a memorial to those that died in the Battle of Liguang! One thousand from the Li Family's Lotus Division, one thousand from the Alzar Kingdom's Steel Eagle Brigade, and many other notable individuals such as Ten Dawn Krogan… It was a terrible battle for everyone involved and they all died to protect the ones alive right now. It would be too cruel not to honor their sacrifices.
No one said a word, as they clasped their hands in prayer. Elizabeth was particularly melancholic. Even from the beginning when she lived on New Havens, people had been constantly sacrificing themselves to save her, all for saving the heir apparent, Princess Elizabeth. Her family, her friends, her peers, her subordinates, and her fellow citizens… Everyone suffered so she could live, but how did that make her feel? To know so much blood stained her hands, the guilt weighed on her heart and mind so much that a million rocks could never compare. It was incomparably monstrous! Elizabeth swore to end this stupid Second Great Kingdom War once and for all!
***
Cardinal Hui hopped down from a tall tree and relayed his findings, "I see a mountain ridge to the far south, a river that extends from the south-west to the north-east approximately two days walk from here, the forest ends in the eastern direction in four hours, and two settlements in the north-west, and north. Does Your Highness need more detailed information?"
"No, that's enough. Thank you," Ming said as she constructed a map in her head. "We should reach Liguang by morning at our pace."
They had been travelling for a few days now, following Princess Ming and Cardinal Hui's guidance. Cardinal Hui was famed for his extraordinary eyesight, which was critical for reconnaissance, and Princess Ming had memorized the basic topography of the entire empire. Through this, they could roughly determine their position and head in the right direction. Elizabeth had to admit that without their help, it would have been pure luck to reach Liguang again.
"I've also spotted three patrols: one in the south-west, one in the east, and another in the north," Sir Winstin reported. "The patrols are ten men strong each, and they're bearing the Li Family's uniform."
Imperian Qiang looked at Lady Mingyu and Protector Chang. "Could you tell if they're genuine?"
Mingyu Loon shook her head while Protector Chang elaborated, "They're wearing the Li Family's uniforms, but their conversations suggest they're from the Imperial Council instead."
"The Imperial Council again…" Imperian Qiang frowned. The high presence of the council's soldiers inside the Li Family's territory did not bode well, especially since they were masquerading as people from the Li Family. It was bound to get more and more dangerous as they approached Liguang.
"Has the Li Family already retreated to the Chunshui Lake and the Tailong River?" Elizabeth theorized. "We haven't encountered anyone from the Li Family yet." She did not voice her suspicions, but if their family treasured their patriarch, then they should be devoting all their resources into finding him. The fact that they were completely absent was not a good sign. The Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang caught her hidden meaning and grew displeased.
"A patrol is approaching us from the east. What are your orders, Your Highness?" Sir Winstin said.
"We can't harm them since that would give away our position. Ten Dawn Rosemary, can I leave it to you again?" Elizabeth asked the woman.
"As you command, Your Highness."
She raised her wand and activated one of her spells, conjuring a wall of water that shifted and reflected the sunlight in a particular way to conceal them. For a group this big, this was the only guaranteed method to not be discovered. As the patrol passed by, Elizabeth exhaled. Having the help of three Perception Realm Masters and three of the Ten Dawns made things trivial. Not to mention, there were many Half-Perception Realms or Half-Condensed Drops too. Suffice to say, this was likely the strongest concentration of combatants found anywhere!
They continued to travel, and the frequency of patrols increased, forcing the Ten Dawns to alternate their spells in succession. Glider squadrons would pass by overhead from time to time, which emphasized how seriously the three powers were taking their disappearance. Whether they were dead or alive, whether they were captured or rescued… Everything hinged on it! It took them slightly longer than Princess Ming predicted since they were busy evading detection, but they eventually arrived. When they finally crested the last hill and caught sight of Liguang though, the group was speechless. Although they knew the town was bisected and destroyed in the battle, what they saw was no longer a town, but a gigantic crater. There was not a single trace of Liguang to be found! A few of them doubted Princess Ming's guidance; however, Elizabeth could tell they were in the right place because of what else she saw.
There were three large military camps below: one from each of the three major powers. They were comfortably far enough to react to any developments, and close enough to Liguang to investigate. Among them, the Alzar Kingdom's camp was the largest, followed by the Li Family, and then the Imperial Council. The balance of powers was somehow managed by an agreement between the Li Family and the Imperial Council, thus leaving the three sides at an impasse. No one could dominate the area! Perhaps because of this, it was surprisingly tranquil. Everyone was more focused on searching than fighting. In an ironic way, this might be the most peaceful battlefield in the entire war. And like a fragile glass, the second anything is discovered, then war would break out again. The problem was how to handle this without alerting the other enemy factions.
While Elizabeth pondered this, Shirley said, "Isn't one of the kingdom's flags familiar?"
"Familiar?" Freon asked. "I can't see anything from this distance. What do you think, Benedict?"
Benedict squinted his eyes. "It does look familiar… I wonder where I've seen it before."
"That's the symbol of Brigade Commander Christina Kalmar of the Highguard Household," Sir Winstin recalled.
"Auntie Christina!" Elizabeth felt warm inside. Her aunt was probably worried sick, so she volunteered to lead the search here herself. It felt like forever since they last spoke. Elizabeth looked forward to their reunion with a smile.
"What about the Li Family's sigil?" Imperian Qiang asked.
"Their sigil looks like this," Protector Chang sketched out in the dirt with a stick.
"This is the sigil of Lord Shuping Shen," Ming said.
"What's the matter, uncle?" Xiuying asked after noticing his darkening face.
"It's nothing. Princess Elizabeth, I trust that you'll uphold your end of our agreement?"
"Of course, you have my word."
"Very well."