In the city closest to the border between the Saint Martin Kingdom and the Veed Kingdom, Alexander was sitting in a tavern, sipping on the local specialty wheat beer.
After a while, Victor rushed in and whispered a few words into Alexander's ear. The battle at Vasili Castle was over, and as expected, it hadn't been taken. In fact, the Saint Martin King had almost been driven back completely. One could imagine the little old king of Saint Martin fleeing for miles while being pursued.
In reality, the Veed Kingdom hadn't dared to pursue too hard, as all twenty of their Royal Guards had died in the battle, and their soldiers were nearly wiped out, barely managing to repel the Saint Martin siege forces. The brutal siege had ended in a pyrrhic victory for the Veed Kingdom. The enraged Saint Martin King had plundered several villages before retreating from Veed territory.
"Sir, the troops have been fully replenished," Godfrey whispered into Alexander's ear as he entered the tavern.
Alexander nodded. His main purpose in this city was to replenish his forces, as the previous two battles had taken a toll on his troops. What surprised him the most was that the eleven noble soldiers who had originally followed him had all survived and had grown into formidable warriors. They were now on par with the knights of Saint Martin.
(The promotion path for Saint Martin noble soldiers is: Saint Martin Squire -> Saint Martin Cavalry -> Saint Martin Knight -> Saint Martin Elite Knight -> Saint Martin Banner Knight.)
However, for now, he couldn't upgrade their equipment. They would have to return to Lisbon to have their armor and horse armor replaced by Archduke Ferdinand.
Aside from replenishing troops and treating the wounded, Alexander was also dealing with the spoils of war and prisoners. With the sale of loot and the collection of ransoms or converting prisoners into slaves, Alexander had amassed around 10,000 dinars.
Alexander examined his attribute panel:
- **Level**: 9
- **Strength**: 13
- **Agility**: 10
- **Intelligence**: 6
- **Charisma**: 9
- **Available Attribute Points**: 0
- **Experience**: 5000/25600
- **System Coins**: 13000
Looking at the 13,000 system coins, Alexander decided to open the system shop and focus on the weapons section. The tempered longsword he was currently using felt too light and insufficiently powerful for him now. It was time for an upgrade.
The system shop was indeed a treasure trove, with an overwhelming variety of weapons:
- **Hay Fork**: 10 system coins
- **Iron Longsword**: 40 system coins, Slash +2
- ...
- **Quenched Long Knife**: 1000 system coins, Pierce +10, Slash +20
- **Crescent Blade**: 2000 system coins, Slash +30
- **Sharp Knight Lance**: 5000 system coins, Pierce +50
Alexander skimmed past these weapons until his eyes landed on an exceptionally formidable weapon—the **Executioner**.
- **Executioner**: Two-handed Knight Greatsword, priced at 10,000 system coins. Requires a strength of 20 or more to use, with Pierce +50, Slash +50. (Special Effect: When the wielder decapitates an enemy, they gain a 20% attack speed boost for one minute. The effect duration can be refreshed.)
The special effect of this weapon shocked Alexander. It seemed tailor-made for him. Without hesitation, he purchased the weapon.
A black and red knight's greatsword appeared silently at Alexander's side, unnoticed by anyone else, as if it had always belonged there. He grasped the hilt with one hand and supported the blade with the other, lifting it to test its weight. It felt heavy, even for someone with Alexander's strength, indicating its substantial heft.
The sword's blade shimmered with eerie blood-red patterns, evoking the anguished screams of fallen foes. Satisfied, Alexander sheathed the **Executioner**. He then converted the remaining 3,000 system coins into dinars and handed them to Godfrey. This was for recruiting soldiers, treating the wounded, repairing equipment, and purchasing new horses and supplies.
In a blink, Alexander had spent all his money. He glanced at the system coin section of his attribute panel and sighed—spending money was like water flowing through his fingers.
**Level**: 9
**Strength**: 13
**Agility**: 10
**Intelligence**: 6
**Charisma**: 9
**Available Attribute Points**: 0
**Experience**: 5000/25600
**System Coins**: 0
After all, war is all about money. In essence, it's still a business, just a different kind of business where there's no win-win situation, only winner-takes-all or mutual destruction.
While the Kingdom of Saint Martin and the Kingdom of Vede were at war, was peace restored in other regions?
Obviously not.
Without mentioning other places, it's clear that the Empire itself couldn't have a single day of peace. There are only two states: fighting or preparing to fight.
Currently, all sides have prepared again.
At this moment, the civil war within the Empire has entered version 2.0:
Northern Empire + Southern Empire vs. True Faith Church + Western Empire
To put it simply, Queen Laya and Prince Charles have allied to take down those troublemaking clerics and Duke Andrew.
Coincidentally, surrounding countries have all experienced various events recently, so not a single country has directly intervened in the Empire's battle.
But these onlookers, who love to stir up trouble, though unable to intervene directly in the Empire's civil strife, could still meddle indirectly—such as by spending a little money to support certain factions within the Empire.
Coincidentally, everyone set their sights on the True Faith Church.
Recently, the Church's bishop would receive various kinds of financial aid every morning upon waking.
A certain noble claimed to have recently been deeply moved by the teachings of the True Faith Church, feeling that his soul had been cleansed, and donated a sum for the construction of churches.
A village decided collectively to change their faith and join the True Faith Church, contributing a significant amount of money to support its development.
Some even threw dinars directly through the window.
It was one thing to throw money, but did they have to put stones in the money bags? And even if they did, did they have to throw so accurately?
A bag of dinars hit the bishop on the head, almost sending him to the afterlife.
As a result, the True Faith Church's wealth quickly accumulated. While they may not be swimming in money, they are at least wealthy enough to rival nations.
With money in place, their combat effectiveness naturally soared.
The True Faith Church formed three knight orders, each with over two hundred members, and their numbers continue to grow.
Seeing the True Faith Church's increasing power, Queen Laya knew the importance of quelling internal unrest before dealing with external threats. She formed an army to suppress the rebellion, personally leading it to eradicate the detested clergy.
Duke Andrew, being a prominent military noble, keenly sensed the opportunity. He stood up and declared, "According to the Empire's constitution, every citizen has the freedom of belief. You, a damned dictator, have no right to deprive citizens of their faith. Today, I, Andrew, will become an emissary of justice and fight for freedom."
Before heading out, he couldn't help but lament, "Oh, this damned freedom, this sweet freedom, I love this so-called freedom."
Caught between internal and external troubles, Queen Laya couldn't hold out. She quickly sought the support of her brother, Prince Char.
Prince Char, fearing that Duke Andrew and the True Faith Church might grow too powerful and eventually overthrow him after Queen Laya, agreed to ally with his sister.
After a brief discussion, they announced, "Queen Laya and Prince Char have always been a loving family. The previous conflicts were merely sibling squabbles. Now, in the face of national crisis, we stand united against external threats, eliminating traitors and quelling the rebellion to restore peace to our Empire."