After some time of resting, the soldiers' faces regained a bit of color.
As the priest from the main camp arrived, the soldiers, staff officers, and captains of the four battalions immediately knelt and bowed deeply in respect.
The priest, with a beaming smile on his face, gestured with his hand, signaling for the soldiers to rise.
"Thank you for your hard work. This operation is crucial, and our regiment must set an example to show the other units our determination and capability."
He spoke with a smile, preaching to the soldiers before him, though his mind was busy calculating more personal ambitions.
"Alright, let's continue moving forward. We need to make contact with the Regional Priest of Celestoria immediately—can't keep them waiting!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers responded and quickly packed their gear.
The unit soon exited the forest and walked onto the city's streets.
Upon seeing them, the nearby residents hurried to close their windows and doors.
Those who were on the streets quickly knelt and bowed repeatedly as the procession passed.
The street itself was rough and uneven, with piles of dog feces and household trash lining the sides, filling the air with a foul stench.
The buildings were in a dilapidated state, seemingly ready to collapse at any moment.
"Ugh, what a disgusting place, filthy and wretched," the priest spat, sitting upright in his carriage, but his actions were awkward, with one hand covering his mouth as if he were about to vomit.
Seeing this, the soldier beside him immediately stopped the carriage and helped the priest down, leading him to a secluded area.
They then brought over a woman and ordered her to open her mouth.
The woman knelt and opened her mouth wide.
The priest cleared his throat and then spat a thick glob of phlegm directly into her mouth.
She immediately swallowed it.
"That's more like it," the priest said, turning back around and returning to his carriage.
They continued traveling for a while, but then a messenger rushed forward in a hurry.
He quickly knelt down to show respect and then handed a sealed letter to the priest.
The priest, who had been enjoying himself on the carriage, suddenly grew furious upon reading the letter.
"What? They arrived two weeks earlier than us?"
His face turned crimson, like a ripe tomato, and his eyes bulged with anger.
He might have understood if they had only arrived a few days earlier, but he couldn't comprehend how Brightwater's forces could arrive two weeks ahead of them.
The reason for Brightwater's swift arrival was twofold.
First, their harbor was close to Celestoria. Even from the farthest town, the journey took only about two and a half months.
Second, Brightwater's troops were known for their high discipline.
Upon receiving orders, their leading priest immediately organized the troops and the rear supplies to set out.
Even when faced with challenges on the road, they were able to handle them quickly and efficiently without any loss of personnel.
Just this first point alone put them far ahead of the other three contingents.
But then, he thought to himself, "The Brightwater lot don't really understand leadership, so it seems there's nothing to worry about."
With this thought, the priest on the carriage smiled again.
The residence of the Regional Priest of Celestoria was still some distance from the town where they currently were.
So, the priest on the carriage decided to take a nap.
By now, two contingents had already entered Celestoria, while the other two were about to arrive — although they had met each other earlier and sparked a dispute.
Earlier that morning...
The Aetherhaven contingent was busy constructing a bridge across the river when the Eldoria contingent happened to pass by.
Seeing the Aetherhaven soldiers building a bridge, the Eldoria troops thought they could conveniently use it to cross the river as well, but were immediately shouted down by the Aetherhaven soldiers.
Just as tensions were about to escalate into a conflict, the Regional Priests from both sides intervened to prevent the situation from worsening.
However, Aetherhaven demanded that the Eldoria contingent pay a fee to use the bridge.
Initially, Eldoria's troops refused, having brought their own bridge-building tools.
Seeing this, the Aetherhaven troops quickly dismantled their floating bridge.
The Eldoria contingent had no choice but to build their own bridge and cross the river.
Unfortunately, due to a mistake in their route, they stumbled upon a group of magical beasts.
After a difficult battle, they finally managed to escape but ended up as the last contingent to arrive.
As the sun gradually rose to its highest point, the time reached midday.
The Stormhaven contingent soon encountered the Brightwater contingent.
Both sides set up camp in their designated areas.
When the two forces met, the atmosphere initially seemed tense, but fortunately, Thomas, the priest of Stormhaven, did not want to provoke a conflict with the Brightwater contingent, so the tension quickly subsided.
"After all, they're just a bunch of fools," Thomas thought dismissively. "
In this battle, they're sure to be nothing more than cannon fodder."
Because the operation was a coordinated effort by the southern allied forces, no one could commence the mission until the remaining two contingents had arrived.
However, with nothing else to do, Thomas decided to visit the Regional Priest of Celestoria.
The Regional Priest's cathedral was magnificent and grand, its stonework polished with great care, giving the surface a faint, glimmering shine.
The front of the cathedral boasted a massive triple archway, adorned with exquisite religious reliefs depicting scenes of the disciples with Alkis.
Entering through the side door of the cathedral, Thomas found himself in a vast hall, the ceiling high and expansive like the open sky.
The ceiling murals depicted scenes of Alkis teaching the disciples.
At that moment, a nun appeared and began to lead the way.
On the way, Thomas nervously picked at his fingernails, calculating in his mind.
"How exactly should I present this gift to him?" he wondered.
The nun turned a corner and led them into a reception room.
"Oh, what a difficult journey you've had, coming all this way," the Regional Priest greeted Thomas.
"Oh, it was nothing. As they say, when one side is in trouble, the other comes to their aid. We're more than happy to be here to help."
The two priests exchanged pleasantries, their voices warm with cordiality.
Suddenly, Thomas adopted a more serious tone and addressed the Regional Priest of Celestoria with a solemn expression.
"I've heard much about your generosity and compassion for lost souls, and I happen to have a few poor souls with me."
With a wave of Thomas's hand, the soldiers behind him brought forward several women.
These women, all of whom were strikingly beautiful, had been captured by Thomas from the towns of Stormhaven.
He had long known of the Regional Priest's fondness for women, and he hoped to use this knowledge to curry favor.
"They are in great distress and truly pitiable," Thomas continued.
"Their families died young, leaving them with no one to care for them. I am often too busy with military affairs to look after them properly."
"So, I humbly ask that you take them in, to offer them shelter and protection from harm."
Thomas spoke with such apparent sincerity that it seemed like he was genuinely performing an act of charity.
The Regional Priest across from him hesitated.
"My place here is not easily opened to strangers," he replied.
Sensing the hesitation, Thomas pushed harder.
"They are quite clever; they could assist you in many ways," he insisted.
After much coaxing from Thomas, the Regional Priest finally relented.
"Well, in the spirit of divine compassion and mercy, I will take them in," he said.
Thomas felt a surge of joy—he had successfully taken the first step toward winning favor.