The matter of Percy's mishandling of military affairs is one of great consequence, its implications ranging from critical to insignificant.
The first wave of marauder incursions came with overwhelming force; the fall of Xilin Town was inevitable, and even with the arrival of Pro's reinforcements, it would have been too late—such was the fate of any town in its path.
By noon the following day, the counterattack ensued, and Dan Wule fell victim to Kino's stratagem, a diversionary tactic that left the marauder forces leaderless and surrounded by the reinforcements. At that moment, the advantage in military strength was absolute, and Pro's forces were no longer necessary.
Thus, the arrival of Pro's reinforcements had no bearing on the overall outcome.
As long as the administrative officials turned a blind eye afterward, the matter would pass—this was precisely why Percy personally brought the offending pair to Kino, hoping to curry favor.
However, to his surprise, Kino accepted the "gift," but rather than showing gratitude, he pressed the matter, unyielding, disregarding the usual protocols between officials of Daguland.
Faced with those in power, Percy was helpless, forced to swallow his pride and relinquish his position.
As Percy wept, Kino leaned in with a cold smile, asking, "Why does this feel like I am threatening you?"
Sniffling, Percy rose and took up pen and paper, drafting his resignation in a formal tone, stating nothing more than his ill health and his wish to retire to his homeland for recovery.
Upon completion, he bit his finger, pressing his bloodstained thumbprint onto the document.
"I voluntarily resign from my post; I am not coerced by you!" He handed the resignation to Kino with trembling hands, his voice shaking as he said, "Upon returning to Pro, I will immediately return to my homeland with my family, and no one will know of our conversation, nor will anyone inquire about the two traitors. I swear to the gods!"
Kino accepted the document, his amber eyes gleaming with a smile. "Be careful on the road."
Percy dared not linger any longer, bowing slightly as he retreated toward the door, leaving in haste.
Once Percy had departed, Kino called out, "Guard, bring Lugo here."
Before long, Lugo entered, saluting with a fist to his chest. "My lord."
Kino, engrossed in the city defense plans, did not lift his gaze as he spoke, "Take your men and quietly follow Percy. Don't act hastily. Wait until he is on the road to Pro before finding a suitable place to dispose of him—kill him cleanly and destroy the body, leaving no trace."
"Understood." Lugo turned to leave.
"Wait," Kino called after him, his curiosity piqued, "Aren't you going to ask why?"
Lugo shrugged, answering with a joking tone, "I am but a dog. You tell me to bite, and I will bite."
Kino couldn't help but smile. "Go on."
Lugo had barely exited when he returned promptly, "Just to confirm, are we only killing Percy? Or do you wish to leave no one alive around him?"
"Ah, how could I forget that," Kino mused. "What do you think?"
Lugo appeared indifferent. "If we only kill Percy, the job will be easier, and it'll be simple to make it look like an accident. But those with him might become suspicious and report it. If we kill everyone, there's no risk of leaks, but it will leave more bodies to dispose of, making it noisier... You decide. Each has its pros and cons."
Kino pondered for a moment, then drew the Silver Moon from his pouch.
"Clink."
"The king, or laurel?"
Lugo responded casually, "Laurel, I suppose."
Kino raised his hand.
The back of his hand bore the stern, decisive visage of Daguland's first ruler.
Lugo nodded and left.
Kino continued his examination of the city defense plans for Twilight City.
Twilight City boasted four city gates in the north, south, east, and west, with walls towering 26 meters high and 12 meters thick. The fortifications were formidable, equipped with ballistae and other heavy siege weapons, easily capable of repelling enemy forces several times greater than their own.
Behind the walls, the winding alleys created a labyrinth where unfamiliar outsiders would quickly become lost, while troops could be deployed from multiple points, perfect for ambushes and encirclements—ideal for urban warfare if the walls fell.
As for the quality of troops, supplies, provisions, and cavalry, Twilight City was leagues ahead of Xilin Town.
Its defenses were truly impregnable.
Setting aside the matter of extraordinary individuals, any attacking force of similar military equipment and soldier quality would need at least ten times the number of men—no less than 50,000 elite soldiers—to successfully take the city—this without even considering the reserves.
Unless the next wave of invaders, the reincarnates, had lost their wits, they would certainly not employ the same brute-force tactics used at Xilin Town. A more covert approach was to be expected.
Kino reflected on the hierarchy of the "Reincarnation Disguise," recalling that he had only recently become a Rejector. The teams he had encountered were likely of lower rank, and if they used Reincarnation Disguises, it would most likely be limited to D or C rank.
B-rank disguises were a considerable investment in rewards points, and only high-ranking teams could afford to spend them on disposable Reincarnation Disguises. It was unlikely that Kino would encounter such teams now.
Of course, if the next team's leader was particularly capable, it was not impossible.
B-rank disguises were hard to break, requiring a Rejector to kill a reincarnate, a method that Kino had no current solution for.
As for C-rank and below, Kino had already devised a plan to deal with them.
Li Minka had once mentioned that each tier's method of breaking disguises was compatible with those below it.
For instance, if a team used a D-rank disguise, the condition to break it was simply that a Rejector must see the reincarnate.
But if a Rejector had not directly seen the reincarnate but had somehow inflicted harm upon them—triggering the condition to break a C-rank disguise—the D-rank disguise would also be undone.
With this in mind, Kino entered the Respect System and used a small amount of respect value to acquire a large number of common thorns.
He then called for Baisa.
"In the Xilin Town defense battle, we released beasts from the lower-level plague zones. Though they've all been recaptured, there may be new infections as a result," Kino said, pushing forward a large chest of thorns. "Order that all personnel entering Twilight City undergo a 'Bloodworm' test."
The bloodworm, used by the Crimson Church's plague doctors, was about the size of a thumbnail and fed on blood.
These worms did not feed on infected blood, making them ideal for large-scale epidemic control and the mainstay of Daguland's efforts to contain the pestilence.
Baisa nodded, but Kino stopped him, saying seriously, "You are only to use the thorns I've provided. Do not use any other blood collection devices. If you run out, come to me."
Though Baisa didn't understand, he said no more and left to carry out the orders.
Shortly thereafter, Kino called for Paladin.
"How many artists are in Twilight City?"
"Uh..." Paladin was momentarily stumped by the question. "I've only been here a short time myself, so I'm not sure. Please wait."
Half an hour later, Paladin returned with a list. "There is an artist's guild, and 63 registered artists."
"Are there any sketch artists? Those who do wanted posters?"
Paladin flipped through the list for a moment. "Yes, of the 63 artists, 15 are sketch artists, and they work as strategic partners with the city defense forces."
"Excellent," Kino nodded. "Have these 15 sketch artists split into day and night shifts, stationed at the four city gates, and tasked with sketching portraits of everyone undergoing blood tests before entering the city."
Paladin blinked in surprise. "Everyone? Thousands pass through the gates every day. The artists will likely be exhausted."
Kino's reply was simple. "Tell them their wages will be paid in Silver Moons, on a daily basis."
Most artists were of the Copper Moon rank, unless they were well-known masters.
For these ordinary sketch artists, payment in Silver Moons would be like a powerful stimulant.
Paladin didn't question further. "Understood, I'll make the arrangements."
Kino gave a heavy reminder. "Ensure they work covertly, sketching in secret. Do not let their presence be known."
"Understood."