"Matthew, have you kept the items I had you bring from Viscount Ashton’s Territory safe?" Fang Zhen asked.

"Rest assured, my lord. The items you requested are well looked after," Matthew said.

As he spoke, Matthew called over several soldiers and had them bring over two wagons laden with supplies.

The Augustus Army’s primary means of transporting supplies was several exotic beasts—huge creatures resembling giant lizards.

These creatures were called Gus Beasts. They were said to possess the bloodline of the legendary Behemoth, but their temperament was quite gentle, and they had great carrying capacity.

However, Gus Beasts weren’t well-suited for mountainous terrain, so Fang Zhen had left most of the supplies at the foot of the mountain. Only a few wagons carried the most essential items.

At Matthew’s direction, the wagons were brought over.

The soldiers pulled back the canvas covers on the wagons.

Instantly, two drones came into view.

"What are these?" Keton had never seen a drone before and was stunned, unsure what he was looking at.

"They’re exceptionally precise alchemical creations," Fang Zhen said simply, without elaborating.

Fang Zhen had written to Dalia to borrow the two drones, the same ones he had previously sold to the Ashton Territory.

Fang Zhen and Dalia’s relationship had changed again.

Previously, Fang Zhen and Dalia had forged a deep partnership. Their respective strengths were complementary, making them mutually dependent and giving them a remarkable synergy. A layer of romantic affection also smoothed their interactions, making their bond extremely close.

This time, however, Fang Zhen had dealt with Henry, resolved the crisis in the Ashton Territory, and protected Dalia at her most vulnerable. This caused a shift in Dalia’s mindset, her attitude gradually changing from one of partnership to one where she followed Fang Zhen’s lead.

This relationship entered a new stage after Fang Zhen was ’confirmed’ as a descendant of Sword Saint Augustus.

With the confirmation of his Augustus bloodline, Dalia threw her full support behind Fang Zhen. She no longer insisted on her own autonomy, instead binding herself deeply to him and becoming his staunchest supporter.

In other words, where Fang Zhen had once merely supported the Ashton Territory and Dalia with his personal strength, playing the game of power among the nobility of the Zambein Kingdom... now, he himself had become the central player, while Dalia had shifted into a secondary, supporting role.

Dalia didn’t resist this shift; on the contrary, she quite liked it. The responsibility and pressure on her were much lighter this way.

Dalia excelled in her role as a supporter.

These drones were a case in point. Furthermore, Dalia seemed prepared to offer him unlimited financial support.

Fang Zhen now pointed to the drones. "These are my secret Alchemy Weapons."

"Father Matthew will handle the reconnaissance operations. He will be providing support to the army."

"As for communications, that’s simple as well."

Fang Zhen took a black duffel bag from the wagon, opened it, and pulled out seven walkie-talkies.

"And these are?" Keton was taken aback again.

’How is it that everything Fang Zhen produces is something I’ve never seen before?’

"Heh, more alchemical equipment," Fang Zhen said.

’When in doubt, blame alchemy. Don’t ask questions. The answer is always Alchemy Master Sains.’

"The nation you traveled through before must be a place where alchemy is exceptionally advanced," Keton said, giving Fang Zhen a long, meaningful look.

Fang Zhen just smiled.

’He knew Keton had his suspicions and was intensely curious.’

’But what did it matter? Keton didn’t dare to ask, so he could let his imagination run wild.’

’As long as it didn’t affect the overall situation, it was fine.’

Fang Zhen tuned the walkie-talkies.

It was expensive outdoor equipment he had bought, with an effective range of five kilometers.

Of course, walkie-talkies required a relay station, and the DJI drone could serve as one.

He had purchased the equipment as a compatible set.

Fang Zhen taught Keton, Agatha, Finn, Tahar, and the others how to use the walkie-talkies, then had Matthew prep and launch one of the drones.

Fang Zhen had previously taught Dalia how to use the drones, and Matthew, in turn, had learned from her.

Matthew was quite excited; after all, this was his first time using a drone in an actual combat situation.

Fang Zhen himself stood ready to launch and pilot the second drone at a moment’s notice.

This second drone wasn’t meant to be a relay station. Instead, its cargo bay was filled to the brim with 97-octane gasoline.

Matthew piloted one drone into the air, had it circle overhead, and on the control console, he could see the aerial footage it was capturing of the ground below.

Seeing this, Agatha, Tahar, and the others couldn’t help but let out gasps of amazement.

Their gazes shifted from Matthew to Fang Zhen.

Viscount Keton was also visibly stunned.

Everyone knew that while Matthew was the one operating the drone, it was Fang Zhen who had provided this miraculous device.

"How is this even possible? The sky... that’s the domain of the gods!" Agatha said in utter astonishment.

Viscount Keton, however, stared intently at the drone’s screen. He couldn’t help but mutter, "To actually be able to get a bird’s-eye view from the sky... With something like this, wouldn’t the entire battlefield situation be clear at a glance?"

Keton looked at Fang Zhen in utter amazement.

Seeing their shocked expressions, Fang Zhen couldn’t help but smile.

’He loved seeing them like this, so unworldly. It was almost adorable.’

’Pulling stunts like this on a regular basis was a great way to keep them on their toes and perpetually in awe of him.’

’And he had to admit, it felt pretty damn good.’

"Now that we have eyes, let’s get the rest of the equipment set up," Fang Zhen said.

He handed the walkie-talkies to Keton and the others.

The frequencies were already set, and the devices were simple enough that everyone quickly got the hang of them.

Naturally, the function of the walkie-talkies left Keton and the others dumbfounded yet again.

Once Keton, Agatha, and the others had mastered the use of the walkie-talkies, they looked at Fang Zhen with renewed curiosity and bewilderment, as if he were an unfathomable enigma.

Matthew brought the drone down from the sky.

That had just been a test flight; the drone’s maximum flight time was only forty to fifty minutes, so they had to conserve the battery.

"Tahar, take your second-in-command and cover the left flank. Finn, take a deputy Knight and cover the right flank."

"Mansa Mage and I will be with the central army."

"Keton, you will lead the reserves and be prepared to take command of the central army when I lead the assault."

"Matthew, be ready to launch the drone at a moment’s notice."

After finishing his deployments, Fang Zhen glanced at the sky.

"Dawn is near."

"Our communications and reconnaissance are sorted. Now we wait. Let’s see when Duke Balenzuo’s army arrives," Fang Zhen said.

...

「An hour later.」

The sky had yet to break; it was still the deep darkness before dawn.

The night wind blew relentlessly, carrying a hint of a chill.

Fang Zhen, however, didn’t feel the cold at all. In fact, his blood was pumping with excitement.

This was his first time fighting a war of this scale, too.

Besides his own main force, Fang Zhen also had over three hundred of Viscount Keton’s troops. A portion of them were with Finn, including a dozen or so Light Cavalry who would act as decoys. Since these men were more familiar with the terrain, it would be difficult to completely wipe them out.

Of course, if all went smoothly, the decoy unit wouldn’t even be needed; they could launch the ambush directly.

The rest of Keton’s soldiers were divided, with some acting as Scouts and the majority placed in the reserves.

Keton was quite grateful that Fang Zhen hadn’t treated these soldiers as cannon fodder, and he had expressed his thanks personally.

Fang Zhen, however, had done so simply to maximize his chances of victory.

If the conditions were right, he could achieve a swift victory, and for that, he needed his own troops—the more reliable force—as the vanguard.

The night wind was cold.

Just then, Fang Zhen, who possessed excellent eyesight, spotted a long, serpentine line of torches on the distant mountain path. They were advancing toward the high ground where he had deployed his troops.

’The Balenzuo army!’

Fang Zhen’s eyes immediately lit up.

’The intelligence was accurate.’

’The Balenzuo army was taking this path after all.’

’At this rate, their vanguard will make contact with the Light Cavalry decoy team in less than twenty minutes.’

Fang Zhen remained calm and composed, but the light in his eyes grew steadily brighter.

The line of torches continued its advance through the mountains, nearing the edge of the ambush zone. Their marching pace didn’t change, nor did they show any sign of stopping. It seemed they hadn’t detected a thing.

Fang Zhen raised the night-vision binoculars he had brought and watched as the Balenzuo army marched steadily into the kill zone.