So sacred, so majestic, every time he sees the person before him, Pilazzo feels the urge to bow in worship. Even after rolling in piles of corpses for twenty years, Pilazzo feels this way. The Mercenary Leader thought it's no wonder the soldiers revere their leader so much.

Seeing Pilazzo enter, Fugen continued to elegantly play his instrument. After taking more than ten seconds to finish the beautiful nocturne with a perfect cadence, he placed the lute beside him: "My Deputy Legion Commander, have you had dinner yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then let's eat together." Fugen smiled slightly, causing the Mercenary Leader to feel quite flattered. The Legion Commander's face always bore a subtle smile, and no one ever knew what he was thinking: "Alright."

From a table beside him, he picked up a clay bowl, and each of them filled it to the brim. The fish soup made from plump cod and abalone was very nutritious. Though Fugen was very tall, he filled his bowl with a large spoon and then used a small spoon to eat. Even in such a wild and remote area, far from civilization, he maintained his noble elegance and faultlessness.

Pilazzo glanced at the golden double-headed eagle emblem on the wall behind him, then at Fugen, thinking that the man before him must be an Imperial Great Noble, certainly a Duke or higher. He must be unwilling to be manipulated by his family, which is why he has come on this expedition incognito, hoping to establish his own enterprise.

That must be the case.

"What brings my Deputy Legion Commander to me?" After having a few bites, Fugen put down his bowl and spoon, and his silver hair slipped smoothly from his ear.

"Legion Commander, I think we can venture into the forest now," Pilazzo said in a low voice. "The soldiers' training has been very effective; the time is ripe."

"Does my Deputy Legion Commander think the time is ripe?" Fugen continued smiling.

"Yes..." For some reason, Pilazzo felt very unconfident, especially in front of Fugen. To cover up his lack of confidence, Pilazzo emphasized, "I think the army's combat power is sufficient."

"Have you had any contact with those primitive tribes in the forest?" Fugen asked in return.

"No, the first to make contact with these primitive tribes was a famous explorer named Leonardo. When he came to explore Lustria, he saw a race we now call Lizardmen, engaged in battle with the Dark Elf army. That was the first time the existence of ancient tribes within the forest was confirmed," Pilazzo explained. "The forest contains much gold and treasure. Leonardo took advantage of the conflict between the Lizardmen and the Dark Elves to sneak into their ruins and steal a chest of wealth. Upon returning to Tiriel, the explorer boasted of his gains to everyone, prompting the Kingdom to decide to form an Expeditionary Army. However, several times the Expeditionary Army went, they returned with no news, save for a few lucky ones who came back wealthy. We are now the fifth Expeditionary Army, after one or two hundred years."

"Hmm... I see. So why do you believe our combat power is enough to challenge these ancient tribes?" Fugen merely asked without answering: "Our main task is to establish a colony here."

"But we need an excuse to unite, to consolidate the army's morale. We need a goal; the soldiers all believe the forest is full of gold. They need gold, as do we. We need a large sum of money to return home in glory and to call for more people to come to the New World. We need reinforcements; a five-thousand-man army can't achieve much in this perilous place," Pilazzo advised. "Colonization is important, but wealth is even more so."

"I see." Fugen maintained his smile: "In that case, after the Winter Festival, have the soldiers prepare to set off."

"Yes!" Pilazzo knew that Fugen had agreed to the plan; the Mercenary Leader breathed a sigh of relief. He asked the question that had puzzled him for so long: "Legion Commander, are you... a descendant of an Imperial Great Noble?"

"Why do you say that?"