After paying Sellen, his chief magic professor and technical officer, Nolan let out a breath of relief.
This powerful magic expert was vital to the development of his Dynasty, and now that she had received the compensation she deserved, there was absolutely not the slightest hint of public duty in their relationship.
After that, Nolan found the two newly promoted Night Priestesses and Eleonora.
Nolan spent a full three days arranging everything. Not only did he transfer in more troops, he also stationed additional Firelink Knights in Nokron.
At the same time, Nolan reorganized the Noxians.
The Noxians skilled in research were assigned to the Technical Department under Sellen's management, while those who liked wielding fluid swords and hammers were broken up and conscripted into the army.
The Noxians could no longer pose a threat to the Firelink Army. What Nolan was truly guarding against were the Ancestral Followers.
Although the Ancestral Followers in Blaidd's description were a people who disliked stirring up trouble, the fact remained that they had participated in Nokron's counterattack.
As far as Nolan knew, the Night Priestesses had convinced them to join the war by promising that, once the Nox returned to the surface, the underground world would be handed over to the Ancestral Followers.
These nature-worshipping minotaurs had no interest in expanding their territory, but they also knew their neighbors were ambitious.
The Nox were a pack of lunatics. If they were willing to leave, that was undoubtedly a good thing for the Ancestral Followers.
One side longed to return to the surface and gaze upon the true stars, moon, and night. The other wanted to remain underground and live a peaceful life apart from worldly disputes.
And so, the Nox and the Ancestral Followers had found a balance between their respective desires and needs, forming an alliance.
Now, that joint effort had failed.
After arranging the Firelink Army's various affairs, Nolan, Melina, and Asimi set out for the Siofra River Aqueduct. Apart from the three of them, there was only the guard escorting them.
Godwyn's resting place was buried deep in the Deeproot Depths, a place beneath Leyndell that connected to the Royal Capital.
Starting from Nokron and following the underground Siofra River, one could also reach that place where the dead "slept."
If they brought too few people, they might become a burden if they ran into an ambush from Leyndell, and the whole group could be wiped out. If they brought too many, crossing the river would become troublesome.
After thinking it over, Nolan simply decided not to bring anyone else. With him and Asimi together, they should be able to fight or run no matter where they went.
Along the way, they could still see Ancestral Followers who never set down their bows. These Ancestral Followers did not seem to have anything in particular to do. They simply liked wandering through the forest.
The Firelink Army and the Ancestral Followers were currently in a temporary truce. Some knights even hoped they could directly persuade them to surrender, but in Nolan's view, there was little chance of that.
Although the two sides had not formally reached a peace agreement, for now, they at least kept a certain distance from each other and had not broken into direct conflict.
When Tarnished explored this area, they were usually turned into pincushions by the friendly locals. But after seeing the Firelink Army's banner, the minotaurs chose to avoid the cavalry from a distance.
"Asimi, what's wrong with you? You've been spacing out for days. If you keep slacking off like this, you'll turn into a useless Mimic Tear, and then I'll have to punish you."
Nolan looked at the dazed little silver ball on his shoulder. They were about to reach the enemy's main base, and if she kept looking this stupid, she might really drag him down when the time came.
Hearing Nolan's words, Asimi immediately jolted in fright. She hurriedly shook her head with all her might and stammered, "Your... Your Majesty, I... I don't want to die!"
"Then get yourself together. But from the look of you, it seems like something's on your mind."
After frightening the round little summoned beast, Nolan could not help laughing. He placed his hand on the silver ball and patted it gently.
Asimi was startled by Nolan again. Her eyes widened as she asked in surprise, "D-does Your Majesty know how to read minds?" She had not discovered any such ability when she imitated Nolan.
"No. You're just too obvious." Nolan shook his head.
Asimi fell silent for a while. Her gaze dropped to the ground, as if she were thinking about something.
After a moment, she finally raised her head and hesitantly said, "Actually, I've been thinking about a question."
"What question?" Nolan asked, like a patient, loving father ready to answer a child's doubts. "Go on, let me hear it. I've seen quite a lot, so I might know the answer."
Asimi blinked. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gathered her courage and asked, "What were Your Majesty and Preceptor Sellen doing a few days ago?"
"You don't understand? I almost forgot you can't imitate a mind."
Nolan looked up at the sky. He had originally wanted to say it more directly, but since the one asking was this innocent little fool, he thought for a moment before answering.
"We were just deepening our relationship. But that's something only people who are very close can do. If someone tries to trick you into doing that in the future, you need to think carefully before agreeing."
Nolan suddenly found his own words rather funny. Her voice was pleasant, but surely no one would be so shameless as to make a move on a Silver Tear.
Just then, Asimi asked curiously, "Are Your Majesty and Preceptor Sellen very close?"
Nolan answered without hesitation, "Very close." His tone was full of confidence, without the slightest trace of unease. He had that much certainty.
"We can entrust our lives to each other without holding anything back," Nolan added, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Entrust your lives to each other? Then that really is a very close relationship." Asimi nodded.
"Can't you talk about something other than 'life'?" Nolan did not know whether to laugh or sigh, and could not help lightly flicking Asimi's little head.
Always talking about life and death was a bit too heavy.
Asimi froze when she heard this. She blinked her big eyes, seemingly confused by Nolan's words.
Aside from life, she really did not know what else there was to talk about. Life was the most precious thing in the world. With life, everything existed. Without life, there was nothing at all.
So what could possibly be more important than life?
After thinking for a moment, Asimi finally gathered her courage. She looked at Nolan with anticipation and carefully asked,
"Then... can I entrust my life to Your Majesty?"
Nolan refused without even thinking.
"No."
A mere captive summoned beast wanted him to become her free bodyguard? She really had a nice dream.
The philosophical discussion ended without result, and Nolan heard the sound of water falling from a great height and crashing below.
His attention was drawn over. Following the sound, he saw a massive structure standing not far ahead.
The Siofra River Aqueduct was like an enormous spider hanging upside down in the center of the rock strata.
Countless galleries and bridges spread around it, interwoven like a spider's web in a complex tangle.
Most of the structure was embedded deep into the rock wall, as though it had fused with this underground world.
After arriving here, Nolan and Asimi parted ways with the knights who had escorted them.
If he remembered correctly, there should be Crucible Knights here.
Although he knew things were no longer exactly the same as in his memory, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
As for how many Crucible Knights there were, he truly could not remember. This was also an area the Tarnished had not explored, so the Firelink Army had not been able to gather much more intelligence.
But even if those Free Tarnished came here, they probably would not be of any use. No matter how many Crucible Knights there were, they would make sure those Tarnished never saw the stars overhead again.
Nolan, Melina, Asimi, and Torrent. A strange party of a man of fire, a spirit girl, a biological weapon, and a horse-goat set foot on the aqueduct's corridor.
As they walked, they did not see any Crucible Knights, but Nolan could not help furrowing his brow.
"The smell of the dead is thick here. What the hell are those people in the Royal Capital up to?"