Chapter180

Hector and Egbert had both wandered the world and been rebels before, so many of the people they recruited later were refugees who had followed them or acquaintances from those days.

These people got along well with Hector and Egbert and were mostly straightforward and honest.

Because they had been traveling for years, they each had unique skills. Their martial arts were far better than those of soldiers who only trained together regularly. Assassinations and sneaking in were easy for them.

The granary was heavily guarded, but it was not a military camp. The Edelweiss soldiers there were few. After silently killing some of the key guards, Hector stopped. When he confirmed those guards had been replaced with their own men and the Edelweiss soldiers had not noticed, he withdrew his gaze. He looked at the huge piles of grain in the large warehouses and silently signaled his followers behind him.

His followers had never seen so many granaries before. When Elara personally led troops to Belladonna, they were sent to handle Belladonna's granaries. But Belladonna was a weak nation, controlled by the Sect Leader, and the granaries stored little grain. There were many strange things mixed in, so the usable grain brought back was much less.

But now, the entire building was packed with full, rich grain.

If they could take all this back, the whole Marigold region might have enough food for years.

"Sir, are you really planning to burn this grain?" one asked, shocked. "That would be such a waste."

Hector looked at him, and the follower suddenly felt like he had been stabbed. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

"Of course not."

The follower had guessed wrong.

Hector called another follower over and gave a few instructions. Then, all the elite soldiers who were not needed for watching outside silently crept in. They started quietly carrying huge bags of grain out one by one, like a line of black ants quickly and silently moving food. They lifted the heavy bags and then sneaked out silently.

The soldier who first asked the question saw this and happily ran to help carry grain. But halfway through, he could not help but ask curiously.

"Sir, it's good that we can carry the grain away, but there is so much. How will we transport it back?"

Although the border was not far, that was when they had been traveling light and fast.

Now, if they carried this much grain back, they would probably be discovered before they even left the camp.

Hector looked at him again, and the follower felt stabbed once more.

"Follow him and move faster. Don't ask so many questions. Since I decided to take the grain, I have already made the arrangements."

The follower relaxed after hearing this and happily carried grain again. He followed the others quietly and left the granary without a sound.

At the cliff and river three miles from the granary, there were several silent boats.

Hector and Egbert had decided after days of discussion, based on the map Elara gave them, to bring the boats that night down the river.

Their goal was to carry as much grain as possible stolen from the Edelweiss army's granary.

Hector and Egbert had been with Elara for months. She valued them highly and often called them to the county governor's mansion or personally visited the camp to watch their training. She also discussed battle plans with them. So they had a good understanding of Elara's style.

Simply put, when facing the enemy, anything they could take back, they must take. They should leave nothing behind.

Hector and Egbert had stayed longer in Marigold than Elara. Although they had been imprisoned during Haochen's time, they knew how difficult life was in Marigold then.

After Elara came, a series of strict reforms revived Marigold, but it still had many places needing improvement.

For example, much fertile land outside the city was still sealed off because of the war.

Under these circumstances, Marigold's grain came mostly from trades with Pei Family arranged by Elara and Prince Leif.

Hector and Egbert considered themselves rough warriors who did not understand the complexity of the region's affairs. But they could tell Marigold lacked many supplies.

If they could bring back the Edelweiss army's grain now, it would greatly help Marigold.

So before this battle, Hector discussed with Egbert a plan that was difficult but both agreed to. The goal was for Egbert to hold the Edelweiss army's attention as long as possible, giving Hector enough time to transport more grain back from the Edelweiss granary.

He and Egbert did not know how to make Marigold City prosper and develop. In these places, they could not help Elara with strategies or advice. They could only try to seize as much grain and supplies as possible from their familiar old business.

They hoped that after this batch of grain was successfully transported back to Marigold City, the girl who gave them a second chance at life would show a smile on her face. They wanted her to feel that saving them was worthwhile and right.