Serena was urgently summoned back, and immediately guessed something had happened. When she heard the mechanism masters say the Three-Kingdom Coalition Army was advancing, Serena didn't panic at all.
"Since they've come knocking, then we'll fight." Wasn't this exactly what she'd expected? There was nothing to panic about.
If the commanders from those three kingdoms didn't seize this opportunity for easy gain, Serena would have to wonder if they'd been kicked in the head by a horse.
Even an outsider like her understood: if they combined their strength now, they could flatten Skyvault Palace. Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling had already paved the way—what was there to be afraid of?
"Just fight like that?" The mechanism masters' beards bristled in protest, clearly dissatisfied with how lightly Serena brushed it off.
The last battle had been intense and exciting, but they hadn't been nervous—why? Because they knew it was just an exercise; win or lose, it wouldn't endanger Skyvault Palace's foundation. This time, though, was different.
The Three-Kingdom Coalition Army meant a hundred thousand troops. Even if thirty thousand died on the Road of Death, there would still be seventy thousand at their doorstep.
Surrounded by seventy thousand troops, even if Skyvault Palace won, the cost would be horrific. After this battle, Skyvault Palace might even be knocked out of the ranks of top jianghu powers.
They couldn't afford to underestimate this.
"How else can we fight? This is our home turf—what's there to be afraid of? Besides, fear is useless. No matter how scared we are, the enemy won't turn back. So, we can only fight." Serena arched an eyebrow, her eyes flashing with a trace of worry.
Morale is everything in war. If people lose their nerve before the fight even starts, that's a bad sign. These days, battles are all about having a legitimate reason—if you've got an excuse, even picking on the weak feels righteous, and you fight with your head held high.
When Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling attacked Skyvault Palace, they had legitimacy. But Eastlyn, Southlyn, and Westlyn’s coalition army? They don’t have even a shred of justification. This time, Skyvault Palace has the moral upper hand, and with the terrain on their side, winning big isn’t out of reach.
"You’re right—being afraid is pointless. We have no choice but to fight. Serena, how do you think we should go about this?" Sean Xuan strode in, still smelling faintly of gunpowder. His steps were quick, but he looked perfectly calm.
As soon as the Skyvault Palace crowd saw Sean Xuan walk in, everyone settled down and hurried to greet him. Sean waved off the formalities, "No need for all that. Let’s focus on the battle."
Sean Xuan spread out the map—the most detailed one of Skyvault Palace. Serena took one look at the aged paper and immediately stepped back: "I’m sitting this one out. All the mechanisms and traps have been checked and reset."
Serena wasn’t being dramatic, just honest. This fight, if you wanted to be blunt, was about Skyvault Palace’s survival—it was Sean Xuan’s first big war as Palace Master, and it meant something different for him. She couldn’t get involved.
But Sean Xuan didn’t agree. "Serena, I want you to command Skyvault Palace in this battle."
"Me? No way, absolutely not." Serena shook her head. "I’m no good at warfare. That last exercise was just to test the mechanisms and traps. If this is a real two-army showdown, I honestly don’t know how to move troops around."
She didn’t even know how to give proper military orders. Earlier, it was just basic coordination, and only because everyone else worked with her did things go so smoothly. If she had to command everything herself, she wouldn’t dare.
"You did great," Sean Xuan praised without hesitation. He’d already heard about Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang’s sand-table war game on the way over.
"You’re the one who did great. I just ordered the mechanisms to open—that’s all dead stuff. Sean, you’re the Palace Master of Skyvault. This fight has to be led by you. Only you can lead them to victory." Serena pointed at everyone present. Sure enough, all eyes turned to Sean Xuan. The white-bearded master spoke up bluntly: "Palace Master, this is your responsibility. You shouldn’t push it onto someone else."
"That’s right, Sean Xuan. Leading Skyvault Palace into battle is your job. You can’t dodge it. My thirty thousand men and William Wang Jinling’s are already in place—they’re your support now. From this point on, they take your orders." Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang walked in side by side.
Normally, they’d never set foot in here. That was their pride. But today was different.
Ninth Royal Uncle handed the command token to Sean Xuan. "Don’t shove your responsibility onto Serena."
That was a clear rebuke.
Sean Xuan protested, "I just admire how Serena shines on the battlefield."
He might be annoyed, but Sean Xuan wasn’t about to turn down those thirty thousand troops. Without hesitation, he took the command token.
If Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling dared to hand them over, he dared to accept.
After nearly a month together, there was a baseline of trust. If he had the guts to bring outsiders into Skyvault Palace, he definitely had the guts to take command of thirty thousand troops.
He trusted Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang, and they trusted him too. He’d never use those thirty thousand men to turn on them.
"There will be other chances. No need to rush this time—this is your battle." Ninth Royal Uncle raised his hand, signaling Serena to come over.
Serena paused for a second, then obediently walked over to stand beside Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling.
Standing among the Skyvault Palace crowd, Serena was still an outsider. Even if they accepted her, they’d always be a little wary. Luckily, she had no intention of truly blending in anyway.
"Hope you win big." With that, Ninth Royal Uncle left with William Wang and Serena, making it clear they wouldn’t meddle in Skyvault Palace’s business.
"Can we really trust what Ninth Royal Uncle and the Young Lord said? They just handed over thirty thousand troops that easily?" Some of the Skyvault Palace people were skeptical.
"We can trust them. Those two have no reason to lie—they’re worth befriending." The white-bearded master from the Mo Artificer Guild prided himself on reading people right.
Sean Xuan nodded in agreement. "With these thirty thousand troops, our odds just got a lot better."
Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang might be crafty, but they were good allies. At least so far, everything was working out in Skyvault Palace’s favor.
"Report! The armies of Eastlyn, Westlyn, and Southlyn are only three li away!" A young scout rushed in with the news. Sean Xuan immediately pulled himself together, his eyes burning with war-fire. "Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, sir!"
Sean Xuan was about to face a brutal fight, but Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang were totally relaxed. They didn’t care who won or lost—either way, it made no difference to them.
At the corridor corner, Ninth Royal Uncle said to Serena, "We’re leaving tomorrow. Go pack your things."
"Tomorrow? That soon? Are we going straight back to Eastlyn?" Serena was surprised—she hadn’t heard a word about this before.
"No. Before heading back to Eastlyn, we’re going to find someone, and swing by Westlyn while we’re at it." Ninth Royal Uncle sounded mysterious, clearly waiting for Serena to ask questions.
"Oh." But Serena didn’t show any curiosity at all. Hearing they weren’t going straight back to Eastlyn, she relaxed, turned around, and went to pack her things.
She really didn’t want her freedom to end so quickly.
"Serena’s really something..." William Wang shook his head and sighed.
Getting Serena to talk to them on her own was never easy.
"That kind of temperament is great," Ninth Royal Uncle said, though his tone sounded a little forced. His eyes drifted toward the inner courtyard—the place where Sean Xuan had put the old Palace Master under house arrest.
Tonight is the last chance!