Serena was completely unaware that her instinctive military salute had left everyone in shock. The mechanism elders, their beards quivering, were visibly delighted.
If they were willing to speak, they'd surely say: This girl is truly something.
Prince Nolan even considered seeking out Serena for a private talk. Compared to being a doctor, he felt she was more like a soldier—and suspected he could learn a lot about training troops from her.
Just look at how Serena fought at the city gate that day—every move was clean and powerful, each strike hit dead center. That final kick that took down the lecher was especially ruthless.
Those techniques were perfect for close-quarters combat on the battlefield. Just a couple moves back and forth, but mastered well, they could clear a bloody path.
Nolan watched Serena issue orders to the Skyvault Palace disciples, her words crisp and direct as she divided the teams and handed out command flags. His conviction grew—Serena had true talent for warfare.
A soldier’s job is to obey; a commander’s job is to give orders that demand obedience. On the battlefield, brevity is efficiency, decisiveness seizes the initiative—a great commander is more terrifying than an army of a hundred thousand.
Seated on the viewing platform, Nolan watched Serena command, then glanced over at Sean.
Serena was ruthless and swift, both a fierce general and a shrewd strategist. When she commanded, there was none of a woman’s softness or mercy in her.
Compared to Serena, Sean lagged behind—he’d never experienced such a grand-scale war. Though steady, he was more cautious in his approach, more like a staff officer than a front-line commander.
Sean was generous in spirit. He arranged for William and Nolan to sit between the two armies, so they could observe both sides’ deployments and hear every command from him and Serena.
He laid everything bare before Prince Nolan and William, leaving them no need to guess at his intentions.
Everyone here was sharp—if Sean hadn’t done this, Nolan and William would have figured it out as soon as the battle began. Better to be upfront and play the good guy. Besides...
When Serena commanded the mechanism teams to open or adjust traps, she used coded language only their sect understood. Not even Nolan or William could learn it—and even if they did, it would be useless, since the code changed regularly.
With both sides fully arranged and the mock battle about to erupt, Nolan and William’s expressions grew serious.
There may not have been real soldiers on the field, but this was a true battle—a clash that made the blood race.
“Getting excited?” William teased, noticing Nolan tapping the armrest faster and faster.
Nolan glanced at William, whose cheeks were flushed with anticipation. "Do you want to try your hand at commanding, Lord Wang?"
“Try? How?” William was just as eager. After more than twenty years, he’d never had a chance to take part in such a grand, sweeping battle. He couldn’t help but feel a thrill.
The intense atmosphere stirred his fighting spirit.
As expected, on the battlefield, people easily become killing machines. In this kind of atmosphere, you can't help but unleash the beast inside you, letting it tear the enemy apart.
"It's easy."
"Clap, clap..." Prince Nolan clapped his hands, and a Skyvault Palace servant immediately stepped forward.
"Go fetch Serena Feng's sand table, and tell her His Highness wants it." Prince Nolan had watched Serena conduct a sand-table exercise once before, and unfortunately, he had learned how to use it—so now he was requisitioning it.
Even if Serena Feng was unwilling, she had no choice but to hand it over—he was claiming it for his own use!
When the servant found Serena Feng, she was just handing a command flag to one of her squad captains.
She divided the mechanism and trap handlers into ten squads, appointing a captain for each. The captains were responsible for organizing their teams, while her job was to issue orders to the captains, who would carry them out in detail.
She was only human, with limited energy—she couldn't manage everything herself. Her role was to control the overall situation; she didn't get involved in the specifics.
"What is it?" Serena Feng was naturally cool, and after delivering a round of orders, her aura was even sharper—like a queen, fierce and commanding. Her gaze made everyone avoid her eyes; her single question nearly frightened the servant into collapsing.
"Ser—Ser—Miss Serena, Prince Nolan said..."
The servant stammered, but Serena Feng had no patience for his dithering and barked, "Spit it out in one sentence or get lost!" She admitted that her explosive temper was fully on display at that moment.
Startled by her outburst, the servant stopped stammering, shut his eyes, and blurted out in one breath, "Prince Nolan said he wants your sand table and sent me to fetch it."
Sand table?
Serena Feng turned her head, meeting Prince Nolan's gaze across the room. He nodded to indicate he wanted it; she nodded back in agreement. Then she glanced at William Wang Jinling beside him and instantly understood...
These two men wanted to have a match of their own.
Sons of noble families never sit beneath the eaves. Their status is so high that, no matter how passionate they are, their clans would never allow them to actually fight on the front lines. Even if they did go to war, they'd only stay in the rear, heavily protected.
On the battlefield, blades and swords don't recognize faces. For people of their rank, any accident could shake the very foundation of their family.
"Go ahead and take it." Serena Feng signaled a nearby soldier to lead the way and had several others help move the sand table to Prince Nolan and William Wang Jinling.
Her sand table was as large as a bed. To accommodate it, Sean Xuan had even cleared out a special room in Skyvault Palace so she could run her simulations.
She had to admit, during her time at Skyvault Palace, she'd enjoyed extraordinary freedom—no need to watch out for any rabid dogs lurking in the shadows, no need to hide her sharpness to avoid offending some aristocrat.
But sadly, her real life wasn't here. Eventually, she'd have to return to her own path. Her time at Skyvault Palace was just a vacation.
On the battlefield, Serena Feng faced off against Sean Xuan; off the field, Prince Nolan and William Wang Jinling weren't idle either. Prince Nolan quickly explained how to use the sand table, then pulled out a set of small flags.
A military-style exercise: red team, blue team, fortifications. Serena Feng's sand table had a hint of modern flavor, but it was intuitive enough that Prince Nolan and William Wang Jinling understood it after just one demonstration.
Prince Nolan immediately grabbed the blue flags, making it clear he wanted to play the attacking general assaulting Skyvault Palace, while William Wang Jinling took charge of defending the fortress—the same role Serena Feng had just commanded.
Holding the red flags, William Wang Jinling flashed Prince Nolan a knowing, eager smile.