Summer Clark's gaze also became dazed.

He stood there in a stupor for several moments.

Summer Clark immediately snapped back to attention, showing no sign of negativity.

Ignoring the young girl, he said to everyone, “This is a trivial matter, let’s set it aside for now.”

“There are more important things to do right now.”

Chapter 3: The Will of the Great Wind

With the great calamity approaching, all the ministers of Taicang let out a sigh—there was no time to look further into the matter of the girl.

They led Summer Clark for quite a while, passing by many shockingly dilapidated houses and seeing many emaciated commoners.

At last, they ascended a city tower.

General Harper stood at the front, gathering the troops. Not long after, in front of the palace, the military formations were arrayed in neat squares.

Summer Clark looked at the tall, resolute-faced soldiers of Taicang before him, feeling a mix of surprise and doubt.

“With such a mighty Cang Guard Army, they’re only ranked second in Taicang? Just how powerful was the Cang Elite Army, which used to be ranked first?”

He had just witnessed Grace Harper assembling the Taicang army, and saw with his own eyes how powerful this force of eight thousand, called the Cang Guard Army, truly was.

Not only did they follow orders without question, but every soldier in the Cang Guard Army possessed immense strength.

They wielded weapons said to weigh over a hundred jin, crude and not even standardized, yet swung them without so much as a frown.

“It’s a pity the Cang Elite Army was completely wiped out by that damned meteorite. Otherwise, I’d really want to see for myself what a force even stronger than the Cang Guard Army looks like.”

“But right now, the most important thing is: can the Yin Soldiers in the Yin Soldier Nest really stand against the Evil Hound Army, which is said to rival or even surpass the Cang Elite Army?”

As Summer Clark watched Grace Harper in her black and red armor, black cape billowing behind her, exuding an indescribable heroic aura, he pondered silently.

Actually, he hadn’t just been trying to show off earlier.

Although his memories were somewhat incomplete and he still couldn’t recall some things,

just from hearing the vigorous old man Julia Reed describe the Hound race, he knew it was an extremely brutal, inhuman species.

If Taicang really fell, he would have nowhere to hide and couldn’t imagine what kind of torment awaited him.

Even if the Yin Soldiers and Yin Generals in the Yin Soldier Nest were weak, they had to be sent into battle—any increase in Taicang’s strength was worth it.

Eight thousand Cang Guard soldiers stood in neat formation on the vast drill ground before the palace.

Grace Harper, Julia Reed, and Summer Clark stood at the very front of the palace tower, with all the officials of Taicang behind them.

“Soldiers! Six thousand troops of the Hound Nation have already crossed Luming Mountain and are marching toward Taicheng!

Our Taicang Nation has struggled to survive in this terrifying wilderness for two hundred and thirty-two years. Now, with the great enemy upon us, we are on the verge of losing everything… Are you afraid?”

Grace Harper’s expression was calm, her words steady. Though her voice was originally soft, amplified by her spiritual energy, it instantly resounded throughout the entire drill ground.

The Cang Guard Army on the field maintained strict discipline, not moving a muscle.

“You cannot be afraid, because behind you stand your parents, your wives and children.”

Grace Harper’s gaze was resolute, her right hand gripping the hilt at her waist, her voice echoing across the field.

“This world truly is wondrous—this must be the marvel of spiritual energy!”

“It’s a pity the body’s original owner had decent talent, but was too fond of play and never cared about cultivation.”

Summer Clark clicked his tongue in amazement. He really couldn’t fathom the crown prince’s thinking—able to become superhuman, yet content to be ordinary?

Upon hearing Grace Harper’s words, all the soldiers on the drill ground shouted in unison, “Great Wind! Great Wind! Great Wind!” (Inspired by the Great Wind beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, not the Great Wind Song of Qin.)

The Great Wind is the totem worshipped by Taicang—a dragon-headed, human-bodied being, each arm entwined with a heavenly dragon, standing atop two continents, awe-inspiring and majestic.

After the soldiers finished their chant, Grace Harper softly continued:

“The enemy is about to arrive. I am willing to lead the charge, to fight for humanity, for Taicang, for the weak people behind us! May the Great Wind protect us, and may Taicang endure forever!”

The eight thousand soldiers on the drill ground were filled with fighting spirit, their eyes unwavering, for they knew they could only fight to the death—otherwise, what awaited the people of Taicang would be a terror even heavier than death.

Just then, a middle-aged general suddenly stepped forward, placed his hand over his chest, and saluted the officials atop the city tower, asking, “Today we will surely die in battle. We ask the sovereign to see us off! If we cannot serve the sovereign in this life, in the next we will still defend Taicang under the sovereign’s banner!”

Hearing the soldier’s words, Grace Harper suddenly thought of the sovereign of Taicang, who had already fallen but whose death had been kept secret.

Always steadfast, her eyes now grew misty.

She forced down her sorrow and called out loudly, “The sovereign previously fought a great battle with the Hound Nation’s general and was already gravely wounded. Then, because of the meteor disaster, he went two months without rest or healing, leaving his body exhausted and his spirit depleted. Since yesterday, he could no longer hold on… Now, he is still sleeping and recovering.

We… we cannot bear to wake him. Let him rest well…

Lord Bennett has not rested for so many years.”

Upon hearing Grace Harper’s words,

the Cang Guard Army, whose formation had not changed from beginning to end…