Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

While Charles and the others were making their final preparations for the brutal battle that was about to come, the Stellar Empire had also completed its own preliminary arrangements.

Gold Fortress, serving as the Stellar Empire’s main base in the Atacama Desert, was in an extremely busy state at this moment.

Massive quantities of military supplies, along with an enormous number of soldiers, were gathering here.

Deep within Gold Fortress, the crown prince of the Stellar Empire was discussing the specifics of the offensive plan with the governor and other generals.

“Everyone! Withered Tree Fortress is the core of the Serpent Empire’s defensive line. As long as we can destroy Withered Tree, the Serpent Empire’s defense will instantly collapse.

After that, all you need to do is advance along the route I’ve designated, and you’ll be able to reach Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis in no time.

Once we occupy Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, the Serpent Empire will be utterly destroyed! The Empire will then take full control over the entire Atacama Desert.”

Inside the meeting room, Aldany spoke with excitement.

The others looked at him with somewhat complicated expressions.

The generals of the Stellar Empire generally despised Aldany, for he was an undeniable traitor.

However, since Aldany was far too important, they could not openly speak harshly to him.

They could only convey their opinions through the looks in their eyes.

After Aldany finished speaking, the crown prince turned his gaze toward the governor.

“All the supplies are ready, I trust? This time, the number of troops being mobilized is enormous. If we can’t guarantee sufficient supplies, our offensive will be impossible to succeed.”

The governor quickly replied, “The supplies are ready! The stockpiles in Gold Fortress alone can sustain the army for roughly a week of operations.

At this very moment, a large quantity of additional supplies is still being transported to Gold Fortress. You need not worry about any issues arising on the supply front.”

The governor’s answer left the crown prince very satisfied.

He then turned his gaze toward a young woman standing in the corner of the meeting room.

This young woman was a level-six Beast Master of the Stellar Empire, and at the same time, a member of the Empire’s secret intelligence division.

“Alicia, there should be no unusual movements on the Serpent Empire’s side, correct? The other intelligent races in the Atacama Desert won’t be joining forces with the Serpent Empire either, right?”

Facing the crown prince’s inquiry, Alicia immediately stood up.

“Your Highness, according to the intelligence I have gathered, the Serpent Empire has already begun preparations for the upcoming war. However, aside from that, they have made no unusual moves.

The other intelligent races in the Atacama Desert will not side with the Serpent Empire.

The Desert Goblins have decided to remain neutral, and the Sandworms possess little real intelligence—they can only act according to instinct—so there is no need to worry about them aligning with the Serpent Empire.

The remaining intelligent races are not strong enough to be of concern.”

Alicia’s answer left the crown prince very satisfied.

He smiled and nodded, intending to begin discussing the specific timing of their offensive with the generals.

However, just then, Alicia spoke up again.

“Your Highness, my subordinates and I have still discovered some unusual circumstances that I must report to you.”

“Speak.”

“According to the investigation conducted by myself and my subordinates, Charles is not the only human within the Serpent Empire.

Within the territory under the Serpent Empire’s jurisdiction, there are at least members of the Ancient Academy.

I cannot confirm whether the Ancient Academy has allied with the Serpent Empire, but I still believe we should take some precautions in advance.”

Alicia was indeed a highly dutiful and responsible individual.

She had gathered every piece of intelligence she ought to collect.

When the crown prince heard the name Ancient Academy, a trace of delight flickered in his eyes.

He knew very well that Everett, the dean of the Ancient Academy, had always been hostile toward Charles.

In the coming battle, there was a chance they could join forces with the Ancient Academy.

“I understand. There is no need for us to make enemies of the Ancient Academy! Once this meeting is over, immediately find a way to make contact with their members.

It’s possible we may cooperate with them in the upcoming battle—after all, Charles is our common enemy.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

Alicia confirmed the order without hesitation.

The crown prince swept his gaze over everyone in the room.

“Does anyone else have anything to add? If there is nothing further, let us begin discussing the time of the offensive.”

As soon as the crown prince finished speaking, an elderly general with hair and beard both white stood up.

“Your Highness, I believe speed is of the essence! Since we are already prepared for war, let us attack immediately. We must not give the Serpent Empire any more time to prepare!”

No sooner had the old general spoken than the other generals voiced their agreement one after another.

They, too, wanted to begin the battle as soon as possible.

After all, the vast majority of the Stellar Empire’s generals were not well adapted to the harsh environment of the Atacama Desert.

The climate of the Stellar Empire itself was extremely humid, while the climate of the Atacama Desert was exceedingly dry.

If soldiers were kept in an unsuitable environment for too long, their combat effectiveness would rapidly decline.

The crown prince nodded.

“Since everyone is of the same mind, we will launch the offensive the day after tomorrow!”

As he spoke, his gaze once again turned toward the governor.

“I expect you to have all the supplies transported to the designated locations before the army departs. Under no circumstances can our attack be delayed because of logistical issues!”

The governor gave a firm nod. “I will see to it immediately!”

With that, the governor left the meeting room at once, quickly setting the necessary arrangements in motion.

The crown prince was very satisfied with the governor’s performance.

So far, every step of his plan had encountered no obstacles.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, which gave him a firm belief that his campaign was bound to end in success.

“Since our decision has been made, all of you should proceed with your final preparations! We must seize this opportunity to utterly destroy the Serpent Empire!”

After the meeting ended, the generals all returned to their respective camps.

They needed to put every last matter in order before departure.

The crown prince, on the other hand, continued to patrol Gold Fortress.

He wanted to ensure that no issues would arise before the operation began.

At the start of his inspection, nothing unexpected occurred.

However, when the crown prince reached a spot not far from the main gates of Gold Fortress, a Beast Master suddenly broke through the crowd.

“Your Highness! I have something of great importance to tell you!”

This Beast Master, who had rushed out from among the people, was Connell.

He looked extremely disheveled—his clothes torn and ragged, with several scratches across his face.

At Connell’s sudden appearance, the crown prince’s guards instantly moved to stand between him and the crown prince.

“Step back! Do not approach His Highness!”

The guards began shouting sternly at Connell.

The crown prince watched the scene in silence, his gaze coldly fixed upon Connell.

“I have critical intelligence for Your Highness! The Serpent Empire has already fallen into internal strife—we can take this chance to completely destroy them!” Connell shouted loudly.

He believed the information he carried was of vital importance, yet in reality, this intelligence was already known to many.

The arrival of the massive Stellar army was, in itself, proof of this fact.

The reason Connell failed to realize this was because he had become utterly obsessed.

He clung to this intelligence as the final bargaining chip to save his family.

In his mind, there was only one path left—to believe that this information was known to him alone.

Hearing Connell’s words, the crown prince let out a cold laugh.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t already know this piece of intelligence? Are you trying to use something that everyone already knows to swindle a reward from me?”

Faced with the crown prince’s harsh tone, Connell quickly tried to explain.

“I told you about this situation several days ago, but I never received a reply!

I was the first to bring back this information, and you must honor your promise. You once promised that as long as I brought back important intelligence, you would pardon my family!”

The crown prince frowned at those words.

He truly could not recall when he had ever made such a promise.

While he was thinking, one of his guards leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear.

Only then did the crown prince suddenly come to a realization.

“So it was you! I finally remember now.”

Hearing this, a faint smile finally appeared on Connell’s face.

Since the crown prince remembered, that meant his family could still be spared.

However, just as he thought all his efforts had not been in vain, the crown prince suddenly said coldly,

“Your family was executed long ago! Those words I said before were nothing but a joke.

And don’t think that just because you brought back information—information everyone already knows—you could save them. Even if you had brought back crucial, exclusive intelligence, your family still wouldn’t have had any chance of being pardoned!”

The crown prince’s words instantly hurled Connell into utter despair.

“How could this be? This is impossible—absolutely impossible!”

The blow to Connell’s mind was immense.

His whole body trembled as he muttered to himself over and over.

Seeing this, the crown prince smiled and shook his head.

“Another one who’s gone mad. Considering you’ve already lost your mind, I won’t bother holding you accountable.”

With that, he turned his gaze toward the guards.

The guards, understanding immediately, hauled Connell up and dumped him into a pile of garbage.

“You are of no use to me anymore. From now on, you can live out your days as a worthless piece of trash.”

After saying this, the crown prince burst into hearty laughter and walked away.

Connell kept muttering, speaking words that no one else could understand.

Everyone simply regarded him as a madman.