Chapter 212 - 146: Fire Witch Fenna Barbosa (Part 2)

Chapter 212: Chapter 146: Fire Witch Fenna Barbosa (Part 2)

Catherine bit her lip, her eyes filled with distress. She had no idea what she should do.

’Am I going to lose the two most important people in my life in an instant? Or should I just let Lian drift toward Dora and Tauriel?’

Nancy Stuart already knew this was Lian’s real dream and that she herself was an uninvited guest, so she appeared the calmest. She knew that the souls in the dream were real, and she knew what she was doing.

Sophie’s expression remained serene, betraying no emotional fluctuations.

She was the same in the dream as she was in reality.

She neither suppressed her emotions nor did anything foolish that was out of character.

Her consistency, inside and out, allowed her to face any situation with unwavering composure.

Seeing their varied expressions, Lian first comforted Catherine, who looked like she was about to cry. His fiancée was truly made of water.

"Catherine, Dora and I are just friends. I will never cross that line, unless you allow it."

Lian pulled Catherine into his arms. "And I promise I will never be the one to break off our engagement. We will walk down the aisle."

Hearing Lian’s promise, Catherine managed to hold back her tears. She was deeply moved, but also melancholic.

Sophie watched the two of them, feeling a sense of loss she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

’She had always known her place was as a Guardian, even if Lian sometimes gave her the false impression that she could be an ordinary girl.’

"Since this is a meeting, I’ll take my leave."

Jack Moria planned to make a graceful exit. He didn’t want to clean up Lian’s mess again. It was Lian’s own romantic battlefield, so why should his old man be the one to pay the price?

’He’d already taught him the trick; he hoped the boy could fend for himself now.’

"Oh, Father, you can take part too."

Lian knew Jack Moria would never betray him, because he was the one Jack had chosen. Only he could save Green Shade Territory.

"That might not be a good idea."

Jack Moria, of course, saw right through Lian’s intentions. It wasn’t that Lian wanted him to stay for the meeting; he wanted the young women to direct their fire at him, allowing Lian to escape unscathed.

Of course, there was another reason. With Jack Moria present as an elder, the young women would have to show him some respect and wouldn’t start tearing into each other right then and there. That would be far too unseemly.

Thus, Jack Moria became the meeting’s stabilizer, acting as a balancing agent amidst a volatile mixture, preventing them from coming to blows.

Lian had no desire to see bloodshed.

He hoped the young women could get along peacefully.

Here, besides Catherine and Nancy, every other relationship was one of "pure friendship."

Dora’s recent kiss wouldn’t change his attitude toward her. His fiancée’s best friend was an untouchable bottom line; otherwise, his wife-to-be would fly off the handle.

Unless, of course, Catherine was no longer his fiancée.

"Father, everything I have now was given to me by you. I need your valuable advice."

Lian started playing the family card, forcing Old Deng to stay.

Everyone left Lian’s bedroom and moved to the meeting room, gathering for a round-table conference.

"Everyone here is someone I trust completely—my family, my friends, and my lover. I hope what I’m about to say doesn’t shock you too much."

Lian said, his gaze sweeping across the room.

Catherine, Anna, and Nancy were emotionally stable, having clearly calmed down.

Sophie was her usual self, but a trace of imperceptible sadness was hidden in her eyes.

Dora seemed to be lost in self-reproach and would probably need time to process it on her own.

Lian was in no position to comfort her now; he could only light a candle for her in his heart.

’If she weren’t Catherine’s best friend, perhaps the two of them would have been a great match.’

As for the only other man in the room, Jack Moria, he had already perked up his ears, ready to hear the heir’s plan.

"We’ve secured Yusofa, but we failed to get the most important granary. The granary has now been assigned to Holloway, so it’s unlikely we can take it peacefully, but that’s not a major issue. Our army has already withdrawn to the border of Blue Moon Territory and will rendezvous with the Rose Army at Yusofa. After Lorne’s death, Mary will officially declare war on Blue Moon Territory."

Lian got down to business, and the atmosphere instantly turned serious.

"At that time, this combined grand army will attack Blue Moon Territory. Catherine, we need to go fishing."

Lian looked at Catherine.

Catherine’s timid expression vanished, replaced by a steely gaze. It was as if she had transformed from a wronged little wife one second to a vengeful heroine the next.

"I will proactively cede some land to lull Mary into a false sense of security, making her think she’s winning. Once her main force is deep inside our territory, we will attack from both within and without, surrounding the Rose Army."

"Excellent. That was my plan as well. But the prerequisite is that Blue Moon Territory has an army of its own. I need to know how many people you can commit to the war."

"Fifty thousand."

Catherine said gravely.

Lian was stunned for a moment. He knew his fiancée was a smart woman, but he hadn’t expected her to be this capable. To be able to assemble an army of over 50,000 in such a short time... she definitely had the Burst Soldier Physique.

Nancy Stuart and Anna also looked at Catherine with new-found respect.

"The new Witch has also arrived."

Catherine continued, "The Fire Witch, Fenna Barbosa."

Hearing the name Fenna Barbosa, Nancy’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"This isn’t good news. It’s the result of Mary’s manipulation. The Fire Witch, Fenna Barbosa, is one of Mary’s people."

Nancy Stuart said.

Catherine looked at Nancy in disbelief.

"Are you saying Mary’s reach extends into the Guardian Bureau?"

Nancy nodded.

"Yes. Although the Guardian Bureau is hailed as an Empire Heavy Weapon, the Seven Great Creed Families have long since infiltrated it. From upper management to the mid-levels, there are many powerful nobles from the Empire. Mary has also cultivated her own faction within the Guardian Bureau, and Fenna Barbosa is a key prospect she has been grooming. Witches aren’t born this strong; they also need to grow and require resources. Within the Guardian Bureau, the distribution of these resources is unequal. The top-ranking, genius Witches basically all have secret sponsors. Even Miss Sophie was sponsored by Lord Morria back in the day, wasn’t she?"

Nancy looked at Old Jack.

Old Jack nodded. "Yes. Even though I was Sophie’s sponsor behind the scenes, just to get her assigned to Green Shade Territory, I had to bribe a high-ranking official. Influencing the Guardian Bureau’s personnel appointments is an extremely difficult matter. Many sponsors never receive any help from the Witches they support. Mary truly lives up to her name as the Southern Dominator, to be able to pull strings in matters like this."

Lian hadn’t realized that Sophie had been on the receiving end of Old Deng’s generosity.

No wonder her Loyalty to Green Shade Territory was so high.

Catherine frowned. If Fenna Barbosa was Mary’s agent, then having her in Blue Moon Territory was like having a ticking time bomb.

She suddenly understood the importance of this meeting. Without Nancy’s intelligence, she might have made a catastrophic mistake in the war.

A single Witch was comparable to an entire army.

"Don’t worry. Leave Fenna Barbosa to me."

Dora said in earnest.

She urgently needed to prove her worth to her best friend, hoping to salvage their friendship.

Although Catherine loved Lian dearly, she wasn’t an unreasonable person.

Dora had once been the light of her life, bringing her hope.

She cherished Dora more than anyone.

Even if Dora did something wrong out of willfulness.

Catherine would choose to forgive her, especially at a time like this.

"Thank you, Dora."

"Dora, what about the mission I gave you?"

Lian asked.

In truth, Dora’s angry departure earlier was just an act she and Lian had put on. She hadn’t actually returned to Blue Moon Territory, but had secretly gone to Rose Territory.

Of course, she couldn’t stir up trouble directly in Rose Territory, because Rose Territory had another fearsome Witch, one whose power surpassed her own.