At this moment, Vivian had no idea what to say to her brother. Of course, she didn't want to see Rocky
in a dilemma. Nonetheless, she still looked forward to his answer more than she could admit. After all,
if she really wanted to find a man to get married, there was no doubt that Rocky would be the best
choice.
Rocky's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew for a fact that the reason why Gilbert was so anxious to pair
him up with Vivian was the same reason for his marriage with Valeria—to make sure that his loyalty to
the Ghost Fief would remain. On top of that, Vivian actually liked him. If he refused, Gilbert would
naturally feel apprehensive about him. If he agreed, however, he thought this marriage would only be
unfair to Vivian since he didn't love her. Ultimately, since the current situation presented that Gilbert
was his greatest help, Rocky couldn't let him harbor any reservations about him. Otherwise, it would
compromise his future plans.
"Well, if Vivian is willing to marry me, then there won't be a problem on my end. I'll persuade Valeria to
accept this. But, you'll have to talk to Leader Flora about this yourself, Leader Gilbert," Rocky
remarked. He still decided to leave the choice to Vivian.
"You heard Odin, my dear sister. When this battle is over, we'll go back to the Ghost Fief. Let me help
you pick a day for your wedding!" Gilbert exclaimed right away as he made the decision for Vivian.
"Brother!" Vivian didn't know how else to respond. She seldom called Gilbert as such, but whenever
she did, it meant that she was having complicated feelings. Since nothing forcibly done would be
agreeable, she wanted to express her objection to this marriage. But the moment she saw Rocky
shaking his head at her, she acquiesced. After all, she knew that he must have had other
considerations.
When Gilbert seemed satisfied enough, Rocky and Vivian quietly left the tent with their own thoughts.
"Hey. Why did you agree to this?" Vivian complained softly as soon as they were far enough from the
tent.
"Your brother is very persistent. If I didn't say yes now, he'd still keep on urging me until I did. Besides,
you should know that he's doing this all for you. He's just trying to pair us up because his real intention
is to have me help you in the future, when you inherit the Ghost Fief. I know that he's treated you as
the heir since childhood, so he's just making sure that your position as the leader will be well fortified
through this marriage. After all, I'm far more reliable than others." Rocky calmly explained his analysis
of the situation.
"Do you ever realize how narcissistic you can be? But you're right. Sooner or later, my brother will ask
me to marry someone who can help me in the future. Compared with others, I guess you'll do all right,"
Vivian replied. Of course, she knew what her brother was thinking.
"I know. So, please make do with me." Rocky let out a faint yet charming smile.
"What about Valeria, though?" Vivian was still worried that Valeria wouldn't accept this idea.
"Well, we're just a nominal couple. I'm sure she'll understand if I explain it clearly," Rocky assured. He
thought he shouldn't have trouble persuading Valeria.
"You know she really loves you, right?" Vivian shot back with her eyes narrowed.
"Of course I know. I just think it's a pity that I'm not lucky enough to accept it. I also feel guilty at times
that I'm not a good husband," Rocky expressed honestly.
Vivian pursed her lips and didn't say anything more. Knowing that Rocky had too many secrets and
responsibilities, she couldn't simply force him to do anything. However, she believed that she would
have less trouble in the future if she could marry him. Along with that, she found it almost impossible for
her to fall in love with another man. Therefore, it wouldn't be a bad thing if they got married.
After their deep conversation, they went back to their own tents.
Meanwhile, thanks to Rocky's plan, Enoch felt fairly confident. During the next few days, he began to
lure the royal army led by Zain to approach the fortress little by little. At the same time, he also planned
to burn the Red River Valley. He asked the fifty thousand soldiers of the Wind Plain to detour through
the plain and block the entrance of the valley.
He ensured that this time, he was well-prepared. When Zain thought that Enoch was unable to resist
and his whole army was attacking their fortress, Enoch feigned his defeat and fled away with his army.
He chose to retreat and give up the Red River Valley.
The news that the royal army had taken over the Red River Valley immediately reached the royal
family. Naturally, they were amazed since they didn't expect that Zain would conquer the valley so
soon. Moreover, if Enoch lost the valley, it would mean that the border of his territory was exposed to
the eyes of the royal army, which would also allow them the chance to slaughter his army.
As everyone in the royal family rejoiced in his achievement, Zain was also elated by the thought that
Enoch would definitely lose to him in this battle.
Due to their nonstop attacks for the past few days, the army of the royal family had grown exhausted.
Zain felt that their victory had earned them the liberty of delaying their attack on the border of Enoch's
territory, so he went to his uncle's previous fortress and took a rest instead.
At the same time, Enoch, who had supposedly withdrawn from the Red River Valley, led his army to
guard the first line of defense at the border of his territory, and ordered them to burn the whole valley
later that night.
A few hours later, when the Red River Valley fell into a quiet night, a fire suddenly broke out on the east
side of the valley. It soared into the sky, until a large forest turned into a sea of fire.
Meanwhile, Zain, who was celebrating his victory in the fortress, was informed at once about this
incident.
"What's the big deal? It's just a fire. Besides, this is not our territory. It doesn't really matter if it's burned
to the ground!" Zain complained and did not take it seriously. Because of his response, the fire was
allowed to spread even more.
Not long after, the west side of the Red River Valley also caught fire. It quickly spread out, forming a
veil of raging flames that soon became uncontrollable.
At this time, Zain seemed to have noticed that something was wrong. Although this was not his
territory, he knew that if the fire went out of control, it would affect the entire fortress. Hence, he finally
sent several troops to put out the fire.
However, when the troops arrived at the place, the fire was already so big, and it had begun to engulf
the whole Red River Valley.
It did not take long before the flames reached near the fortress. Soon enough, thick black smoke
accompanied the wind. Eventually, the whole fortress was filled with black smoke, which could easily
suffocate people.
Seeing that the situation was getting dangerous, Zain had to order the royal army to evacuate the
fortress immediately. The fortress was near the exit of the Red River Valley, so it would be impossible
to withdraw his army to the entrance at this point. Therefore, he had no choice but to lead the army to
the exit of the valley.
Naturally, he was worried that an ambush from Enoch's army might be waiting for them at the exit of
the Red River Valley. Thus, Zain asked the army to stop about half a mile away from the exit of the
valley. It so happened that this spot was not yet affected by the thick smoke.
After making sure that the surroundings was safe, Zain ordered the army of the royal family to camp
there temporarily.
Meanwhile, as Zain and his army were temporarily camped at the scorched land, they realized that the
Red River Valley was almost burnt to ashes. All grasses were set ablaze, and the corpses of beasts
were all over the ground, making the area look pretty desolate and horrendous.
Eventually, a day passed.
At this moment, Zain was discussing the plan to attack the border of Enoch's territory with Adrian and
the other commanders in his tent. All of a sudden, a deputy commander rushed in as if bearing a piece
of urgent news.
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