Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 419: The Plan to Seize the Fork

Merlin's words caused King Arthur to take a heavy breath.

Gripping the holy sword, a symbol of his status, King Arthur remained silent for a long while before suddenly lowering his head and speaking.

"But that guy is very powerful, and there are so many people supporting him. Trying to take the Holy Grail back... it won't be easy to return it to its rightful owner."

Upon hearing King Arthur's words, Merlin grinned widely. He could tell that Arthur was now fully intrigued by the idea.

"That's simple. I've already been secretly observing him. That guy isn't very strict in guarding the Holy Fork, in fact, he's rather lax about it. It seems the Holy Fork doesn't choose its master—anyone who holds it can use it. He not only uses it himself, but sometimes, when he needs to give orders and is too lazy to move, he lets his subordinates hold the fork and issue orders on his behalf."

"Subordinates?"

"Yes, the one called Torred, and his daughter, both of them were just lowly farmers he casually promoted. Neither of them has the demeanor of a knight—just common peasants."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"That man has control over blood and commands the masses. It's impossible to seize the Holy Fork directly from him. Doing so would be too risky. We need to find a way to get him out of the way, and I already have a plan..."

Before long, it was already the early hours of the next day. As Qin Ming was desperately calculating and reinforcing his supplies, preparing to mobilize his forces to continue hunting down another evil duke, there came a sudden commotion outside.

The next moment, the door was violently slammed open, and the ever-efficient Captain Torretia stormed into the warehouse.

"Your Majesty! There's trouble!"

Hearing the sudden commotion from behind, Qin Ming turned around in surprise.

"What happened?"

"A nearby village was attacked! It was the evil duke's men! They have a large army, and their strength is immense! The local militia couldn't handle them! They've already called for reinforcements!"

"What? The evil duke has an army near here?"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Qin Ming discarded the armor he was holding and quickly walked outside, issuing orders as he went.

"Summon the Grassfork Knights! Prepare to leave the city!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"And notify the city's militia, as well as the militias from the surrounding towns! Have them converge at the site of the attack! Make sure to hold the enemy off and wipe them out!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Qin Ming's forces were strong enough that every village, every settlement, had a considerable combat capability.

The equipped militias had been reinforced, and they were like fully armored knight squads. While their individual attributes might not be impressive, their superior equipment made up for it.

With their protection, every village was nearly impenetrable—tough nuts to crack.

Moreover, once a village was attacked, nearby villages receiving the distress signal would immediately dispatch troops to assist.

Thanks to this strategy of fortified positions, Qin Ming had been able to quickly eliminate many of the evil duke's forces.

After discovering the enemy's location, Qin Ming naturally couldn't let them escape, especially since there might be a major storyline boss among them.

He immediately summoned his 4,000 Grassfork Knights and selected twenty mercenary militias.

Within moments, he had gathered a massive army of 30,000 men, ready to march out and deal with the troublesome enemy troops.

Naturally, the large mobilization caught the attention of King Arthur and his men.

Seeing King Arthur and the others coming over, Qin Ming raised an eyebrow.

"We've located the remnants of the enemy forces. Arthur, how about we go solve them together?"

"No need. The evil duke is dead. You handle this. I'm preparing to take my army back. I hope we can coexist peacefully in the future."

As he spoke, King Arthur smiled and extended his hand toward Qin Ming.

Seeing this, Qin Ming smiled as well and shook his hand lightly.

However, as he watched King Arthur and his men leave, his brow suddenly furrowed.

Turning to his deputy, Torred, Qin Ming spoke in a low voice.

"Is he really planning to withdraw his army?"

Torred nodded quietly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. His troops have already begun leaving, and only his elite force remains in the city."

"I see..." Qin Ming paused, then spoke again, his voice taking on a more cautious tone. "We'll have to keep an eye on them. Torred, make sure to assign someone to watch them closely. If anything suspicious happens, don't hesitate to take action. Have the outside forces join in, and forget about any sense of chivalry."

As he spoke, Qin Ming reached into his chest pocket and pulled out the Holy Fork, handing it to Torred.

Torred didn't hesitate and took the fork, tucking it into his own clothes.

Both Qin Ming and Torred knew that this fork was not the true Holy Fork.

After all, the first group of followers who had started with Qin Ming were the ones who helped him build his power from the ground up. Back when Qin Ming first started, he hadn't yet earned the title of Holy Fork King. Even the name of the Grassfork Knights had been chosen simply because the first group of farmers only knew how to use grass forks.

Qin Ming had never had a true Holy Fork!

They understood the situation, but the common folk didn't. To the outside militias, the fork had a terrifying reputation.

That's why Qin Ming often had Torred or Torretia carry the fork when giving orders—using it as a token of command was a standard tactic.

Of course, if the situation was urgent, or multiple orders had to be given at once, they didn't always need to use the Holy Fork.

Any fork could do, and no one could distinguish the real Holy Fork from a fake one. Qin Ming had even lost a few of these so-called Holy Forks in the past.

This meant the fork he was holding wasn't the first one; he had even broken one during a meal once.

Leaving Torred to guard the fort with the fork and keep an eye on King Arthur's knights, Qin Ming led the main force away.

It was rare for a general to stay behind while the leader led the army, but this had become the usual routine for Qin Ming.

Watching his army depart, Torred, now temporarily in charge of the capital, turned to look at the area where the Round Table Knights were stationed.

After a moment of thought, he waved his hand, signaling for a nearby officer to come over and give orders.

In no time, a large number of mercenary militias stationed in the city were mobilized. Ten groups of them relocated and set up camp in a new position.

This new position was right around the Round Table Knights, effectively surrounding them.

Noticing this scene, King Arthur, who had been standing by the window observing, furrowed his brow.

"Damn mud-sloggers, such a cautious personality. This is going to be difficult. What do you think we should do? Should we launch a full-on attack?"

Hearing King Arthur's question, Lancelot, the First Knight standing next to him, immediately rejected the idea without even thinking.

"No! With so many enemies, a direct assault will result in too many casualties! Plus, it's very likely to alert the nearby forces! If we get bogged down, we're finished!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Lure him out! Kill and seize the cross!"

"Good idea! Someone, go get that Deputy Torred! Tell him we're leaving soon, but we'd like to discuss future cooperation with him one last time!"

King Arthur immediately gave the orders, watching his knights rush out of the room toward the distant castle, his eyes cold.

The so-called remnants of the evil Duke were actually his people, the ones he sent to lure away the King of the Holy Fork.

Once the bulk of the forces were diverted, they could seize the cross. To increase the chances of success, he even had Percival, a capable and fierce general, lead the team.

Once they took the Holy Fork, King Arthur would possess two holy artifacts.

More importantly, he would gain the power to command and bless countless people!

With an army and the people on his side, he would become a true crownless king!

Gazing out the window, King Arthur muttered to himself in a low voice.

"The King of the Holy Fork? Soon, you will no longer be a king. There's only room for one king here."

...

Before long, the night fell. The capital was still lively, with countless people celebrating.

However, within the castle, the atmosphere was heavy, especially around King Arthur's side.

At this moment, King Arthur was sitting expressionlessly on his throne, his trusted knights seated beside him. Everyone kept their heads down, silent, with grim expressions.

They had already planned everything, waiting for the right moment to act, but unexpectedly, their plan hit a snag.

The target of their mission, Torred, who just a month ago had been a simple peasant, didn't fall for any of their tricks!

No matter what excuse they used to invite him, that guy remained motionless, holding the castle with his men.

Whether they claimed to discuss matters or perform a farewell ceremony, or even when they sent people to stir trouble, killing several farmers and having their knights arrested for it, hoping to use it as an excuse to bring Torred over, he remained unmoved.

Whatever the situation, his only reply was always the same: wait for their boss to return!

Faced with such an immovable figure, King Arthur and his men were starting to lose patience.

They couldn't get him to come, couldn't lure him out—what should they do now?

That guy's personality was too cautious!

Staring darkly at his men, King Arthur's mood was now extremely foul.

"What do we do now?"

At this question, Lancelot and the others exchanged glances.

"We've tried every trick, and we still can't get him to come out. Looks like we'll have to find an excuse and go to him ourselves."

"Go to him?"

"Yes! Gather an elite team! Launch a surprise attack and seize the cross!"

"Alright! Let's do it! Gather all the Knights of the Round Table! Prepare to move out!"

"Understood!"

While King Arthur and his men were getting impatient and preparing to try a new approach, Torred was swiftly issuing orders within the castle.

"Redel! Have the messenger troops been dispatched?"

"General! They've already been sent out! Five at a time!"

"Send another batch!"

"But General, we've already sent out three batches!"

"Send more! Something's wrong! Those guys are up to something! Tell His Majesty to strengthen the defenses! Be careful of a surprise attack! This could be a trap!"

"Understood!"

"Waltair! Go get two more... No, four more mercenary squads! Have them station inside the castle! No one leaves tonight! Also, inform the other mercenary squads! If a fight breaks out, everyone is to engage immediately! No need to wait for orders!"

"Understood!"

"Everyone, stay alert! Guards on watch, no sleeping! Anyone who slacks off, I'll turn on them!"

Torred moved through the building, issuing command after command.

Inside the castle, there were now numerous militia stationed.

A total of five militia squads had been called in, all stationed inside the castle, effectively fortifying the place to an impenetrable level.

Even so, looking at the five thousand men under his command, Torred still felt uneasy.

Something about the atmosphere tonight just didn't sit right. Especially seeing how they kept trying to find excuses to bring him over, even though they knew his boss had already left. This only reinforced his suspicions.

He was convinced the Knights of the Round Table were trying to seize the capital, the most prosperous and fortified city, while His Majesty was away.

They were trying to start a war.

Torred could not tolerate the newly acquired capital being taken, nor could he stand for it to be lost while in his hands.

He had already prepared for full-scale war. If they dared to attack, he would annihilate them all.

He had tens of thousands of men on his side, while they only had a few thousand!

Even if they were knights with excellent combat skills, Torred believed that he could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

In fact, Torred even entertained the thought of using this opportunity, regardless of whether they were actually planning to attack, to eliminate King Arthur and his men.

Because in this world, one king was enough!

Torred's rise to power, becoming the Empire's deputy and entrusted by Qin Ming to protect the homeland, wasn't without reason. Though he had been a farmer just a month ago, his cautious personality made him an excellent candidate for a general.

His quick thinking in this situation only proved his exceptional judgment, as he had already realized something was wrong the moment they tried to send him an excuse.

However, Torred had made one mistake in his judgment.

He had anticipated they might be causing trouble, but he hadn't foreseen that their real goal wasn't to seize the city, but to take the cross!

Torred knew the truth—he saw the Holy Fork as nothing more than an ordinary trinket. When Qin Ming had lost the original, it was Torred who replaced it with an identical one.

How could he have guessed that they were going to such lengths just to steal an insignificant cross?

(End of Chapter)