Joint Military Exercise

King Terravalle was surprised by how straightforward Blanc was. He indeed had a lot of questions but he didn't expect that this young city lord was willing to answer them.

"Oh? Is city lord Blanc willing to answer all of them?"

King Terravalle IX probed.

In response, Blanc merely chuckled and said

"Well, it depends on the question. There are some secrets that I cannot divulge no matter what. However, rest assured, as your ally, our city will spare no resources to fulfill our goals."

King Terravalle IX smiled upon hearing Blanc's answer.

Currently, their goal is to conquer their region and grow their forces as fast as possible. They plan to resist the high-tier kingdoms' attack together.

"Well then, first question, why did you establish your force?"

The king asked.

"To protect those who I love and those who chose to trust me with their lives."

Blanc replied honestly.

King Terravalle IX gave Blanc a deep look. After seeing that Blanc seemed to be telling the truth, the king replied.

"An honorable answer. Next question, Currently, how many soldiers do you actually have?"

Blanc didn't immediately respond to this question. He pondered if there would be a negative impact if he openly admitted the exact numbers of his army.

"Hmm…Quite a sensitive question there, my king. Still, I believe I can answer that one. The current population of my army is 6,500 men, of which, 3,000 are elites."

King Terravalle IX gave Blanc a deep look. However, how could he gain any additional information from the king of poker faces?

In the end, Although it was a little hard to believe that 6,500 men wiped out an army of 10,000, after seeing how strong their general was, King Terravalle IX chose to believe him.

Blanc was indeed lying about the exact numbers but he believes that it's alright to hide a little bit of his soldiers just in case.

"Hmm…Alright, I'll believe you. However, can you explain how you managed to defeat Duke Dumont's 10,000-strong army? Not to mention that their army was led by a Swordmaster. Although I saw how strong your general was, it's impossible to win with just her alone."

The king asked curiously.

"Their arrogance played a huge part in our victory. They vastly underestimated our army. In addition to that, my battalion commanders are mighty. Also, we have three Swordmasters and one ranger."

Three Swordmasters and one Ranger!

King Terravalle was utterly shocked. He thought that the young female general was the one who carried them to victory but it seems that he was wrong.

Three Swordmasters? No wonder Gar Grayleaf perished! 

"Hohoh? Truly mysterious, a newly built city two years ago has three Swordmasters."

In response, Blanc smiled and said

"King Terravalle IX, there is no need to probe me. As you can see, our general is quite wild. Her men are undergoing hellish training every single day. In addition to this, we have our ways to procure body-strengthening pills at an extremely low cost and that's where the root of our power comes from."

King Terravalle IX's eyes narrowed into slits after hearing what Blanc said.

A way to procure body-strengthening pills at a low cost? Certainly, that would explain why his army is so strong.

"The–"

Before King Terravalle IX could ask about the "way" to procure body-strengthening pills at a low cost, Blanc boldly cut him off.

"Unfortunately, we cannot disclose how we can procure the body-strengthening pills at a low cost but we can sell them to your kingdom for a lower price compared to the current market price.

Although Blanc rudely cut him off, King Terravalle IX didn't get angry. He knew that he was indeed going too far by asking about how to procure body-strengthening pills at a low cost.

"I understand. At what price are you willing to sell us the body-strengthening pills?"

King Terravalle IX asked.

"Currently, the market price of body-strengthening pills is thirteen silver coins per pill. However, we can sell them to you for ten silver coins each."

King Terravalle IX's eyes widened in shock. Three silver coins less than the market price?! 

"T-That is indeed an amazing price, city lord Blanc. Then, we would like to order 50,000 units of body-strengthening pills from Resonance City."

Blanc smiled upon hearing the huge order. Although they had lots of money, having more isn't a bad thing at all.

"Pleasure doing business with you! If you want to see the effects of the pill, I suggest that the military of the Terravalle Kingdom and Resonance City engage in a joint military exercise."

"Not only would we know the quality of each other's soldiers, but the two armies will also be able to slightly build a sense of camaraderie which will help in the long run."

Blanc suggested.

"Hmm…That's a really good idea, city lord Blanc. Alright, I agree. I shall talk to Geraint later regarding this."

After a couple more small questions about how Blanc was managing his territory, the luncheon finally came to an end.

After the luncheon, Blanc and Helena asked for permission from the king to go out and explore Braxford City. 

The king saw no problem with that request so he immediately agreed to let them explore his city while he was still making arrangements for the joint military exercise.

After leaving the castle area, Blanc and Helena ate in restaurants, drank in pubs, toured the entire city, and enjoyed the night sky in a clean and quiet park.

It's been a while since they managed to enjoy themselves like this so they didn't go back to the castle until midnight.

King Terravalle IX wasn't worried at all though, both of them were Swordmasters so good luck to those who wanted to assassinate them.

After enjoying themselves for a whole night, Blanc and Helena returned to the castle.

The guards recognized them as guests of the king so they didn't have any trouble going inside.

The two of them were tired so they immediately fell asleep after lying in their beds.

Time quickly passed and morning came.

Blanc and Helena reluctantly got out of bed to prepare themselves for another long journey.

They wanted to sleep a bit longer since the beds inside the castle were so comfortable but unfortunately, they had to return to Resonance City as soon as possible.

Once they were ready, they were escorted out by the royal guards. 

Upon arriving outside the city gates, they saw 5,000 elites assembled in front of the city gates waiting for them.

These elites were the ones who were chosen by the king to participate in the joint military exercise.

Aside from them, ten generals were assigned to be a part of the joint military exercise. 

Lastly, Grand Marshal Geraint Lockhart is curious about their city so he volunteered to participate in the joint military exercise.

In truth, this was a lie, the true reason why he volunteered was because he had to make sure that their military would not lose too much face.

He knew that all of his generals were no match for Helena so he had to be there. Luckily, they were on a five-month ceasefire with the Kairuku Kingdom.

Finally, once everyone was ready, the 5,000-strong army started marching toward Resonance City.