Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints - Chapter 647: In the End, You Still Have to Rely on Yourself
Chapter 647: Chapter 647: In the End, You Still Have to Rely on Yourself
As the battle between Charles and Julian ended with Julian’s escape, the crown prince of the Stellar Empire inside Gold Fortress finally decided he could waste no more time.
He gave a direct order to his guards:
“Gather everyone at once. We must march immediately! We can’t afford to delay any longer. The more time we waste, the greater the risk to our plan.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The guards hurried to pass down the command.
Not long after, the governor stationed in the Atacama Desert rushed into the crown prince’s chamber, looking anxious.
“Your Highness, why have you suddenly decided to send out the army now? Didn’t you say before that we should wait for the Ancient Academy and the Desert Goblins to act first?”
The governor was clearly flustered. He hadn’t expected the timetable to move up so drastically. His supplies were far from ready. If the army marched now and failed due to poor logistics, the blame would fall squarely on him.
The crown prince slowly turned his head.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Desert Goblins won’t be cooperating with us. As for the people from the Ancient Academy, they’re useless. At best, they can only distract Charles for a while.
In the end, the victory must come from our own hands. To avoid endless delays, we must act as soon as possible.”
“But Your Highness,” the governor pressed, “the supplies are not ready yet. If we march recklessly, we may face shortages of food and provisions. Wouldn’t that guarantee failure?”
He still hoped his words could change the crown prince’s mind.
But instead of swaying him, the words only enraged the prince.
“Do you think this is my fault? Logistics are your responsibility! If you failed to gather enough supplies in time, then it simply proves your incompetence.”
With that, he dismissed the governor outright.
The governor left seething with both anger and worry. As soon as he was outside, he resolved to contact the Prime Minister immediately.
Still, no matter what he did, he could not change the crown prince’s decision.
But he wasn’t entirely cornered.
Even though the supplies he had prepared were far from enough, he could always gather more after the campaign began. As long as the stockpiles barely lasted until the battle was over, the blame would not fall too heavily on him.
As he left, the governor brushed past Aldany and Andrew in the corridor.
Aldany and Andrew were the first to be summoned.
After all, they were supposed to be key figures in the coming operation.
Both of them were uneasy, sharing the same thought—that it was too soon to act. It was precisely because they held the same concern that they were able to put aside their earlier differences and come together to persuade the crown prince.
When they entered his chamber, Andrew was the first to speak.
“Your Highness, it seems you’ve gone against our agreement. According to what we settled before, you should have waited until our Ancient Academy’s plan succeeded before launching your attack.”
The crown prince gave a cold snort without even turning his head.
“And when exactly will your plan succeed? From what I’ve heard, your members of the Ancient Academy have been disappearing one after another. Don’t tell me you’re foolish enough to believe they just got lost in the desert.”
This time, the crown prince showed Andrew no courtesy. He had already realized that Andrew and the Ancient Academy behind him were nothing but unreliable.
Since they couldn’t give him any real support, why should he bother considering their opinions?
The crown prince’s sharp words left Andrew speechless.
Of course, Andrew knew very well that those missing members had most likely been killed by Charles. But he couldn’t admit that out loud. If he did, wouldn’t it be the same as praising Charles while admitting their own weakness?
Charles was their enemy—one who had to be destroyed.
Seeing Andrew fall silent, Aldany decided to step in himself.
“Your Highness, I warned you before. The Withered Tree Fortress is not as simple as it looks. It might be hiding traps set by the Serpent Empire.
We shouldn’t rush headlong into those traps. If we wait until all our forces are gathered before striking, our chances of success will be much higher.”
The crown prince finally turned around after hearing those words.
He slowly walked up to Aldany and fixed his eyes on him, staring with a piercing gaze.
Cold sweat began to drip down Aldany’s forehead. He had no idea what the crown prince intended to do.
The atmosphere in the room grew unbearably tense.
After a long moment of silence, the crown prince spoke in an icy voice:
“I’m beginning to wonder if you truly came to pledge yourself to me.”
The words struck Aldany like a hammer. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground in terror.
Clinging to the crown prince’s leg, Aldany wept as he begged,
“Your Highness, of course I’ve truly pledged myself to you! I would never betray you, please—you must believe me!”
Andrew, watching this, felt nothing but contempt. He himself was no better than a petty schemer, but in his own mind, his morals were still far higher than Aldany’s.
The crown prince suddenly let out a laugh at the scene.
“Enough. I don’t completely doubt you. I only think that the advice you’ve given so far hasn’t been of much use.”
His tone had grown softer than before.
Hearing this, Aldany finally let out a sigh of relief. But he did not dare to relax fully. He immediately began to declare his loyalty.
“The advice I gave earlier came from the perspective of the Serpents. If it failed, then perhaps it was because I hadn’t thought it through enough. From now on, I’ll make sure to consider everything carefully before I speak.”
These words pleased the crown prince greatly. What he wanted most was total loyalty from those around him. He disliked clever men who tried to think for themselves—he preferred those willing to be his puppets.
At that moment, Connell walked straight into the room.
The crown prince glanced at him calmly.
“You’ve heard my orders, haven’t you? What do you think?”
“I would never question your command! Whatever you ask of me, I will do. For this battle, I request to take the lead as the vanguard!” Connell’s voice was firm and resolute.
The crown prince was delighted. Smiling, he patted Connell on the shoulder.
“Excellent. You are exactly the kind of man I need. I’ll make sure you have the chance to earn merit in this campaign. As for the meeting I’m about to hold, you don’t need to attend.
Just return and prepare for the fight. With your ability, I’m certain you’ll find the right moment in battle to break through the enemy lines.”
Connell answered without hesitation, “I will not let you down! I’ll go prepare immediately!”
Without another word, he turned and left.
His decisive manner left Aldany and Andrew both stunned. They had not expected Connell to be so straightforward.
The crown prince’s voice cut through the silence.
“Now do you see why I trust him more than you? Neither of you has shown me true loyalty.”
The moment he said this, Aldany hurried to mimic Connell’s example and began professing his devotion.
In the end, Andrew still kept silent.
Unlike Aldany and Connell, he had not truly thrown himself into the arms of the Stellar Empire. He was still a member of the Ancient Academy, and he was here only as a representative for the joint action between the Academy and the Empire.
The crown prince’s smile only deepened.
Half an hour later, all the generals gathered in the war room.
The crown prince opened the meeting bluntly:
“The reason I’ve called you here is simple—to inform you that the attack will begin earlier than planned. Before tomorrow morning, all of you must be ready and make your final preparations.
I don’t want anyone slowing me down. If someone dares to hold me back, then I will make sure he understands the true meaning of pain.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
No one dared to object. They all knew the crown prince to be a harsh and merciless man. To anger him would only bring deliberate torment and punishment.
Their obedient response pleased the crown prince greatly. The feeling of complete control filled him with satisfaction.
Victory already seemed within reach. All he had to do was seize the Withered Tree Fortress, and the Serpent Empire would be his.
After that, he could return to the Stellar Empire’s capital in triumph and take the throne as emperor.
Meanwhile, as the crown prince held his meeting, Connell returned to his quarters with a look of iron resolve.
“At last, the chance has come! I will use this moment to make the crown prince pay dearly! And I will make the entire Stellar Empire pay as well!”
Connell had already made up his mind—to betray the Stellar Empire during this campaign.
He no longer cared about his own life. To him, as long as the crown prince and the Empire suffered a heavy price, even his death would be worth it.
None of the Stellar Empire’s people had the faintest idea of Connell’s true thoughts.
That was why no one guarded against him. On top of that, the crown prince himself had promised Connell the role of vanguard.
With all these factors combined, if Connell’s betrayal succeeded, the crown prince and the Stellar Empire would, without question, suffer a devastating loss.
