Chapter Eighty-Nine: Trouble Comes in Pairs

Because no one knew when the beasts would strike, Xiaqi decided to send someone into the Monster Forest to seek reinforcements and shore up the defenses of Aikasia.

"How many people went with Liangyin?" For a moment, Momo did not know how to react. Her mind in disarray, she instinctively looked toward Lance. He stepped forward, patted her shoulder in quiet reassurance, and then asked Xiaqi in an orderly, measured tone.

Seeing how composed Lance remained, Momo could only force herself to gather her thoughts and calm down. Keeping her face steady, she followed up, "When exactly did they set out?"

"The team for this operation had twelve people in all, including Liangyin. They left the day after you did," Xiaqi said, her eyes faintly reddened. "If Momo needs it, I can give you the dossiers for all twelve of them."

"And please give me the materials you prepared for Liangyin as well," Momo said. Strange as it was, with these questions, her heart gradually settled. She did not cry, nor did she shout in anguish. Instead, she found herself unnaturally calm, with even a trace of irritation gone from her. The chaos from moments ago seemed to answer itself once she forced herself to be still. "Right now, the most important thing is the battle in front of us. Once this huge problem is dealt with, I'll go look for Liangyin. She has to be all right."

Ignoring the shocked expressions around her, Momo spoke her thoughts and even managed a faint smile to steady herself. "Liangyin chose this mission herself. All I can do now is trust in her ability and make sure I'm ready to rescue her at any moment."

"Not bad. You've made real progress," Lance said with a smile, praising her response.

Xiaqi looked at Momo in surprise, while Liyi nodded at her.

Momo drew a deep breath and slapped both cheeks lightly to lift her spirits. "Well, hardship makes people grow. Heh heh heh..."

"So, what's the current situation?" Lance asked Liyi.

"For now, they're only sending small squads. Nothing to fear," Liyi said calmly. "The real trouble is the main force of the monsters, and the troops that go berserk after dusk."

"Even monsters and beastfolk go berserk at dusk now?" Lance asked.

"Yes," Liyi replied, pressing a hand to his forehead with some headache. "Before, the forces that came to attack Aikasia were usually a pack of monsters led by a commanding beast. Even that level of berserk fury was already hard enough to handle. If one day a whole horde of beastfolk comes at Aikasia, and they all become stronger after dusk as well, I honestly don't know whether the city can hold."

"What about Huanluo? Has she fully recovered?" Momo cut in quickly. "She... uh, she doesn't still go berserk, does she?"

"Ever since Longya was..." Xiaqi answered Momo, "she hasn't shown any more signs of going berserk. Right now, Huanluo is Aikasia's strongest vanguard. Before the great battle begins, we still need to get some practice in."

So these rampaging monsters outside were merely warm-up sparring partners before the real war... Momo's eyebrow twitched helplessly. "Actually, there's a question I've had buried in my heart for a long time. Why don't you cooperate with Kairenia and defend against the beastfolk together by showing the power of fighters and mages working in combination?"

Liyi sighed, his tone helpless. "It's not that we were unwilling. We simply missed the chance. A few months ago, when travelers could still cross the forest between Kairenia and Aikasia safely, the White Tower Kingdom happened to be caught in internal strife and failed to make timely contact with Kairenia. By the time we thought of joining forces with them again now, months later, it was already too late."

"Why?" Momo did not understand. "Does Kairenia have some unspeakable dark history with the White Tower Kingdom too?"

"Not exactly," Liyi said with resignation. "But Kairenia is also under attack now. They have fewer warriors in their country, so fighting is even more disadvantageous for them than it is for us. And the forest between Aikasia and Kairenia has now been reoccupied by large numbers of beastfolk. I hear even some of the old monsters from deep in the woods have come out of hiding. Neither we nor Kairenia dare make a reckless move."

"Oh, right," Xiaqi suddenly remembered something. "I heard the place that has suffered the worst losses in Kairenia is their frontier city, Baiian City."