Yolanda listened carefully to his other reasons, but she just couldn’t keep a straight face at the last one.

’My brother certainly has a sense of humor...’

Although Duke Qinghui’s favoritism and protection of the Purity People were widely known, there was no precedent for him treating outsiders with the same impartiality.

As the person closest to Westheid, she couldn’t fathom her brother’s vast ocean of secrets, but sensing his emotions was simple enough. Yolanda could state with absolute certainty that the Patriarch was no merciful, benevolent soul.

On the other hand, Westheid was extremely kind to the common folk. Regardless of whether they were Purity People or not, he would unconditionally accept anyone willing to join Qinghui Territory. He provided them with housing and land, offered the best possible welfare benefits, and never spared any expense.

It was the same with handling the refugees from Winter Fall Province this time. With a grand wave of his hand, Duke Qinghui ordered that they all be saved.

Westheid had even explained with a perfectly straight face:

"I was born with the ability to love others. It’s probably because my capacity for empathy is too strong."

"I have a kind heart. I can’t bear to see people suffer."

"The cost of disaster relief? The expense of resettlement? None of that matters. Human life is what’s most precious."

He meant the last part wholeheartedly.

Whether for building a nation or gathering faith, a massive population was necessary.

’The poor? Refugees? That’s even better!’

Being destitute and having just survived a great disaster meant they had no one to rely on. The fact that they managed to escape proved they had their own strengths. Even if they weren’t as close or loyal as the Purity People, with proper governance, they could still become his foundation.

People like that are the most susceptible to a convert’s zeal.

The more desperate people are, the more likely they are to develop a savior complex. In contrast, the classes that were already wealthy and carefree could never be truly won over. They only fear power and feel no gratitude—a bunch of ungrateful curs!

Westheid understood the nature of the Imperial Nobility all too well. The protection of the Radiant Holy Tree and the near-eternal Law allowed them to enjoy their privileged status without a care in the world. They knew full well the source of their nobility.

No matter how sycophantic they appeared, they would never betray the Divine Ancestor who had bestowed upon them their glory and status.

In other words, they were curs who couldn’t be won over and had no strategic value for building alliances!

"Prepare to move the troops over. The Qinghui Guard, the technician teams, the Floating Fleet, and our Ring of Clear Skies Allies... Also, bring those nobles from the Pioneer Territory. Some of them pay lip service to Qinghui Territory’s governance but aren’t truly convinced. Let them see what they’d face without our protection!"

Westheid said with a light wave of his hand.

Yolanda’s expression immediately turned serious. When the topic turned to matters of power and politics, she became exceptionally focused. She accepted the order at once:

"Yes, I understand, Brother."

After the platinum-blonde girl left enthusiastically, Westheid immediately began contemplating a strategy to defeat the enemy.

He had made it sound easy, but resolving the problem in Winter Fall Province would not be so simple.

A truly Corrupted Little Holy Tree was, at the very minimum, a Tier One Dirt World Desolate God. It was nothing like a Devourer, those freaks that dumped all their stats into unorthodox abilities. Instead, it was a being of pure Order, inverted by the power of Chaos Undivided.

In essence, it was similar to what happened when a Pure Holy Spirit became corrupted.

Every Corrupted Holy Tree possessed the inherent traits of spreading wide-area corruption, spawning Demons, and deploying a Barrier. They were powerful in every respect.

’If Qinghui Territory were to face it head-on right now... would we win?’

’We would win, but the losses would outweigh the gains. The casualties from a direct assault would be too high.’

We still have too little high-end combat power. The Witches of the Ring of Clear Skies count as High-tier Transcendents, but their class characteristics mean they can’t lead a charge themselves. The limitations on Scholars and pure Casters are just too great.

’A Powerhouse who can’t fight in close combat isn’t a true Powerhouse at all! To ascend to the Legendary Tier, one must be a Hexagon Warrior with no weaknesses.’

’A Corrupted Holy Tree is a raid boss that, at minimum, requires a Legend to defeat. But I need the achievement of eradicating a Corrupted Holy Tree to ascend to Legend in the first place.’

Westheid found himself caught in a classic paradox:

Why can’t I beat the Corrupted Holy Tree? Because only a Legend can guarantee victory.

Then go ascend to Legend! But the requirement for ascension is to eradicate a Corrupted Holy Tree!

Throughout history, Transcendents stuck before the Legendary Tier have all fallen into this kind of bottleneck. Cross it, and you ascend to Legend. Fail, and you stagnate for a lifetime. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"This is why Talent is so important," Westheid sighed.

An excellent Talent gives a Transcendent the ability to challenge those of a higher Tier. Any true prodigy has at least a Tier T1 Talent or a special Specialty.

’Should I write to Reiya? Things would be much easier if she joined. But even Sylvia didn’t summon her, so Reiya must be at her own bottleneck.’

Westheid hesitated. Due to Reiya’s extremely special bloodline, she was highly effective against the Plague of Corruption. On one hand, her Radiant Holy Tree bloodline was enough to neutralize the corruption. On the other, the true damage attribute of her Destructive Dragon Thunder was the bane of Corrupted Holy Trees.

In the original destiny of the Withered and Flourishing Dragon Emperor, Reiya had relied on the merit of eradicating Corrupted Holy Trees to rapidly climb the ranks.

If not for Westheid, Reiya would have only just completed the Path of Life and Death. Yet, in less than two years, she would have ascended to the Demigod Realm.

Her speed of advancement was astonishing.

Thinking of this, Westheid gave up on the idea of asking Reiya for help. That would only slow down the Silver-haired Princess’s growth.

’Besides, resorting to shortcuts every time a problem arises is not a good habit.’

’Forget it. I’ll just go find Mivana. The two of us should be enough.’

When Duke Qinghui found the Lady Knight, she was sitting on a cliff outside the refugee camp.

Finding a remote place to be alone was typical for Mivana, and Westheid could always find her with ease.

This time, however, the Wolf-eared Maiden wasn’t cultivating quietly. Instead, she was clutching a letter, her brow tightly furrowed as she read it over and over. Her fine, handsome features were clouded with conflict and melancholy.

In fact, he didn’t even need to look at her expression or her eyes. Mivana’s fluffy beast ears had drooped completely, looking listless. The purplish-black backs of her ears covered the snowy fluff on the inside.

With his Whisper Level 10, Westheid could tell at a glance that Mivana was deeply troubled.

So he walked a little closer and asked softly:

"Mivana, what are you looking at?"

Mivana turned her head. When she saw Westheid, the melancholy in her golden eyes finally eased a little. "A letter from my homeland," she replied.

Although Mivana had been exiled from the Country of Yonglan, after settling in Qinghui Territory, she had used the extensive channels of Yuanshi Territory to try and contact her homeland.

"Shouldn’t a letter from home be a good thing?" Westheid asked. "Or does it contain..."

Mivana was silent for a moment before shaking her head grimly. "It is indeed bad news," she said.

"My brothers and sisters in my Clan told me... the Country of Yonglan is planning to launch a new Knightly Path expedition."

"And my home, Dusk Lamp Territory, has not yet become an official Knight Territory."