Chapter 2299: Exposed at Last Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales Translated by XephiZ Edited by Aelryinth A flag was raised on the cold storage marketplace. The former Colonel Blair had suddenly become the brightest star in the Federation’s army. He even had a seat in the highest meeting among the leaders. The meeting was held at the command center. The decision that the persons made in the meeting would decide the outcome of the war. The new Brigadier General Blair never thought he would have the chance to take the same seats as his most respected superiors in his lifetime. They were going to discuss their plans to drive the Brown Rebels out of the tropical woods. The battle in Banlo City was to reclaim the city. However, the Brown Rebels had occupied the woods between the Scorching River and Banlo City.. They had to drive the Brown Rebels back to the other side of the Scorching River at all costs! They would then worry about reclaiming Half-Ridge Mountain City afterwards. The first thing Brigadier General Blair did was reward his men based on their contribution in the battles after he was given more authority. The assault troops had the highest rate of deaths, but the rewards they received were the greatest, too. It was obvious that the new Lt. Colonel Mason was going to receive the highest merit! The assault troops he led had destroyed the fort’s foundation. Without them, the Cross Chaos Formation would never have gotten in range to take down the Wind Warship. The Cross Chaos Formation was powerful. However, it had a great weakness: its attack range was limited, and its movement was very slow. The enemy’s Wind Warship had been located on high ground, making the Cross Chaos Formation an easy target. If the Wind Warship had focused its attack on the Cross Chaos Formation, a Wind Gear Wheel could take out half its Mages before they were close enough to attack the enemy. They would have had no chance of taking down the fort and the Wind Warship. The assault troops had played an important role in the battle. They had to force their way through the enemy’s lines and go close enough to the Wind Warship to disrupt its attacks so the Cross Chaos Formation was clear to do its job. “Mason, you must have noticed that many Mages were willing to join our regiment after we raised the flag on the cold storage marketplace. I’ve decided to place you in charge of them. They have just finished the headcount. There’s a total of thirteen hundred Mages! “Mason, you are now leading a thousand men!” Brigadier General Blair patted Black Chimpanzee heavily on the shoulder, like he was utterly impressed by him. Lt. Colonel Mason had yet to recover from the shock. He realized how weak the militia were when he saw how strong the Wind Warship was. However, he was full of passion after he was promoted?again! He now had a thousand men under his lead! He had once had a teacher who had scolded him as brainless and claimed he could never climb to the rank of a Lt. Colonel. It turned out that his teacher was wrong! He was now a Lt. Colonel, and he was only thirty-three years old! A Lt. Colonel was basically the local tyrant in a second-tier or third-tier city. He could choose to marry the prettiest woman with the best figure and live in a mansion. Even the authorities of the city had to treat him with utter respect. He could do whatever he pleased! “We’ll attack the enemy’s base in the woods in our next operation. I hope you will continue to show your heroism in the upcoming battle and aim to spread your name across the whole Federation!” Brigadier General Blaire kept motivating Mason. “What? Are you saying that I’m famous?” Mason exclaimed. “Of course, go ask around in our army. Who dares to say they don’t know who the Horn of the Army, Mason, is?” Blaire proclaimed. Horn of the Army! It was such an impressive title! Mason nodded crazily. He felt like he had been possessed by the God of the Military! “Your men have contributed greatly to the army, too. They are promoted to lieutenants! Keep up the good work, you are all heroes of the Federation, the guardians of our nation!” Blaire patted Mason’s men on the shoulders. Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Bai were perfectly calm, but the young man with a nose stud and the others who had survived almost had an urge to tilt their heads and kiss their shoulders! They felt honored to be motivated by their superior! They?even?felt like their magic had been enhanced by their motivation! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 —— Mo Fan, Mu Bai, and Zhao Manyan were given new uniforms again after leaving the camp. “You three… come with me,” the new Lt. Colonel Mason ordered Mo Fan and his friends sternly. Mo Fan’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed like the Black Chimpanzee was not a complete idiot. He had realized something after the two battles. “Humph, do you think I have no idea what you are up to...” the Black Chimpanzee rolled his eyes. “Heh, it sounds like you’ve figured it out,” Zhao Manyan said proudly. They were not supposed to be foot soldiers. They could easily affect the outcome of an entire battle with their strength! “I’ll make it straight, you three better stick close to me if you want to live. You must protect me when the time comes, do you understand?” Lt. Colonel Mason said protectively. “What?” “You will make it straight?” “Stick close to you?” The three immediately had question marks all over their heads. “Are you guys dumb or what? Haven’t you realized something after the two battles? You were only petty foot soldiers when you first joined the army. Do you think you have climbed to the rank of lieutenants by yourselves?” Mason harrumphed coldly. “Uhh...” Mo Fan was lost for words. “Forneus, have you heard of the goddess Forneus? She’s the mother of the woods, the gentlest and most dependable Goddess of the Andes Mountains. I’ve been worshiping her by kneeling on banana leaves since I was five. I’ve finally moved her with my sincerity after thirty years!” Mason exclaimed piously. The three exchanged glances with colorful expressions. “You are saying that you’ve been winning battles and climbing the ranks because you have been worshiping a tree since you were five?” Mo Fan probed carefully. “Exactly!” Mason declared confidently. “Fine, as long as you’re happy.” Mu Bai did not bother explaining further. “The three of you must have caught some of my blessings since you have been following me from the beginning, but I don’t mind at all, since we have gone through Hell together. As long as I am around, you will all climb the ranks with me. If possible, I’ll let you worship Forneus together with me!” Mason went on reverently. — Mason left after finishing the sentence, going off to count his new recruits. Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and Mu Bai stared at his back. “How surprising, I’ve never seen anyone as stupid as him!” Mo Fan exclaimed in admiration. “I’m extremely touched by his intelligence...” Zhao Manyan agreed quietly. “I’m fine with it, we can conceal our identities better. The longer it takes the Brown Rebels to find us, the better it is for us!” Mu Bai took a moment to come up with a comfortable excuse in an approving voice.