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.
