Basali quickly interjected, "She's now the leader of the 'Courage Alliance,' with many young men following her. She's quite impressive." Alena had once dreamed of becoming the Holy Virgin of the city-state, and when Norforth recommended her, she was overjoyed. But after Norforth's death, her dream was shattered. Now, with city-state knights joining the Courage Alliance, her hope was rekindled. She aspired to become a true Holy Virgin through her own efforts. The young men followed her because of her beauty, character, and determination - all essential qualities for a new Holy Virgin.
Alena ordered surveillance of the surrounding area. Then she told her family, "Brother, take Mom and Basali to the Eagle's Nest. I can handle things here." De Silva agreed after brief consideration, knowing he would be more of a hindrance than help. However, Basali refused, "I won't go. I'm a knight of the city-state - I won't hide like a coward."
Hearing this, Alena couldn't help but look at Basali with newfound respect, thinking, "This woman is far braver than my brother." Seeing his wife's courage, De Silva's face reddened as he quickly explained, "I was just testing you all. I'm not that cowardly." Everyone looked to Nicola for her thoughts. She smiled and said, "The wars during the city-state's founding were far more brutal than this. Don't worry about me - I'll stay and fight alongside you." Moved, Alena hugged Nicola, "Thank you, Mom!"
Once everyone had calmed down, De Silva asked, "What's next?"
"We're still short on weapons. Half our people are unarmed." De Silva had recently invented a laser weapon but lacked the means to manufacture it - everything was still just blueprints. He knew mentioning it now would be pointless and decided to wait until conditions were right. He planned to donate his entire savings of 200,000 shillings for equipment and weapons. When Alena learned of this, she praised him, "Brother, you may be timid, but you're certainly generous."
After everyone gathered, they moved to another location. Two months passed quickly, and the Courage Alliance had stayed at their new address for nearly a month - unusually long compared to their usual stays of less than ten days at previous locations. Alena divided the force into six groups:
Logistics Group (22 people): Responsible for support and funding, led by Nicola
Mobile Group (10 people): Reserve emergency personnel for filling gaps
Science Group (6 people): Providing technical support, led by De Silva
Intelligence Group (12 people): Collecting information about Illuminati, led by Basali
Combat Group (55 people): Led by Collin
Security Group (15 people): Monitoring the one-kilometer perimeter around their base
With De Silva's donation, the Combat Group's equipment had improved, though they were still far from being an elite force. Alena's biggest headache was funding - nothing could be done without money, and supporting over a hundred people was a significant expense. Unlike the resistance, these people were fully dedicated to fighting rather than working regular jobs.
Alena wanted to discuss funding with her mother, who was, after all, the head of logistics. Nicola looked worried, having never expected to be responsible for supporting so many people in her old age - the most challenging role among the six groups. As soon as she saw her daughter, she said, "Alena, I was just looking for you. We only have about 5,000 shillings left, which will be gone in two days. What should we do?" She broke down the expenses: each person needed around 20 shillings daily, and with 124 members, they required at least 2,480 shillings per day, not including other expenses.
"I've thought about it. We'll fund ourselves through warfare, specifically by raiding Illuminati's assets," Alena proposed.
"Are you sure? Won't that be dangerous?" Nicola asked worriedly.
"Everything we do is dangerous. We have to take risks. Just hold on for five more days - I'm sending people out tomorrow."
This mission naturally fell to the Combat Group. Collin selected twenty people, equipped them with their best gear, and planned to raid an Illuminati bank containing valuable Luminary Coins. Alena ordered increased security, planning to relocate as soon as Collin's team returned. Time ticked by slowly as everyone anxiously waited - this was their first offensive operation, and no one knew what to expect.
De Silva was in a truck that served as his mobile laboratory, ready for quick evacuation. As Intelligence Group leader, Basali would be the first to know the mission's outcome. Alena stood at the center of the group, her brows furrowed with concern. Noticing all the men's eyes on her, she blushed slightly, coughed, and sat down. The atmosphere grew intensely quiet. Alena felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, wishing someone would speak up to divert attention. While lost in thought, Basali suddenly called out excitedly, "They've succeeded! They'll be back in twenty minutes!"
Alena stood up, relieved. "Good. Everyone to the vehicles. Security Group, maintain surveillance." The raid yielded over a thousand Luminary Coins, convertible to 1.5 million shillings.
Their new location was a cave in the mountains - remote and desolate, perfect for hiding. Three warriors had died in the previous operation, so Alena wanted to replenish their ranks. She sent five members each from the Logistics and Mobile groups to recruit new members. Recruitment was done through invitation - slower but safer, preventing Illuminati infiltration. This was De Silva's idea, based on his analysis of why both the city-state and resistance failed - internal betrayal. This random invitation method was their best option. Their target was twenty new recruits.
In the cave, Alena was studying a map intently when Collin approached mysteriously. "Leader, I need to tell you something."
Alena looked up. "What is it?"
"During our last mission with the Luminary Coins, someone helped us secretly."
"Oh! Who?" Alena asked, surprised.
"I don't know, but I'm certain we had help."
Flashing back to three days ago, Collin had led his team to an Illuminati bank near noon. He sent someone disguised to scout inside, only to find it empty. Sensing an opportunity, he ordered everyone in. Even the vault door was open, allowing them to leave with the Luminary Coins in less than five minutes.