Chapter 36 – Night Operations
Chapter 36 – Night Operations
“An army marches on its stomach” – this saying holds true even for ordinary wars on the Faerûn Plane. While a hundred-thousand-strong army brings immense combat power, it also brings equally massive logistical consumption. Particularly in a remote area like Konola City, where transportation is inconvenient and natural resources are scarce, it stands to reason that Prince William’s army must be carrying substantial provisions. If these crucial supplies could be destroyed, even if William’s hundred-thousand troops don’t immediately withdraw, they certainly wouldn’t be able to besiege Konola City so recklessly. This simple strategy now presents the best solution to the current crisis!
Mainaixi’s proposed plan was to launch a night raid while the enemy forces and professionals were exhausted after the day’s intense fighting. He would use Formal-Level spells to block enemy detection and divination. With Lunka being the only Formal-Level professional among the enemy forces – a warrior at that – a group of Apprentice-Level mages stood no chance of penetrating intelligence shielded by Formal-Level magic.
The subsequent plan was relatively straightforward and conventional: have Apprentice-Level professionals operate in small teams to infiltrate enemy granaries, set fires, then immediately retreat. By destroying the enemy’s logistical support this way, even someone as capable as Lunka couldn’t conjure food for a hundred-thousand troops out of thin air. With just one more day of holding against the enemy’s fierce assault, they could buy at least a week of breathing space!
While somewhat delaying in nature, there were simply no better alternatives at present! If Mainaixi wanted to secure a chance of survival for Her Highness the Princess, this had practically become the only option!
However… one issue remained – whether the rewards could sufficiently motivate these professionals!
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It must be said that a Formal-Level powerhouse indeed possessed considerable valuable resources. At the very least, the Apprentice-Level knowledge he offered could be described as “rich and varied.” Without batting an eye, Mainaixi produced several peak Apprentice-Level knowledge scrolls for the mages to choose from. The Princess also presented some “Royal Secret Techniques” before the martial professionals. Nearly every mage and warrior could find irresistible knowledge among these offerings – Punk was no exception!
Thus, a group of furtive figures clad in black gently descended from the city walls, scattering and disappearing into the night illuminated by colorful starlight.
To minimize detection risk, the night raid teams adopted three-person squad formations. Eight squads total dispersed to infiltrate the enemy camp from various directions. Since Mainaixi was responsible for divining the location of enemy supplies, everyone simply needed to advance toward the objective. Success by any single squad in destroying the enemy’s food stores would constitute mission accomplishment, with all participants receiving rewards. The successful squad would earn additional knowledge rewards. Conversely, regardless of reason, if the primary objective remained unfulfilled… the operation would be deemed a failure, with each participant receiving only a consolation fee of ten Gold Coins for their efforts…Punk’s team consisted of two mages and one knight. The mages were Punk himself and a shy young boy named Pute. This newly promoted apprentice mage could only cast simple minor Fireballs, and though he could perform them quite skillfully, it couldn’t hide the fact that he was still a rookie. The task of setting fires was undoubtedly assigned to him! As for the last member, the knight…
“Hmm~~ The air beneath this city wall is so~ exhilarating!” …Kane.
Puck glanced helplessly at Kane, who remained as unreliable as ever: “Shut up!”
On this brightly lit night, the glow of three moons outlined everyone’s figures with a silver halo. Their elongated shadows fell upon piles of unburied corpses. Due to the temperature inversion caused by the daytime Fireballs heating the air, the wind beneath the city wall never ceased. Their robes, tousled by the cold wind, cast ghostly Projections on the ground!
“Not to complain, Punk, but why did you have to char these corpses? The smell is making me hungry!” Kane made this terrifying remark under the moonlight.
“Um… Senior Kane, Senior Punk, do we… do we have any plan? This kind of night doesn’t seem… doesn’t seem very suitable for infiltration,” said Pute, who had been relatively quiet. As an apprentice mage who only knew one spell, this guy was only about fourteen years old. He had joined this “midnight operation” due to a momentary “greed for wealth,” and now he seemed to be regretting it. After all, this wasn’t an RPG game dungeon where death meant respawning—in this real world, dying meant permanent death. Inside the city walls, Pute might have felt exhilarated, but now, on this corpse-strewn Battlefield, he felt all his enthusiasm extinguished, leaving only “lung pain”!
“Relax, buddy! A grand adventure is about to begin. No use moping around—don’t worry, I, the dashing knight Kane, will have your back,” Kane threw an arm around Pute’s shoulders and spoke to him in a tone like an older brother from next door.
“R-really? Thank you so much, Senior!” Having always lived among the cold-hearted mage community, Pute felt what he imagined as “brotherly camaraderie” for the first time. The kid seemed deeply moved.
Watching Kane and Pute become as close as sworn brothers after just a few words, Punk sneered inwardly. “Daring to let that smiling wolf Kane ‘have your back’? Heh, I can’t wait to see the look on this fool’s face when Kane backstabs him to death!”
“Alright, no more talking from here on out. We’re getting close to the enemy camp,” Punk whispered a reminder to Kane and Pute as they crossed the moat and reached the edge of a Jungle. He cautiously crouched down, hiding behind waist-high bushes. Kane and Pute, aware of the seriousness of the situation, promptly shut their mouths.
Punk cast a “Dim” spell on Kane’s armor, scattering the light to reduce the reflectiveness of the bright silver metal. Meanwhile, Pute pulled out a Scroll, clutching it tightly in his hand, his face filled with fear as he stared at the distant, bright flames.The enemy encampment bore little difference from a medieval defensive outpost, featuring identical sharpened wooden stakes and fencing. Neat rows of small square tents filled the compound, illuminated brightly by numerous torches. The sole distinction lay in the reduced number of guard soldiers due to patrols by several professionals. However, these soldiers and professionals were far from the type of slackers who dozed while on duty—they were elite troops who obeyed commands strictly, each standing ramrod straight at their posts, gripping their long spears without the slightest laxity.
A dozen ordinary soldiers standing guard posed no significant challenge. Even though Punk wasn’t a Stalker, he was confident he could eliminate them all within a minute without making a sound. But… the highly vigilant professional patrols were far too frequent, composed of mixed mage-warrior teams. Each five-person squad, led by an Apprentice-Level professional, made it nearly impossible to deal with them “silently”!
Observing this scene, Punk couldn’t help but furrow his brows. Kane, for once, shed his usual cynical smirk, his chilling gaze now tinged with solemnity.
Only Pute remained starry-eyed nearby, sporting an expression that seemed to say, “Our seniors look so cool when they’re thinking.”
(End of Chapter)
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The comedic effect Kane brings is such a needed part for the story. I somewhat like Punk but it can quickly become boring if he is the only character we regularly interact with, so hope Kane is a mainstay for atleast a while, and that the author introduces several interesting characters.