Chapter 77 Chapter 76 The Defeat of Jima
Even if Eve Frostleaf clearly repeated it, Jima couldn’t believe that she actually had a hold on her own dark history, and it was still fresh.
Was her hearing really that sharp? I was just in mid-air, being dramatic and imagining myself as a fighter plane.
Right, I don’t think I ever said the words “ace pilot.”
It must be extortion; it has to be extortion.
Suddenly, Jima realized this, a smile spreading across her face and her tense back muscles relaxing.
Eve Frostleaf’s lips curled into a slight smile as she repeated:
“The enemy aircraft is in position.
“It has been locked on; incoming missiles detected.”
Jima’s toes dug hard into the shoe’s sole, her gaze flitting side to side, trying to find the hole that had betrayed her, searching for a way to escape.
Eve Frostleaf mimicked the sounds Jima made when she fired: “Pew pew pew…”
“Shut up!” Jima jumped up in embarrassment, directly covering Eve Frostleaf’s mouth with her hand.
Eve Frostleaf didn’t avoid it; she stood still, letting Jima cover her mouth.
Jima said, “I didn’t expect your ears to be so sharp.”
After that, Jima lowered her hand, and Eve Frostleaf gently let out:
“…Pew pew pew.”
Ashamed, Jima quickly covered her mouth again and whispered, “It’s all good; everything can be discussed, Your Highness, could you please keep quiet?”
This time she slowly lowered her hand, deciding that if this cunning high elf spoke out again, she would cover her mouth with her lips and take advantage of the situation.
Eve Frostleaf said, “Reinforcements.”
“Okay.” Jima asked, “How did you know the term ‘ace pilot’?”
“I heard it.”
“But I don’t think I said it just now.”
Eve Frostleaf’s lips curled up slightly again, revealing a mysterious smile.
She hadn’t spoken this time, but she had before.
Jima was suddenly frightened, her back going cold. This meant that countless embarrassing moments in her past had been overheard by Eve Frostleaf.
It was terrifying; she had always assumed that Eve Frostleaf had keen hearing but couldn’t hear her monologues while soaring through the air like a succubus.
How many dark histories did she have in her hands? She was holding a nuclear bomb, quietly watching her perform until the moment was right to reveal it.
Jima could hardly suppress a gasp; she was indeed impressive, having come from the elven court with a group of experienced old-timers demonstrating, her political skills were formidable.
Eve Frostleaf softly said, “Understand?”
“Got it, got it.” Jima looked at her. This proud elf, seemingly untouched by the world, if she told others that this woman was a master of political struggle, hardly anyone would believe it.
They would only, out of stereotype, say in unison, “Impossible, elves are not as despicable as humans with their schemes.”
The irony was that even she, an experienced elder, had been subtly influenced by stereotypes. Back when she had rolled in the snow with her, how did she not notice her sinister intentions?
Jima kept looking at Eve Frostleaf’s face, gazing at her lips, waiting to see if she had any further requests.
Eve Frostleaf knew the boundaries and said, “Alright, remember to smile.”
Jima sighed with relief internally, waved her hand to dismiss the barrier, walked toward George, and smiled: “Sister Frostleaf and I just had a talk.
“It made so much sense; I suddenly decided to do my utmost to assist the refugees who lost their homeland. They will have weapons, equipment, and my extraordinary ability to support them.”
George looked at Eve Frostleaf and asked, “Can I ask what wisdom she shared?”
Eve Frostleaf smiled but remained silent.
Jima replied, “It’s just a matter between women; let’s not delay, the enemy won’t keep making foolish mistakes forever.”
George went to gather the crowd, while Jima opened the entrance to the Dream Palace. To save time, she took the risk and directly brought out the armory stored in the Dream Palace.
Amidst the chaos, leather and iron armors meant for both humans and beast-men were mixed together.
This move cost Jima nearly ten percent of her magic power.
While people were selecting weapons,
George pulled Jima aside for a temporary meeting to establish combat objectives, believing in Jima’s military abilities.
“It’s impossible to kill all the trolls; with our abilities, we can’t do it; we simply don’t have the strength,” Jima said. “We can only defeat them.”
“Decapitate the leaders.” George pointed to the blue ice block symbolizing the troll king—nine out of ten troll leaders were named troll king, while the other one was called troll king of kings.
“In one go, simplify the complex battle into what you excel at.” Jima said, “Yes, this is one method; I have another plan.”
They all looked at Jima, no one spoke.
“If we can hold this cursed place,” Jima said, “it will provide an environment for my rumors to take effect, hitting their morale and spreading curses, making them flee.”
“You need an environment to spread rumors?” George said, “I saw how you brewed up the refugees’ feelings of fleeing; it was practically mind control.”
“Of course.” Jima replied, “To survive and influence people, rumors must resonate with their emotions. I merely elicited the emotions of fleeing from their hearts and intensified them.
“If I could mind control without any groundwork, then these trolls would have jumped into the lake, believing ‘the air is toxic, only the freshwater lake is the sole refuge,’ and drowned long ago.
“So we need you to fight bravely, to kill more trolls; then the second approach can work.”
George asked, “Do you have confidence?”
“Not much confidence in the second approach.” Jima admitted honestly, “My powers aren’t invincible; they’re trolls, not lesser beastmen, with strength and supernatural abilities, sure to have ways to suppress my curses and rumors. Who knows how long we will be trapped here?”
“If the demon race tries to surround us, I will choose to retreat immediately; you don’t have to worry.”
“That’s not the most critical thing.” Jima continued, “The most critical thing is, even if we win, then what? You killed the troll leader, while the rest of the trolls scatter; the refugees rebuilding their homeland might seem wonderful, right?
“As soon as you leave, half of the defeated trolls could regroup, and they still wouldn’t be able to protect their homeland, becoming food once again in the mouths of trolls. This is one of the reasons I don’t want to do this.”
“Seize the opportunity when it arises.”
“Alright, enough of this sidetrack; that’s how it is. Let’s aim to kill the troll leader and make the trolls retreat.” Jima said, “I will circle and patrol the battlefield to provide you with the location of the troll leader, marking it with red smoke. When the time is right, I’ll also drain my magic power and let Baldy Qiang lend a hand.”
“Okay.” George responded, “Aerial communication will still follow the old methods.”
Referring to using different light sticks to convey information.
“Alright.”
After discussing, George went to gather the troops. Men and women held weapons, with a focus on spears, many wearing iron helmets, some of which were too large and ill-fitting; they looked better in armor than the typical disorganized mob.
However, Jima believed this was not an army at all, but rather a group of rabble. Rabble cannot be called an army, just as building materials cannot be called a house.
Their only advantage was having three fools, accompanied by a succubus to fight and the hastily constructed fortifications.
The armed refugees returned behind the stone wall, weapons at the ready, quietly waiting. During this time, Eve Frostleaf was also using magic to reinforce the constructions, building walls, digging pits, and so on.
Time passed slowly. A troll finally discovered this refuge; amidst the nervous beating of hundreds of hearts, the trolls assembled and surged toward this place.
