Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
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Since the players had agreed to join, Xi Wei had no intention of wasting more time in Dawn Town. Black River Town was in urgent need of his help, waiting for him to save the day.
The number of orc troops deployed this time was unknown, but based on past experience, it was likely to be at least five thousand.
Every regular soldier under Xi Wei was a precious gem he had meticulously trained. The loss of even one would break his heart. He did not want to waste his regular army in probing the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses.
However, the players were different. Although they were weak, their ability to resurrect made them the ideal scouts and cannon fodder.
Dawn Town was originally their territory. Xi Wei had simply exploited an information gap to trick all the players into risking their lives for him, while also suppressing the protagonist group and completing a system mission.
It could be said that this move was a direct win. By inciting the players to enter the battlefield, he could not only discover the enemy’s situation without any cost but also weaken the players’ strength simultaneously.
Currently, the players’ main quest had already reached the second stage: the construction of Dawn Town. However, Xi Wei’s current actions had no impact on the main quest, so the system had not issued any prompts.
Outside Dawn Town, Xi Wei had reorganized his army. The players, led by a few representatives, stood at the rear of the formation. “Pass down the order, everyone’s target is Black River Town. Force march, attack!”
Suddenly, the clatter of armor and swords, along with the sounds of footsteps and hooves, filled the air. Under the fearful gazes of the demi-humans, this hastily assembled army departed as quickly as it had arrived, kicking up dust. Only a group of “chattering” heroic spirits had joined the rear of the army.
In a newly built exquisite wooden house in Dawn Town, the delicate Demi-human Saintess, Ruo Yi, gazed absently at the departing army. Those heroic spirits were acting as cannon fodder for her, for the demi-humans, and for Dawn Town. Although the heroic spirits could resurrect, the feeling of being killed was unavoidable. The fear and brutality they were about to face could not be erased by resurrection. Moreover, she heard that their strength would be weakened after death. Ruo Yi felt sad about this and resentful of her own weakness and helplessness. She couldn’t help but think of that powerful, cold, and cruel man again. She thought of his long, strong fingers lifting her chin. She thought of his wolf-like gaze fixed on her. “He’s really fierce, really scary. But why do I have a strange feeling?” Ruo Yi murmured to herself, confused. She hugged her large tail, her pretty face flushed, her heart restless like a cat’s. That oppressive aura, those cold and ruthless words, now made her feel a strange tingling sensation all over. No one had ever treated her like that before… “I must be sick…” the girl whispered, lost and helpless.
***
After an afternoon of forced march, Xi Wei, along with his army and the players, successfully reached Black River Town. Along the way, they had already seen many villages destroyed by the orc soldiers, but they had found no sign of the orcs. Xi Wei’s immediate priority was to rendezvous with Baron Talomb and obtain relevant intelligence. He was currently completely unaware of the whereabouts of the orc soldiers, and a rash pursuit could put his subordinates in danger.
In the front hall of Black River Fortress.
Seeing Xi Wei and his entourage covered in travel dust, Talomb greeted them with an exaggerated smile and a voice like a Bard’s: “The gods above, look who has arrived! It’s the savior of Black River Territory, our illustrious Earl of Eagle Territory, Lord Xi Wei~”
Talomb, surrounded by his stewards and knights, approached Xi Wei. He gazed with surprise at Xi Wei and the army behind him, extending his short, fat hand: “Welcome to Black River Fortress! I represent all the townsfolk of Black River Territory in thanking you for your reinforcements.”
Xi Wei grunted expressionlessly and naturally handed the reins of his horse to Talomb’s outstretched hand. He looked around and calmly walked to the conference table in the front hall, taking the seat of honor. Talomb’s expression suddenly darkened, annoyed and resentful of Xi Wei’s arrogance, but the moment he turned around, he put on a joyful smile again. His steward Doug, with great perceptiveness, took the reins from him.
“Baron Talomb, I have no time for pleasantries. I demand that you immediately report all intelligence regarding the invading orc soldiers.” Xi Wei knocked on the table, preempting Talomb’s flattery.
Talomb, with a fawning smile, nodded obsequiously, “Yes, yes, you are right, business first.” He then waved to his personal knight. The knight walked to the conference table, stood with his back to Talomb, cast a respectful glance at Xi Wei, and laid out a map of Black River Territory on the table. He respectfully read aloud: “Three days ago, the orc invasion force captured Ironwood Town at the border of Black River Territory, and then proceeded along the Blackwater River towards Black River Fortress. Ross Town along the way also did not escape, and the villages near the Blackwater River have basically been destroyed.”
“According to intelligence from the outposts, the closest location where orc soldiers have been discovered is Carter Village, at the foot of the Sorrento Mountain Range, three miles from Black River Town.”
“The orc army numbers approximately six thousand. In addition, there is a highly mobile harassment force. We have organized militias to counterattack multiple times but without success. It is estimated to be an orc wolf cavalry, numbering around fifty.”
“This is all the intelligence we have gathered so far.” After the knight finished speaking, he looked up at Xi Wei. Seeing Xi Wei nod slightly, he quietly retreated to the side, awaiting Xi Wei’s orders.
Xi Wei felt that Talomb’s personal guard seemed familiar, but he couldn’t recall who it was for the moment. He decided to focus his attention on the map on the conference table. These orcs clearly intended to push all the way to Black River Fortress. The two towns they had captured along the way were both necessary checkpoints. Their main force was responsible for sieging the towns, while the elite wolf cavalry unit harassed surrounding villages, destroyed supplies, and cut off the supply lines from the surrounding villages to the towns.
The route from Dawn Town into Black River Territory was not within the main attacking direction of the orcs. However, Xi Wei had still discovered destroyed villages on his way to Black River Town earlier. This indicated that the orc invasion force’s plan was largely complete, and at least the villages near Black River Town were nearly devastated. Even if they could not breach the tall city walls of Black River Town afterward, they could starve Black River Town to death.
Talomb, holding the position of a Baron, possessed basic strategic thinking. Even if he didn’t see the orcs’ entire plan, he could understand at least half of it. However, he still hadn’t come up with any good solutions and could only seek help from him, the Earl. After all, the village militias were no match for the wolf cavalry; by the time he led his knights to pursue them, they would have long since vanished.
“Are there any villages near Black River Town that have not been destroyed? Point them out to me.” Hearing Xi Wei’s question, the knight standing by quickly approached. After a brief examination, he pointed to several locations on the map and said, “This is Wild Dog Village, this is Luther Village, and this is Iron Stone Village. These villages have not yet been destroyed.”
Xi Wei looked at the locations of these three villages and pondered for a moment, finally focusing his gaze on Iron Stone Village near the Blackwater River. This village was not the closest to Black River Town, but it could transport more supplies than the other two villages due to its water resources. Moreover, given the direction of the orc main force’s advance, they would likely pass near Iron Stone Village. Xi Wei speculated that the orc main force and the wolf cavalry would eventually take a detour and converge near Iron Stone Village, then cross the Blackwater River, attack Wild Dog Village and Luther Village in succession, and finally advance triumphantly and fearlessly towards Black Stone Fortress! Xi Wei’s plan was to lay an ambush near Iron Stone Village in advance and intercept the orc forces, annihilating them all.
