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Chapter 285: The Dragonkin Retreat to the Rear
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 07:40:58 +0000 UTC"Certainly," Rhett replied with a lighthearted smile. He then looked up and whistled. A fiery red figure swiftly descended from the sky, nestling close to Rhett and affectionately nuzzling his arm.
As he stroked the warm feathers, he said, "On your way back, you and Dick can ride on Horg. It’ll make the journey quicker; otherwise, who knows when you’ll finally get home."
"Forget it. You should keep it for yourself. You might need it more on the battlefield. I have other ways to get back," White Hat responded, shaking his head.
"What would I need it for on the battlefield? It’s only a first-tier creature. It’s good for travel, but if it gets caught in a battle and dies, I’d be heartbroken," Rhett said, a bit exasperated. "Just take it. Get Dick home as soon as possible. Vanessa’s probably worried sick by now. The sooner you return, the sooner she’ll be at ease."
"Well... alright, we’ll do it your way," White Hat hesitated but eventually agreed.
Rhett turned to Horg and gave some instructions. Then he watched as White Hat, holding the sleeping Dick, climbed onto the creature.
With a powerful flap of its wings, Horg created a gust of wind, soaring rapidly into the sky, carrying the old man and the child further and further away.
"Whoosh..."
Rhett silently watched until they disappeared from view, then let out a deep breath.
With everything at Thunderbear Ridge now resolved, it was finally time to head to the Coldstream Front. It was bound to be a brutal war, a life-and-death struggle.
Behind him, the soldiers continued counting off, but Rhett wasn’t in a rush to leave immediately. He waited, taking a moment to check the system again.
After all, the latter part of the last simulation had shown the Coldstream Front in a constant state of warfare, with a tense and urgent situation. Who knew what unexpected changes might have occurred since then?
A month might not be much during peacetime, but during war, it could bring about significant changes.
"Would you like to initiate a text simulation? Each year simulated consumes 5 Fate Points."
"Yes, simulate one year."
"Year 481 of the Kingdom Calendar, August 1st: You set out once again with your troops, heading towards the Coldstream Front."
"September 25th: You and your forces finally arrived at the Coldstream Front, where you were greeted by Ambiru, still a sixth-tier Earth Knight, who found your current power unbelievable."
"Year 482 of the Kingdom Calendar, January 16th: You received reports from scouts that many superhuman corpses on the battlefield had mysteriously vanished. In recent battles, entire units had disappeared without survivors or bodies being found."
"January 18th: You were ordered to investigate the disappearances. Instead of rushing out, you sought an audience with Prince Wilkin, requesting to see King Milan. Due to your previous contributions of crucial information, your relationship with the royal family had improved, and Prince Wilkin agreed to your request."
"That night, you waited in the fortress until King Milan appeared, asking what you needed. You claimed to have received a mysterious note suggesting that the Blood God Cult leader’s men were collecting corpses in Cold Crow Valley for some unspeakable purpose. You requested that King Milan secretly assist you or investigate it himself. He agreed without hesitation."
"January 29th: You arrived at Cold Crow Valley."
"February 1st: A blood mist filled the air, and you smelled something sinister. Just as you were about to report to King Milan, he acted faster, unleashing a towering blaze that shattered a nearby peak. With a bloodcurdling scream, King Milan reappeared, dragging an unconscious, pale knight."
"After further searching the area and finding nothing else, you prepared to interrogate the pale knight. However, the knight self-destructed as soon as he regained consciousness. Upon examining the remains, you found traces of the same eerie blood energy you had encountered before, this time in significant amounts."
"According to King Milan's analysis, the knight’s body had undergone extensive modifications, making its internal structure different from that of a human. It had been infused with a strange energy that had a highly corrosive effect on both Dou Qi and elemental energy."
"February 14th: You returned to camp. King Milan, after hesitating for a moment, simply patted your shoulder, offered some words of encouragement, and hinted that the war strategy might be adjusted."
"March 3rd: While leading a patrol, you encountered a Dragonkin unit pursuing a small group of healers. You immediately led your troops to their aid. After a fierce battle, both sides retreated with heavy losses. Upon further investigation, you learned that the group of healers, commanded by Anna Bella Guson—the Sixth Legion Commander’s sister—had been ambushed en route to their mission."
"You didn’t focus on her identity, responding politely before questioning her about the details of the mission, from its assignment to the ambush. You sensed something amiss, suspecting that the Dragonkin were specifically targeting this critical healing unit. When you asked who had assigned the mission, Anna Bella said it was the deputy commander of the Canyon Defense Line, which you found hard to believe."
"March 12th: After returning to camp, you immediately sought out the deputy commander to inquire about Anna Bella’s ambush and who knew about the mission. After some consideration, he told you that essentially all the legion commanders were aware."
"You decided to visit the legion commanders to try to identify the culprit. Of course, you hoped this was all just your paranoia, but regardless, you intended to investigate."
"March 13th: As you were heading to see the First Legion Commander, you suddenly heard a loud explosion nearby. Realizing the sound came from the alchemy workshop, you rushed over."
"By the time you arrived, several alchemists, mostly mid-level and a few high-level, had been killed. You saw the perpetrator wearing the distinctive armor of a legion commander. Growing cold, you spotted Master Essad among the victims and immediately rushed in. When you saw the attacker’s face, you were shocked to find it was the Third Legion Commander, and you attacked in a fit of rage."
"After an intense battle, the Third Legion Commander was no match for you and attempted to flee. Just as you were about to stop him, a flash of white light filled your vision, and you lost consciousness. When you came to, the Third Legion Commander had vanished."
"The next moment, Ankus, the overall commander of the Canyon Defense Line, appeared before you, asking what had happened. After you reported the events truthfully, his expression turned grim. Ankus informed you that a Sanctum-level force had intervened, masking the area’s energy signatures, and that the technique used to knock you out was likely related to light-elemental mysteries."
"April 7th: You received orders to follow the Eighth Legion in a pincer attack against the orc forces, who had launched a massive offensive. That night, a cataclysmic battle erupted near the frontline."
"April 15th: The battle raged for seven days and nights, with elemental and Dou Qi energies illuminating the sky like daylight. Blood soaked the earth, and the ground was carpeted with bones. During the battle, you were heavily targeted, surrounded by several high-tier orcs, leaving you unable to protect your subordinates. It wasn’t until the battle ended that you realized Tack, Macoff, and Lawrence had all been killed."
"June 3rd: Overcome with grief and hatred for the orcs, you became increasingly ruthless in your missions, slaughtering more orcs with each passing day. Your infamy quickly spread through the orc camp."
"July 14th: While on another patrol, you suddenly felt intense pressure on your chest. The next moment, without even seeing your enemies, you felt a sharp pain at the back of your head, and your consciousness faded."
"The text simulation has ended. Would you like to continue?"
"No."
The light screen gradually faded.
Rhett had memorized all the content from the simulation. This time, the changes were significant.
Most of the content matched what he had learned in the previous simulation, but once again, he hadn’t anticipated his own demise.
"If I’m not mistaken, this time the assassin was likely from the orcs. After noticing my talents and achievements, they decided to eliminate me. If that’s the case, there’s no need to worry too much, as it’s something that might only happen a year from now, with plenty of room for change in between..."
Rhett pondered, nodding to himself, and decided not to dwell on it.
However, the idea of having King Milan assist him directly against the mysterious pale knight had worked well in the simulation.
Unfortunately, the knight still had the ability to self-destruct, leaving them unable to extract any valuable information.
On the bright side, the simulation mentioned that the pale knight’s body had been modified to harness a strange energy, similar to the blood energy Rhett had discovered in the three Sky Knights he had previously slain. And this time, the amount was substantial.
Rhett had been concerned about not encountering enough Sky Knights, but now, with this high-concentration target, he could replenish the energy in the shell...
Aside from that, the battle in the camp had also been bizarre—the sudden betrayal of the Third Legion Commander and the presence of a light-element Sanctum warrior who wielded the mysteries of illusions...
"Could it be Shaman again? Did the joint operation by multiple Sanctum warriors fail to eliminate him the first time?" Rhett’s eyes widened in shock.
He had learned that the world’s Sanctum warriors numbered only about twenty to thirty, a relatively small group. For a light-element Sanctum warrior who also mastered the mysteries of illusions to be a traitor was highly unlikely...
"Using illusion mysteries to remain hidden is not good news. I need to warn the others and see what the Sanctum warriors discover after investigating."
"I should verify this in another simulation..."
Rhett focused his mind and reopened the system.
"Would you like to initiate a text simulation? Each year simulated consumes 5 Fate Points."
"Yes, simulate one year."
"Year 481 of the Kingdom Calendar, August 1st: You set out once again with your troops, heading towards the Coldstream Front."
"September 25th: You and your forces finally arrived at the Coldstream Front, where you were greeted by Ambiru, still a sixth-tier Earth Knight, who found your current power unbelievable. Soon, more people learned of your arrival, and the deputy commander of the Coldstream Front met with you. After some discussion, they planned to assign you as the deputy commander of the Sixth Legion, but you requested to be transferred to the Third Legion, which was denied."
"You used your authority to assign Tyrus to the prison, specifically to execute captured orcs."
"Year 482 of the Kingdom Calendar, January 7th: You led your forces against a Shadow Tiger unit, resulting in a mutual withdrawal. While resting at a base, you received intelligence from scouts that the orcs had gathered five Sanctum warriors, while our side had assembled twelve, including three kings and several key figures, to counterattack the orcs. All five orc Sanctum warriors were killed on the spot."
"January 8th: King Milan personally sought you out, stating that Shaman had been captured and confirmed as a spy for the orcs. You had achieved such great merit that you could be considered the greatest hero in the history of the Kingdom of Ginlon, and would be granted the title of Grand Duke after the war. You weren’t elated but instead gravely informed him that you had received another mysterious note, claiming that Shaman had not actually died but had escaped. King Milan was shocked and said he would investigate further."
"June 13th: This time, you headed straight to the alchemy workshop, where you suddenly heard a loud explosion nearby. You rushed over. Upon arrival, you found that the Third Legion Commander had just attacked Master Essad. Your timely intervention saved Essad."
"Following a fierce battle, the Third Legion Commander was once again no match for you and attempted to flee. As you were about to stop him, a flash of fire appeared, and King Milan arrived, knocking the commander unconscious. Meanwhile, a fierce battle took place in the sky, culminating in a bloodied corpse plummeting to the ground, still emanating strong light-elemental energy..."
"June 27th: The Dragonkin at the Coldstream Front began to behave more cautiously, their attacks becoming much weaker than before."
"July 18th: You reviewed a strategic report that indicated Shadow Tigers and Violent Bears were gradually replacing Dragonkin as the main forces of the royal orc army at the Coldstream Front. Internal analysis suggested this might signal the beginning of the Dragonkin’s withdrawal from the battlefield, possibly to recuperate in the rear."
"August 14th: After nearly a month of observation, it became clear that the Coldstream Front’s military activity had significantly decreased. Commander Ankus announced that the draft order would be lifted in three days."
"August 17th: The draft order was lifted, and a large number of nobles left the Coldstream Front. You were invited by Prince Hogus to the royal court to discuss your promotion to Grand Duke."
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