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Chapter 284: The Plan to Accumulate Fate Points
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 07:40:52 +0000 UTC"Yes, Lord Rhett."
A loud response echoed from behind, and then the group resumed their march with long strides. Perhaps it was the death of the high-tier magical beast that brought a sense of peace, as the journey continued without any further incidents.
After all, weaker magical beasts generally avoid areas where high-tier magical beasts reside. Those that do wander into such territories often meet a swift death unless the predator has already had its fill.
As they pressed on, the sky grew darker, with low-hanging clouds drifting in from the west, casting shadows over the forest. It was unclear whether the gloom was due to the clouds or the approaching nightfall.
In any case, after leaping across a ravine and running for several more hours, they arrived at the edge of a forest. The sky was clear again, with the clouds seemingly having drifted away, and the stars shone brightly.
At this peak of summer, both wild beasts and magical creatures were particularly active in the forest, with the dense foliage exuding various strange scents.
"This smell is from Windfang Boars’ urine. It contains faint wind elements and can spread far and wide. If it's from a mid-tier Windfang Boar, it might even produce wind essence. However, this scent is faint and impure, so it’s probably from low-tier Windfang Boars. Given how far the scent has spread, there must be dozens of them nearby, likely a small group!"
Mida stood a meter behind Rhett, surveying the surroundings while sniffing the air. He spoke with a voice full of respect.
Rhett turned his head, somewhat surprised. "Windfang Boars have never been seen in the southwestern frontier. How do you know so much about them?"
"My grandfather once lived in a village near the Thunderbear Ridge, but it was too dangerous, so he relocated to the southwestern frontier. However, he left behind some books that recorded the conditions of this area, so I naturally became familiar with it," Mida replied modestly. Although he was much older than Lord Rhett, he didn't dare to show any disrespect.
"Very good. Then you and your team should hunt down these boars as tonight's meal," Rhett instructed with a nod.
Mida's spirits lifted, and he replied, "Understood! I'll lead the team to hunt them down and make sure we complete Lord Rhett’s orders!"
"Trevor, Lady, and the rest of you... follow me. We’ll try to find this herd of Windfang Boars before dawn!" Mida called out to the teams behind him, quickly organizing the hunting plan in Rhett’s presence before leading the way into the forest.
Meanwhile, Dick, who had been sitting quietly behind Tack on Mog's back, yawned and tugged at Rhett's clothes, whispering, "Grandfather, I'm sleepy..."
"Hmm, if you're tired, go sleep near Mr. White Hat," Rhett replied, glancing at Dick. Tonight, because they needed to prepare food, Rhett had not assigned Dick to harvest any magical beasts. But starting tomorrow, his hunting plan would officially begin!
"I want to sleep in a bed," Dick said shyly.
"Alright, no problem," Rhett agreed after a moment's thought, raising his eyebrows slightly. After all, Dick was still young, and unlike the superhumans, he needed proper care.
As for the knights behind them, they pretended not to notice. They all knew Dick was Rhett's grandson and dared not criticize him. Besides, Rhett had already explained that after the hunting mission at Thunderbear Ridge, White Hat would take Dick back to Darkhawk City.
After creating a stone bed for Dick, Rhett turned to the group and smiled, "Everyone, take a seat. The past month's travel has been tiring."
"It wasn’t too hard, Lord Rhett. Your pre-battle training was very considerate," a loud voice responded.
"Yes, when do we start the training?" another person chimed in.
These two were Gai and Roy, shouting from within the crowd.
Rhett glanced at them and shook his head. "Not tonight. Get a good rest first. The training will officially begin tomorrow."
"Lord Rhett is wise!"
"Lord Rhett is generous!"
...
Praise echoed around him, but Rhett's smile remained unchanged as he turned away and sat down on the stone stool he had created earlier when making Dick's bed.
He then closed his eyes and initiated a text simulation to verify whether the upcoming hunt would encounter any unexpected events.
Soon, a screen appeared before his eyes.
Rhett read through the content, and everything became clear in his mind. As expected, the hunt went smoothly without any major issues. While some knights were injured, and a few even died, these were reasonable casualties. He planned to minimize these losses based on the simulation, so he didn’t dwell on them.
The simulation’s final two months contained new information, mentioning that the battlefield had temporarily calmed, with the orcs retreating slightly. However, Rhett sensed something unusual—human superhumans’ bodies were still mysteriously disappearing.
Even the Sanctum’s strong warriors within the camps had suddenly vanished, and the same was true on the orcs’ side. This left Rhett with an eerie feeling, and he strongly suspected that these disappearing bodies were connected to the Blood God Cult leader. He was almost certain of it.
"Persistent as a ghost..."
The next morning, Mida returned with a group of dozens, each person dragging a plump Windfang Boar.
Some of them had minor injuries, but most were unscathed. A group of knights against low-tier magical beasts without intelligence made for an easy hunt.
Once the boars were skinned and cleaned, the meat was cut into strips, wind-dried with the help of wind-element mages, and prepared as jerky. Rhett then issued his orders according to the plan he had previously organized:
"The first phase of training begins now. I'll divide you into two units: one combat unit and one scouting unit."
"The combat unit will eliminate any enemies you encounter, but try to leave at least one alive to bring back as a prisoner. The scouts' duty is to bring these near-dead magical beasts back to camp.
However, remember, do not venture into the deeper regions. Treat the boundary between the outer and deeper regions as the frontline, and without my orders, no one is to cross it!"
The orders were straightforward, and everyone understood them clearly. At Rhett's command, most of the forces, organized into squads, surged into the dense forest!
The scouts, mostly wind-element knights with more agile movements, quickly disappeared into the woods after a series of rustling sounds.
Rhett gazed at the vast green expanse ahead, his eyes glinting. His main goal in coming to Thunderbear Ridge before heading to the Coldstream Front was to harvest fate points. Strengthening the team’s ability to fight the orcs wasn’t his primary concern, though improving their teamwork would be beneficial against any enemy.
Recalling how he broke through to the Archmage level, Rhett estimated that even with his exceptional mental strength, it still required three to four thousand fate points to break through successfully. He anticipated that the next breakthrough, from level seven to level eight, would need at least six thousand points. However, since he hadn’t begun attempting the breakthrough, he couldn’t be certain.
“Still, I need to curb my impatience to break through until I’ve accumulated enough fate points for a leap to the Sanctum level.”
“In recent years, my growth has been too rapid, somewhat out of step with the times. Fortunately, history has seen others who were just as exceptional, so it’s still acceptable to the outside world.”
“But at the Archmage level, breakthroughs are supposed to be more difficult and time-consuming. If I continue advancing at this pace, it will undoubtedly attract attention and arouse suspicion.”
“For me, lacking the power of the Sanctum is still too dangerous. As long as I don’t break through to the Sanctum, the benefits of advancement aren’t that significant. On the contrary, it could expose me to disproportionate risks…”
A series of thoughts flashed through Rhett’s mind, leading him to a decision: he would accumulate enough fate points to allow him to break through to the Sanctum in one go. That way, even if others were shocked and puzzled by his sudden advancement, it wouldn’t matter.
Rhett was confident that with the combination of simulation and arcane power, he would be among the elite upon reaching the Sanctum level. He would have enough strength to dispel any doubts!
When that time came, standing at the pinnacle of the continent, he could even invent various reasons to explain his rapid rise—such as being the Chosen One or the Child of Destiny. Although these might sound absurd and laughable, they wouldn’t seem so far-fetched when applied to someone of Sanctum level…
Putting aside these thoughts, Rhett, along with Tack, Tylus, and others, also ventured into the forest, beginning their support operations.
Thus, a monotonous yet peaceful month quickly passed.
With Rhett’s secret assistance, his team suffered no significant casualties. Any non-disabling injuries were treated as minor wounds in Rhett's eyes, quickly healed by light-element mages. Moreover, a little bloodshed and injury were beneficial before heading to the battlefield.
As for the results, in a month, the army had slain thousands of magical beasts, most of them low-tier. On average, each person killed a few beasts daily.
However, not all these beasts could be harvested by Dick in time. In fact, nearly half of the magical beasts either died on the spot or succumbed to their injuries on the way back, unable to be converted into fate points.
Overall, this month’s effort yielded more than four thousand fate points for Rhett. Although this fell short of his target of six thousand, it was still acceptable.
He glanced at Dick, who was sound asleep on the bed, snoring softly with snot bubbles forming. The little guy had been worn out from helping Rhett harvest fate points over the past few days. Fortunately, the task was finally done, and White Hat could take Dick back to Darkhawk City.
Rustling sounds came from the forest ahead, accompanied by hurried footsteps and the sound of something heavy being dragged along the ground.
Soon, a group of over twenty emerged from the forest, led by Roy. He looked exhausted, his left shoulder armor shattered, revealing a bloody arm. Among the group, several carried first-tier magical beasts like Firemane Hounds and Wind Wolves, while Mida dragged a massive third-tier Bloodhoof Boar by its tusks, leaving a long trail in the dirt.
“Whew, apologies for the delay, Lord Rhett. We encountered a Bloodhoof Boar on the way back, and it was extremely ferocious. Fortunately, Captain Mida arrived in time to save us,” Roy wiped the sweat from his brow with his uninjured hand, his voice full of relief.
"We're all comrades here. On the battlefield, supporting and helping each other is common, so there’s no need to thank me," Mida said, waving his hand from the back.
Rhett furrowed his brow slightly but quickly relaxed, calling out to the thousand-strong group behind him, "Light-element mage, come here for treatment."
Then he addressed Roy, "Your injury is not minor. If it had been any worse, your arm might have been beyond saving."
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Rhett. I’ll be more careful in the future," Roy replied with embarrassment.
"Hmm, but consider this a lesson learned—something useful for the upcoming battle," Rhett nodded. "Now, rejoin the group. Today, we leave here and head to the Coldstream Front."
Hearing this, those who had just emerged from the forest grew serious, immediately dropping the magical beasts to the ground and swiftly rejoining the formation.
Rhett turned and commanded, "Everyone, prepare to move out. Squad leaders, check your teams. We depart in thirty minutes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the squad leaders emerged from the ranks to inspect their units.
With the sound of counting behind him, Rhett walked to the bed and addressed White Hat, who was meditating nearby, "You’ve done a great job accompanying us, Mr. White Hat. From now on, you don’t need to follow us further. Take Dick back to Darkhawk City."
White Hat, dressed in a gray mage’s robe, opened his eyes and expressed his concern, "Are you sure you don’t need my help at the Coldstream Front? After all, I’m a sixth-tier Archmage..."
"Heh, Darkhawk City needs you more. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. The orcs, on the other hand, will meet their end this time," Rhett said with a chuckle and a shake of his head.
"Well, if you’re sure… I’ll take Dick back then. Please take care," White Hat took a deep breath and, with utmost seriousness, added, "I’ll be waiting for your triumphant return in Darkhawk City."
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