Chapter 189 - 184: Scientific Victory
When the massive body of the Lord of the Gray Swamp came to a complete stop, the battlefield fell into a brief silence.
The sounds of the wind, the gasps for breath, the creaking of the winches—all seemed to vanish in that instant.
Everyone stared blankly at the colossal beast before them, fallen like a mountain, unable to believe they had actually succeeded.
’We... won?’
A few seconds later, a soldier dropped his weapon and let out a cheer.
"We did it—!"
Then, joy spread across the soldiers’ faces. They gazed at the high-level Magical Beast, a creature they had only heard of in legends, and their emotions erupted like a volcano. Cheers swept across the entire Withered Tree Beach.
"We won! We won!"
"Heavens! We actually captured a Level 5 Magical Beast!"
Finally, all the voices merged into a single cry— "Long live the lord!"
Ola and Barrett exchanged a look from afar, both seeing the immense relief in the other’s eyes.
’The whole process was nerve-wracking, but looking back, it went almost too smoothly.’
’Every step had been within the lord’s calculations.’
Ola strode into the basin, scooped up Barton, who was still spitting, and tried to hoist him onto his shoulder.
But the strange, fishy stench clinging to Barton and his six squad mates made the Dwarf Baron stagger, and he nearly dropped the "hero."
"Dammit, Barton! Did you fall into a cesspit?!" Ola roared.
Barton grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. His face was still covered in some unidentifiable viscous liquid, but his smile was radiant.
"My lord, this is the essence of a Level 5 Magical Beast! Have a taste, it’ll build you up!"
The surrounding soldiers burst into roaring laughter, the earlier tension and fear completely swept away.
Amidst the chaos and joy, Roland’s eyes were filled with an indescribable emotion.
’Hunting a Level 5 Magical Beast... and he, Roland Sun, the highest-level combatant on the field, hadn’t even drawn his sword.’
’The battle was just... over?’
’And in a way... he had never even imagined.’
He saw Velin descending from the sky and talking with the squad that had faced the giant serpent head-on. He couldn’t help but walk over.
"You..." His voice was a bit hoarse as his gaze fell on Velin’s face. "How did you come up with all this?"
Velin didn’t look at him, his gaze fixed on the limp giant serpent in the distance. "I just chose to believe in science."
"Unless it’s a creation molded by the hands of a god, anything made of flesh and blood is bound to have a physiological structure, and therefore, a weakness that can be exploited."
Roland was stunned.
’Piercing the cloaca, destroying it from the inside...’
’A tactic like that... Forget bards ever singing songs about it; even boasting about it in a tavern would only earn a round of laughter.’
’It wasn’t glorious, but it worked.’
’It had snuffed out a potential Level 6 catastrophe with minimal cost.’
’The residents of the Grey Marsh Territory would survive because of this. Sword Tooth Province, and even the ports of the entire Gray Bay, would be spared a disaster because of this "inglorious" act.’
’Wasn’t... wasn’t that a higher form of "glory" in itself?’
"You are... an outstanding lord."
Roland looked Velin straight in the eye, speaking each word from the bottom of his heart.
"I should learn from you."
At that moment, Caroline, Ola, Barrett, Ryo, Mia... everyone gathered around.
The way they looked at Velin was completely different from before.
If before it was awe and trust, now it was an almost fanatical devotion.
This young lord, with an unbelievable victory, had shown them a new kind of power—the power of knowledge.
It transcended martial strength and was different from Magic. It was a power that could be understood, replicated, and executed—an invincible force!
"My Lord." Valerius hurried over from the rear with several assistants.
The old alchemist’s beard was disheveled by the wind, but he paid it no mind, his eyes holding only a scholar’s prudence.
He first gave the beast’s condition a quick glance, confirming its vital signs were stable, before turning to Velin.
"According to my calculations, the anesthetic agent will metabolize quickly. We must administer the second injection within half an hour, or we risk it waking up."
"At the same time, to ensure this... asset is not compromised, the area must be placed under the highest level of lockdown."
Velin looked at the old man who hadn’t let victory go to his head and nodded in approval. "Everyone, on my command."
The boisterous battlefield immediately fell silent.
"Barrett, immediately take charge of battlefield security. Establish a three-layer perimeter centered on the basin. No one is to approach without authorization."
"Lock down all information. I don’t want any details of this battle leaking out."
"Yes, my lord!" Barrett replied, snapping to attention.
"Ola, your men are responsible for inspecting all the Eyes of the Storm and the winches, tallying material losses, and treating the wounded."
"Everyone who participated in this battle will be rewarded according to their merit."
"Consider it done! You can count on us!" Ola declared, thumping his chest.
"Master," Velin said, turning to the alchemist, "you and your team will immediately begin preliminary sample collection and vitality tests on the Lord of the Gray Swamp. I need a detailed report on its bodily functions, the limits of its regenerative abilities, and all other relevant data."
"Kael, you and your Scout team will conduct a thorough sweep of the surrounding area. Make sure no spies from the ’Hand of Black Stone’ are lurking nearby."
Kael’s concise reply came from the shadows: "Understood."
As the tasks were assigned one by one, the team, after a brief celebration, began to operate with high efficiency once more.
Roland stood where he was, watching it all unfold.
He saw the heartfelt obedience and high morale with which Velin’s subordinates carried out their orders.
’This wasn’t something that could be bought with a noble title or money.’
He suddenly felt that the knightly code he had always believed in was perhaps not the only guiding principle in the world.
’A new "knightly spirit" was flourishing in this remote swamp territory.’
Velin, meanwhile, walked over to the massive steel pipe still embedded in the giant serpent’s body, lost in thought.
’This victory was certainly gratifying, but the problems it exposed could not be ignored.’
’Sarah, use the Mind Matrix to review and summarize all data from this battle. I want a detailed report in the next day or two, including but not limited to material consumption, personnel efficiency, and every oversight in the plan.’
’As you command, Father. Data archiving and organization has begun. An analytical model is now being constructed.’
Velin nodded slightly.
’This wasn’t just about summarizing the battle’s gains and losses; it was also to train Sarah’s comprehensive analysis and planning capabilities.’
’He planned, in the future, to have this one-of-a-kind Swarm Queen participate more in the territory’s production, construction, and even its combat decision-making.’
’She needed to learn not only how to execute commands, but also how to think for herself.’