Chapter 185 - 180: Withered Tree Shoal
The strategy meeting was held directly on the pre-selected battlefield—a place known as "Withered Tree Shoal" deep within the Gray Sea Marsh.
Velin stood with his core team in the basin personally selected by Kael Shadow Song.
The geology of the area was rather peculiar. It was a small basin formed from a bed of blackish-gray rock, its ground hard and dry—a stark contrast to the surrounding muddy swamp, like a scar on the landscape.
Kael took a dry stick and drew an outline on the ground at their feet.
"I’ve been monitoring it for seventeen days. The beast’s activity follows a fixed cycle."
"Its main lair is underground in Sharp Teeth Gorge to the south, but every seventy to eighty hours, it comes to this very area."
He jabbed the ground forcefully with the tip of the stick.
"There are geothermal vents here. The giant serpent uses the heat to aid its digestion.
"During this time, it will gradually become sluggish. This is our only window of opportunity, and it lasts for three to four hours."
Mage Ryo’s gaze swept across the rugged ground.
"The terrain is indeed to our advantage, but how do we ensure it enters our pre-set trap? Say, the center of a large Magic Array?"
"Bait."
"A living creature with high energy. Perhaps because it’s consumed too many Original Blood Crystals, it has a strong craving for the flesh of Magical Beasts."
Barrett stroked the rough stubble on his chin and grumbled, "Then it has to be a Level 4 Magical Beast... That’s not a swamp rabbit you can just grab whenever you feel like it. A live one is hard to find, and a dead one loses its energy signature quickly, making it far less attractive."
"The Golden Sail Commerce Association can provide one."
Caroline spoke up at the perfect moment.
"I’ve purchased a dying Level 4 Magical Beast, a Horn-Crowned Crystal Armored Rhinoceros. It was originally a trophy from a Viscount’s hunting ground. I’ve timed the shipment, and it will arrive soon."
She looked at Velin and added, "The shipping and the beast’s cost will both be on this operation’s tab."
Velin nodded in acknowledgment.
Off to the side, Roland Sun had been silent the entire time.
He looked at the group: a lord, a Mage, a former mercenary leader, an assassin, a businesswoman, an alchemist, and even a Half-Dwarf.
They were methodically discussing every detail of a plan that, in his eyes, was borderline insane.
This was unlike any noble military council he had ever attended.
"Alright then, let’s begin." Velin clapped his hands, concluding the meeting.
Withered Tree Shoal immediately transformed from a silent, deserted area into a highly efficient work site.
The clang of tools, the shouts of personnel, and the chatter of the professionals all mingled together.
Roland’s gaze moved across the site.
Ryo was leading several Mages in inscribing an intricate Magic Array onto the bedrock.
High up on the basin’s edge, the Dwarf, Ola, was directing a swarm of giant beetles to haul a dozen massive crates onto the surrounding rock ledges.
Kael, meanwhile, began leading the beetles to excavate tunnels leading to underground caverns.
What caught Roland’s attention the most was the leader of the beetles, the "creature" standing on high, seemingly directing the swarm.
It was a being with the upper body of a woman and a lower body that was insectoid.
Velin had said her name was Sarah, a Level 4 Magical Beast.
Roland also noticed something attached to the back of a militiaman’s neck. He’d heard that device allowed humans to command the beetles.
He mentally evaluated the scene.
’All these things—the materials for the Magic Array, the military-grade wind crossbows, even the tamed High Tier Magical Beast—taken individually, a well-funded Count might be able to acquire them.’
’But for them to appear all at once in a remote, newly pioneered barony, operated in skilled coordination by a group of people from such diverse backgrounds... that in itself was very telling.’
’This Velin Klein either has the backing of some massive power, or he himself is a secret.’
Soon, only Velin and Roland remained on the high ground, overlooking the bustling scene below.
Roland took a steadying breath, deciding to make one last attempt to persuade him.
"Baron Klein, your preparations are thorough, even more so than I anticipated."
"But your entire plan is overly reliant on these alchemical contraptions and perfect teamwork."
"Oh?" Velin turned to the side, looking at the grim-faced Knight. "And what is the Sun Knight’s expert opinion?"
"You’re underestimating the destructive power of a Level 5 Magical Beast," Roland said gravely. "According to you, this giant serpent’s most terrifying weapon is its breath. In the face of those sulfurous flames, none of your preparations, including those wind crossbows, will last very long."
Velin didn’t argue. He simply raised a hand and pointed toward the center of the basin.
A metal pipe was situated there. A group of strong soldiers were working together to shove a long, canvas-wrapped object into the back of the pipe.
They would shove it in, pull it back out, and carry it back to their starting point, repeating the drill over and over.
Roland was completely baffled. "What are they doing? Clearing a sewer pipe?"
"That’s not a sewer pipe. It’s our trump card for this battle," Velin explained. "And what they’re practicing loading is the specialized ’ammunition’—an alchemical gel whose main component is a specially compounded neurotoxin."
"According to our tests, it can render a Level 5 Magical Beast unconscious within minutes."
Roland was stunned.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to believe it, but Magical Beasts of mid-tier and above had constitutions that were naturally resistant to most diseases and toxins. To paralyze a Level 5 Magical Beast in minutes would require incredibly expensive materials.
"This is too risky." Roland shook his head. "Unless you used an extremely expensive catalyst, like an Eye of Medusa, the toxin would never be able to quickly bypass its magic and physical resistance. If the anesthetic fails, we’ll all be burned to a crisp."
"Every creature has a weakness," Velin said, looking down. "And anesthetic delivered by a poisoned weapon takes effect much faster."
Roland fell silent. This method of fighting was foreign to him, but having traveled the Duchy for over a year, he knew not to pass judgment on things he didn’t understand. Whether this tactic was effective would only be decided on the battlefield.
After a long moment, Roland adjusted his armor.
"In that case, I will take part in this battle as well."
He still believed the plan was fraught with immense risk.
The vitality of a Level 5 Magical Beast was far beyond imagination. Any perfect plan on paper could collapse on the battlefield due to the slightest unforeseen variable.
The reason he wanted to participate was that he felt this young man named Velin was a rare talent.
His knowledge, his methods, and his ability to rally people all far exceeded the standard one would expect from a Pioneer Baron.
’A man like that shouldn’t die in a desolate swamp like this.’
Roland had made his decision.
If the plan failed and they found themselves in a crisis, he would do whatever it took—even if it meant knocking Velin unconscious—to drag him out of the flames.
He would bring him back to the Sun Clan to be properly nurtured. Even serving as a retainer to a great noble family was a far more valuable fate than dying in some remote territory.