December 3rd.
Two days later, Roddy's team had already entered Mount Karsi in the southwest of Eiffta's territory.
Logically speaking, if they wanted to reach Sora Outpost in the shortest time possible, climbing this mountain was indeed the best choice, but it was clearly not suitable for these two hundred people to walk on the muddy and dangerous mountain roads in the cold winter. Therefore, the safest route should be through the flat road in the "Blake Forest" to the north of the mountain. Although it was a long detour, it was safer.
Early in the morning, the soldiers who had just woken up in the camp had similar doubts. However, they had long learned to obey, and none of them ran to Roddy to ask for the reason. All of them ate on time and moved out on time. Because of the ample logistical support, they were all in high spirits and didn't look tired at all.
"Soldiers are trained for a thousand days to use in a single day. If we can't even overcome this little difficulty, how can we talk about fighting?"
Walking out of the tent, Roddy yawned while Sodelor washed his face with ice-cold water beside him. The two of them chatted on and off.
"Speaking of which … we've really fought quite a lot since we started from Norland Village. I used to think that the world was peaceful, but after fighting for half a year, it seems like it hasn't stopped at all." Sodelor stood beside Roddy with his longsword on his back. Twisting his waist and legs, he asked, "I haven't practiced in a long time. Wanna spar?"
"Then let's try."
Roddy didn't refuse. He picked up an ordinary standard short sword and was about to start when Sodelor stopped him. "Where's your scimitar?"
"You've changed to 'Guardian Tooth', so there's no reason for me not to change to a better weapon."
"Then why not use a new weapon?"
"I'd better not take it out. That thing isn't suitable for sparring."
Roddy smiled and shook his head, keeping Sodelor in suspense. Sodelor was curious, but he didn't ask further. The two of them used pure skill with their heavy swords and quickly ended the three rounds.
Roddy had intentionally probed Sodelor, so he hadn't used his Attributes or Skills to suppress him. However, he hadn't expected Sodelor to improve so quickly. In terms of swordsmanship, Sodelor was already above Roddy.
Roddy was a Berserker, and his style was rough and violent. Sodelor could not withstand the storm-like pressure in the first two rounds and lost directly, but in the third round, he finally took control of the rhythm, and in the end, he relied on his superb skills to turn the tables — and this was already a loss for Roddy. His swordsmanship was a violent surprise attack, and once it was seen through, he had no chance of winning in the future.
However, Roddy hadn't thought about having too much attainment in swordsmanship. Everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses. What he was truly good at was archery, which was enough for close combat. Thus, he didn't feel any dissatisfaction at losing to a Sword Saint like Sodelor. He could only sigh.
"You win. Give it to me, and I won't be able to teach you anything in the future."
He casually placed the sword on the shelf and smiled at Sodelor.
"I … I'm just lucky."
Sodelor understood what this meant. After a few seconds of silence, he changed the topic, "Taking the snow mountain road … is very risky."
"No matter which road I took, the risk is not small, so I chose the riskiest one. But there's no other way … the situation is like this. "
Roddy smiled and lowered his head to adjust the lock on his wrist guard. As if he was talking about the weather, he said casually, "In the whole of Eiffta, in theory, Angmar can summon a total of 137 nobles. Based on the basic requirement of 10 cavalry and 30 infantrymen per person, that's more than 5,000 people …"
"5,000 people. If all of them came, the problem of Sola Sentry wouldn't be a problem at all, but in reality? If a quarter of them were willing to come, we'd be blessed by the gods. "
Responding to the call of the lord to fight was the basic duty of the nobles, but this duty could be put into action in two ways: one was to really bring the soldiers to the frontlines and advance and retreat with the lord, and the other was to pay taxes to "offset" this duty.
Going to the most desolate place in Eiffta to confront the undead in the middle of winter, who would really do such a thing? The nobles were not Lei Feng. Although they had the "duty", they cared more about the "benefits" — what benefits could they gain from fighting the undead? Even fools knew what they should choose.
"Among this quarter of people, if only 30% can reach Sola Sentry on time, then this country can still be saved."
Rody shook his head and sighed. "In theory, we have five thousand reinforcements, but only three to four hundred of them can really help us. Furthermore, these guys might not necessarily listen to orders. Dreams are plentiful, but reality is cruel."
It was a simple numerical analogy, and it was clear that Roddy's current situation was not good — in front of him was the undead, and behind him was a group of indifferent and stupid teammates. Roddy led his few subordinates into battle, and in terms of the situation, he was fighting alone, and the future was bleak.
The only people who were willing to support him, Benjamin and Angmar, had done their best, and the rest depended on himself.
"I didn't plan to count on those nobles."
Sodelor was not affected by the words, and turned around to pack up the tent.
At this time, the scouts at the frontline had reported the situation, and the news of "everything is normal" was as usual. But not long after, Natha jumped down from a tree, and went up to Roddy and whispered something.
Under Roddy's request, her black and red leather armor was covered with a layer of white and brown cloth as a "snow camouflage." Even the high-quality longbow from the Ducal Palace in her hand was wrapped with the same cloth, and if she wore a hood, she would not be able to recognize her in the snow. This effect was almost equivalent to a weakened "stealth" spell. And now, her mission was to be a "scout" directly under Roddy's command.
Natha's words made Roddy's calm face slightly serious. He frowned and thought for a moment, and then said, "Eat something, and later bring a team of elites to confirm."
Natha nodded, turned around, and left.
Roddy looked at Mount Kars in the distance, and silently thought about every step he should take next.
And dozens of meters away, Akasha, who was about to walk over, happened to see the scene of Natha whispering to Roddy. She stopped and looked at the two people in the distance who were so close to each other. She originally wanted to talk to Roddy, but she suddenly lost most of her interest in talking to Roddy. She slightly held the "Essence of Energy" in her hands, thought for a moment, and finally turned around to leave, a little sad.
"Priest Akasha."
"Lord Priest."
Akasha's reputation in the camp was very high, and everyone in the cavalry regiment was very respectful to this priest. Along the way, almost everyone would stand up and greet her. In the past, she would respond with a smile, but today, she really was not in the mood …
Roddy is so close to me every day. What is he talking about? Why is he never willing to talk to me so much? Does he hate me?
Akasha shook her head, thinking that she was too "narrow-minded". After all, Roddy was not her "personal property". He had to control the entire army, face dangerous enemies, and have too many things to do. He did not have the time to continue teaching her the High Elves language … This is very normal.
But he always has the time to whisper to that Wood Elf …
Thinking of this, Akasha still felt a little sour. In order to divert her attention, she thought for a moment and took out a scroll that she always carried with her. Then, she leaned against the side and quietly flipped through the "Essence of Energy" in her hand.
Roddy did not teach her much in the High Elves language, but Akasha's photographic memory allowed her to quickly apply it to the book. Now, she was already a little fascinated by the "Essence of Energy". The more she read, the more she felt that she was seeing a different "world".
In a corner where no one was paying attention, Akasha gently gripped the "Bone Spike" scroll. The faint golden light at her fingertips slowly loosened the seal on the scroll …
*****
At the same time, Baron Belom was quietly sitting in front of his desk, resting with his eyes closed.
Although it was a temporary camp at the foot of Gondola Mountain, Baron Belom was very particular about his tent. In other words, he knew how to "enjoy life" … The thick tent was made of thick solid wood. The square tent was even divided into a living room, a bedroom, and a study. The most extravagant thing was that there was a desk and a weapon rack. From the traces on it, it seemed that these were all made at the last minute.
The Undead had endless life, so they would often become very stubborn after a long period of time.
Belom was the same. He had high standards for his life. Even when he was on the march, he would ensure that his tent had the smell of a "mansion" because it would always make him feel like a "noble" — even if it was just a lowly "baron".
"The knights Angmar sent have already gone to the south of the kingdom. They should be warning the royal family."
"Benjamin is still guarding Hollier."
"Seventy percent of the nobles under surveillance in Eiffta have not made a move after receiving Angmar's order."
Messages from the frontline were continuously reported to Belom by the soldiers. Although there were only six necromancers in the team, they had released nearly three hundred blood crows with the support of the Tasman royal family, and most of the nobles' territories were under surveillance.
The entire Eiffta territory was now completely exposed in Belom's eyes.
"Roddy's team has already left Hollier and is advancing towards Karse Mountain. Based on their speed, they should be able to pass through this area in about three days …"
When the soldier reported this news, Belom's eyes, which had been closed all this time, suddenly opened. The almost tangible murderous aura made the body of the scout who was speaking a little stiff.
"You mean … they have chosen the path of Karse?"
Belom's expression slowly relaxed, and he glanced at the map with the corner of his eyes with a faint smile. "I originally wanted to fight them head-on to test my skills, but now it seems that … it's really disappointing."
"Really disappointing. Although he can defeat Ansadin and Magda, he is still a young man who can't keep his cool …"
"Tsk tsk …"
Sighing inwardly, Belom was obviously very disappointed with Roddy's performance. However, with his shrewdness and self-restraint, he finally just waved his hand casually. "Tell this news to those few mages. They know what to do."
Turning around, Belom's gaze turned to the word "Elson" on the map. He had completely lost interest in "Roddy", the enemy that he had schemed to get rid of.
Such an enemy was not worthy of his attention. With just an order and a look, the other party would disappear from this world without a trace …
It was really too boring.
Belom took out a book from the bookshelf, tidied up his luxurious robe, and flipped through it in boredom.
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