Chapter 683 - 672: Grudges and Resentments
Chapter 683: Chapter 672: Grudges and Resentments
Northern Territory, within the Dwarf ruins.
Now the place has transformed, clean and orderly, with the previous sense of decay completely swept away. Aside from being a bit deserted, it is livable now.
And currently, there is indeed one resident here.
Inanna, brought by Lin Jun, holds a bowl of mushroom wine.
Meanwhile, the Ice Elemental Lord, in a dress of ice crystals, glides lightly by her side.
The elemental force from its body constantly spills into the surrounding space, pulling the Northern Territory bit by bit towards the extreme cold ice abyss.
The mushroom wine in Inanna’s hands hasn’t been sipped more than twice before it quickly cools and freezes.
She asks in some concern through the Fungal Network, "Boss, won’t those rescued people freeze?"
Inanna referred to those slaves, particularly those who were once Kingdom soldiers.
"Don’t worry, as long as they’re rescued, they will survive."
Lin Jun wasn’t lying to Pink Puki; to ensure survival rates, he even specially prepared some diluted waters of life.
Coupled with the recovery ability after mycelium parasitism, as long as the head is still on the neck and they can breathe, they can be saved.
Moreover, Lin Jun wouldn’t discriminate against them for lacking arms or legs; after all, Norris’s Jida team even has such a Jida driver.
Upon hearing Lin Jun’s words, Inanna was finally at ease.
She cared quite a bit about the soldiers who had once fought together.
"By the way, where did No. 4 go?"
...
Gong River, the Northern Territory’s only seasonal river, currently, despite the temperature dropping under the influence of the Ice Elemental Lord, the river water has not completely frozen.
The two forces confront each other across the river, facing the Empire Army resting in camp, the Fungus Castle and dwarves did not seize the opportunity to launch an assault, seemingly determined to withstand the Empire along the river.
Eugene, riding a War Beast, stands by the shore, looking down at the river below, somewhat puzzled.
"Do they really think a river can stop us?"
This is a world of magic; he can completely have the mages under his command freeze the river surface, the army stepping on it would be as stable as flat ground.
In the warm south, he could freeze it, and the adversary could melt it—back and forth, there would be some concerns.
But this is the Northern Territory, which is inherently cold; freeze just a bit, and that ice is not something that could melt quickly.
Therefore, in Eugene’s view, this river is entirely out of consideration for deployment.
And this is exactly what he found odd.
If the enemy truly were ignorant tribal folks, it would be one thing, but according to intelligence, the commander in charge is likely to be the traitor Louisa.
Judging from previous engagements, the opponent obviously possesses some experience, unlikely to commit such a blunder.
On the other hand, even if the Fungus Castle doesn’t understand, could the dwarves be clueless?
So, he waits.
Sure enough, soon, Yvette arrives in front of Eugene with a Puki, that Puki covered with newly formed ice shards, clearly just fished out of the water.
"Duke, you guessed right, there is indeed an ambush underwater."
Eugene sees at a glance the spiral tentacles of the Puki, the power of these ejecting tentacles, in Eugene’s memory, is capable of piercing through ice layers that aren’t thick enough.
An ambush discovered ceases to be a threat.
Diving to clear these Puki is the worst strategy; it wastes time and could invite interference from the enemy camp.
Eugene has a simpler approach; just make the ice thick enough that they cannot penetrate it, it would only require the mages to consume a couple more bottles of Magic Potion.
After arranging responses, Eugene still does not feel happy.
He’s troubled not just by the current war, but more by the trepidation towards the Puki itself.
Along the way, he’s witnessed the diversity of the Puki; now they’re even underwater.
Is there anywhere they cannot survive?
After the war, he must remind His Majesty and fellow colleagues to focus more on the Puki, rather than dwarves, humans, or hunting slimes within the Empire...
Of course, that is for after.
He looks at Yvette beside him, confirming, "Do you have confidence against that traitor?"
Facing Eugene’s doubts, Yvette confidently smiles, "Rest assured, Duke; if I weren’t capable against her, it wouldn’t be me here."
"You know, Louisa is only a Viscount, without Eleanor’s blood granting, she’ll be stuck at Level 50 all her life. As commander, it’s merely because compared to the foolish tribes, she’s seen more in the Empire, is sharper in mind."
"But, Duke, it’s a long journey, I’ve only brought two squads of elites for this trip, head-on combat—"
"Don’t worry, I’ll create opportunities for you to execute a decapitation strike," Eugene promises.
"Then I rely on your command, My Lord."
Saying this, Yvette looks up towards the river’s opposite shore, the crude stone stacked roughly to form a simple position there, seemingly wanting to spot Louisa.
Unfortunately, all she sees are soldiers and Puki.
...
Elsewhere, in the frontline camp, Little Pig is checking the deployment for the last time, countless images continuously transmitted through the Fungal Network to Little Pig’s consciousness.
Truth be told, it’s a mentally taxing affair; only on the eve of battle would Little Pig review every segment thoroughly like this.
Usually, she maintains dozens of key visuals.
As the receiver, Little Pig has done her utmost; she can’t imagine how the boss handles so much information managing the entire Fungal Mat each day.
Perhaps the boss is truly what the newly established Mushroom Garden Ministry of Truth claims—a god?
Probably true.
In essence, there are already enough things atop the Fungal Mat that can be labeled as ’divine intervention.’
Like now, through the ’Fungal Mat Vision,’ this miracle, Louisa has kept surveillance on Yvette throughout her way here.
Even during the most mentally draining phase, she reserved a small screen for Yvette, seemingly afraid she might suddenly run off.
This special focus naturally drew Lin Jun’s attention.
Facing the boss’s inquiry, Louisa wouldn’t hide anything.
After hearing Louisa’s recount, Lin Jun briefly summarized, "So, you once led her, but she eventually screwed over you, ultimately resulting in you taking on the task to find Ah Huang?"
"Speaking of which, I should really thank my dear sister; without her, there wouldn’t be me today!" Little Pig licked the corner of her mouth, baring her fangs, showing no intention of giving thanks.
As Little Pig expected, the boss didn’t blame her for bringing personal vendettas into the battlefield, or rather, the boss’s focus wasn’t there at all.
Lin Jun is somewhat disappointed; this is just a rather clichéd betrayal story.
But fortunately, he equally enjoys watching women fight.
"By the way, given it’s about this matter, write these words down..."
...
The next day, under the combined effort of the Imperial mages, Gong River freezes from south to north, bit by bit.
With the support of several casting potions, the ice surface is a solid seven or eight meters thick, and hard as iron, leaving no chance for those Puki under the water.
Once the river is fully frozen, Eugene personally blows the horn to signal the attack.