Chapter 124: Unworkable Plan, and the Discussion on Facing the Demon Race Army
On the vast grassland, stretching seemingly infinitely for a thousand miles, hundreds of thousands of tents stood in perfect formation, neatly lining up.
These tents belonged to the troops of the Holy Empire of Elysium, all of whom had been transported by Rain’s teleportation magic.
Following their teleportation, they proceeded on foot to the Desert of Chaos, covering 500 kilometers from their point of arrival with the assistance of Rain’s buff magic, which accelerated the troops’ journey.
However, due to the late hour, the troops chose to pause and rest at the Elenor Grassland, renowned as the largest in the world and the main route to the Desert of Chaos, before continuing their journey the next day.
Meanwhile, in a spacious tent positioned a hundred meters from the troops’ encampment, Luna, Valen, Natasya, Guren, and Rain, the primary leaders of the human faction assigned with leading the battle against the Demon race, convened around a substantial round table.
In the center lay a sizable map meticulously detailing the expansive area, which encompassed the Desert of Chaos and extended 5000 kilometers around it.
Luna, the bow hero and primary general leading the war alongside Valen, lifted a slender, elongated piece of wood. Using its tip, she pointed to a location 4500 kilometers away from the center of the Desert of Chaos.
“Currently, our troops are situated in the vast Elanor Grassland, nearly a thousand miles wide,” Luna stated nonchalantly, then continued, “If we maintain the same pace as this afternoon, we’ll reach our destination within four or five days, as planned.”
“However, I propose we accelerate our march to conserve our supplies and arrive within three days. Any suggestions on this matter?” Luna glanced at Guren, Valen, Natasya, and Rain.
At Luna’s question, there was a brief silence before Natasya finally raised her right hand.
“May I share my opinion, Bow Hero Luna?” Natasya asked calmly.
“Of course, please do,” Luna replied with a light tone.
Natasya nodded and began to explain, “To expedite the troop’s pace and reach our destination, the Desert of Chaos, within two to three days, the most suitable method, as Prime Minister Jim suggested, would be continuous marching without rest.”
“However, this approach proved to be quite risky. Continuous marching without rest would exhaust the cavalry troops’ horses and diminish the performance of all our troops on the battlefield. Additionally, it could potentially backfire on us during our confrontation with the demons later. Therefore, I do not recommend this method; it is better that we stick to the plan that has already been set.”
Natasya, an experienced female war general well-versed in battlefield tactics, meticulously detailed and assessed the advantages and disadvantages of accelerating the troops.
Despite Luna’s higher status in this war, Natasya, drawing from her extensive knowledge of troops and war strategies, promptly offered her opinions and considerations.
After all, she was here to assist Luna with everything, including offering opinions on her decision-making.
Listening to Natasya’s explanation, Luna pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly as she delved into deep contemplation.
Her desire to hasten the troop’s pace extended beyond supply conservation; she aimed to locate Leon in the Desert of Chaos as swiftly as possible.
She harbored concerns that Leon might be currently facing adversity or even peril, especially considering his battle against the Demon Emperor and the defeat he had suffered, as previously mentioned by Arshley in the Hall of Gods.
Snapping out of her reverie, Luna took a small breath and redirected her gaze towards Natasya.
“If we were to continue marching without pause and depend on healer-type mages to enhance their stamina, would there be any potential side effects on the troops?” Luna inquired with curiosity.
In all honesty, if Luna were to compare her battlefield experience with Natasya’s, she undoubtedly lags far behind.
However, as the hero of mankind, it was Luna’s responsibility in this era-defining war to lead the entire troops of mankind alongside Valen, and supposedly with Leon.
Furthermore, she comprehended Velix’s reasoning behind appointing Natasya as both her subordinate and general: to provide guidance and aid in decision-making throughout the war.
Therefore, Luna felt no shame in seeking Natasya’s counsel on this matter.
“Using healing-type mages to continuously cast magic on the troops can indeed help them maintain stamina and march without rest, allowing us to reach our destination quickly and conserve supplies,” Natasya replied casually. Then, with a slight shake of her head, she continued, “However, it’s important to understand that healing-type magic can only replenish stamina, not mental fortitude.”
“The troops subjected to non-stop marching without rest or sleep will undoubtedly face mental strain; they may even succumb to unconsciousness, regardless of their physical well-being.”
“Furthermore, in the next 2000 kilometers, the terrain will become increasingly rugged and potentially dangerous. Proceeding without rest will undoubtedly jeopardize our own forces,” Natasya explained thoroughly, prompting Luna to release a small sigh.
‘It doesn’t seem feasible to hasten the troops’ pace. I can only pray that Leon can wait for my arrival, even if it’s just for a few more days,’ Luna muttered to herself, feeling a little helpless.
Beside her, Valen observed Luna’s disappointed expression but found himself unable to offer any words of comfort.
Valen himself lacked any strategic prowess or inclination toward tactical planning. He was the type to plunge headlong into battle, eschewing complicated strategies altogether.
To him, elaborate and nuanced tactics were the domain of the weak, and as a man who thrived on direct combat, he saw no use for such methods.
After all, whether in a large-scale war or a one-on-one duel, he firmly believed that the strongest fist would prevail.
Therefore, he found himself unable to offer advice or assistance in this situation.
Across from Luna, Guren also fell silent, folding his arms without saying anything.
His proficiency in war strategy and troop leadership was actually quite deficient, though marginally better than Valen’s.
Since childhood, his focus has been on mastering the use of his hero’s destiny power and enhancing his personal strength, leaving him with little time to delve into the intricacies of war strategy.
As a result, he was just as ineffective as Valen in a situation like this, lacking the ability to offer any guidance or advice.
The silence between the two inevitably led them to exchange glances, each sporting a mocking smile on their lips.
Guren: “This muscle-bound fellow likely knows nothing of war strategy, fitting for someone with a mind as simple as his muscles.”
Valen: “Guren, this weakling not only lacks strength but brains too, hehehe!”
Unbeknownst to them, they inwardly engaged in mutual mockery and belittlement.
Natasya, upon noticing Luna’s disappointed expression, understood her intentions and objectives.
She had already contemplated this approach herself, aiming to conserve the troops’ supplies.
Given the immense size of the 600,000 troops, any chance to conserve supplies would greatly benefit them.
However, the risks they would face were also significant if they continued to march without rest.
After a brief silence, Natasya turned to Rain, who had been quietly observing the discussion.
“Rain, have you examined the teleportation anti-magic field as you mentioned in the throne room? If so, can you teleport all of us directly to the Desert of Chaos?” Natasya asked calmly.
Upon hearing Natasya’s inquiry, Rain shook her head and replied, “The anti-magic-teleportation field emanating from the Desert of Chaos and spreading to an area 5000 kilometers away from it is extremely powerful.”
“If it’s just teleporting a few people, I can manage, but teleporting 600,000 troops is absolutely impossible.”
Rain’s response immediately cast a pall over the atmosphere in the tent.
“Is there any possibility of enlisting the help of the mages from our troops to assist you in teleporting us and the entire troop?” Luna interjected with a question.
“The highest level of mages in our mage troops are only high-level mages, and they wouldn’t be able to assist me.” Rain replied with a flat and nonchalant tone.
As an extraordinarily powerful Great Mage, Rain considered high-level mages to be extremely weak and unlikely to provide much assistance.
Certainly, high-level mages weren’t inherently weak individuals; on the contrary, they were immensely powerful, as they represented the pinnacle attainable by humanity’s mage geniuses and were integral members of the Holy Empire of Elysium’s core troops.
From this standpoint alone, the potency of high-level mages was undeniable.
However, from Rain’s perspective, they were just as feeble as lower- or mid-level mages.
Realizing there was no alternative, Luna chose not to press further and raised her right hand.
“Alright, it seems that accelerating the troops is indeed unfeasible, and that’s acceptable,” Luna stated calmly and lightly, eliciting nods of agreement from everyone.
“In that case, let’s discuss the Demon army and the war strategy we’ll employ in the battle,” Luna stated nonchalantly, initiating the primary discussion about the impending conflict with the Demon Race.
Upon hearing Luna’s words, Valen, Guren, Natasya, and Rain nodded in unison, directing their attention toward the map displayed on the round table before them.
Thus began the discussion of the war strategy for confronting the Demon Race…
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