Ghouls Covering the Mountains?

Ailin chewed the food in his mouth, digesting the shocking new information.

The others at the long table ate in silence, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

For a moment, the only sounds on the dining table were the scraping of cups and bowls against the surface.

"Now that the situation is so critical," Ailin said thoughtfully, wiping his plate with a piece of bread, "What do you plan to do now? And why did Vesemir and Sir Arthur just have an argument?"

"Do you remember my analogy?" Sala asked.

"An Earl... and several barons, that one?" Ailin paused in his hand movements. "Under an Earl facing an external enemy, several closely related barons who are intermarried..."

Ailin frowned. "Could it be that you mean... not three 'barons,' but two 'barons' and one ' Earl '?"

"That's right!" Sala nodded. "And so far, we've only found two 'barons,' but there may be more hidden in the mountains."

"As for how to do it and why we're arguing..." Sala glanced at Vesemir and Arthur, "It's actually the same question..."

"We can't find that ' Earl '..." Vesemir sighed. "He's cunning. We follow a few clues, but we always end up with those two 'Barons'..."

"Can't we deal with the two 'barons' first?" Ailin asked.

Vesemir downed his drink in one gulp and shook his head. "Every time we try to deal with the 'Baron,' a huge horde of ghouls emerges from the Mahakam Mountains... Ghoul, Rotfiend, Giant Ghoul... and even Spiked Fiend..."

"And it's not just that there are many monsters..."

"They even have a kind of tiered offensive strategy, like an orderly army, which is extremely difficult to deal with."

"I've never encountered a Monster's Nest that's more cunning than a human's. In the subsequent tests, I even had a feeling that 'it' was improving..."

Vesemir paused, then emphasized:

"Therefore, finding and eliminating Earl ' Earl ' is the key. Once the Monster's Nest that issues the orders is dealt with, the remaining Monster's Nest will naturally follow the rules and kill each other."

"That's why we need an army," Arthur interjected. "The Monster Hunter Army and the Guard Knight will keep the monsters occupied, while you Demon Hunters take the opportunity to search..."

"You're committing murder!" Vesemir interrupted angrily, his eyebrows raised. "The Monster Hunter Army are one thing, but the Guard Knight don't even know how to hunt carnivores."

"They are not skinny farmers wielding pitchforks on the battlefield."

"They are crawling monsters, monsters that are several times stronger than humans in terms of strength, agility, and even the texture of their flesh. They can even explode, spewing poison gas and spikes..."

"If you just carelessly apply Sword Oil to a longsword, without in-depth training, and try to memorize the force and direction of the swing, and the weaknesses of ghouls, how many knights would it take to kill a single Ghoul?"

"Don't forget," Vesemir stared straight at Arthur, "How many of the Guard Knight died on May Festival night, just to hold them back?"

"Mount Mahakam is mostly steep slopes and rocky pits, with little terrain suitable for a mounted charge. Even if your soldiers are wiped out, it might not buy us much time..."

Arthur remained silent.

This is what makes the Monster's Nest so difficult to deal with.

Pitfalls everywhere, miasma lurking in danger, wild beasts, dark cliffs...

Not only would cavalry find it difficult to pass, but the rugged mountain roads would also cause a large number of infantry casualties.

Deep mountains and forests have never been human territory.

The ghouls adopt a defensive strategy, forcing humans to fight for time with their lives. And most of the time, they don't gain time; instead, the fallen warriors provide the Monster's Nest with supplies.

Didn't Arthur, a veteran of many battles, know this?

Of course he knew. Having only encountered monsters a few times, he even knew that from the "The First Landing" until the Monster's Nest disappeared a few years ago, humans dealt with these established Monster's Nest by scorching the land and shrinking human settlements.

Behind the sturdy stone wall, they await the Monster's Nest to attack.

But this Monster's Nest, which appeared out of nowhere, had taken over an old tomb from three or four years ago and was not short of "resources" at all.

Arthur pursed his lips helplessly. "I don't want to risk my life and the lives of my brothers to buy time for your possibility as Witchers."

"But we don't have that much time. We'll wait until you find a new method and slowly find the ' Earl '."

"The number of cannibals detected at the front is increasing every day, but the number of Guard Knight and Monster Hunter Army remains the same."

"As time goes on, the time we can buy will only become less and less."

Vesemir shook his head firmly. "You can follow the usual method for dealing with Monster's Nest. While we search for the ' Earl's' location, first move the people from the surrounding villages to Ellan..."

"No, that won't work." Arthur sighed, interrupting, "Master Vesemir, you may not understand..."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Let alone such a large number of ghouls, even the appearance of a single Ghoul outside the gates of Arland is a major event now."

"We can't afford a second May Festival,"

Vesemir remained silent.

He knew what Arthur meant.

Isn't Ben Ade a prime example?

The first Conjunction of the Spheres had some impact, but not much. However, after another disaster ten days ago, apart from those who died in Ban Ade, villagers from villages within dozens of miles abandoned their homes and fled.

Although nothing is set in stone yet, it is almost certain that Ban Ade will one day be known as the "Cursed Land".

certainly.

The Monster's Nest crisis that Arland is currently facing is not as great as that of the Wild Hunt.

The poor may have no choice, but merchants and nobles will vote with their feet. In a sense, the poor are also the wealth of merchants and nobles in this world.

Once these people leave Arland, the city will inevitably fall into ruin.

"There's still a day left, isn't there?"

Ailin suddenly spoke up, interrupting the argument between the two.

He roughly understood the difference of opinion between the two.

Vesemir simply wanted to continue searching for Monster's Nest in the manner of the Witchers, but Arthur hoped to use the Monster Hunter Army and the Guard Knight to draw the Monster's Nest ' attention and eliminate them before the threat became uncontrollable.

"Take me to see those two 'barons' first?" Ailin suddenly spoke up. "Perhaps... I have a way to find that ' Earl '?"

——

Arthur didn't know why he agreed.

Swordsmanship and alchemy have geniuses; those with exceptional talent can learn countless moves and recipes that ordinary people cannot learn even after years of study, with just a glance.

But reconnaissance Tracking are different; they are purely based on the accumulation of experience.

He had once been a scout cavalryman, so he knew that clues to the enemy were often hidden in the smallest details.

How can one discern whether the hoofprints on an ordinary, muddy field belong to a warhorse or a foal, to Temeria, to Ard, or to the meadows of Hole, the land of the Pegasus...

... Whether the feces are soft or hard, with a slight aroma of hay or the sour smell of beans...

These fragmented pieces of knowledge might be learned quickly by talented scout cavalry, but the strongest are undoubtedly the most experienced "eagle-eyed riders."

The ageless Vesemir was clearly a seasoned "eagle-eyed rider," a fact Arthur acknowledged even though he was completely baffled by the "Earl's " whereabouts.

In fact, their ability to discover the two Monster's Nest and deduce the location of the third "Earl's " lair in just two days, after chasing a group of ordinary Ghoul who were stealing corpses four days earlier, was entirely thanks to him.

Otherwise, they might only discover their lair deep in the Mahakam Mountains when the Ghoul are already at the gates of Arland.

Of course, it is more likely that he was completely unaware of anything from beginning to end and died in his hometown.

Therefore, Arthur was not angry at Vesemir's stubbornness; on the contrary, he was grateful to him.

Vesemir just needs time, but unfortunately, that's exactly what they lack.

These precious moments must be exchanged either for their lives or for the future of Arland.

In fact, every minute and second that Vesemir argued with him that morning was wasting time and increasing their casualties.

But this can't be blamed on Vesemir; he's just not as cold and ruthless as the rumors about witchers suggest...

So... efficient...

And what about Ailin...?

Arthur leaned against an old oak tree and sighed.

He's only fourteen years old; he just came down from the mountain at the beginning of the year...

"It's alright, it's just one day..." he thought to himself, "The heroes of Arland are worth a day..."

Even if the cost might be more lives...

It would be best if it were his life.

"Knock knock knock~"

The faint tremors coming from the ground caused everyone to instinctively stop in their tracks at the same time.

Arthur saw Vesemir wink at Ailin, then slow his pace and move forward slowly.

This is also something he can't understand.

Vesemir, who should have known Ailin the most, suddenly seemed to realize something and didn't object as soon as Ailin claimed to have a "solution"...

Is there really a way, or is Vesemir just trying to find an extra day to think about the location of the "Earl"?

He originally thought it was the latter, but now...

Arthur looked at the burly Vesemir with a strange gaze, leaned down and whispered in Ailin's ear, pointing with his index finger in the direction from which the tremor was coming, just like a real guide.

In a daze, he couldn't even tell who was the mentor and who was the apprentice...

"Could it be that the hero of Arland can bring about another miracle this time?" A glimmer of hope seemed to ignite in Arthur's heart.

Although we are not afraid of death, who doesn't want to live a good life?

Sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, spreading across the endless mountain range.

In the distance, the layered mountains stretched out in a reddish-brown hue, like dried-up wounds of blood, lying across the mountain range.

Maggots were wriggling among the sores.

"Damn it!" Vesemir cursed under his breath, "Another Giant Ghoul!"

Ailin then realized that the maggots were actually pale-skinned Giant Ghoul. A quick scan revealed that there were three of them, while there were two or three hundred Ghoul roaming around the jagged rocks.

Interspersed among them were some Rotfiend in place, and there were also thirty or forty of them.

"Where is the Monster's Nest?" Ailin asked softly.

Vesemir pointed to the bottom of the cliff with his right hand. "It's a narrow section between the cliffs, so it's not very clear from here. Just know the general location. Getting any closer might alert the ghouls."

Ailin squinted, his azure Cat Eyes narrowing to slits, and could only make out a faint, dark red line appearing at the bottom of the cliff.

In those few seconds of observation, a Ghoul emerged from the dark red.

"Seven hundred meters... and this is downwind..." he murmured. "Is the detection range of Monster's Nest really that far?"

Vesemir nodded slightly with a solemn expression. "There are more and more ghouls, and the vigilance range of the Monster's Nest is also expanding. Perhaps in a few more days, we won't even be able to stay here anymore."

"Yesterday there were nearly two hundred Ghoul, and today there are almost three hundred. It seems that the Monster's Nest is producing ghouls at an accelerated rate, spurred on by the discovery we made the day before yesterday..."

"Look..."

Vesemir pointed to two spots below and whispered, "The ones with darker red skin were born before we came, and the ones with lighter skin were born in the last two days."

"So Arthur was actually right, the longer time goes on, the more dangerous this Monster's Nest becomes..."

Because he mentioned the people present, Vesemir instinctively lowered his voice and glanced behind him, but unexpectedly met the gaze of the person in question. Moreover, Arthur's strange look made Vesemir feel somewhat uncomfortable, and his tone faltered.

"What's wrong?" Ailin asked warily.

"It's nothing." Vesemir brushed aside his discomfort and then whispered in Ailin's ear, "Let's go, I'll take you to another Monster's Nest, where we can see things more clearly."

They walked for more than an hour before they finally saw another Monster's Nest.

It's much clearer now.

Just like in the game, the Monster's Nest is a cave, but in reality, the Monster's Nest is blood-red and much larger, after all, it has to spew out large monsters like Giant Ghoul.

There were significantly more carnivorous creatures around this Monster's Nest than in the previous one.

At first glance, the entire mountainside was covered in a deathly pale white, like corpses.

The two Monster's Nest are actually not far apart, at most a kilometer apart, but it took a long time to navigate around the rugged forest.

This was even with only nine witchers and Arthur, an elite knight with good physical strength, on this mission.

Sala didn't come; he was conducting war mobilization in a makeshift camp at the foot of the mountain.

If Ailin and Vesemir hadn't given any explanation before descending the mountain, they would have written their wills tonight and headed straight for the two Monster's Nest the next morning.

However, looking at the carnivorous creatures covering the mountains and plains, Ailin, like Vesemir, did not think highly of Arthur's decision.

Because the terrain where these two Monster's Nest are located is really rugged, with rocks of medium size everywhere that are just right to block the formation and provide no protection.

"Can we find the ' Earl '?" Vesemir asked nervously.

Ailin glanced at the expressionless Arthur, took a deep breath, and said, "I'll give it a try..."