Third Food War (15)
A bad premonition spread wildly in his heart like weeds, eventually engulfing Kelsu's entire being, turning his mood from clear blue to overcast. At this moment, Montedoss's weeping sounded particularly jarring, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, Kelsu's leader roared at him, "Stop crying!"
The thunderous roar and overwhelming presence terrified Montedoss, who immediately stopped crying and stared tremblingly at Kelsu in front of her.
Seeing that Montedoss had returned to normal, Kelsu asked, "What exactly happened to the grain convoy?"
After the shock caused by the action potential, Montedoss's emotional regulation center finally returned to normal, and his memory center was also restarted, so he finally remembered his purpose for coming to Ishgar.
"Kelsu, not long ago, Lord Shideweig received news that an army of Ishgar disguised as Bandit was wreaking havoc on the Western Continent, openly plundering various secret realms. Your secret realm... and Lord Goodpes's Atek Carl... all of them... all of them..."
Glancing at the stammering Montedoss, Kelsu shouted impatiently, "What's wrong with everything? Just tell me!"
"Everything was looted, and the secret realm was burned to the ground!"
After Montedoss finished speaking, Kelsu staggered back several steps before regaining his balance, and then a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.
"Damn it! Damn it! I'll tear them to pieces! I'll make them die a thousand deaths!"
After roaring, Kelsu rushed to Montedoss, grabbed him from the ground, and demanded sharply, "Where are Olibuk and Shideweig? How did they handle this? Is the grain convoy safe?"
"Olibuk and Lord Shideweig led three thousand soldiers back to the Western Continent to deal with that Bandit. The grain transport team, escorted by the remaining three thousand men, continues its journey towards Ishgar. Olibuk is worried that something might happen, so he sent his subordinates to inform you of the news so that you can prepare in advance."
"Hmm! Olibuk's method of handling it is relatively safe!"
After hearing Montedoss's account, Kelsu felt relieved and glad he had made a wise decision before setting out.
Just as he was about to tell Montedoss to go and rest, the pitiful state of the other man when they had just met suddenly flashed through his mind. In that instant, he felt as if he had overlooked something important. So he went over the scene after their meeting in his mind again, and then a detail suddenly caught his attention.
If the enemy disguised themselves as Bandit and went to the Western Continent to burn, kill, and plunder, then how could Montedoss and the others, who were staying at sea, have suffered such serious injuries? Also, why did Olibuk and Shideweig only take three thousand men back to the Western Continent instead of bringing them all back? And why did they even send someone back to inform me of this, so that I could prepare in advance? Could it be that someone else is threatening the safety of the grain transport team?
"Montedoss, how did you get injured like this?"
Montedoss, who had just returned to normal, suddenly showed a look of terror on her face after hearing Kelsu's words. She then covered her head with her hands, squatted on the ground, and howled loudly.
"That's a trap, I don't want to go!"
"That's hell! I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back!"
Seeing that Montedoss had lost his mind again, Kelsu had no choice but to order his men to drag him into the tent to rest.
"Kelsu, judging from Montedoss's behavior, the supply convoy must have been attacked by Ishgar. We must send reinforcements immediately!" (Yanimus)
"Support the grain transport team? I'd like to too! But all our manpower has been deployed, and we simply don't have the extra resources to support them. Right now, all we can do is pray that they arrive safely!"
As time went on, the situation in Ishgar gradually became quite delicate. Due to various factors, the fierce fighting between the two sides temporarily stopped, and the war entered a semi-ceasefire state.
On the northern front, although Goodpes, Delsd, and others ambushed the 1st Division outside the North Camp and captured Xizhalansa, they were unable to prevent Acnologia from leading a large force into the North Camp. As a result, the two sides could only maintain a stalemate, and neither dared to make any rash moves.
Meanwhile, in the central battlefield, Kelsu and Hit, along with their infiltrators, managed to breach Belserion's camp through a surprise attack from both sides. However, the Sacred Dragon Dragon's swift reaction thwarted their plan. Now, both sides can only maintain a stalemate, observing each other from afar, unable to gain the upper hand.
As for the southern front, since both sides were relatively weak and of similar strength, they could only maintain the status quo and could not influence the course of the war.
At this moment, the factors that could determine the course of the battle had shifted from within Ishgar to the sea between the Western Continent, or more precisely, to the shipment of grain that was slowly moving forward in the sea.
If Sordil and his men were to capture them, Ishgar would hold the lifeline of the Western Continent in their hands (after all, both dragons and humans would die without food). In that case, Goodpes and his allies would not only have to unconditionally release Xizhalansa, but would also have to surrender obediently. However, if the supply convoy were to manage to safely bring the food back, the tide of the war would completely turn in the hands of the Western Continent.
However, if the food supplies are destroyed in the war and neither side receives any, the war will revert to its pre-war state. Nevertheless, the Western Continent will still be at a disadvantage, as they have run out of food reserves and their stronghold has been severely damaged.
A certain underwater cave
Looking at the empty cave, Igneel said impatiently, "Most of the grain convoy has left. Why haven't Brother Sordil and the others returned yet?"
"The grain convoy left less than a day ago and is probably still at sea. How could Sordil's brother know that his plan had succeeded? Without this news, of course he wouldn't have led his men back here!" (Yelibell)
"So what should we do next? Stay here and wait for Brother Sordil to come back? (Metalicana)"
"No! We must continue harassing the supply convoys to ensure they remain in this area until Sordil returns. (Grandiere)"
Because Yelibell's stunning performance in the recent operation had won everyone over, Yelibell successfully replaced Sordil as the strategist during Sordil's absence. Therefore, when Grandiere made his suggestion, everyone instinctively looked to Yelibell, entrusting her with the final say.
"Grandiere is right. We must continue to harass the enemy and ensure they remain in this area until Brother Sordil returns. In addition, we must do our best to eliminate the enemy, reduce obstacles for the final raid on the supplies, and ensure the success of the operation."
"So, does that mean we can go on a killing spree? (Igneel)"
"Igneel, have you lost your mind? Didn't you hear what Grandiere and Yelibell said? We must try our best to eliminate the enemy while delaying their actions. In other words, the next operation should focus on disruption!" (Metalicana)
Faced with Metalicana's well-reasoned and humiliating insults, Igneel was truly powerless to refute them and could only silently endure them. (He didn't verbally refute them, but in his heart, he must have cursed Metalicana countless times.)