Fortress at the Mine

Which unit type is the strongest in the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment? The answer is the Elf Ranger, the scout squad of the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment.

These Elf Ranger need all-seeing eyes, a keen sense of danger, and Elf Long Sword capable of killing headhunters with a single blow; otherwise, the corpses lying in this vast meadow would belong to the Elf Ranger of the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment.

After being soundly defeated several times by the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment, the Elf Headhunters scattered across the vast highland grasslands.

They waged guerrilla warfare against the elven cavalry, leading them into the overgrown, Shitang Canyon, letting the treacherous terrain of the plateau weaken the elven cavalry's fighting strength.

The situation only reversed when the Silver Pegasus Warrior reinforcements arrived at the Pagisto Plateau.

The Silver Pegasus Warrior could look down from the sky onto the boundless plateau, leaving the Elf Headhunters nowhere to hide, forcing them to flee into the heart of the plateau.

Seeing a group of Silver Pegasus Warrior hovering in the sky, Commander Hekelis, riding a warhorse with white feathers on all four hooves, looked into the distance and smiled at Captain Hekelis of the Silver Pegasus Legion, saying:

"If I were the Elf Headhunters, I would head into the deep mountains and forests. To be honest, the Silver Pegasus Warrior have a much greater advantage when hovering over the mountains and forests than when they are on the plateau."

Beside him, Captain Hekelis gently stroked the neck of a silver-white winged horse. He wore a set of silver armor, a silver crown on his head, and long golden hair cascaded down his back, making him look exceptionally handsome.

Commander Hekelis turned to Commander Hekelis and asked, "Why do you think they didn't escape into the mountains?"

"I heard that the Half-Elf in this area were driven into the mountains by headhunters." Commander Hekelis dismounted, embraced Captain Hekelis, and said with a smile, "Hekelis, thank you for coming."

"Our regiment just finished its rotation on Queen Evanni Island and was transferred to the Partington Plane. The outer seas of the Endless Ocean are not peaceful either, and Earl Swinburne has stretched the battle lines so far, which means we are destined to be constantly on the move," the handsome Silver Moon Elf commander said with a smile.

The Silver Pegasus standing behind Captain Hekelis flicked its tail, and Captain Hekelis patted its back, telling it to wait aside.

Commander Hekelis said solemnly, "Before coming here, I heard from the Earl that he had sent a young man familiar with the high plateau to the Vanguard Regiment. Didn't he help you?"

Hekelis then remembered the young Half-Elf that Commander Berkeley had brought three weeks earlier.

He scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, because he didn't even know if the Half-Elf was still in the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment.

He turned to his adjutant to ask about Roy's situation. The adjutant thought for a moment before remembering that he had sent the Half-Elf boy to the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad.

The adjutant went to the Reconnaissance Brigade to find Roy, only to be told by the Reconnaissance Brigade commander that Roy had gone out on patrol with the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad.

The adjutant then inquired about Roy's recent performance in the reconnaissance squad. To his surprise, the commander of the Reconnaissance Brigade praised Roy highly. The reason for praising Roy was that the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad had hunted down nearly thirty Elf Headhunters in the past two weeks.

This number is far ahead among many reconnaissance teams, and the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad has won the title of 'Best Reconnaissance Team' for three consecutive weeks.

The adjutant was stunned; he never imagined that the seemingly ordinary Half-Elf boy would be so outstanding...

Keep in mind that the entire Cavalry Vanguard Regiment, even with the help of the Silver Pegasus Warrior, only managed to kill a little over three hundred Elf Headhunters. The fact that the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad killed only one-tenth of the total number of Highland Slavers is quite terrifying. And they're not Silver Pegasus Warrior...

Unable to find Roy, the adjutant had no choice but to return alone to report.

This vast plateau grassland is not flat. If you look down from the air, you will see dozens of mountain ranges of varying sizes crisscrossing the plateau. These ranges are staggered, and at the intersection of the mountain ranges, there are precipitous snow-capped peaks.

These mountains are dotted with countless beautiful lakes. Not all places are covered with wild grass; many places are covered with thick moss, which wraps around the rocks and adorns the entire valley with greenery.

The Tenth Reconnaissance Squad traveled 15 kilometers along the canyon, nearly 100 kilometers from the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment's camp, but still could not find any trace of the Highland Slavers.

Captain Jones had no choice but to order a return to camp; it seemed the Highland Slavers had left the area.

Ever since the Silver Pegasus Group appeared on the plateau, the headhunters have been hastily retreating to the heart of the plateau.

For two consecutive days, the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad had almost no success.

"If we can't find them, then we'll go back now!" Captain Jones ordered his men.

Langbo followed behind Roy, a scarf around his neck.

The wound that the Elf Headhunters had inflicted on his throat had long since healed, but even though Roy used ' Holy Light Art ' to heal him, a scar remained on his throat, which from a distance looked like a grinning mouth.

That's why Langbo found a silk scarf and tied it around his neck.

He said to Roy:

"These Elf Headhunters are backed by Mine Owners. They will run far away when they encounter trouble. They are like a pack of hyenas. Once they have their eyes on their prey, they will follow behind and wait for the right moment to strike. If they encounter a more powerful pride of lions, they will run away. Anyway, the plateau is so big that there are hidden camps of theirs everywhere. When we come here, they will hide. Once we leave, they will immediately emerge from their hidden camps."

Roy knew this too; these Elf Headhunters were as cunning as foxes and as fierce as hyenas.

"We're always being led by the nose by them, and we're not going to be able to get rid of them this way," Roy said.

"Then what should we do?" Langbo asked somewhat impatiently.

Roy looked at the distant mountains and said to Langbo, "Of course we have to cut off their supplies. They can run around, but the mines can't. The Mine Owners are the backers of these headhunters."

Hearing Roy say this, Langbo pointed to the confluence of the two mountain ridges ahead and whispered to Roy:

"Roy, I know... there's a mine hidden on that mountain ridge ahead. Those Highland Headhunters must be connected to the Mine Owners there!"

Roy squinted and looked over. On the dark mountain ridge, there was almost nothing but black rocks.

Commander Hekelis stood at the highest point of the camp, feeling the cold wind of the Pagisto Plateau, and squinted at the commander of the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment, saying, "Hekelis, before I came here, the Earl specifically instructed me on something."

Hekelis immediately perked up and quietly looked at Commander Hekelis.

Commander Hekelis said in a low voice:

"Our large-scale entry into the Pagisto Plateau is not merely to eliminate those Highland Slavers. Although this vast land appears barren, it is rich in mineral veins hidden in its mountains. Our target is the Mine Owners hidden in the mountains. Only by controlling those mines can our Silver Pegasus Legion have the capital to expand. There are fewer and fewer pastures available for grazing Silver Pegasus now."

Commander Hekelis stared at the handsome Silver Pegasus Commander and asked him, "Hekelis, do you have any information about the highland mines?"

"Has Roy returned?" Commander Hekelis asked.

Commander Hekelis quickly summoned his adjutant, who was standing nearby. "Is Roy back?"

The adjutant quickly replied, "They've already returned."

"Go and call him over," Commander Hekelis ordered.

"Yes!"

The adjutant hurriedly ran towards the camp of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad.

When the adjutant came to find Roy, he was drying his boots by the campfire, sitting barefoot on a rock outside the tent, holding a steaming cup of fruit tea in his hand.

Upon hearing that Commander Hekelis wanted to see him, Roy quickly put on his warm boots, put down his steaming teacup, and followed his adjutant over.

"Roy, have you made any progress with the Vanguard Regiment lately?" the adjutant asked as they walked, sounding more like a superior showing concern for a subordinate.

"Speaking of gains, going out with the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad to find Highland Headhunters gave me training that I couldn't get in the academy," Roy said casually.

The adjutant glanced at Roy, unable to see anything special about this unremarkable Half-Elf boy.

Perhaps it was good luck, but the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad he accompanied always seemed to have unexpected gains on their missions...

Roy followed his adjutant up the camp for a long time, passing through the topmost military tent, and arrived in front of Commander Hekelis and Commander Hekelis.

Roy knew Commander Hekelis, but he had never met Commander Hekelis of the Silver Pegasus Legion.

"Roy, do you know anything about the highland mines?" Commander Hekelis asked directly.

Although his arrogant face didn't show any particular expression, one could still sense the indifference in his heart.

Roy knew that this was a common problem among most Silvermoon Elven Nobles, and it was often seen in the Castleton Elf Academy. Some Silvermoon Elven Nobles didn't show it on their faces, but that was just because they were good at hiding it. Not every Silver Moon Elf was as friendly as Klayr.

However, Roy didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

He replied respectfully, "I've only heard some information. When my companions and I came to the Pagisto Plateau for our adventure, we planned to visit a mine with the help of the local elves. Unfortunately, the plateau was full of Highland Headhunters who were indiscriminately capturing Half-Elf and burning down elven villages. For safety reasons, we had to abandon that plan halfway through. However, I do know the approximate location of a mine."

Upon hearing Roy's words, both commanders looked at Roy simultaneously.

The handsome elf captain, clad in silver armor and wearing a crown, asked earnestly:

"So, you know the location of that mine?"

Roy nodded and said, "I only know the general location!" He felt he shouldn't be too certain, so he said it like that.

Commander Hekelis' eyes lit up, and he said to Roy with some excitement:

"Alright, we'll set off for that mine tomorrow. You'll lead the way this time, and I'll have the Silver Pegasus Warrior assist you."

Commander Hekelis coughed lightly beside him and said, "Roy, you will be working with the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad tomorrow and will lead us to the location of that mine."

"Understood, sir."

Roy immediately agreed.

The Cavalry Vanguard Regiment set off from the camp early in the morning, and the column marched out of the valley in a grand procession.

This camp will be left for the Logistics Regiment to dismantle. The elven cavalry of the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment will carry some essential supplies and head to the next camp.

The Logistics Regiment and the combat regiment had very clear divisions of labor, which impressed Roy and made him realize that the Silver Pegasus Legion was truly wealthy and powerful.

The Tenth Reconnaissance Squad led the way, following the same Mountain Road they had taken the day before. What appeared to be a flat, open grassland was not all easy to traverse. Some areas were covered in swamps, and others had countless pits hidden in the grass, which could easily break a horse's leg if it stepped into one.

The Cavalry Vanguard Regiment and the Highland Headhunters suffered heavy losses back then because they were unfamiliar with the surrounding environment and kept circling around in the grasslands.

The Tenth Reconnaissance Squad has already scouted this route, and they even have Langbo leading the way...

The Cavalry Vanguard Regiment circled along the edge of the wasteland. Although taking a straight line would have saved them a lot of distance, the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment kept going in circles.

The elven cavalrymen in the group had no complaints at this moment. They knew very well that the road they were on was the easiest road to travel in recent times.

Commander Hekelis ' Silver Pegasus Regiment went ahead; they were a flying unit and much faster than the cavalry regiment.

Following Roy's description, the reconnaissance team of the Silver Pegasus Regiment discovered a mine that afternoon on the North Slope halfway up a mountain where mountain ranges meet.

From above, the mine looks like a fortress built on all four sides, and the fortress is a square trapezoid.

It was built against the mountain, and the surrounding walls were disguised as cliffs.

Only when viewed from above can one see the densely packed stepped structures within the square-shaped walls, making the entire fortress look like a well.

The outer rock face looks like a precipitous cliff, with piles of rubble at the bottom, which may be the mine's first line of defense.

The Silver Pegasus Elf Warrior had passed through this area more than once, but each time they had overlooked this dark rock wall, and no one had expected that it was actually an outer structure of the mine.

After Commander Hekelis marked the approximate location of the mine on the map, the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment headed towards the mine.

Two days later, the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment finally circled around to the foot of the mountain on the North Slope. The mine was located on the mountainside, and it was a long way to climb up from there.

The Cavalry Vanguard Regiment was stationed at the foot of the mountain, while the Silver Pegasus Regiment was stationed on the south slope.

The flying army can ignore terrain obstacles and always easily build camps in sunny and safe places.

At this time, the road up the mountain on the North Slope had long been blocked, seemingly due to a landslide. However, in Commander Hekelis' view, it was probably an obstacle deliberately set up by the Mine Owners on the mountain, except that the mine owner was completely holed up inside the fortress.

Even though the Silver Pegasus Legion's flag had been planted on the opposite peak, and even though the flag was fluttering in the wind, the Mine Owners remained unmoved...

Commander Hekelis rode his horse up two steps and stopped in front of the pile of rubble. Behind him was a line of elven cavalrymen in exquisite armor, and the melodious sound of elven horns echoed through the valley.

Commander Hekelis drew his longsword and pointed it at the fortress halfway up the mountain.