Night Action

The saying "An army marches on its stomach" also applies to ordinary warfare on the Faerun plane. A hundred thousand troops bring immense combat power but also consume vast amounts of supplies. This is especially true in frontier regions like Konola City, where transportation is inconvenient and natural resources are scarce. It's safe to assume Prince William's army is carrying a large quantity of rations. If these vital supplies could be destroyed, Prince William's hundred thousand troops would either have to withdraw immediately or at least be unable to maintain such an unrestrained siege of Konola City. This simple strategy is the best way to deal with the current crisis!

Mainesi's plan was to launch a night raid during the night, after the intense fighting of the day had concluded and both the enemy army and their professionals were exhausted. He would use a Formal Level spell to block enemy detection Divination. The enemy's only Formal Level professional was the warrior Lunka. A mere group of Journeyman Mages would have no chance of detecting information shielded by a Formal Level spell.

The rest of the plan was rather conventional: have the Journeyman Professionals act in small teams to infiltrate the enemy's granaries, set them ablaze, and then make a swift escape. This would disrupt the enemy's logistical supply. Even if Lunka was incredibly powerful, he couldn't conjure food for a hundred thousand troops out of thin air. After that, they just needed to withstand the enemy's fierce assault for one more day to gain at least a week of breathing room!

It might seem like a delaying tactic, but there was no better option available right now! If Mainesi wanted to give Her Highness the Princess even a sliver of a chance, this was almost the only path left!

However... there was still one problem remaining – would the reward be enough to sway these professionals!

It had to be said, a Formal Level powerhouse did possess quite a few good things. At the very least, the knowledge at the Journeyman Level was "rich and varied." Mainesi, without batting an eye, offered several pieces of peak Journeyman Level knowledge for the mages to choose from. The Princess also presented some "Royal Secret Manuals" before the Combatants. Almost all the mages and warriors could find knowledge they couldn't refuse, and Punk was no exception!

And so, a group of furtive figures in black quietly descended from the city walls, scattering and melting into the night illuminated by the multicolored starlight.

To minimize the chances of detection, the night raid team adopted a three-person squad formation. A total of eight squads dispersed, infiltrating the enemy camp from various directions. Mainesi was responsible for divining the location of the enemy's supplies, so everyone only needed to advance towards the target. If even one squad succeeded in destroying the enemy's grain, the operation would be considered a success, and everyone would receive their reward. The squad that destroyed the granary would also receive additional knowledge rewards. Conversely, if the core objective was not met for any reason... the operation would fail, and everyone would only receive ten gold coins as a consolation for their efforts.

Punk's squad consisted of two mages and a knight. The mages were Punk and a shy youth named Puter. This young man, who had just advanced to Journeyman Mage, could only cast the simple Lesser Fireball. Although he cast it with great proficiency, it couldn't hide the fact that he was still a novice. The task of setting the fire would undoubtedly fall to him. As for the final knight...

"Mmm~ The air beneath the city walls is so~ exhilarating!" ... Kane.

Punk gave Kane, who was as unreliable as ever, a helpless glance. "Shut up!"

In the clear night, the light of three moons outlined everyone's bodies with silver lines. Their elongated shadows cast upon the unburied corpses created a ghostly spectacle, with robes blown by the wind, a constant breeze at the base of the city walls caused by the temperature difference from the daytime fireballs heating the air.

"I'm not saying anything, but Punk, why did you burn these corpses? The smell is making me hungry!" Kane made a rather horrifying remark under the moonlight.

"Excuse me... senior Punk, senior Kane, do... do we have a plan? This kind of night seems... seems not very suitable for infiltration," said Puter, who had been rather silent. As a Journeyman Mage who could only cast one spell, this fellow was only about fourteen years old. He had joined this "Night Action" on a whim of greed, and it seemed he was already regretting it. One had to remember, this wasn't like an RPG dungeon where you could revive after dying. In this real world, death was final. Back within the city walls, Puter might have felt a surge of excitement, but now, standing on a battlefield littered with corpses, Puter felt all his excitement extinguished, leaving only a "sore chest"!

"Don't worry, my dear, a grand adventure is about to begin. How can you look so glum? Don't worry~ your dashing Knight Kane will protect you," Kane said, putting an arm around Puter's shoulder, speaking in a tone like a big brother next door.

"R-really? Thank you so much, senior," Puter, who had always lived among the cold mages, felt the "brotherhood" he had only dreamed of for the first time. He seemed deeply moved.

Punk, watching Kane and Puter become like sworn brothers after just a few words, sneered inwardly. "To let Kane, that smiling wolf, 'protect' you? Heh, I can't wait to see the expression on that idiot's face when Kane betrays him!"

"Alright, no more talking. We're close to the enemy camp now," Punk whispered to Kane and Puter after crossing the moat and reaching the edge of a forest. He then cautiously lowered himself and hid behind bushes that were about half a person's height. Kane and Puter, understanding the gravity of the situation, quickly fell silent.

Punk cast the "Dimming Spell" on Kane's armor, scattering the light from the armor to reduce its reflection. Puter, meanwhile, clutched a scroll tightly in his hand, his face filled with fear as he stared at the bright fires in the distance.

The enemy camp was no different from a medieval defensive camp, with caltrops and palisades made of wood. Small tents were neatly arranged, and torches illuminated the camp brightly. The only difference was that due to the patrols of several professionals, the number of guards had been reduced. However, these soldiers and professionals were not the idle sentries who slept on duty; they were disciplined, elite soldiers, standing rigidly at their posts, gripping their spears without any slack.

The dozen or so ordinary soldiers on guard were not a major problem. Even if Punk wasn't a stealth expert, he was confident he could neutralize them within a minute without making a sound. However... the patrols of highly vigilant professionals were too frequent, and they were always in teams composed of mages and warriors, led by a Journeyman Professional. It was almost impossible to deal with them "silently"!

Seeing this, Punk couldn't help but frown. Kane, for once, put away his usual flippant smile, and a hint of solemnity appeared in his cold, gleaming eyes.

Only Puter still had a look of admiration on his face, thinking, "The seniors are so cool when they're thinking!" with stars in his eyes.

The backend has finally been unblocked. Thanks to editor Mr. Hearthstone and chief editor Mr. Danqing!