Hero Side Quest: Ambush Northshire! (Combined Chapter)

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi left Samo Port and headed southeast back. After crossing the river, they entered the Helm Territory and sent out the agreed-upon signal.

In the distance, a blue cursor could be seen shooting straight into the sky.

"Walk."

The two ran along the riverbank towards the location of the Arcane Beacon, a river mouth where a vast army stretched out in the darkness.

The vast majority were strong and healthy Resistance Army soldiers, their armor gleaming. A quick glance revealed that more than half of them were Elite Tier professionals, making them an absolutely elite force.

Bai Xiaowen spotted Kevin at the front of the crowd immediately; the Arcane Beacon atop his head was simply too dazzling.

Standing in front of Kevin were some high-ranking leaders of the Resistance Army.

"Lord Usok"

The two arrived at the front of the army formation, and Bai Xiaowen handed the safe containing the Trade Permit directly to Usok.

As expected, Usok didn't question it, but instead smiled and said, "Good job. How exactly did it go? Weren't we exposed?"

Bai Xiaowen replied, "Time was tight, and it was impossible to obtain Trade Permit through official channels... So I contacted the Deck Family's fleet, and after obtaining the safe, I sank their main ship. No fighting occurred during this process."

Usok nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good, Dio, you are very meticulous. Next, they need to salvage the shipwreck and identify the wreckage; it won't be over in a few days. By the time the Deck Family learns the truth about the theft of the Trade Permit along with the treasure chest, we will have already entered North Sea Port."

Spirit Realm Rules Message:

"A-Tier Side Mission: Trade Permit Submitted."

"You have received a reward of 1200 merit points."

Your reputation with the Northern Frontier Resistance Army has increased; your current reputation level is: Revered (unchanged).

There was a series of Affection Level messages that followed, mostly from the Resistance Army high command, but the increase was not significant, indicating that A-Tier missions were no longer a big deal for the Northern Frontier Resistance Army at this point; they were just an appetizer.

"Dio, I have urgently requisitioned a fleet, carrying six hundred brave soldiers, for this surprise attack on Northshire. Do you have anything to add?"

After speaking at the high-level military conference, Bai Xiaowen's strategy had been approved by Usok, so he was also consulted before his departure.

Bai Xiaowen certainly wouldn't be modest. In the short ten days or so that awakened beings have in the Spirit Realm, they need to constantly show off and shine in order to gain benefits. It is necessary to occasionally conceal one's abilities and wait for the right time to act, but blindly hiding one's abilities is even more undesirable.

"The number of soldiers is not the key to this surprise attack; enough is sufficient. The key lies in the commander."

Bai Xiaowen asked in a deep voice, "If Lord Usok were to personally lead the troops, he would surely be able to conquer Northshire."

Usok smiled and shook his head, "After you leave, I need to go to Elu City immediately to take charge of its defense. Elu Territory is located in the central part of the Northern Frontier, bordering all the territories of Maka, Volterren, Samo, Spikehelm, and Blackthorn, making its strategic position extremely important. Even if we can't take Northshire, we can't abandon Elu Territory."

After a pause, Usok added, "Furthermore, if I don't go to Elu City and the enemy detects this information, they might guess our strategic intentions in the surprise attack on Northshire, which would actually make things more difficult for you."

Bai Xiaowen said, "If Lord Usok cannot go, I request to command this battle."

A moment of silence fell over the room upon hearing this.

Usok looked around the arena. "What do you guys think?"

One of the Resistance Army generals said, "It's not suitable; Dio has never had any experience leading troops before."

"Yes, and Dio is not very experienced and not familiar enough with the soldiers going on this expedition, so he cannot convince them," another person said.

The burly Tagot said nonchalantly, "Dio can offer ideas, but offering ideas is different from personally leading troops into battle."

A group of the Resistance Army generals expressed their opinions, none of them optimistic about Bai Xiaowen's command of the surprise attack on Northshire.

Usok pondered for a moment and said, "I understand Dio's intentions, but what everyone is saying also makes sense. How about this: I will appoint Grima as the commander-in-chief of this expedition, Dio will accompany the army as his advisor."

Grima stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "In the name of the great War God Ishtar, I swear to offer this victory to Lord Usok."

Usok said seriously, "As the commander in this battle, you must carefully listen to the opinions of the Dio brothers."

"Yes." Grima stood up and nodded to Bai Xiaowen.

"Dio, do you have any objections to this arrangement?" Usok asked.

Bai Xiaowen smiled slightly, "No objection."

In fact, Bai Xiaowen had long known that he could not possibly obtain command of this important battle. The reason was the same as what the Resistance Army generals had said: he had neither experience in leading troops into battle nor high prestige within the Resistance Army. How could he possibly become a commander?

It was the logical choice for Usok to send his trusted steward, Grima, to take command.

Bai Xiaowen's demand for command was merely an exorbitant price, but Usok's decision to have Bai Xiaowen serve as a staff officer and to ensure that Grima valued his opinions had essentially achieved his goal.

After the commander and his staff made the decision, Usok then assigned several Leader Tier officers to accompany the army into battle.

Kevin said, "Lord Usok, I also wish to participate in this battle."

"Archmage Kevin?" Grima was slightly taken aback. Kevin, who always kept to himself and stayed out of things, had actually volunteered to fight. It seemed that this surprise attack on Northshire was indeed a good opportunity to make a name for himself.

Bai Xiaowen narrowed her eyes.

Usok laughed heartily, "Good! With my chief mage in the battle, he's worth an elite legion."

At this moment, Bai Xiaowen finally received the notification from the Spirit Realm Rules:

"[Hero Side Quest: Raid on Northshire] Now Available."

"[Mission Objective: Assist the Resistance Army in capturing the Lords' Hall in Northshire City and controlling 75% of the key areas of Northshire City.]"

[Task Difficulty: B]

"[Task Reward: Unknown]"

"[Mission deadline: 120 hours]"

Li Shuyi said in a low voice, "Xiao Wen, it's another Heroic Tier side quest." There was a hint of excitement in her voice.

Bai Xiaowen smiled and said in the Team Channel, "Based on my experience, it's normal to give this kind of large-scale legion battle a Hero Tier- level mission evaluation."

"It's a pity the mission difficulty is only B-Tier, not very high."

After the CUAA National Championship, both players showed significant improvement, and Li Shuyi clearly became a bit arrogant...

Bai Xiaowen smiled and shook his head, "A B-Tier Hero Quest is not to be underestimated... In fact, given the important position of Northshire as the Northern Frontier Capital, the siege should be more than B-Tier in difficulty, but we need to consider the specific situation. Northshire should have sent a lot of troops to Elu City, leaving the city's defenses weak. Moreover, on our side, we also have Grima, Kevin, and two other Leader Tier Resistance Army generals fighting, which also lowers the difficulty."

The two quickly accepted the task.

Usok laughed and said, "Very well, I will repel the invading enemy forces at Elu City and await your triumphant return."

"Lord Usok, be careful," Grima said.

Usok's elite troops were intended for Ambush Northshire. This time, he would only bring some auxiliary soldiers and the old, weak, and disabled to Elu City. The burly man Tagot would accompany him because he was too conspicuous, but the guards he carried were still too weak.

Usok, however, remained calm, waving his hand and saying, "It's alright. Once news of your capture of Northshire spreads, the morale of Arinas's Northshire soldiers will surely collapse, and the Elu City will naturally be lifted."

Bai Xiaowen thought to himself, "Usok is indeed a great hero, with quite the spirit."

Kevin picked up the safe, and as a multi-skilled magic expert, he easily broke the magical seal without triggering any alarms.

After breaking the seal, the burly man Tagot smashed it down with a hammer, and the safe, carved from the hard Phoebe zhennan wood, shattered into pieces in an instant.

Inside was not only a Trade Permit, but also some gold and silver valuables from Captain Deke's private collection.

Usok was very generous; with a wave of his hand, he bestowed these valuables upon Bai Xiaowen, a meritorious official.

On the surface, Bai Xiaowen was very happy, but in reality, he had little interest in these gold and silver treasures. The reason was simple: these were things that could not be taken out of the Spirit Realm.

This involves the issue of "resonance" of Psionic Particles. This safe was stolen by Bai Xiaowen; it wasn't loot dropped by a monster, nor was it a mission reward, so it couldn't be taken out of the Spirit Realm. The same applies to the Trade Permit, which also cannot be taken out of the Spirit Realm.

The group filed onto the ship, and the fleet set sail.

The raiding fleet was disguised, flying the Deck Family flag. The leader was disguised as a merchant, most of the elite warriors were hidden in the cargo hold, and a small number of the Resistance Army fighters were disguised as sailors.

There are countless armed merchant ships like this in the Boguayas Strait, so it certainly wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Usok had indeed made preparations for this Ambush. When he sent Bai Xiaowen to obtain the Trade Permit, he also recruited two veterans who had been accustomed to the Boguayas Strait trade route with armed merchant ships as navigators.

According to the two veterans, the Boguayas Strait is not Taiping, mainly for two reasons.

First, there were attacks from ferocious sea monsters.

The Silverback Shark Pack in the Boguayas Strait pose a deadly threat to small and medium-sized vessels. As Spirit Realm creatures, these sharks are different from ordinary sharks; they are Elite Tier aquatic mammals that can easily capsize small boats, and the people and livestock that fall into the water become their meal.

Sharks pose no threat to large armed merchant ships, but that doesn't mean we can rest easy, because the Boguayas Strait is also home to another terrifying marine predator—the killer whale!

Killer whales are the local name in the Aaron Plane World; on Earth, they would be called orcas or killer whales. These Leader Tier marine mammals are far more powerful than sharks and are highly social creatures, usually appearing in groups of one or more.

Unlike sharks, the continuous attacks of a pod of killer whales are fully capable of destroying large armed merchant ships.

Secondly, there was the plundering by pirate ships.

Vikings were a formidable race, and those who dared to venture out to sea as pirates were even more dangerous. Frankly, the cannons and ammunition on the ships were primarily intended for dealing with Vikings pirates...

At this point, the value of two experienced veterans becomes apparent. They can guide the fleet, according to the changing seasons and ocean currents, to avoid areas teeming with marine life and piracy-ridden zones.

If you're unlucky enough to encounter pirates, then fighting is the only option.

Fortunately, the fleet did not encounter pirates, but only a group of silverback sharks that swam alongside the fleet for a while. However, they were unable to do anything to the large merchant ships.

Two veteran navigators led out two cows, cut their arteries, and pushed them into the sea, letting the Silverback Shark Pack fight over them, thus finally getting rid of them.

Bai Xiaowen initially thought it was unnecessary, since the Silverback Shark Pack posed no threat to the large ship. However, the veteran quickly explained the reason to him—getting rid of the Silverback Shark Pack wasn't out of fear of sharks, but to prevent the sharks from attracting killer whales, since sharks are also food for killer whales.

This trip out to sea broadened Bai Xiaowen's horizons considerably.

I imagine that the oceans of Earth in the Psychic Energy Era must also be like this, harboring all sorts of dangers, right? Although there are awakened beings among humanity now, we are still completely clueless about the oceans, and our control over them is far less than it was in the Common Era.

After a two-day voyage, standing on the deck, Bai Xiaowen could see the lighthouse and dock of North Sea Port.

This is the territory of Northern Frontier Capital the Northshire. Northshire City is very close to North Sea Port and can be considered a coastal city in itself.

Wizard Kevin mixed some pigments and, according to Bai Xiaowen's description, disguised Grima so that she would resemble Captain Deke to some extent. As for Bai Xiaowen's impression of Captain Deke, it only existed in fragments of Bafur's memory.

In addition, the auras of several Boss Tier were disguised, disguised as those of ordinary or Elite Template.

However, all this effort was ultimately in vain, because the North Sea Port's inspection of Trade Permit was purely based on certification, not personal identification. Even the inspection of goods was very lax; after registering the words "three ships of rice," they were simply waved and let go.

One cart after another was pushed off the ship and rolled towards the nearby Northshire City.

Outsiders thought these carts were full of rice, but in reality, they contained Resistance Army soldiers armed with sharp weapons.

The convoy encountered trouble only when it reached the gates of Northshire City. Imperial Army officers guarding the gates meticulously inspected every cart of goods entering the city, and carts carrying easily concealed goods such as straw and grain were even pierced with sharp blades for inspection.

That's why there was such a long queue at the city gate. It would probably be dark by the time it was Bai Xiaowen's turn to join the convoy.

"Guys, we can't just sit here and wait like idiots, we have to think of something."

Several Resistance Army Boss Tier, along with Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi, held a brief meeting. Grima spoke first, saying in a low voice:

"Although Northshire City has withdrawn most of its troops, the remaining old, weak, and disabled soldiers are more than enough to City Defense. Our few hundred men are not enough to attack the city; we must infiltrate."