Murlocs

"What? Murlocs?"

Lin Lei said, unusually startled.

"These past few days, many coastal territories have been harassed by murlocs, and quite a few soldiers have died. The viscount sent me a special notice because my territory is also on the coast."

Lin Lei folded the letter and recalled what he knew about the murlocs of Azeroth.

"The murlocs of Azeroth are also commonly known as the Murloc. They were later absorbed by the Naga and became their most basic workers and combat units.

"The Murloc have clearly defined roles. There are Murloc Slaves, much like human peasants, who excel at construction and transporting resources. Naga Witches can implant Murloc eggs in their enemies, producing the lowest-level Murloc Rock-men, who are even weaker in combat than Murloc Slaves.

"Murloc Raiders are the murlocs' regular troops. They're generally stronger than human infantry of the same rank, and the best among them are even more formidable, each carrying an aura that issues commands. Murloc Blood Witches are the murlocs' spellcasters, and most of them know healing magic.

"Murloc Hunters are naturally good at throwing nets and can also cast a slowing spell, making them low-level spellcasting units. Murloc Nightstalkers can lower their presence by standing still at night, making themselves invisible. They're natural assassins.

"Murloc Shadow Mages are the murlocs' most elite spellcasters. They wield hexes and curses. Hexes are similar to the human mages' Polymorph spell, while curses lower a target's accuracy and cause their attacks to miss. They're generally the murlocs' decision-makers.

"Of course, the murlocs also have an elite combat unit: Murloc Mutants. Like the undead abominations, they naturally emit poisonous clouds, and they can devour corpses to replenish themselves."

The more Lin Lei thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

He had no idea that the murloc race of Azeroth was so meticulously organized. They also occupied the vast majority of the seas. Shouldn't their forces be even stronger than humanity's?

Lin Lei slapped himself hard on the head and reconsidered the matter more carefully.

"No, that's not right. Murlocs are only nearshore units, and they need land to reproduce. They can't survive in the deep sea. Otherwise, the murlocs in the game wouldn't just be wild creatures, appearing only among the Naga."

"Even if the murlocs aren't very strong, I still need to be on guard as a minor lord. The forces that the human kingdoms don't care about aren't something a little baron like me can withstand. I need to prepare defenses early."

Lin Lei muttered to himself, a trace of worry showing between his brows. He picked up an envelope from his desk and began to write.

"Cress, send the fastest soldier to deliver this to Furell. Tell him to strengthen his defenses; he may come under attack.

"Then notify Allen, Luo Ji, and Lin Yu to come here. I have something to announce."

Lin Lei quickly folded the letter he had written and solemnly handed it to his steward.

"Yes, my lord."

Cress, who had been waiting nearby, took the letter and hurried out.

"Baron, how may we serve you?"

Before long, the three men hurried into the parlor and knelt on one knee.

Though Lin Lei had heard that the murlocs might attack his territory, he wasn't one to take things lying down. Unlike other nobles who had inherited their family lands, he had won everything he had through battle.

"You're here. Get up and take turns looking over this. Then tell me what you think."

Allen took the letter from a servant with a puzzled look, then passed it to Luo Ji with a furrowed brow. After all three had read it, each had formed his own opinion.

"Baron, our territory has more than six hundred soldiers. That puts us among the strongest baronies in the kingdom. These weak murlocs aren't worth worrying about."

Allen blurted out his opinion. Hearing him, Lin Lei shook his head in disappointment.

Allen never liked using his head and was far too rash. The kingdom took this matter seriously, yet he dismissed it so lightly.

Lin Lei shifted his gaze to Luo Ji, looking to him with anticipation.

Luo Ji felt the heat of Lin Lei's gaze and answered reluctantly.

"I think we should strengthen our defenses and set up more watch posts. We should also increase the number of night patrols and be on guard against the murlocs coming ashore to launch a surprise attack."

Lin Lei nodded, then turned his gaze to Lin Yu, hoping he might offer a fresh perspective.

"My lord, I think we should take the initiative. Instead of waiting to be attacked, we should launch an assault. The best defense is a good offense. That way, we can move the battle away from our territory and minimize the damage."

Lin Yu thought it over before speaking calmly and firmly. Though he didn't look especially strong, his voice carried conviction.

"Impossible. We don't even know where these murlocs are. How can we attack them? Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. We know nothing about our opponents, so how can we act rashly? What will happen to the whole territory if something goes wrong?"

As soon as Lin Yu finished explaining his idea, Luo Ji leapt in to object.

Lin Lei said nothing, merely encouraging Lin Yu with his eyes to continue.

"Even if we don't know where this newly arrived group of murlocs is, we do know these creatures well. Our Kingdom of Kul Tiras is spread across islands, and we often fight the murlocs.

"Years of fighting have taught us all about them. Their lairs must be somewhere along the coast or on a nearby island. If we follow these clues, there's a good chance we'll find them.

"According to historical records, though we've always worked to exterminate the murlocs, they migrate here every year from the Northern Continent of Lordaeron and the Southern Continent of Stormwind Dynasty. They can breathe underwater, but they can't survive in the deep sea."

Luo Ji fell silent. Though he didn't agree with Lin Yu's plan to attack, he couldn't find any flaw in his reasoning.

Lin Lei understood that Luo Ji was a defensive commander: conservative, never greedy for glory or reckless advances, and skilled at steady, methodical warfare. "The skilled warrior leaves no spectacular victories" described men like him perfectly.

Lin Yu was his opposite: aggressive and often rash, yet somehow always able to achieve unexpected results. Lin Lei both admired and dreaded that about him.

Recklessness was closer to courage than cowardice, and Lin Lei still admired Lin Yu.

"Fine. If neither of you has any objections, start putting Lin Yu's plan into action.

"Our Crouching Dragon Ravine still can't build ships, so we can't scout the nearby islands. But we can search the coastal reefs and caves."

Allen and the others exchanged glances, then took their leave.

"Cress, post a bounty with the Mercenary Guild for information about the murlocs and their location. These freelance fighters can sometimes prove very useful."

The steward nodded and noted down Lin Lei's instructions.

"By the way, how's the new castle coming along? Have Furexi and the engineering goblins finished the preliminary plans?"

Lin Lei closed his eyes to rest, absentmindedly tapping his left wrist with his right hand. Then he suddenly remembered the task he'd given the engineering goblins last week.

The Lord's Mansion Lin Lei lived in now had been hastily thrown together at the start, and it was even smaller than the mansions in some knights' territories. That had done considerable damage to his reputation.

Now the iron mine at Crouching Dragon Ravine was producing iron, and there was no shortage of stone either. On top of that, the territory had made it through the difficult early stages of development, and they had plenty of manpower. It was time to build himself a better home.

"My lord, Furexi and the others came by this morning. They brought three plans and said you should choose the one you liked best. I put them in the storeroom."

"Bring them here. Let me see what sort of castle the goblin masters have designed for me."

Lin Lei spoke calmly, though his words betrayed some curiosity about the castle plans.

At Cress's signal, a maid bowed and withdrew. She soon returned with the three plans and handed them to Lin Lei.

"Baroque, Gothic, and Roman. They look a lot like castles from medieval Europe."

Lin Lei recognized the styles at a glance. The lines on the plans were finely drawn, making it easy to distinguish the three architectural styles.

"Tell Furexi and the others to build according to the third plan, the Roman style. I like it best. Its waterworks, defenses, and appearance all meet my requirements. Have them start as soon as possible."

Lin Lei made his decision and returned the three plans to the tray.

"That's all, Cress. You've been busy all day. Go get some rest."

"Yes, my lord."

Cress left obediently. Lin Lei settled back into his nap. Two or three days of traveling without rest had left him exhausted.

At the Magic Academy, a tall beauty and a petite one faced each other.

"Older Sister Aierlan, I'm going to start."

Aierlan nodded, signaling Alice to try casting the basic spell she had just learned: Summon Water Elemental.

Summon Water Elemental was a very basic spell, but it also had the greatest potential of any water magic. It was often the first spell a magic apprentice had to learn.

A Bronze-ranked magic apprentice could summon only an ordinary Bronze-ranked Water Elemental, which could attack enemies only with streams of water. At Silver rank, the number of Water Elementals summoned increased, and they grew stronger as well. They also gained magic of their own, making the spell a decent support ability.

"Summon Water Elemental."

Alice moved her staff, focusing her mind and channeling her magic. She struggled to gather the moisture in the air into a single form.

"Uh..."

The magic stirred faintly, but no Water Elemental appeared on the ground. Aierlan knew Alice had failed this attempt.

"Alice, keep trying. Success doesn't happen all at once. You need to practice more. Learning magic is all about persistent practice. You already managed to stir the magic just now. You were this close to succeeding."

Aierlan reassured her.