The discussion about Pandaren ended there. Mage Nolan and Knight Harold watched Jiang Jie practice Taijiquan for a while longer, then each lost interest, shook his head, and left.
It was not until half an hour later that Paladin Basil suddenly gathered everyone to discuss their plans.
"We've been followed this entire journey. The wolves have been trailing us all along. I've thought it over carefully, and this is the most likely place for them to attack us."
Basil said quietly, "There will definitely be another fierce battle tonight. We must be careful!"
A confident smile appeared on Harold's face. "The guards have taken turns resting for three hours and are in good spirits. They're all elite royal guards, veterans of countless battles. Some even fought in the wars against the Orcs! We'll protect you. And with you two here, we wouldn't be afraid even if there were five times as many wolves!"
Mage Nolan said calmly, "I've placed more than a dozen magical alarms and spell traps around us. Unless the enemy has a high-ranking mage more skilled than I am, they won't be able to ambush us, no matter how many of them there are."
Basil nodded as well. "The Holy Light tells me that this enemy is unusual and will be dangerous. Everyone, stay alert. If we make it safely through tonight, we'll be safe tomorrow!"
The night deepened, and darkness surrounded them.
Jiang Jie sat cross-legged in meditation, his eyes closed as he rested his mind.
Chinese martial artists had keen senses, and Jiang Jie's hearing was excellent. Suddenly, he heard faint, unusual sounds and immediately instructed the AI Xiao Feng to activate the gaming pod's scanning function.
The next second, the AI Xiao Feng's warning sounded in Jiang Jie's mind:
"Host! A total of seven humanoids and fifty-four forest wolves have been detected approaching rapidly! One is identified as a mage, with mana fluctuations comparable to Mage Nolan's! Three are identified as rogues: one high-ranking, one mid-ranking, and one low-ranking! Two are identified as Warriors: one mid-ranking and one low-ranking! The last is identified as a hunter! Threat assessment: five stars! Comprehensive analysis including everyone on our side, threat assessment: three stars!"
Jiang Jie was instantly startled!
Threat level!
This was the gaming pod's comprehensive assessment of the surrounding environment and the enemy's overall strength. The higher the star rating, the greater the threat and the harder they would be to deal with!
One star meant the enemy was easy to kill. Two stars meant there was little difference in strength between the two sides. Three stars meant the enemy was strong. Four stars meant there was only an extremely slim chance of victory. Five stars meant victory was absolutely impossible!
The enemy was too powerful. Jiang Jie could never defeat them alone, and even with everyone on their side combined, their overall strength was still inferior to the enemy's!
"Enemy attack!" Jiang Jie stood and shouted.
"Impossible!" Jolted awake, Mage Nolan glared fiercely at Jiang Jie, in a foul mood. "My magical alarms and spell traps haven't been triggered. No one could possibly be approaching..."
Before he could finish, he saw dark figures approaching from the distance at tremendous speed, yet without a sound!
How was that possible!
Mage Nolan's first reaction was that it was absolutely impossible. How could a mere rogue apprentice detect the enemy before anyone else had even reacted?
"They have a mid-ranking mage! And a high-ranking rogue!" Jiang Jie instantly understood. "The reason they haven't attacked these past few days is that they went to get reinforcements!"
A mid-ranking mage!
A high-ranking rogue!
What did that mean?
Just think: there were only a handful of high-ranking mages in all of Lordaeron. Each was treated like a treasure and held an extremely high status. Even nobles found it difficult to secure a meeting with one!
And during the mage trial a few days earlier, even Baron Soroson had greeted the mid-ranking mage serving as examiner with a smile. There were no more than twenty mid-ranking mages in the entire Lordaeron Mage Corps!
As for high-ranking rogues, the Lordaeron Royal Assassins were already an impressive organization, yet how many high-ranking rogues did they have? They could be counted on one hand!
And now one had actually appeared!
How could they fight this?
They couldn't fight this at all!
In an instant,
Jiang Jie entered Stealth. "Defend! Everyone, defend! Protect Mage Nolan!" Harold shouted.
It was a very correct and perfectly normal choice. After all, mage lords were known as mobile artillery, the most powerful damage dealers. A protected mid-ranking mage who could cast freely was even more lethal than a high-ranking Warrior in Berserker Stance!
But mage lords were also incredibly fragile. If an enemy managed to close in, even an ordinary low-ranking rogue could kill one.
The well-trained royal guards quickly formed a flawless defensive formation, but unmistakable panic and fear appeared on their faces.
"Holy Light above! We're going to die here!"
"For His Majesty the King! For His Highness the Prince! For Lordaeron! Fight to the death!"
"For my wife and children, wherever they may be!"
The royal guards shouted all sorts of bizarre slogans to bolster their courage. The wolves were already within twenty meters, and Mage Nolan's spell was ready!
A Water Elemental as tall as a man appeared beside Mage Nolan.
Clearly, Mage Nolan was a frost mage!
Immediately afterward, Mage Nolan was about to cast.
Blizzard!
This was a powerful area-of-effect attack spell that suddenly rained shards of ice over an area, dealing a certain amount of frost damage to enemies. The bone-piercing cold also slowed their movements. Most importantly, rogues could not use Stealth within the area covered by Blizzard!
But before he could finish casting, Mage Nolan heard a cold, mocking laugh. Immediately afterward, he felt his mana surge wildly out of control, and the spell that was about to take shape instantly dispersed!
"Counterspell!" Mage Nolan spat through gritted teeth.
The enemy mage had already set his sights on him and was concealed in the darkness behind the wolves. Nolan had no way to cast successfully. A mid-ranking mage proficient in Counterspell could completely pin down another mid-ranking mage. His opponent's spellcasting ability was no less than his own!
"Damn it! We have to kill him!" Mage Nolan shouted.
Harold's expression instantly turned ugly.
With Mage Nolan unable to cast, their strongest damage dealer was effectively neutralized. Now they had to face dozens of forest wolves and six other class holders. The pressure was immense!
Who could kill that mid-ranking mage?
He was hidden behind the wolves, protected by numerous class holders, with three rogues concealed in the shadows as well!
Anyone who went would die!
Even Paladin Basil could not do it!
Are we really going to die here? Harold was despondent as he thought of his son. Ivan, my boy, your father won't be able to look after you anymore...
The other guards were terrified as well. This was a certain-death situation. They could not possibly survive! Death was inevitable!
Just then, a low voice rang out. "Leave that mage to me!"