“What did you say?! You want to blow up the entire Sunset Mountain?!”
General Sera’s single eye glared at Wendy, as if she wanted to bore a hole through him.
Inside the Military Council Chamber, the flush of excitement on the faces of the officers—brought on by the prospect of unlimited gunpowder—had yet to fade, but now froze into expressions of shock and disbelief.
“That’s right, because…”
Wendy had just started to explain, but before he could finish, Sera interrupted him brusquely.
“Lord Wendy, perhaps you’re not aware, but the Hot Springs of Sunset Mountain are the only source of income for Sunset Fortress!”
She slammed a hand heavily on the stone table, making the map jump.
“If you blow up the entire Sunset Mountain, it’s the same as cutting off the very livelihood of the people living near the hot springs! We might still have our military pay, but what about those people who rely on tourism and mountain goods to survive? Shouldn’t it be enough to just collapse the valley entrance, so we can ambush the Wolf Riders?”
Her forceful questioning rang with conviction—it wasn’t just a matter of military strategy, but a statement of reality.
The atmosphere in the Military Council Chamber grew even heavier. Several officers who were born Commoners nodded unconsciously, and the awe that had just risen in their eyes toward Wendy was swiftly replaced by scrutiny and disapproval.
A “Noble” who would sacrifice Commoners for victory—how was he any different from those aloof, callous tyrants who trampled on lives?
“Wait…”
Astreia unexpectedly stepped forward at this moment, her tall figure positioning itself between Wendy and General Sera, shielding him from that aggressive glare.
“General Sera, I know you care deeply for the villagers nearby and want to protect them. But I trust Wendy—he must have his reasons. Please, let him finish.”
Astreia’s voice was firm, without a trace of hesitation.
“If the villagers truly must evacuate and lose their homes, I am willing, in the name of the Princess of Valoran, to provide them with aid free of charge until their homes are rebuilt!”
Sera’s weathered face twitched slightly.
She stared into Astreia’s clear and resolute emerald eyes, and finally let out a heavy grunt before sitting back down, tacitly agreeing.
Seeing this, Wendy chuckled inwardly.
My Princess, you’re getting better at this every day.
Then he stepped out from behind Astreia, gave her a reassuring look, and stood in front of the map to explain in a loud, clear voice:
“The Orc Wolf Riders are strong because of their mobility and charge. If we trap them in a completely sealed canyon, it’s like pulling out their claws and fangs. At that point—whether we shoot, burn, or besiege them—the initiative will be entirely ours.”
Wendy first affirmed the tactical value of collapsing the valley, then abruptly raised a question none of them had anticipated.
“But, General Sera, ladies—have you ever wondered, after the Orcs conquered the Cavalier Kingdom, with those vast plains to winter on, why are they still relentlessly attacking Sunset Fortress and the Valoran Kingdom?”
At these words, Sera and the other officers were stunned.
That’s right!
Orc raids to the south in autumn had been a “traditional skill” on the Erashia Continent for centuries.
The core reasons were always twofold:
First, to use war to expend the excess energy of the young Orcs in the tribes.
Second, to seize enough food and supplies to survive the winter.
But now, the Orcs had taken the entire Cavalier Kingdom.
That rich land and its broad plains were enough for their cattle and sheep to eat themselves to death.
So… why attack the mountainous, hard-to-conquer Valoran?
For a moment, the entire Military Council Chamber was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
All the officers frowned, completely unable to understand.
Seeing their utterly perplexed faces, Wendy once again relished the joy of having the script in hand, then calmly revealed the answer that would overturn everything they thought they knew.
“That’s because this Orc invasion isn’t just about survival—it’s about Valoran’s mineral resources. They want… to found a nation!”
Boom!
His words stunned everyone!
General Sera clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles cracked, her single eye blazing with wrath and disbelief.
“These bloodthirsty beasts… actually want to found a nation?!”
With those muscles and that endless urge to breed, it was truly beyond everyone’s expectations for the Orcs to have such an idea.
If Wendy hadn’t known the game’s plot, he wouldn’t have believed it either.
But this generation’s Orc Chieftain, Sariel, was a once-in-a-millennium schemer.
She’d been preparing for years to conquer the whole continent. The recently destroyed Cavalier Kingdom was just the appetizer for her.
Sariel had even deliberately held back her troops, sending less than a tenth of her total forces, all to avoid making too much noise and scaring the human nations into uniting too soon.
Unfortunately, such a cunning foe was ultimately killed by the corrupted Astreia, who pierced her heart with a magic sword—dying on the spot.
The powerful Orc tribes then fractured and scattered, eventually becoming the Bandits that Players hunted for experience and loot.
“That’s right.”
Wendy nodded calmly, then dropped another bombshell.
“And according to my information, the number of Wolf Riders coming to reinforce this time is enormous—more than all the defenders of Sunset Fortress combined!”
This time, the Council Chamber exploded.
“What?!”
“Are you sure there are that many?”
“We’re an elite force of ten thousand!”
***
If “Orc nation-building” was just a shocking strategic goal, this lopsided troop comparison was a blade hanging over every head!
No one could sit still.
They all stood up in panic, talking over each other, turning the room into a marketplace.
If that’s really the case, how can we possibly fight?
“Clap—clap—clap—”
Wendy gently clapped his hands, signaling for silence.
“This information is beyond doubt. The Orc squad captain who captured me boasted about it herself.”
He continued to explain.
“With so many Wolf Riders, even if we blow up the valley entrance, these fearless Orcs could abandon their mounts and climb the canyon walls by hand, inflicting heavy losses on us!”
“And that’s not even counting the main Orc force likely advancing behind the Wolf Riders! Once they arrive, they could use overwhelming force to clear the collapsed valley entrance!”
As he spoke, Wendy bent over, his long fingers tracing the map from the direction of the Cavalier Kingdom toward Sunset Fortress.
“There are mainly two routes from the Cavalier Kingdom to Sunset Fortress. One is the northern Sunset Valley—which is the one they’re taking now. The other is a long detour through the harsh Corrupted Marsh to the northeast.”
His fingertip pressed firmly on the location of Sunset Mountain.
“If we blow up the entire Sunset Mountain, the massive hot spring water inside will mix with the collapsing earth and stone, turning into a Super Mudslide that will completely and permanently block Sunset Valley!”
“In that case, even if the main Orc force had the power to move mountains, they’d have no choice but to take the only remaining route—the Corrupted Marsh to the northeast!”
Wendy suddenly straightened up, hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over every dumbfounded officer present—confident, elegant, yet sending a chill down their spines.
“We can rest and prepare, building a strong defensive line at the exit of the Corrupted Marsh. As for the Orcs? They won’t be able to manufacture or transport any heavy siege weapons through the muddy swamp. To break through our defenses, they’ll have no choice but to hurl their flesh and blood straight into our blades and arrow storms!”
“By then, our army will have an overwhelming, absolute advantage!”
As his words fell, the entire Military Council Chamber fell into dead silence.
Everyone was so shaken by this nakedly ambitious plan that their scalps tingled.
Looking at the map, they couldn’t help but imagine the scene Wendy had described.
That wouldn’t be a battle—it would be a massacre!
At this point, Wendy’s gaze passed through the crowd and once again landed on the one-eyed female general, revealing a charming smile that could melt an iceberg.
“General Sera, what do you think—will this plan work?”
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