Chapter 961 (1/2)

Chapter 961: Two Plans

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

“What do you think?” Roland asked, looking at the light curtain on the wall. There was no doubt that Taquila survivors were the most qualified to analyze the demons’ intention.

“It’s an old trick of them,” Alethea snorted coldly. “Due to intimidation failing to work, they will do it the hard way. As I’ve said before, they’re great at combining intimidation with force to deal with the human lords. If it were a city of witches they confronted, they’d slaughter all the citizens once and for all.”

“But last time you estimated that it would take them about half a year before they pushed towards us.”

“Ahem, that’s a result calculated from the average time they need to build a large camp. Maybe they’re hasty this time.” Alethea’s voice sounded a little awkward. “The war situation is always changing. One would be foolish to stick in the mud. I didn’t tell you to let down your guard.”

“What? Are you kidding?” Roland knew it was necessary to keep watch on the enemies. But when and how to fight back was planned according to the time she had calculated. If the enemies had to spend half a year taking hold, his railway would’ve been able to stretch before them. By then, with an armored train and railguns, Roland was confident that the demons would have no energy to build any outposts.

“Alethea didn’t mean to hide that on purpose. I agreed with her before,” Agatha said, seeming to read Roland’s doubt. “The Union had paid a high price for the timetable regarding the expanding of the red mist supply line. It remained right even before the Holy City fell. Half a year is the shortest period the demons need before their next move.”

“You mean the demons need less time now and that the timetable that had cost so many lives is useless?” Edith shrugged. “Of course, it’s understandable to see 400-year-old intelligence become invalid.”

Roland felt his eyebrow twitching. The Pearl of the Northern Region, without any doubt, was among the ordinary people on the scene who dared to confront the blob monster. Considering that he was not a typical virtual person in this world, Edith would be the only one here who had the guts.

As expected, Alethea howled, “Common person, how dare you!”

Pasha chimed in before Alethea lost her temper. “Perhaps, it’s the giant skeleton that makes the red mist supply line expand faster or the demons are planning something else. If they don’t aim at attacking, they surely can set up an outpost earlier. After all, the supply of the red mist will determine how big the outpost will be. Hence, there is no need to quarrel with each other about it. It’s his Majesty who gets the final say on how to tackle this problem.”

Pasha lived up to the title of the real leader of the Taquila survivors, Roland nodded to himself. What she had said not only put down the possible quarrel but also took his feeling into account. Conversating was indeed an art.

The problem was still there. Whether the demons were plotting something else in the dark or they wanted to march toward Neverwinter soon, the result was that due to this change, Roland could not watch the relic of the Holy City anymore. In fact, Neverwinter did not have many choices. If phantom instrument could locate the target precisely, he might have more time to observe the enemy and see what they planned to do, but now he had to root out this obstacle before him as soon as possible.

“Get the First Army ready to march.” Roland drew a deep breath and commanded Iron Axe.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Iron Axe answered briskly as he always did.

“A bold choice,” Alethea praised. “Turning a blind eye to the coming war is no better than suicide. Only by keeping a close eye on the enemies’ movement could we be better prepared.”

“General Staff, come up with, at least, a plan before tomorrow nightfall.” Roland cast a glance at Edith on purpose. “I also want to see how you deduce the plan.”

“Your Majesty,” Ferlin Eltek, Knight Morning Light, who had formally changed his career, said grimly. “According to Lady Sylvie, the flying Devilbeasts have taken over the place. It’s almost impossible for the First Army to march on while staying unnoticed. Once we give ourselves away, we’ll get stuck.”

Roland knew that too. That was why he wanted to know the exact inference of the plan before they acted. He who designed the weapons for the army certainly knew that Ferlin had made his meaning clear in a tactful way. The anti-aircraft machine gun would lose most of its power if the soldiers could not set it up and take aim in advance. Moreover, unlike the defensive battle on the city wall, the enemies would come from all directions, which made it hard to preset the suitable barrage.

Besides, the construction of the railway was not finished yet, so they had to travel by foot to carry the war materials, and if the enemies intercepted the transport corps, it would be a significant loss.