Two weeks after the launch of the counterattack plan codenamed "Operation Apex," Roland received a report from Lightning, the scout on the front lines—the First Army's battalions had successfully completed the first step of the plan, converging at the "Forest Two + 1.76" inflection point in the Hidden Forest. (Read#……Net)
The naming of this inflection point followed the railway mileage identification method. The first half was the planned regional station, and the second half was the adjusted distance. That is to say, the inflection point was located one kilometer and seven hundred and sixty meters forward from Forest Railway Station Two. The advantage of this identification method was that Roland could accurately see the army's trajectory on the large map.
It was also the current end of the railway extension. From here, the First Army would transition to the second phase of operations—leaving the Hidden Forest and heading northeast into the Barren Lands on foot, without the cover of leaves.
Whether or not they could destroy the devils' outpost depended entirely on whether this step could be taken well.
As long as the fortress artillery and jiqiang positions were set up, the war rhythm would return to the mode most familiar to the First Army.
"I understand," Roland heavily marked the inflection point on the map. "What about the devils? Are they reacting?"
The Listening Sigil transmitted a rustling reply, "Sylvie says not yet. They are still focused on building their outposts, and several black stone pillars have been erected. Also, there is a 'red line' behind the outpost. The staff estimates that the number of those long-legged behemoths is also limited."
This was good news. Agatha had said that the only thing that xiànzhi the devils' overwhelming destruction of humanity was the Red Mist. If they had found a way to break this xiànzhi by the Third Battle of Divine Will, it would be a nightmare for everyone. Not to mention, the terror beasts' era-transcending mobility, coupled with the high-level devils' astonishing combat power, would make the Four Kingdoms' long borders as defenseless as sieves.
Roland now knew that the stone pillars in the outpost were not the same as the legendary Black Stone Tower, although they had many similarities. The former could store Red Mist and slowly release it, forming a special mist environment for the devils to absorb. In such an environment, the devils' functions and self-healing abilities would be enhanced, which could be simply understood as home-field advantage.
The stone pillars had an amplifying effect, capable of making one portion of Red Mist act as two, but they would eventually consume the reserves. The Black Stone Tower, on the other hand, could generate Red Mist on its own, covering a much wider area, and was basically the core of the devil cities.
In addition, the stone pillars were not ready for use upon arrival. Intelligence from the ancient witches indicated that they had dead and living states. Generally, they needed to be planted and cultivated for about a month before they could secrete mist clouds. Before that, they could only be used as an enlarged version of the Red Mist can.
Sylvie's observations gave him more confidence. No one wanted their opponent to run home to recuperate for two days after being injured, only to charge back with renewed vigor, and with a bunch of reinforcements in tow. According to the current construction speed, the First Army should be able to launch an attack before the stone pillars revive.
"In that case, continue your reconnaissance. Notify me of any new developments. Remember to prioritize safety at all times."
"Lightning, roger."
Then the light of the Listening Sigil went out.
Roland picked up a ruler and looked at the map—if nothing unexpected happened, the First Army would enter the devils' reconnaissance range in six days, when late autumn arrived.
For those accustomed to land warfare, this would be a daunting challenge.
"What's wrong? Are you worried?" Nightingale asked, putting away the sigil. "Weren't the test results of the new weapons pretty good?"
"But those were just tests. No one knows what will happen in war until they've experienced it," Roland said, spreading his hands. "Besides, Sylvie is focusing all her attention on the weather, and the First Army can only rely on itself for defense."
"The balloons swaying in the wind five kilometers away can be hit every time. That's already incredible. Andrea will definitely live up to this weapon," Nightingale smiled. "As for Sylvie neglecting vigilance, there are Lightning and Maggie. Isn't that how the First Army has always been?"
Roland couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. "When did you become so good at comforting people?"
"Just telling the truth," Nightingale whistled. "Of course, my eloquence is also quite good—none of the nobles I visited back then weren't sincerely convinced."
Uh… that was chiluo naked intimidation.
"Ahem, I guess you're right," Roland curled his lip. "I'm going to take a nap later, in the office. Don't wake me up unless there's an emergency."
Nightingale seemed to realize something. "Here? Don't you need to notify the Taquila witches?"
"No," Roland nodded. "Don't even let them near the castle."
"I understand," she agreed readily. "Don't worry, with me watching, no one will enter the range of the light column."
……
Roland rarely took naps unless he was particularly tired or for some special reason.
Like this time.
A month had passed in the Dream World since his last conversation with Garci, which was exactly when she would return from headquarters after reporting on her duties. As agreed, she would bring back a book written half a century ago that mentioned the Battle of Divine Will. For some reason, Roland felt it was best not to let the Taquila survivors know about this news for the time being.
Thinking about it, it was probably because no matter what he found in the book, he could calmly treat it as trivial, while those witches who regarded the Battle of Divine Will as fate would not be able to do so. Now that the war was approaching, it was better to have fewer surprises.
Entering the dream at this moment was like a switch in his mind. As long as he thought of it, he could fall asleep within a few minutes, saving him the trouble of tossing and turning.
After Jie Luo learned to do it, Roland couldn't wait to pick up the phone.
"Hello? Did you get that book?"
"If I said no, would you be very disappointed, or even want to smash your phone?" Garci's familiar mocking voice soon came from the receiver. "Please, you reminded me three days ago. I'm not forgetful, and certainly not as untrustworthy as someone else."
Roland breathed a sigh of relief. "I won't smash it. My money is needed to support my family. I can't afford to smash it."
"Support your family? Isn't the martial artist's basic salary enough for you? Hey… you're not going down some wrong path, are you?"
Where is she getting these ideas? he thought to himself. The ones he had to feed were clearly a group of big eaters who had lived for hundreds of years. "I must state that even if we're familiar—"
"Then you're going to accuse me of slander? It's the new century now. Please don't use such outdated tropes, okay?" Garci interrupted.
Roland almost choked. Being roasted by an ancient person was the most lethal thing…
He went straight to the point. "Okay, where is it?"
"At my house, of course. Come get it," she replied.