352: Chapter 344 The allied forces advanced triumphantly, within an unreachable attack range.

The eastern border of Lake is about a hundred kilometers from Keton City; the path is mostly plains, and undulating mountains only appear by the roadside as one nears Keton City.

This is also why Keton City is far from the border; there is no natural terrain to defend.

Benefiting from this, the three legions of the Allied Forces basically didn't need to worry about ambushes for the first half of the journey.

The plains stretched as far as the eye could see with a wide field of vision; with the eyesight of High-tier Professionals, they could spot an ant crawling on the ground in the distance, let alone an ambushing legion.

The massive legions advanced slowly across the grasslands; when the mountains appeared in their sight, the three Legion Commanders ordered a thirty-minute rest on the spot.

The Soldiers carried out the order, sitting on the ground to eat the bread they carried with them, while the three Legion Commanders gathered to discuss the upcoming siege plan.

All cities on the Saul Continent had not experienced the flames of war for ten thousand years; the city walls were built with ordinary bricks, and no defensive Magic Arrays were set up inside.

Thus, although the Lake side was holding the city, they had no geographical advantage; instead, they were trapped in the narrow city, making it easy for the Allied Forces to wipe them all out at once.

The Mad Lion Legion Commander felt there was no need for too many tactics; they could just surround Keton City with their numerical advantage and then launch a general offensive.

The Grizzly Legion Commander held the opposite opinion.

The Allied Forces claimed to share honor and disgrace, but in reality, each had their own designs. Now that the war had just begun, the nations could temporarily set aside their disputes to unite against the enemy, but once Lake collapsed and it was time to divide the spoils, could everyone still live in peace?

Or to put it bluntly, the benefits were limited; if you took more, I took less. Could powerful nations restrain their greed and not plunder Kingdoms weaker than themselves?

The Grizzly Legion Commander sneered, "We belong to three different Kingdoms and are all our respective nations' elite legions.

Novak sent us to lead the vanguard. It looks very fair, but whether there are other schemes involved is hard to say."

Hearing this, the other two couldn't help but feel doubts in their hearts.

Novak's explanation when issuing the order was that the three of them would clear the way; if they encountered fierce resistance and couldn't advance, he would then send his own Kingdom's elite legions to handle the tough nuts.

However, a promise is one thing; whether it is kept is another.

Who knew if Novak was tricking them, secretly planning to deplete their strength?

In fact, the three of them were truly wronging Novak.

For Novak to be recognized by all nations and hold the position of Supreme Commander, his military capability was beyond doubt; how could he not understand the principle that if the Allied Forces developed internal rifts, it would be equivalent to losing before the battle even began?

It was undeniable that Novak might have plans to seize the opportunity to annex neighboring countries after defeating Lake, but he would certainly not expose them now.

The Rose Legion Commander pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Then what do you think we should do?

Let me emphasize one point: being afraid to fight or being perfunctory will definitely not work; that would be like handing Novak a handle to use against us."

"I know that," the Grizzly Legion Commander said with his arms crossed over his chest. "My point is, don't treat the Allied Forces' advantage as our own."

The Mad Lion Legion Commander became interested. "Oh?

Be more specific."

"It's simple. We act as if there are no reinforcements and that only our three legions are attacking Lake. We'll formulate our battle plan based on that premise."

"So..."

"Don't seek to capture the city quickly; advance steadily and strike surely."

The two nodded in agreement.

Seeing no opposition, the Grizzly Legion Commander continued, "I brought some Magic Crystal Cannons. After surrounding Keton City, we'll bombard it with the cannons first. Once the enemy's morale crumbles, we'll then storm the city."

"I have no objection."

"Same here."

"Then we'll do as I said." The Grizzly Legion Commander turned and called for his adjutant, "Order the legion to set out!"

"As you command!"

The army set out again and entered the mountainous area half an hour later.

Being elite legions, as soon as they entered the densely forested mountains, the Soldiers immediately became alert and sent out scout squads.

The three Legion Commanders rode their horses side by side in the middle of the formation. The silent Grizzly Legion Commander seemed to remember something and asked, "What are your thoughts on the weapon Novak showed yesterday?"

"That toy?" The Mad Lion Legion Commander raised his golden eyebrows.

The Rose Legion Commander was a bit surprised. "You don't know yet?"

"Know what?"

"This morning, Novak was going to interrogate that Lake Soldier, but when he reached the detention tent, he found the man gone. He returned to his own tent in a rage, only to find the weapon had also vanished into thin air."

"What?!" the two exclaimed simultaneously.

"There are at least three Saint-levels in the main camp. Unless it was a Gods Blessing, it would be impossible to steal the person and the weapon without a sound!"

The Mad Lion Legion Commander frowned deeply. "Does Lake have a Gods Blessing? If they do, there's no need to fight this war; we should surrender as soon as possible."

"I suspect it might be High-level Invisibility Magic." The Rose Legion Commander shook her head. "If Lake really had a Gods Blessing, would they have allowed us to provoke them on the border for over half a year?"

In just a short while, the Grizzly Legion Commander had calmed down. "I think... what we should consider now is why Lake paid such a high price to steal that useless weapon back?"

The two fell silent.

This was indeed puzzling.

Lake's rescue of the person seemed easy and without cost this time, but the act itself was a cost.

The information that they had High-level Invisibility Magic capable of deceiving the perception of Saint-level Professionals was priceless.

If the Allied Forces knew nothing about this and took no precautions, then their secret military information would be completely exposed to the enemy.

Lake must have been aware of this as well. Or rather, this Professional in Lake's hands was meant for scouting intelligence.

Yet, Lake exposed this Professional for the sake of a single Soldier and an inexpensive weapon. The reason for this was worth deep thought.

"I went to see that Soldier; he's a very ordinary person. Taking him away might have just been incidental."

"So, the main objective was the weapon."

"Exactly."

"Damn it, I tried that weapon. Its power can barely penetrate ordinary armor. Is it worth making a special trip, even at the risk of exposing High-level Invisibility Magic, just to take it back?"

"Novak might know something." The Grizzly Legion Commander narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you say that?"

"The weapon reached his hands first, and we only saw it several hours later. Who knows what happened in between?"

The Mad Lion Legion Commander thought for a moment. "Don't have conjectures without evidence. Everything will... in short, we must be careful from now on."

The other two hummed in agreement, and then the three of them stopped talking, heading toward Keton City in silence.

Because they had entered the mountains, the legion's square formation turned into a long column stretching along the dirt road.

As they were about to arrive at Keton City, the three ordered twenty-five men to rest on the spot, while the other fifty thousand went ahead to surround the city.

This move was to prevent Lake from setting an ambush.

The vanguard left, and the three waited calmly for news.

An hour later, several Soldiers returned on horseback, and the news they reported left the three stunned.

Keton City was already an empty city.

Not only was there not a single Soldier to be seen in the city, but even the residents were gone; if the streets hadn't been free of dust, the vanguard would have almost thought the city had never been inhabited.

Confused, the three didn't rush to lead the main force into the city but ordered the vanguard to search outside.

The Soldiers took the order and left, returning an hour later.

"There is no trace of any Lake Soldiers in the vicinity."

It was as if a giant question mark had appeared over the heads of the three.

What was this? Giving up a major city without a fight?

They couldn't figure it out, but staying in one place wasn't an option either, so the three led the army toward Keton City.

Once inside, they found the situation was exactly as reported: completely empty.

The three thought this was strange enough, but they didn't expect something even more bizarre was yet to come.

After scouting around Keton City and confirming there were no ambushes, they acted according to plan: 50,000 vanguard troops led the way, with the main force following at a distance, heading for the second city.

As it turned out, the second city was the same.

The city gates were wide open, no one was in sight, and the streets were tidy, as if the citizens and the army had vanished in an instant.

Continuing forward, the third, fourth, and fifth cities were all the same.

A sense of eeriness filled their hearts, and they temporarily halted the army for a rest in the sixth empty city.

Perhaps having become a bit sensitive due to the succession of bizarre situations, they didn't dare enter the city and set up camp outside.

Inside the tent, the three Legion Commanders gathered around the table, looking down at the battle map together.

"What on earth is Lake doing?" The Rose Legion Commander's eyes were bloodshot. "Luring the enemy?"

"Is this how you lure an enemy?" The Mad Lion Legion Commander pressed his index finger on the battle map, moving it along the line of march. "After this city, there's no more terrain suitable for an ambush further ahead."

"There's still a stretch of mountains." The Grizzly Legion Commander glanced at the map.

"This one?" The Mad Lion Legion Commander looked over. "The road is indeed flanked by mountains, but the road and the mountains aren't right next to each other; there's ten kilometers of grassland in between.

Could Lake be planning to ambush us from inside the mountains ten kilometers away?"

The Grizzly Legion Commander rubbed his smooth bald head; it did... indeed seem a bit far-fetched.

Ten kilometers—ordinary arrows couldn't reach, and even Magic Crystal Cannons were far off, as their range was less than one kilometer.

Setting up a large-scale Magic Array?

That could indeed attack them from ten kilometers away, but... the three Legion Commanders were Magisters; they could clearly sense the mana fluctuations of a large Magic Array from even twice that distance.

All three were a bit confused. Based on the principle of caution, and since the rapid march had stretched the logistics line making supplies difficult and the legion's food was running low, they decided to slow down the offensive and wait for sufficient supplies before setting out again.

During this time, they weren't idle either, sending out small units to scout the last mountainous area on the line of march.

Three days later, the scout units returned one after another.

Combining the gathered intelligence, the three judged that it was absolutely impossible for Lake to set an ambush in the mountains.

The reason was simple.

First, as the Mad Lion Legion Commander said, there was about ten kilometers of grassland between the mountains and the road, which the range of ordinary weapons could not cross.

Then there was the altitude of the mountains.

It was a small mountain—er, calling it a hill might be more appropriate; even including the height of the trees, it was only about dozens of meters high.

The trees on the mountain were sparse, and there were no rocks to block the line of sight, so naturally, no Soldiers could be hidden.

The Rose Legion Commander let out a heavy breath: "We overestimated Lake."

"Yes." The Mad Lion Legion Commander smiled. "It seems Lake has indeed given up resistance."

Among the three, only the Grizzly Legion Commander muttered, "I always feel like something isn't right..."

"You're overthinking it." The Rose Legion Commander comforted him. "There are no conditions to hide Soldiers on the mountain, and outside the mountain is grassland; not even an ant can escape the sight of the three of us.

What, do you think Lake can ambush us from across the mountain? Even Magic Crystal Cannons can't reach from this distance, right?"

Unease still lingered in the Grizzly Legion Commander's heart, but the facts were indeed as she said.

After a long silence, he said, "Then let's move."

The three called their respective adjutants and ordered the army to set out.

...

Lake Royal Capital, the Palace.

Zhang Mu and Avril sat side by side on a bench in the garden.

"Junior, you seem to be in a good mood?"

"Some idiots are about to fall for it, so of course my mood is good."

"Hmm?" Avril turned her head to look at him, her ice-blue hair swaying with the movement.

"Let me tell you—" Zhang Mu said happily.

"Lord Commander." Domit walked over from a distance. "The three legions of the Allied Forces have set out."

"How long ago did they leave?"

"According to the report from the Griffin Cavalry, one hour."

"One hour? Then it's still early." Zhang Mu, who had been sitting upright, leaned back against the bench again. "They're at least three days away from the ambush point."

Domit asked, "Should we move the Artillery Regiment over there now?"

"No rush.

They definitely have Magisters; if we go too early, we'll be detected.

Hmm... let's say the last day. When they are one day away from the ambush point, place the ordinary legions on the mountain to mislead them."

Domit smiled. "I was planning the same thing."

"Oh, right, take this." Zhang Mu reached out, a badge engraved with a portrait lying in his palm. "The war is only just beginning now; it's your turn to take the stage."

"As you command!" Domit took it with both hands and solemnly pinned it to his chest.

Avril stared at the badge. "This is Teacher's..."

"Yes."

"Teacher would be very happy if he saw this."

Zhang Mu turned his head. "Really? I thought Teacher wouldn't like being used as a legion emblem."

"How could he not."

Shaking his head, Zhang Mu dismissed the matter and looked at Domit. "The Allied Forces have gathered their strength, and the number of High-tier Professionals has already exceeded Lake's. You must stay safe."

"Rest assured, Lord Commander. Our command system uses Wireless Radios; the enemy won't find the Command Post, and I am also very far from the front line."

"It never hurts to be careful."

"Yes!"

Zhang Mu continued thoughtfully, "I heard from Grand Duke Bulova that the individual strength of the Allied Forces' Saint-level Professionals is inferior to Lake's..."

"Of course." Avril took over. "The strength of a Saint-level depends largely on the grade of their own magic. In this regard, even Kingdom cannot compare to Lake."

After all, they were descendants of the Ice and Snow Empire and had inherited the legacy of their ancestors; in terms of foundation, a bumpkin like Kingdom still didn't measure up.

Zhang Mu nodded understandingly. "Based on this, I judge that in the early stages... no, throughout the entire war, the Allied Forces' Saint-levels won't make the first move."

"Are they afraid of being ambushed by the Grand Duke and the others?" Avril asked curiously.

"Yes.

Besides, that old man beside the King is a Saint-level who excels in assassination. Wouldn't the Allied Forces' Saint-levels be afraid?"

Zhang Mu stood up. "In that case, I'll take the Special Operations Squad to specifically snipe the Allied Forces' High-tier Professionals. If those Saint-levels shrink back in their main camp, then so be it.

If they come out... hehe, the Grand Duke and the others will have work to do."

After finishing, he said to Domit, "Don't just stand there; go prepare for the ambush. Make it a beautiful victory and open the eyes of the other legions—even Professionals can die."

"As you command!"