149: The results were considerable.

Time slipped away quietly, like sand in an hourglass. Since the horn of the two-front campaign sounded, three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

Three hundred kilometers west of East Sea Prefecture lay a hilly region that had been repeatedly plowed by the fires of war.

The once-dense primeval forest had long since vanished, replaced by continuous encampments, crisscrossing trenches, rows of watchtowers, and menacing defensive fortifications. The main force of the Star Sea Army had taken root here, like a giant wedge driven deep into the traditional territory of the Werewolf Tribe. Less than a hundred miles further west from here was the core area of the Werewolf Tribe Alliance! The valley where the Werewolf Royal Court was located.

The three months of high-intensity advancement had not been smooth sailing. After experiencing painful blows in the Early Stage, the Werewolf Tribe quickly adjusted their strategy. They abandoned the idea of a head-on confrontation with the Star Sea Army in open terrain, turning instead to utilizing familiar terrain to conduct continuous harassment, ambushes, and delaying tactics. Traps, poison arrows, night raids by small elite squads... these methods emerged one after another. Although they could not reverse the overall situation, they effectively slowed the advancement speed of the Star Sea Army and caused considerable trouble and casualties.

However, under the steady and seasoned command of Yilman, the Star Sea Army moved step by step, fighting steadily. The engineering troops opened roads through mountains and built bridges over water, the Mage Corps cooperated to clear forest obstacles and detect traps, and the rapid response force composed of the Divine Arrow Army and Orcs supervisory teams ruthlessly annihilated any Werewolf harassment squads that dared to approach. After suffering heavy losses in the Early Stage, the survivors of the Vassal Army gradually tempered some combat effectiveness in blood and fire, and were incorporated into auxiliary units to undertake tasks such as flank coverage and logistics transport.

At this moment, the front line was temporarily stabilized in this hilly area. The Werewolves had assembled the remaining main forces of each tribe, shrinking into the complex mountains around the Royal Court, relying on natural barriers to build an even more solid defense line. After three months of continuous combat, the Star Sea Army also needed time to consolidate occupied areas, replenish supplies, rest troops, and establish a stable logistics supply line.

Separated by a neutral buffer zone about fifty miles wide, the two sides fell into an eerie standoff. Large-scale conflicts had temporarily ceased, but small-scale reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, as well as skirmishes between scouts, occurred almost daily. The air was filled with the tense atmosphere of an impending storm.

Yilman stood on the watchtower of the newly built frontline command post, observing the faint outline of the Werewolf defense line in the distance through a high-magnification magic telescope. His adjutant, a young brigade commander promoted from the Star-Moon Legion, stood by his side to report:

"General, according to repeated reconnaissance by the Griffon Knights and Mage Eyes, at least over eighty thousand warriors have gathered around the Werewolf Royal Court, including about twenty thousand of Wade's direct 'Split-Claw' elites. They have used caves, dense forests, and steep cliffs to build multi-layered defenses, and have stockpiled a large amount of rolling logs and boulders; it looks like they intend to defend to the death."

Yilman lowered his telescope, his expression calm. "It is merely a trapped beast struggling. Do they think they can block the magic crystal cannon and the torrent of steel by relying on the terrain?" A cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Pass the order down: all units are to rotate for rest according to plan, but maintain the highest level of alert. The engineering battalion is to continue advancing, building forward artillery positions and solid outposts on the edge of the buffer zone. Additionally, have the Mage Corps step up the drawing of detailed magic maps of the opposite mountains, marking all possible passages, water sources, and weak points."

"Yes!" The adjutant took the order, then hesitated for a moment. "General, why has the Werewolf King not appeared yet?"

This was also the doubt of Evan and the others; they had been fighting for several months, and the Werewolf King had not shown his head yet.

"I think he must be attempting a Breakthrough!" Yilman pondered. "I have long heard that the Werewolf King was very close to Legendary, so I estimate he has been forced to take a risk and go into seclusion to attempt a Breakthrough to Legendary!"

"What if he succeeds, we..."

A Legendary figure is enough to end this war!

Yilman ordered, "Notify General Clay and have him report this matter to the Lord! With Lady Destiny here, even if he luckily breaks through to Legendary, so what?"

Destiny was currently the greatest source of confidence for everyone in the Star Sea Territory.

...

Unlike the stalemate on the Eastern Front, the advancement in the direction of the western coast could be called rapid.

After successfully destroying the coastal defense line hastily built by the Goblin and Centaur coalition, the Marine Corps led by Ocean and a portion of the Star-Moon Legion that landed subsequently, using East Sea City as a logistics base, advanced triumphantly westward along the relatively flat coastal plains and river valleys.

The Goblin tribe was known for bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and for being cunning and cowardly. After witnessing the world-destroying power of the main magic crystal cannon and the terrifying ability of Ocean to manipulate seawater, their will to resist was weak. Although the Centaur tribe was brave and highly mobile, under the circumstances of losing the reliance of solid fortifications and facing the tight formation and long-range firepower advantage of the Star Sea Army, it was difficult to organize effective resistance. Often, just as the Star Sea Army routed a Centaur charge, the Goblins would flee at the sight of the wind, dragging the Centaurs along and forcing them to retreat as well.

Under such a trend, the Dragon Scale Knights, this elite heavy cavalry force, played a crucial role. They did not participate in frontal assaults, but roamed on the flanks of the battlefield. Once they discovered the enemy attempting to assemble or chaos appearing in the retreat route, they would launch a charge like lightning. The knights fully covered in rune heavy armor and the equally armored warhorses charged on the plains like a torrent of steel, enough to tear apart any unorganized alien force. In several key battles, it was the timely intervention of the Dragon Scale Knights that completely crushed the Orc coalition's attempt to counterattack, accelerating their collapse.

In three months, the Western Front army had advanced more than five hundred kilometers in the direction of Laixi Deep Province, controlling several important river valleys and coastal corridors, and establishing more than a dozen military stations and forward bases along the way, embedding the influence of the Star Sea Territory deeply into this land.

At this moment, the main force of the Western Front was stationed in a newly built fortress named "West-Looking Fort." From here, one could already look out and see the outline of the mountains on the eastern border of Laixi Deep Province. Generals such as Ocean, Angus, and Karl were studying a map in the Council Hall inside the fort, discussing the next strategy.

"According to the latest intelligence, further ahead is the 'Gravel Wasteland,' which is the traditional hunting ground of several large Ogre tribes and Manticore groups. The environment is harsh, and supplies are difficult." Angus pointed to a yellow-marked area on the map. "Our advancement speed needs to be appropriately slowed down to consolidate the existing defense line and digest the occupied areas, while simultaneously dispatching elite squads and air forces to conduct detailed reconnaissance of the wasteland."

"What is there to fear?" Ocean gulped down a mouthful of ale indifferently. "Ogres have thick skin and thick flesh, but their brains don't work well; Manticores can fly, which is a bit troublesome, but don't we have Griffons and mages? If you ask me, let's push through in one go and open the passage to Laixi Deep Province earlier; that would be satisfying!"

Karl analyzed steadily: "General Ocean, do not underestimate the enemy. The Gravel Wasteland has complex terrain, filled with poisonous swamps and hallucinogenic gases; it is too risky for the army to enter rashly. What the Lord wants is steady expansion, not adventurous rushing. I agree with General Angus's opinion: suspend large-scale offensives and turn to consolidation and reconnaissance. At the same time, we can send diplomatic envoys to try to contact those wasteland tribes; perhaps we can divide and disintegrate them, subduing the enemy without fighting."

Although Ocean had a heroic personality, he was not a reckless man who could not listen to opinions, especially in front of two experienced veteran generals. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and nodded. "Fine, you have considered it thoroughly. Let's do that then. However, send more capable hands to the reconnaissance team; I will lead the team to the edge of the wasteland myself to see exactly how many heads those Ogres have!"