53: The Allied Forces Formed, Their Strategic Maneuvering Begins to Show Its Power (Part 2)

The smooth establishment of the core command structure laid a solid foundation for the integration of the Coalition Army. Lin Zhou knew well that merely having a core was insufficient; the dozens of forces of varying sizes outside needed to be truly unified. This required both strategy and a display of strength.

The next two days were the critical period for the formation of the entire Coalition Army.

Under Lin Zhou's instruction, the Coalition Army Command (temporarily established at Furnace Fortress) issued a series of orders and measures:

First, establishing rules and clarifying rewards and punishments.

Elwin personally drafted the concise and essential “Coalition Army Wartime Regulations,” centered around Legalist thought and combined with the actual situation.

The regulations stipulated the command authority at all levels, norms for marching and camping, principles for war spoils distribution (based on military contribution), and strict battlefield discipline (such as those who flee battle or disregard orders being stripped of distribution rights and expelled from the Coalition Army; serious offenders could be jointly sanctioned by the Command).

These regulations were publicly displayed to all Coalition Army members, ensuring openness and transparency. They provided a code of conduct for the habitually undisciplined examinees and prevented potential future disputes.

Second, reorganizing the troops and optimizing configuration.

Under the combined pressure of the three core figures—Lin Zhou, Su Yueyao, and Zhao Hao—all examinees who joined the Coalition Army were required to report the detailed types, numbers, Rank, specialties, and equipment status of their Dependents.

Based on this information, the Command began preliminary reorganization:

All melee physical units (such as Mountain Giant, Wolf Riders, Dwarf Warriors, etc.) were mixed and grouped. Bronzebeard Stonehammer (after his injuries stabilized) and a Black Dragonkin Overseer under Zhao Hao were jointly responsible for training and command, emphasizing coordinated combat and formation.

All ranged units (Elf Archers, Gnome Ballista, some Spellcasting Units, etc.) were centrally dispatched, overseen by Eagle Eye Balend and a Moon God Priest brought by Su Yueyao, emphasizing fire coverage and precise strikes.

All auxiliary, healing, and engineering units (Flower Fairy, Underground Gnomes, Mechanical Goblins, etc.) were organized into the Logistics and Support Legion, coordinated by Clever Hands Mibo and Li Mo (Consciousness Projection), responsible for healing, trap setting, equipment maintenance, and so on.

A Joint Reconnaissance Squad was formed, led by Snik Shadowclaw, with members including Ratman Thieves, Shadow Leopards, Moon Elf Ranger, etc., responsible for frontline reconnaissance, infiltration, and counter-reconnaissance.

This reorganization, which broke the boundaries between examinees, initially met with some resistance. Some examinees were unwilling to have their Dependents commanded by outsiders. However, due to the Command's firm stance and the promise that military contributions would be tracked precisely to the individual (assisted by the faith connection between deities for statistics), most people chose to comply. After all, everyone knew that a scattered group could not challenge a Lich.

Third, flexing their muscles and boosting morale.

Under Lin Zhou's arrangement, the Coalition Army conducted a small-scale Joint Exercise.

During the exercise, Zhao Hao's Young Golden Dragon demonstrated terrifying Dragon Breath and Melee Combat Ability, destroying a simulated Sturdiness Fortification with a single blow.

Su Yueyao's Moon God Priests jointly cast [Moonlight Rain], whose area-of-effect healing and purification effects brought all participating Dependents back to full status, and the restraining effect on Negative Energy was particularly significant.

On Lin Zhou's side, the Literary Heart Elves phalanx led by Elwin used Vast Righteous Qi to activate the [Morale Like a Rainbow] Battle Formation, significantly boosting the attack, defense, and morale of friendly forces within the range; the Dwarf Heavy Infantry phalanx led by Bronzebeard demonstrated how to use the Silent as the Forest formation to withstand the charge of several times their number of “undead” (simulated by Illusion Magic) without budging.

The formidable strength and exquisite coordination displayed by these three core allies greatly intimidated the examinees who still harbored private reservations, and the overall morale and confidence of the Coalition Army received an unprecedented boost! Everyone realized that this Coalition Army truly had the power to contend with the Lich!

Fourth, resource sharing to strengthen the whole.

Lin Zhou made a decision that surprised and impressed everyone. He publicly released the Simplified Formula for the Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder (removing the core undead moss fragments, which weakened the effect but was sufficient to prevent and treat minor infections), and allowed the Apothecaries within the Coalition Army to learn how to refine it. At the same time, Furnace Fortress's workshops began offering limited equipment maintenance and enhancement services to the Dependents within the Coalition Army who needed them (mainly Black Iron Equipment plating, etc.).

This measure truly implemented the concept of a “Community of Shared Interests,” greatly enhancing the cohesion and sense of belonging within the Coalition Army. Even Su Yueyao's gaze toward Lin Zhou held a hint of admiration. Such magnanimity was something ordinary deities could never possess.

Fifth, intelligence sharing and Tactical Deduction.

The Command disclosed all intelligence regarding The Silent Temple—including maps (pieced together from Tracing and reconnaissance), trap speculation, and estimated undead distribution—to all Coalition Army members. They also organized multiple Sandbox Deductions, allowing commanders at all levels to familiarize themselves with the terrain and potential enemy situations, clarifying their respective missions and objectives.

Supported by Lin Zhou's clever maneuvering using the Art of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances, absolute strength, and shared interests, the previously scattered, complex force—composed of dozens of examinees, hundreds of types of Dependents, and totaling over five thousand Combat Units (nearly ten thousand including logistics)—began to integrate with astonishing efficiency, forming a true Coalition Army with unified goals, nascent discipline, and growing coordination!

Although the peak fighting strength of this force still primarily relied on Lin Zhou, Su Yueyao, and Zhao Hao, its overall power was already sufficient to sweep aside any single faction within the Assessment Star Realm, including the former Furnace Fortress!

The Coalition Army's Aura was soaring, and they were eager for battle.

However, on the eve of the Coalition Army's mobilization ceremony, Lin Zhou received urgent intelligence relayed by Snik of the Joint Reconnaissance Squad.

The reconnaissance squad risked approaching the outskirts of The Silent Temple and discovered that undead activity around the temple was unusually frequent. Furthermore, a large number of Undead Artificers were reinforcing the temple's outer defenses and inscribing more Arcane Runes. More importantly, they detected an extremely subtle yet heart-stoppingly powerful Mental Energy emanating from deep within the temple, sweeping over the surrounding area, seemingly searching for something.

“Dominator, that Old Bone seems to have... noticed us!” Snik's voice carried a hint of lingering fear. “Its Mental Energy is terrifying; we were almost discovered!”

Lin Zhou felt a chill in his heart. The Lich was indeed not an Easy Opponent; although the Coalition Army assembled quickly, such a large movement could not be completely hidden from the enemy.

“It might be preparing something, or perhaps... waiting for something,” Su Yueyao's cool voice transmitted via Divine Thought, tinged with solemnity.

Zhao Hao, meanwhile, rubbed his hands together: “What is there to fear! It saves us the trouble of looking for it! If it dares to come out, we'll give it a head-on blow!”

Lin Zhou pondered for a moment and shook his head: “No, we cannot wait passively. The Lich holds the Geographical Advantage and possesses a Sea of Undead and Arcane Traps. The longer we delay, the more advantageous it is for it. It might still be in the preparation stage or have some reservations—that is precisely our opportunity!”

His gaze swept over the map of The Silent Temple hanging inside the Command, finally settling on a flank entrance of the main temple structure.

“The original plan stands! Tomorrow at dawn, the Coalition Army marches out, destination—The Silent Temple!”

“We must take the initiative to attack before it completes its preparations, placing the battlefield right on its doorstep!”

The order was given, and the entire Coalition Army camp, like a massive war machine, began its final operations. Supplies were loaded, weapons sharpened, pre-battle prayers offered... A solemn yet spirited atmosphere permeated Furnace Fortress and its surroundings.

Lin Zhou stood atop the city wall, looking down at the brightly lit, bustling Coalition Army camp below, his heart filled with a mixture of pride and solemnity. This was his first time commanding such a large-scale, Multi-Divine-Domain Coalition Army, and his opponent was unprecedentedly powerful.

The Art of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances had initially displayed its might, gathering forces from all sides under his command.

Next came the clash of true steel, the contest between the Fire of Civilization and the Shadow of Death!

Success or failure hinges on this one action!