170: The decisive moment (VII)

"No, it won't work."

Wizard Wizard Moshat shook his head, saying with a hint of helplessness.

"I used my Blood Crow clone to investigate thoroughly."

"The Wizards from Plant Heart Academy must have prepared in advance. They lit bonfires on all four sides of the hill and are using special blowers to continuously pump smoke, mixed with something, onto the hill."

"With smoke coming from all four directions—east, west, south, and north—they intend to suffocate us to death here."

"Is there any chance we could also use wizardry to conjure a strong wind, blow the smoke back, and let them suffer their own consequences?"

The giant Wizard Lester proposed.

"Unlikely. Don't hold onto false hope."

"I evaluated their blowers. The wind generated by one of their blowers is equivalent to an Advanced Wizard Apprentice continuously casting wizardry to create wind."

"Even if all of us did nothing but constantly counteract their wind, we wouldn't last half an hour. But theirs are special enchanted items; as long as they have magic stones, they can keep blowing wind indefinitely..."

"Unless we destroy their blowers, anything else we do will be futile..."

"Hmph..."

The giant Lester was furious, unleashing a torrent of criticism at the Blood Cat Wizard.

"How did you, the intelligence officer, monitor things?"

"Such a huge oversight, and you only found out when everyone else discovered the problem."

"What kind of a job is that?"

"This is dereliction of duty. You are the biggest culprit, you..."

..."This isn't my fault either."

"I've been monitoring every reconnaissance point, not daring to relax for a moment."

The Blood Cat Wizard didn't want to take the blame; the burden was too heavy for him. He immediately retorted:

"But the Wizards opposite are very cunning. They used many methods to confuse and mislead, and they specifically set up concealment and cover. Our reconnaissance methods didn't work very well."

"Furthermore, the large numbers of mosquitoes and bloodsucking horseflies they released caused us great commotion. Everyone was busy swatting mosquitoes and clearing bloodsucking horseflies from Blood Rong, which gave the enemy an opportunity."

"This intelligence work would be the same no matter who did it, Wizard Lester. Don't try to pin the blame on me. If you're so capable, you do this intelligence work and let's see how outstanding you are."

"Enough—"

Mentor Dalton roared, interrupting their argument.

"With a formidable enemy at hand, can't you see the situation clearly? What are you arguing about here?"

"Will arguing here solve the enemy problem, or resolve this crisis?"

"I found itching potion and some kind of paralyzing toxin in the smoke. The enemy intends to weaken our combat strength by poisoning us."

"What should we do next? Let's discuss it."

..."What are these toxins? I'm not afraid of them."

"I'm only afraid they'll shamelessly use some messy stuff."

The giant Lester looked as if he was strong and robust and not afraid of poison.

"And this smoke, even if I cover my mouth and nose, without a fresh air supply, no matter how strong my physique, I can only last two hours."

"Yes, the immediate priority is to solve the smoke problem."

"I have no solution either."

The Blood Cat Mask Wizard Wizard Moshat spread his hands, saying helplessly:

"This is an open conspiracy. When we ambushed the Heart of Plants convoy, I was defeated by this smoke that everyone looked down upon."

"At that time, I and dozens of Black Wizards suffered bitterly in the underground cavern for 8 days, suffocated by the smoke, in unbearable pain. We racked our brains but couldn't find a way to solve this smoke problem."

Then Wizard Wizard Moshat sighed again and said:

"The current situation is so similar! We're all trapped in one place, forced to endure their smoke. Life, ah, is another cycle."

"Am I to relive the tragic experience of last time?"

The Blood Cat Wizard Wizard Moshat couldn't help but shiver at the thought of his miserable experience in the cavern last time..."Wizard Wizard Moshat..."

"Since you have experience, why don't you make a prediction? What methods do we have, and how long can we last?"

"Didn't you all last 8 days back then? We only need to hold on for these last 8 hours, and it will be a victory."

Wizard Mo Er Dun's expression was very solemn, but he still looked at the Blood Cat Mask Wizard—Wizard Moshat—with a glimmer of hope.

"Heh heh..."

Wizard Wizard Moshat's smile grew even more bitter. From the moment he discovered the problem, he had done everything he could, including mobilizing everyone on how to deal with the smoke, investigating the source and direction of the smoke, and looking for solutions to the problem, etc... But he had found nothing.

"Mentor Dalton, I dare not deceive you. I have tried everything, but all have failed."

"As for your mention of holding on for 8 hours, I have no hope, because the situation is different. The underground cavern I was in back then was very spacious, so the people from Heart of Plants blew smoke day and night, and it still took them 8 days to force us out."

"But on this small hill, within this mere three to four hundred-meter radius, I think this smoke will last at most three hours before it forces us to our breaking point."

"Now the only way is, if we can't solve the problem, we solve the people who caused the problem."

..."Haha, isn't this great?"

"You have a solution, why are you still frowning?"

The giant Wizard Lester shouted loudly:

"Tell me, who should we deal with? I'll lead the charge."

"This matter is also very difficult, and casualties are definitely unavoidable."

The Blood Cat Wizard—Wizard Moshat—said helplessly:

"That would be to destroy their specially made blowers. However, after my investigation, the Wizards of Plant Heart are very cunning. They have dispersed these blowers widely, and they have clearly set up many wizardry traps around them, and dispatched experts to guard them."

"If we want to destroy the blowers, it will be extremely difficult."

Wizard Mo Er Dun was silent for a moment.

"We cannot be led by the nose by them. This is clearly a trap, just waiting for us to jump into it."

"Alright, Wizard Wizard Moshat, you will be responsible for monitoring every move of the enemy down the mountain, and also think more about how to better break this smoke predicament."

"I will go and gather everyone's ideas to see if we can find a solution to the problem."