Chapter 610: Stone Forest, Sand Sea
Translator: YH Editor: TYZ, CakeHermit
After the day's thrilling battles, everyone's tensed nerves could finally relax and tiredness was like the tide, coming in waves. Everyone gradually became sleepy after drinking the elemental soup. Soon enough, the pagoda cannoneers tottered around and waves of snores could be heard.
Fatty did not rest. He leaned over the muzzle of the Beehive Heavy Cannon and inspected the inner tube. He couldn't help but frown and muttered to himself, "There is a crack? It really hurt the cannon so much?"
Fatty bared his teeth and felt the pinch.
The Beehive Heavy Cannon was costly. Without paying for it by plundering the people previously, they could not have produced it.
Fatty liked to take advantage of others and was stingy. He was a famous penny-pincher. He saw that after using the Beehive Heavy Cannon for only twelve rounds, cracks had already appeared. He immediately felt the pinch and even the joy of the day's victory was diminished.
Zu Yan heard and said, "Do you want to change to a new batch?"
He was Fatty's assistant now.
Previously, the arrogant Zu Yan would have felt insulted. His teacher was Le Buleng and he had reached the master level much earlier than Fatty. Whichever angle you looked from, neither party was on the same level. Even if they were to swap positions and make Fatty his assistant, he would still be disgusted with this damned lazy and cowardly Fatty.
But now, Zu Yan was convinced.
He was indebted to Fatty as he hadn't abandoned him when they were in danger. So now, how could Zu Yan disregard their friendship? Because of this, the arrogant Zu Yan became an assistant to Fatty.
In addition, the more time they spent together, the more Zu Yan would notice Fatty's capabilities. Fatty was usually timid and tended to be at a loss and unable to react correctly when in danger; however, he would always show a fierce and decisive side when pushed to the wall.
Fatty was sharp, alert, and would hide whenever he sensed something wrong. This was his way of protecting himself, but once he understood that he could no longer hide, he would fight with determination and resort to all kinds of unsavory tricks which would surprise others.
In order to survive, Fatty couldn't care less and would be even more unscrupulous.
In contrast, Zu Yan found himself just like the flowers in the greenhouse; they looked gorgeous, but were in fact vulnerable and fragile.
The dedicated Zu Yan was undoubtedly an excellent assistant as he was born in an aristocratic family, making him well-informed and knowledgeable. In terms of innate skill and wisdom, Zu Yan was like a weakened version of Duanmu Huanghun. Seeking revenge for the extermination of his entire family, suffering the pain of being sealed in the freezing ice for years, and learning what Le Buleng taught both in words and by example all made Zu Yan even more resolute and decisive.
Since he had attained the right state of mind, he rapidly became more mature.
Fatty shook his head repeatedly. "Don't have to, we can still stick with it for a while. We gave them such a huge surprise today, without figuring out the situation, they would not dare to attack us again so soon."
Zu Yan agreed with Fatty's judgement.
Shortly after, Sang Zhijun shouted at Fatty and Zu Yan to attend the meeting discussing how to deal with the enemy the next day.
Upon arrival, Fatty and Zu Yan found that Silver Soldier and Karakorum Polaris were already there. One after another, everyone congratulated Fatty and teased him a little.
The cheerful atmosphere soon vanished and everyone became serious.
Today's war had been just an appetizer. Despite the big surprise they had prepared for the God Wolf Division, it was far from enough to force them to retreat.
For tomorrow's battle, the other party will certainly come up with all kinds of countermeasures.
As expected, the next day's battle was unusually fierce.
At the front of the defensive line, fresh red smoke filled the field, completely blocking everyone's vision. This red smoke not only contained the blood poison, but was also very concentrated. The pagoda cannoneers' vision was affected and their power output was greatly reduced.
From time to time, the broadback batfish would rush out without warning from the rich blood mist and send a flurry of attacks at the pagoda cannon.
The enemy's attack was not only limited to the God-subduing Peak defended by the Spear of Heavy Cloud, the other three God-subduing Peaks were also under attack. In contrast, the Infantry Division's situation was the best. They were originally the division that specialized in close quarter combat and what more, with Wang Xiaoshan's guidance, were as steady as a rock.
Wang Xiaoshan's standard of battlefield construction was improving each day. The earth was like soft mud in his hands and could be manipulated at his will. The jagged, criss-crossed corridors and the uneven terrain were at the right height for soldiers to jump up and down. In addition, there were grotesquely shaped arches covered with sharp ridges. They were just like giant sturdy rock thistles.
Soldiers were very dexterous in such terrain, but it was difficult for the huge bodies of the broadback batfish to pass through. What was more amazing was that these peculiar arches, when damaged, would repair themselves spontaneously.
Once a broadback batfish fell to the ground, the quicksand would make it sink down under.
This was what Wang Xiaoshan had completed overnight specifically to counter the enemy based on yesterday's attack. He named it [Stone Forest, Sand Sea].
[Stone Forest, Sand Sea] was not impregnable, but it could bring big trouble to the broadback batfish. This brought great help to the Infantry Division; it could even be said that they complemented one another.
The Sky Edge Division was in a much worse situation, but Karakorum Polaris was no ordinary person. Although it was difficult for her to accept Ai Hui's so-called Pagoda Style, she was unique in her swordsmanship. The large number of sword formations she laid out around Sky Edge Division contained her enlightenment of swordsmanship accumulated throughout the years.
Karakorum Polaris was determined to compile the swordsmanship encyclopedia. She did not forget her wishes, regardless of how uncertain the situation was, and her diligence towards swordsmanship never stopped.
She might not be an excellent division leader, but was definitely an outstanding swordsman.
Sky Edge Division's God-subduing Peak was gorgeous. The countless sharp swords looked like groups of dazzling silver knife fish swimming around the God-subduing Peak. If you looked closely, the sharp swords would change irregularly within the light flow, mysterious and complex.
Despite this, the broadback batfish had thick skin and flesh. Excepting their heads, their bodies were not really affected by the injuries. The broadback batfish were often covered with bloody holes, yet they could still roar and continue to rush towards the God-subduing Peak.
Fortunately, the pagoda cannon formations above them noticed this situation and quickly supported with artillery fire. Only then did they manage to withstand that wave of attack.
The second day's battle was absolutely challenging and everyone was exhausted.
The number of broadback batfish invested by the enemy was much lower than the previous day, but the attacks were more random and harder to pin down.
After a day of violent battle, the enemy finally retreated.
Regardless of how tired everyone was, they reassembled to discuss how to deal with the next day's battle.
Fatty looked awful and did not have the previous day's victorious spirit. He said softly, "We must find a way to counter the blood mist, or else the advantage of our pagoda cannons will be significantly weakened. Today, a lower number of broadback batfish were sent out compared to yesterday, but the threat is greater and everyone is under more pressure. Not solving the blood mist problem will make us very vulnerable."
Everyone nodded. They could all tell where the problem was from today's situation.
However, how could they solve the blood mist problem; no one knew where to start.
Before today, nobody had experienced the blood mist.
Xiao Shan suddenly said, "I know a little about the blood mist."
All turned toward Xiao Shan with expectation. They remembered that he was from the Surveillance Division, which was also the intelligence division.
Shi Xueman said seriously, "Please advise us."
The reason why Xiao Shan had rushed over was because he'd seen that they were beset by the blood mist. He was a guy who did not spout nonsense and told them right away, "The blood mist refined by Beast Venom Temple totals up to over fifty different types, but at present, there are three types which were granted to the combat divisions."
Upon hearing that there were over fifty types of blood mist, everybody's expression turned somewhat sour, but as they continued to listen they were able to heave a sigh of relief.
Everyone got excited. As expected, he was worthy of having been a big shot in the Surveillance Division, considering his detailed explanations.
Understanding yourself and your enemy is the basis of victory on a battlefield. Everyone strained their ears to listen for fear of missing out on any important information.
"The three types are called Scarlet Mist, Intoxicated Beauty, and Heavenly Concubine. These three concoctions are difficult to scout out, but we do somewhat understand their effects. The Scarlet Mist is the most commonly seen and most dense. It's concentrated, but the toxicity is the least out of the three types. Also, its biggest strength is its ability to withstand wind. No matter how strong the wind, it will be incapable of dispersing the Scarlet Mist. I suspect that what the enemy used today was Scarlet Mist. For Intoxicated Beauty, it's mist is indistinct and has a strong hallucinogenic effect. As long as a minute strand of mist is inhaled, you will be poisoned. Lastly, the Heavenly Concubine's colour is the most faint, almost colourless. Its toxicity is, however, the strongest, and the victims poisoned by it look very terrifying."
Xiao Shan paused for a short while before continuing, "Speaking of which, I am ashamed. Although we were aware of the three types of blood mist, we did not really research them."
The thought of the Surveillance Division focusing on Sky Heart City's internal strife while neglecting their research on the enemy caused Xiao Shan to feel ashamed of himself.
A simple piece of information might decide the fate of countless people on the battlefield.
Just when everyone was feeling rather disappointed, Xiao Shan inhaled deeply. "However, I can still remember seeing an item which had been provided by Beast Venom Temple. It was pertaining to the important points regarding the application and storage of Scarlet Mist. Among those points there was an exceptionally important one, which was to not use water."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Jiang Wei replied, "Could it be possible that it cannot come into contact with water?"
Shi Xueman gave a clear-cut reply, "Let's test it out tomorrow."
The most worrying factor was that they were completely clueless about the enemy's strategy. Knowing a little more would also grant them a slight advantage.
Shi Xueman was originally a water elementalist and she immediately thought of a few methods which they could try out.
Fatty abruptly said, "I have an opinion."
Everyone turned their attention towards Fatty.
Fatty continued, "Today's enemy's scouting was undoubtedly successful. It is certain that their confidence has increased and that tomorrow's attack will be even more intense. I was thinking, maybe we could reverse the strategy of the blood mist and only mobilizing it at the crucial point. This will give the enemy another surprise."
As he completed his last sentence, Fatty's speech subconsciously had a tinge of ruthlessness in it.
It seemed that everyone needed to be re-acquainted with Fatty. The Fatty in front of them was just like a compulsive gambler on the gambling table. Was this the same cowardly and cautious Fatty they knew?
Fatty, who had been boiling with rage, was sized up by everyone. He became embarrassed all of a sudden. "Haha, I was just speaking my mind. Please don't mind me."
All of a sudden, Shi Xueman spoke, "I support this opinion!"
Everyone's gazes were involuntarily attracted to her.
Shi Xueman smiled. "It's a little risky, but think about it from another perspective. Are our opponents ready? To throw in all the stakes on the third day of battle?"
Fatty's eyes brightened, shining.