It was mid-July, and Mila, who had finally gotten used to the increasingly hotter weather and the need to be cautious when getting up in the middle of the night to keep watch during the day, encountered the third factor that made her tired of summer.
——Cicada.
Although there were some early cicadas chirping at the end of June, in mid-July, a large number of annoying arthropods began to appear in large numbers, chirping day and night, driven by the sultry tropical climate of Thoradin. It is still as successful as in previous years, causing great trouble to the local residents.
Although the large number of cicadas has also provided a stable source of protein for a period of time for most local residents who do not have enough food, many people do not have the intention to catch cicadas and are not interested in eating bugs. For our Luoan girl who is somewhat resistant, these guys don't have much effect other than making her irritated and stressed due to lack of rest.
The world is colorful and sunny, but the four of them don't have the intention to appreciate it at this moment.
The horses' hooves trampled on the dry and hard soil, raising a trail of smoke and dust. From that day in early July to now, it had been more than a week since there had been any rain. The increasingly muggy air, along with a host of other signs, point to a coming superstorm of unprecedented proportions. The pedestrians on the road were a little restless, and the merchants were driving their carriages desperately for fear of losing their money this time. Mira watched these people silently. All this was very similar to the previous scene, but now she has also I no longer have the mood to worry about other people.
At the end of the conflict with the knights of the Holy See, Henry said that he roughly knew what was going on, but he did not take the initiative to explain afterwards. However, the three people in the team all have some brains. Needless to say, Mira, Emonica and Joshua have gradually understood the sage's behavior during their interactions with each other during this period of time.
If the problem can be solved by telling everything, then he will naturally do so. The current situation is still unclear for the time being. Making judgments requires clues as a basis. Even Henry, a sage, cannot make something out of nothing. The direction of the entire situation can be deduced from just one contact.
——But if he just ran away passively, he would no longer be the man who brought a victory to Avenella with just a few words.
After a brief meeting with the Holy See knights, a group of four people abandoned the road outside under the leadership of Henry. The sage first asked everyone to check the supplies to confirm how much food they had, and then entered the forest path.
Their progress became slower, and by the third day they had only covered half a day's journey.
Cautious action step by step was only one aspect. Although the real resting place was located deeper, Henry allowed the four people in his group to leave footprints on the road. He used a knife to cut off the thick branches of the Aika black pine beside the road. He used those dense needle-like leaves to carefully clean up the footprints of everyone heading deeper, and then spent a lot of time leaving a building on the other side. Traces of the camp.
The campfires and food they used, and even the clearings they cleared when setting up camp were carefully handled somewhere by the sage. These details were made so realistic that only the rest of the team Only then did the three of them realize that they had never been to those places to camp.
Why he did this could be figured out by the other members of the team who were not too dull. Instead of passively waiting for the other party to come to your door, it is better to set a trap to see who has objections to your group. Use knowledge and calm thinking to proactively plan and get the situation back under your control. This is something that those stupid people who will always just run around in a mess waiting for the other party to bump into and start fighting will obviously never learn.
The most valuable thing of a sage may not be his knowledge or fighting ability. Mira thought: When people encounter unclear things, they often fall into confusion and even choose to start blaming each other and fighting among themselves. But in fact, if they are willing to use their heart, Nothing is really that difficult when it comes to solving it. Calm down and seek the cause and effect relationship, analyze the whole problem clearly and then choose the entry point, and then achieve your goal step by step - Henry's thinking mode is what they have done so far. The root cause of so many things we have encountered can be solved.
Knowledge and combat ability are important, after all, without these things, even if the problem can be solved, it will definitely take longer. But if people who also have a certain degree of combat effectiveness and some knowledge always just "take it for granted" and "take it for granted" according to inertial thinking before getting enough information, the probability of screwing up the matter is obviously higher than the probability of solving everything smoothly. Much higher.
Calm and rational, simple and effective, just like the battle of the wise. Mira thought: What she lacks the most is these things. When encountering a battle, it is still easy to be swayed by some overly subjective thoughts in her heart. This must be changed more.
The headache caused by falling heavily to the ground lasted for several days, but the failure brought not only frustration and pain. The girl became stronger and stronger amidst dizziness and irritability, and her ability to withstand pressure increased with this trip. Traveling increases further and one becomes more acute in many aspects.
The cicada was still chirping, "Cicada~Cicada~" and kept chirping. The weather is still very sultry. The temperature in the cool and windy places under the trees has reached over 30 degrees. The unblocked road outside is exposed to direct sunlight and has reached temperatures that can burn exposed skin.
It has been several months since she came to the south of the West Coast. Her Luoan white skin, which was originally lighter than that of traditional West Coasters, could not help but begin to turn into a slightly darker wheat color under the bright tropical sun. The calluses all over her finger joints and palms serve as witnesses to the girl's stubborn character.
"Swiss--" His bare arms touched the green grass, and a cool feeling came over him. Many tiny insects were scurrying around under the cool surface--the bushes in the tropics are not as friendly as those in the temperate zone, and they are not as big as in the temperate zone. There are hundreds of species of poisonous insects the size of your thumb that can kill people, and even some frogs and plants are extremely toxic.
It is common sense for people traveling to carry some anti-parasitic powder with them. After all, detoxification materials are expensive and doctors are hard to find, so it is better to take precautions from the beginning, which will save time and effort.
Mash dried pyrethrum and some other plant fruits and flowers together and then use malt liquor as a catalyst. The finished powder has a strong repelling effect on all kinds of insects. When using it in the wild, you can protect yourself in a short time by mixing it with some water and applying it on the exposed skin. However, when sleeping at night, it is best to light a bonfire because of the duration.
The continuous chirping of cicadas explains the meaning of "tranquility" to another extent. Mira is lying on the edge of a cliff that is not too high. Next to her is Henry, and further back is Emmanica. , Joshua and two horses.
This small cliff with a drop of only about six meters is located a little deeper on the side of Corey Conrad's road leading to the dock. The traces that Henry has deliberately left for several days seem to be about to take effect, so The sage led a group of people to stop here and lie in wait, ready to see who those who were following him were.
He was as skillful as ever in grasping timing, and the various clues he deliberately left behind on his journey over the past few days revealed a lot of information to the trackers: scattered campsites that were not carefully selected and surrounded by enemies looked like the choice of a novice, and they burned up. The location of the campfire and the remains of food that had not been carefully handled - these things are very similar to the traces left by the group before the attack, and they were still like this after the attack. In the interpretation of the trackers, they naturally became Got:
"These people were completely unprepared. They thought the attack was just one, and they didn't expect it would happen again."
People who try to deduce the state and reason through clues meet the master of this way. The message was left behind in a deliberate attempt. These people who didn't know the reason thought it was the truth they had discovered by relying on their own abilities, but they never thought that they were under Henry's control from the beginning.
This is a game of playing with people's hearts, and the sage is the winner.
"Coming." He said softly. The group had spent some time exploring the terrain here before. Joshua, who knew the response plan, slowly drew out his sword behind him. He was blind. The flaw meant that if an emergency occurred, it would be impossible to arrive in time. Therefore, after Henry confirmed the number of people coming, Joshua should take the first step to use the cover of shrubs and grass to explore the previously explored roads to the predetermined location. wait. Then the sage and Mira went down from the other side, attacking from both sides to prevent anyone from escaping.
The opponent obviously has an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers. The ambush on this cliff that is easy to defend and difficult to attack is not only for the benefit of occupying the commanding heights and being easy to observe. If the people coming are not only large in number, but also have great consequences in terms of equipment and personnel composition. If they have the advantage, they can also choose to evacuate directly and fight another day.
Returning to the original point, there are only eleven people on the other side, and judging from the prairie horses they ride, it can be understood that they do not carry too heavy equipment. Six of them had shields and swords, and the rest had short knives and long bows. They wore short-sleeved leather armor with good heat dissipation. Without helmets, they looked exactly like scouts. Henry and Mira decisively followed. The other side rushed down.
"Be careful." The sage turned around to remind. The Luoan girl nodded cautiously. She had not forgotten the consequences of underestimating the enemy last time - her configuration this time was a bit unique, using one and a half hands. The sword plus the previously captured shield.
This is of course not a close combat match. Although the half-handed sword is designed to be used as a one-handed sword and a two-handed sword at the same time, only a fool would actually use it with a shield. The excessively long handle and overall length make it difficult to use the one-and-a-half-handed sword with one hand. In addition, the girl is still young and lacks physical strength. If she wants to use this set to fight in close combat, it is obviously no different from death.
So what is the use of a shield in such a situation - very simple, it is used to... block attacks.
——There will be more than just melee weapons on the battlefield. Different from the specialized small-sized fighting shields, the huge area of the traditional round shields and square shields is not a futile burden as some people think. In fact, the existence of any tool has its own meaning, and the best thing about a cheap product like a shield is its excellent defensive effect when facing bows and arrows.
"Pa-ta--" The two of them walked out without hiding their traces. Since the scouts in this group have the ability to equip all their horses, it is obvious that they cannot be the same low-level green mercenaries used as cannon fodder- -The opponent immediately realized that this was a trap. Several archers quickly set up their bows and shot arrows. Henry, who had superior physical ability, rushed out with an arrow, while our Luoan girl quickly raised her shield to cover herself as planned.
"Whoosh--whoosh--" "Woo-woo--!" The arrow that pierced the surface of the thick wooden shield passed through a black iron arrowhead. As promised, Mira did not advance but retreated and used the trees to protect herself. . She arched her body and raised the shield weighing several kilograms above her head to protect her face. The powerful arrows were fired one after another. Of course, the archers did not forget the existence of Henry who rushed out from the other side, but running The fast sage was as sharp as a common gazelle in the grassland area. Several arrows missed one after another. The archers who were distracted by Mira for a while reacted but it was already too late——
Henry quickly rushed to their side and turned back.
"Up!" The shield-wielding scout drew out the one-handed sword from his waist and faced him decisively. Henry quickly changed the way he exerted force with his feet. Each step became heavier. When he predicted the distance and was about to engage the enemy, he kicked hard. Taking advantage of the momentum from running, he unsheathed the sword with one hand and made a high-level angry slash.
"Wha——!!" A sharp sound broke through the air, a familiar scene, and the opponent who misjudged the sage's power looked at him holding the sword with only one hand and trying to block with a shield instead of dodging - as a result, he could only use To describe it as unbearable.
"Crack!" Under the huge impact, the cowhide edge was torn off and the shield directly cracked into two halves. The fragile leather armor was completely unable to withstand a weapon of this size. Blood spattered everywhere as the scout holding the sword reacted. Before coming here, he lost his left half of his body and his life. Henry drew out his sword and took two steps back to avoid the enemies attacking from both sides. Then he held the sword with one hand and struck again.
"Clang-Crack!" He didn't need to use any skills at all. Just his strength and weapon size were enough to suppress the group of several scouts. The archers clearly noticed that the situation was not good. The situation deteriorated faster than they imagined, but they wanted to support Henry but dodged around and never gave them a chance to aim. Three of the archers impatiently dropped their longbows and drew out their daggers, trying to get behind the sage and surround him. However, it was at this moment that Joshua rushed in at a very high speed from not far away. come over.
"Damn it!" The remaining two archers discovered Joshua's presence as soon as they fired another arrow at Mira. They set their bows and arrows again and planned to aim at the red-haired swordsman, but they realized that the opponent would no longer attack. His own white-haired girl immediately dropped her scarred shield and rushed out of her hiding place.
"Joshua, be careful!" Emmanica's worried voice sounded from above. The remaining scouts, who were already frightened, immediately began to panic again. Since they could be sent to track them, it was obviously for the four of them. There is some knowledge, but after the series of reactions at the beginning of the battle, it seems that this "knowledge" is only superficial.
Adding to the chaos, Henry successfully kicked over a scout and turned to face the archers who were trying to sneak attack. Joshua's strong fighting instinct despite his blindness also proved that Emonica's worries were correct. It was of great significance. The moment he heard the sound of the bow string tightening, he jumped forward decisively and rolled over. Although he couldn't see clearly what was on the ground and was covered with grass juice and mud, he looked a little embarrassed. He also successfully rushed over to meet the sword and shield scouts who were forced back by Henry.
"Pa-ta--" Three swords were swung out with one hand in one second. The first strike was a feint and was retracted instantly when it touched the edge of the shield; the second strike was judged by the sound of the wind and hit the opponent in its approximate direction. The opponent's exclamation in this situation pointed the direction for Joshua's third sword to stab accurately.
"Crack--" He drew out the bloody sword tip and turned around, while Henry on the other side brutally opened the opponent's shield and directly stabbed the opponent with a big sword to his heart's content.
One has black hair and the other has red hair, one is fierce and cruel, the other is fast and accurate. If these two people are not combined at a high level and have opponents with good armor, the number of people at this level is just a statistic related to the end time-it was only when Mira started to rush towards this side. Two people died, and when she ran here, only two of the eleven people were left.
"Huh..." the girl breathed out, her expression a little complicated, and Henry said to the scout who was disarmed by him: "We have something to think about-"
"Uh--" The scarred scout's expression turned pale, and then he took out a dagger and stabbed it straight into his heart. His movements were so fast that even the sage could not successfully stop "La--" The other side The remaining archer opened his longbow, and the sage pushed away Joshua, who was on the other side of Mira. He also jumped away reflexively, but the man smiled slightly and pointed the longbow toward the sky.
"Stop him!" Henry shouted when he realized something was wrong. Joshua pierced the heart with a sword like lightning, but the long arrow pointing straight upward had already risen into the air.
"Woo-woo-woo-" a loud whistle echoed in the sky.
"Sounding arrow... This guy is sending a signal to the follow-up troops. I don't know what it is exactly, but most likely the trouble we will face will become bigger..." "Stab-" Joshua drew out his long sword. , Henry stood there and muttered a few words, and then as if he thought of something, he stepped forward and opened the thin leather chest of the sword and shield hand who committed suicide.
"..." On his chest, which was soaked in his own blood, the tattoo of the divine emblem was left with blue paint.
"That's really what happened..." (To be continued.)
