Chapter 301: Chapter 298: The Start of War

The disturbance in the small village quickly attracted the attention of the other enforcers. At first, they couldn’t see clearly in the dark, but as they drew closer, vines illuminated by the firelight began to whip and entangle them.

Thick petals turned into gaping maws. From within, the stamens burst forth with coiled mouthparts which, after capturing the village’s invaders, plunged into their heads to stir and suck out the softest nutrients.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A few sporadic gunshots struck the surface of the out-of-control plants. While they tore through some of the tissue, such minor damage was negligible to the main bodies, which continued to erupt and grow.

Even more terrifying, its root system spread and moved with ease through the swamp. When it sensed someone step above, it would decisively burst from the ground and drag the unfortunate soul into the inescapable mire.

"Fire! Burn these damn things!" someone finally shouted, having thought of a potential countermeasure. They struggled to haul oil, coal, and other flammables, spreading them over the swamp beside the road and setting them ablaze.

They threw their oil-soaked torches as far as they could, using the roaring flames as cover to retreat from the small village, some by cart, others on horseback.

In a forest on a nearby hill, the hiding Gray Elves huddled together. A few young boys, their faces still showing their innocence, held spears and stood guard against wild beasts. Among the female Elves, some clutched daggers while others held bows.

The younger children began to fret, and their mouths were quickly covered in the darkness.

"Mama, I’m hungry..."

"We can’t eat yet, sweetie. If we eat now, we’ll be hungry for a long time later."

"So if I don’t eat now, can I eat until I’m full tomorrow?"

The mother didn’t answer, simply holding her child tight and crying silently.

"Look!" The sentry perched high in a tree, keeping watch, was the first to spot the village on fire. He stared with furious eyes, as if the billowing smoke illuminated by the flames was pouring into his own body, his chest heaving in searing agony.

They still didn’t know what had happened to their home. But without a doubt, the thatched huts that once offered shelter from the wind and rain were gone. So too were the lambs and cattle they hadn’t been able to move in time. Some had become nutrients for the rampaging flowers, while others had been carted off by the enforcers’ lackeys from the very beginning.

When the sun rose as usual, all that would await the Elves were charred ruins and a muddy, defiled land.

This was but a microcosm of what was happening across the vast lands of El Island. Since the conquest, all the Gray Elf workshops had been destroyed. They were only permitted to farm, forced to trade their grain for any industrial goods. The Workshop Masters from the main island could trade for El Island’s wheat, meat, and milk at the lowest possible prices, leaving the Gray Elves with barely enough tuberous foods to survive.

To the subjects of the Kingdom on the main island, including other Elves, these "mudbloods" were invisible, unseen by the civilized world. Only when the Rebel Army achieved some "success" would the newspapers remind the "civilized people" that the thriving Kingdom still had these unassimilated "stains."

The "Raw Lobsters’" raids on the villages were sometimes successful, sometimes not. Perhaps no demonic plants would appear, but clever villagers would use tunnels, swamp traps, and other means to cause considerable trouble for the invaders and plunderers.

However, these guerrilla tactics were useless against the Burning Lion Knight Order. Lacking iron, the villagers, armed only with Stone Spears and Stone Arrows, could do little more than make a clanging sound against their Plate Armor. Then, the Knights would laugh maniacally as they swung their blades, cutting the attackers in two.

The army advanced to a county seat in the north of El Island named Belanster.

On the main island, this would only be considered a small town. It had once been glorious, but now, after repeated trampling by the Kingdom, not even one-tenth of its population or ancient buildings remained.

The reconstruction organization on El Island occupied this place. They killed or drove out the administrators, Tax Officers, and Gray Elf traitors sent by the Istani Kingdom. Then, they set up a makeshift government in the post office, linked up with other regions, and declared their intent to establish a council for El Island.

In less than three days, the news had spread throughout El Island.

This once-naive and primitive organization was beginning to imitate the Kingdom, and its influence on other regions of El Island would be immeasurable.

The "Cooked Lobsters" were the main force on the surface. They pushed cannons forward, preparing to bombard the town and break the spirit of those "mudbloods." Meanwhile, the Knight Order lay in ambush near the battlefield, waiting for a bigger target.

The Reconstruction Council’s confidence was said to come from the Rebel Army stationed nearby. The Knight Order and other forces of the Kingdom had tried to search for the enemy’s effective strength in these wretched lands, but the cunning adversaries seemed to be able to hide in the ground like the tubers they ate, rendering all sweeps fruitless.

Since they couldn’t find and eradicate the menace, they decided to besiege the town to lure out and attack any reinforcements. The Kingdom’s army surrounded the town. If the Rebel Army appeared in an attempt to break the siege, the Knights hidden among the regular Lobster Soldiers would mobilize quickly, striving to annihilate these stragglers.

"Sir, will they even come?" one Knight asked, deeply dissatisfied with the arrangement. He yearned for a glorious, all-out charge, not to be skulking in the dark, passively waiting for the enemy to come to them.

In his view, that rabble of "mudbloods" that made up the Rebel Army was unworthy of the Knight Order employing any kind of strategy.

"Follow your orders, Brother Henry," the Knight Commander explained. "For a weak force like this, their only real asset is their familiarity with the terrain. The night amplifies this advantage, so the possibility of a nighttime raid on our forces is extremely high."

To ensure their own ambush remained concealed, they carried no torches, which meant they needed other means to maintain visibility at night.

In addition to gunpowder and other military supplies, Scrolls were also distributed. The Knight Commander noted, "These are top-grade Dark Vision Scrolls. They can last for up to half an hour."

The first squad had twenty men, and it was an incredible luxury for each to be given one.

"You are only to use them on my command!"

"Yes, sir!"

On the surface, the cross-continental Magic Guild maintained a neutral stance on the conflict between Istani and El Island. Occasionally, led by the Tower of Forest, they would cite the Gray Elves’ connection to the origins of Natural Spells and jump out to issue "grave concerns" and "strong condemnations."

As for how the Knight Order managed to acquire the best Magic Scrolls and use them in their violent subjugation of El, that was a matter not to be discussed in public.

A similar scene was taking place simultaneously at a Rebel Army outpost.

"Take these. I don’t need to teach you how to activate them, do I?" the Elf Commander said, taking Scrolls from a locked chest. There were Invisibility Technique, Hypnosis, and Spirit Armor Skill Scrolls, as well as some for low-level Illusion Techniques.

The "mysterious seller" was very meticulous—none of the Scrolls, Potions, or other items sold to either the Knight Order or the Rebel Army were for flashy spells with obvious visual or auditory effects.

It would be far too awkward if a Blast Fireball went off during a battle between the two armies, revealing the source instantly.

"We’re Elves. Why are we using human Magic?" a rookie protested. In his simple worldview, anyone without pointed ears was an enemy.

To foster unity, many among the Gray Elves promoted the superiority of their own race, attempting to forge their people into a force that could stand against the Kingdom through hatred and pride.

The commander patiently explained, "Isn’t it a fine thing to use human Magic to kill humans? Besides, Magic doesn’t recognize race. Humans were able to turn our ancient magic into their Natural System, so we should also learn and use their Magic."

"For the sake of victory, we must use every tool at our disposal. Every last pence in our war chest was painstakingly saved and donated by our brethren to support this great cause."

"They support us even when they don’t have enough to eat themselves. We must make good use of the precious Scrolls we’ve obtained in exchange, use them at critical moments to protect ourselves and kill more of the enemy."