Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Standing at 2 meter tall, Violent Dragon was as well-built as a black bear. The fact that he managed to become a legion commander showed that his brain was not just made out of muscle. There was substance in it too.
He said in a low voice, “The Iron Nation has carried out a total of 13 killings. All of them have been successful.”
“They went around the two military fortresses. Our casualties include 33 commanders and 246 soldiers.”
“I also discovered one thing. If they had not brought so many soldiers with them, my subordinates would not have suffered such heavy losses.”
“The assassins from the Iron Nation targeted middle level commanders. Needless to say, their aim is to eliminate the management of the legions, and then attack the core of our military.”
“Based on their actions, we concluded that their rations are limited. It can be said that they will attack soon.”
When he and William entered a house, he did not ask to shake hands again. He pretended as if he had forgotten about the opening gambit. He started to explain the recent assassinations.
William glanced at Violent Dragon’s right hand, which was trembling. He looked at the signs on the map and nodded. “Scouts, patrol troops, grain transport troops. They are all targets of assassinations. Have you thought about ambushing the assassins instead?”
Violent Dragon gritted his teeth. “We did think of it. We even attempted an ambush on the execution team led by Augustine, but it was not effective. We need to have a few strong people for such tasks. They must also be foreign enough. If not, based on how cautious they are, they will definitely guess that it is a trap.”
He pointed at the map. “Due to such a nimble and powerful execution team, the communications between this city and the two military fortresses have been cut off. Dawn Team Leader, do you have any plans?”
William rubbed his chin and thought about it. He had heard about them in his previous life. This execution team was very powerful, but he was unhappy that they fought with brute force. He was afraid that he would bully them too much, and, thus, he had never interacted with them.
But according to the information on the forum, the average level in the execution team was around level 50. The lowest bloodline potential was epic. They would not be easily surrounded.
Most of the nations had similar execution teams, elite teams, and teams of ace killers. Ordinary people were no match for them. They were often tasked with the most key missions, and if they had to kill, the targets would be the most important people. They were a group of crazy and violent killers who could not be stopped.
Moreover, this… was a boss team!
They were similar to the team that William had formed from the elites from each legion to help him slay the dragon.
It was like the 300 Dragon’s blood warriors.
But the commander of the execution team, legendary Augustine, was too powerful.
With the internal strife occurring in the Black Lava Nation, they temporarily could not pick out so many experts to fight against them.
After all, experts did not randomly gather. The execution team of a nation was typically grouped together from different legions.
“Don’t worry, I know where they are hiding…” William pushed away Violent Dragon, who was in shock. He placed three small flags on the sand table.
Violent Dragon took a closer look and immediately understood what William meant. He muttered, “The broken Devil’s Den, the east of Rhine River. Are you serious about the last location?”
“It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not. But let me warn you, don’t act rashly. I know these three locations, but I do not know where they are hiding now.” William picked his eyebrows. The last location was the underground of this city.
No one even knew that there was an underground path beneath this city. It connected to a place five kilometers away.
“I will not alert the enemy, but it is evident that they did not dig this path recently. They dug it up a long time ago for future use. It looks like the Iron Nation has been planning this for a very long time.”
Violent Dragon was stunned. The Black Lava Nation and the Iron Nation had always been enemies, ever since they were established. They initiated raids against each other. They even fought wars to conquer each other.
In the history of the Black Lava Nation, they had almost been eliminated three times. Under those circumstances, they had no choice but to abandon the cities by the border and use the Black Lava Palace to defend against attacks.
It would be understandable if their enemy had dug up the pathway then.
“After all, the three empires have said that wars to conquer human nations cannot last beyond one year. But the Iron Nation already planned for this and made preparations. It seems as if they want to take over the Black Lava Nation in one year.”
William respected the rule that the three human empires had set. The reason why this rule was created was very simple. The empires were worried that the civilians would suffer greatly. They were also afraid that the human professionals would be too exhausted.
The wise men in the empires were very smart. They knew that humans had almost unlimited ambition, and which King did not want power and authority.
If nations continued to fight each other, the humans would be too exhausted. They would not be able to stabilize the legendary continent. Perhaps, their fate may turn out to be like the elves in the past, and they may make a retreat from the prosperous territory in the legendary continent.
Thus, ever since this rule was established, it was not easy for the human nations to start wars.
They were unable to eliminate nations within a year. Other than the goods they had stolen, they had to retreat and return the territories and cities.
But the nations at a disadvantage were nimble. Typically, before war started, they would move the people, wealth, and animals at the cities near the borders away. They did not even leave any fur for their enemies.
In short, if you were unable to eliminate a nation, you would not be able to obtain the greatest benefits. On the contrary, you would exhaust your wealth, resources, and manpower.
Violent Dragon’s head hurt a little. It was unavoidable to have a few spies within the city. While there were no spies in the military fortress, there would be people on guard, watching their every move. As long as the Black Lava Nation sent out large troops, the execution team would definitely be alerted. Thus, it was impossible to surround the three hiding spots at the same time without raising suspicion.
“If you want to eliminate the execution team, there is one possibility.” When Violent Dragon said this, he looked at William.
The corners of the prince’s lips twitched. He quickly waved his hand. “If you want to use me as bait, sure. Tell me what the benefits are.”
“Evidently, you have talked to the King and agreed to get rid of Augustine.” Violent Dragon was somewhat furious. In anger, his fist was again raised. But when William gazed at him, he slowly lowered his fist.
William did not seem to care. “That is a different matter altogether. I talked to him about the eventual results and winnings from the war. If you want to use me as bait to eliminate Augustine, you should prepare some benefits.”
The corners of Violent Dragon’s lips twitched. He had been told that William was a half-elf, and that he was extremely greedy and cunning. Thus, he did not plan to drag on. He simply said, “Then, Dawn Team Leader, please change into our armor. Lead the patrol troops as bait.”
“As for the benefits, let’s start the trade of slaves. What do you think?” Violent Dragon smiled. He thought that he had identified the weak spot of the city lord.
“No!”
William shook his head decisively. He laughed. “I am just the lord of a small city. Why do I need so many people?”
“Then what do you want?” Violent Dragon picked his eyebrows. Wasn’t William the biggest buyer of slaves in the southeast region?
William waved his finger. “I am the leader of a mercenary team. We will go to war in a few days. I have to obtain some benefits for my subordinates, right? Contact your King.”
“…” Violent Dragon looked at his cheeky expression. He could not help but want to hit him. Rationally, this was none of his business.
But William wanted to use this request to disgust him. He did not directly discuss with the stand-in King. He was making things difficult for both of them.
In particular, he knew that Violent Dragon could not drag on for too long…
After some bargaining, they decided on a daily charge for the Dawn Mercenary Team!
10 silver coins per person per day. This did not include experience.
“Not much, not much. If I take two silver coins from each person, with 50 thousand people, everyday, I can earn… ahem. How much was the tax again?” William stretched his fingers and happily went off to become bait.