Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Since it was difficult to draw the spell formations of the Gnomes, Yang Ling was unable to quickly build the magical army that he wanted. He decided to focus his efforts on clearing the Ladak Mountain Range. He was going to analyze the spell formations slowly after obtaining what he needed to begin developing Wissen Town.
With the Gnomes leading the way, Yang Ling no longer had to pretend to be a merchant team as bait. He ordered his army to make their way straight to the nearest aboriginal tribe.
The Gnome army was taking shape after undergoing preliminary training and eliminating those with inadequate physical abilities. Even though they were far from the elite barbarians and elf archers, they were at least better than they had been. They would not charge forward in a disorganized mess at every situation they encountered.
“Sir, in front of us is the Ogre tribe!” The Gnome Elder was a little hesitant after making his way past a short shrub. “The Ogres have thick hides and muscles, and their strength is immense. Are you sure that you want to attack their old nest?”
Even though he knew that Yang Ling was powerful, the Gnome Elder was still fearful when he recalled how terrifying the Ogres were. The Ogres were naturally cruel and merciless, and their tribe was one of the more notorious amongst the nearby tribes. Unless he was left with no choice, he would never willingly go into battle with such a powerful race.
“Hehe, relax! In front of my Magical Beast army, the Ogres won’t be able to withstand a blow!” Seeing the Gnomes getting more and more nervous as they approached the Ogre tribe, Yang Ling summoned his Unicorn to boost their morale.
Even though the battle abilities of the Gnomes were insufficient, they had the numbers advantage. Coupled with their handful of Spellcasters, they were a decent force if commanded well. At the very least, they could be used to attract the attention of the enemy.
Obtaining the greatest amount of benefit for the lowest cost, that was the smartest thing to do!
Even though he was confident that he could charge in with his Magical Beast army alone, Yang Ling did not wish to severely damage his forces just to kill his enemies. Using the Gnomes and his personal guards to attract the attention of the enemies before summoning his Magical Beast army for a surprise attack was the best plan. Of course, it would be even more ideal if he could command his Magical Beast army to set up an ambush and lead the enemy into the radius of his attacks.
A lightning fast battle was the best choice when it came to surprise attacks!
He was definitely unwilling to engage in positional warfare with his powerful enemies. He had spent a considerable amount of effort on every one of his Magical Beasts, and he would not allow a large number of deaths or injuries. Even though he could tame more low level Magical Beasts like the Evil Eyes and Horned Bee Beasts to replenish their numbers, it wasn’t easy to evolve them from level one to level three, or even higher.
Other than that, in front of absolute power, numbers and schemes were completely meaningless!
After the situation in Wissen Town stabilized, Yang Ling hoped to spend all of his effort in taming high level Magical Beasts. It was enough to have around two thousand of each low level Magical Beast like the Horned Bee Beasts, Evil Eyes, and spiders. What he needed now was two thousand powerful units such as the Withered Tree Warriors. Of course, it would be even more perfect if he had two thousand high level Magical Beasts like the Unicorn.
The Ogres were relatively ignorant creatures. They had boundless strength, but their intelligence was limited. They could split tigers in two with their bare hands, but they were often unable to deal with the parasites living on their bodies. In order to deal with the worms that were the size of grains of rice, they would often scratch themselves with hard rocks until they bled all over.
They enjoyed feasting on the blood of Magical Beasts or humans, and they liked devouring the fresh brain matter of their prey. They were barbaric and merciless. To some extent, they could be called a human-shaped Magical Beast. Not even ferocious wild beasts dared live near them, much less weaker races like the Gnomes.
Unlike the hidden nest of the Gnomes, the nest of the Ogres was made up of massive caves. Other than a few distracted scouts, most of the Ogres were all inside the caves, hiding from the icy wind.
Perhaps they thought they were too powerful for anyone to dare offending them, or maybe they had loosened their guard due to the cold. Either way, the Ogre tribe was basically unguarded. They were completely oblivious to the disaster that was about to befall them.
After sending a team of Horned Bee Beasts to silently kill off the patrolling Ogres, Yang Ling instructed his army to hide in the low lying shrubs by the small hill overlooking the Ogre tribe. From the shrubs, the entrance of the cave was right within range of the Evil Eyes. Yang Ling believed that not one of the Ogres would be able to escape from his grasp if he managed to hold against their attacks.
According to the information from the Gnomes, there were at least five hundred Ogres in this tribe. If they were lucky, he might be able to capture two or three hundred Ogres to be his laborers. With their three-meter-tall frames and abundant stamina, they were definitely the best candidates for mining and logging.
As Yang Ling’s most powerful unit for close combat at the current time, the Withered Tree Warriors moved to the forefront and turned into shrubs. Their rich leaves covered the horde of Evil Eyes behind them. Beside the Evil Eyes were the powerful barbarians and accurate elf archers. Their main mission was to work with the Withered Tree Warriors to defend the Evil Eye army.
As the troops most effective for an ambush, the spider army dug into the ground on both sides of the hill. They were responsible for surrounding the Ogres that charged toward them and alleviating the pressure on the Withered Tree Warriors, barbarians, and elf archers.
The Horned Bee Beasts and Gargoyles were speedy, their attacks sharp. However, their main responsibility was not to attack the sieging Ogres. Instead, they were to wait until the Ogre elites had rushed out of the cave before launching a fast surprise attack on their cave, as a precaution against the Ogres returning to their cave and putting up a strong defense.
The nervous Gnome army was to be used as bait, responsible for attracting a large group of Ogres toward Yang Ling. Yang Ling was not counting on them to kill any Ogres. They would have accomplished their mission if they could successfully attract the Ogre elites toward him.
After the making necessary preparations and looking at the Gnome Elder who was forcefully collecting himself, Yang Ling ordered a team of Horned Bee Beasts to hide amongst them after a moment’s deliberation. It served to give them a little courage and confidence, and it was also a precaution against them suffering heavy casualties in a short amount of time. After all, he still had to rely on these Gnomes in his research on spell formations in the future. It would be alright if he lost one or two, but it would not be worth it if he lost of lot of them so quickly.
“Elder, I’ll send a team of Horned Bee Beasts to protect you in the shadows. You only need to attract the Ogre elites towards us. Do not engage in battle!”
“Thank you Sir! We Gnomes will never let you down!”
Even though they were incredibly nervous, the worries of the Gnomes eased when they saw the Horned Bee Beasts being hidden amongst them. They’d already seen what the Horned Bee Beasts could do. Furthermore, their mission was only to lead the Ogres over. They did not have to engage in battle.
After bowing to Yang Ling, the Gnome Elder clenched his teeth and led his clansmen down the small hill, shouting as they charged toward the nearby cave. Soon, they had attracted the attention of the Ogres patrolling near the entrance of the cave.
“Oh Yiblis, a bunch of Gnomes? I must be seeing things!”
“These fellas must be starving if they to dare attack us, the Ogre tribe. They are asking for death!”
“Hehe, I’m still a little hungry, so these fellas came at the right time. Oh Yiblis, how long has it been since I had fresh brain?”
…
The patrolling Ogres were rather surprised when they saw the Gnomes charging over. In the Ladak Mountain Range, the Gnomes were known to be useless trash; a group of them would choose to retreat when they saw a lone Wind Wolf. The Ogres could never have expected that these cowardly creatures would dare attack their own tribe.
The winter was harsh. It looked like the Gnomes were so hungry that they had no choice left!
Looking at the Gnomes that were not even as thick as their limbs, the Ogres shook their heads in disdain, completely oblivious to the Horned Bee Beasts hiding amongst the Gnomes. In their heads, the Gnomes were digging their own graves.
Even though they had short legs, the Gnomes were not slow when they ran at full speed with the help of the downhill slope. They soon charged to the front of the patrolling Ogres.
Just as the Ogres were preparing to have a nice meal, a surprise occurred!
Without any warning, the Ogres would shudder the moment they lifted their heavy wooden clubs. They would then be subjected to the frenzied attacks of the Gnomes.
“Quick, bash in their heads, quick!”
The Gnome Elder was elated, seeing the Ogres getting hit by the poisonous stingers of the Horned Bee Beasts in their carelessness, turning numb and helpless. He commanded the group to attack. Wooden clubs, stones, fireballs… They launched all of their abilities.
The Ogres had thick hides and muscles, but the backs of their heads were relatively weaker. The Gnomes would have completed their mission as long as they killed these patrolling Ogres and attracted the attention of the other party’s elites.
Indeed, after incapacitating a few patrolling Ogres, ferocious Ogres quickly emerged from the cave and charged toward the Gnomes, roaring with bloodlust. The sound of the roars made the Gnomes shiver in fear.
The Gnome Elder adapted to the situation. Having successfully attracted the Ogres’ attention, he quickly ordered the group to retreat, running in the direction of the small hill under the cover of the Horned Bee Beasts. The Ogres were too scary, and the Gnomes might be exterminated if they hesitated even a little.
Every Horned Bee Beast could only shoot three poisonous stingers in one day. Under their coverfire, the Gnomes quickly retreated to safety. In their rage, the less-than-intelligent Ogres did not sense that anything was off at that point in time.
Having a bunch of lowly Gnomes attacking their home was a great humiliation!
Seeing the Gnomes that were not even at the height of their knees, the Ogres roared in anger. Unfortunately, their bodies went numb whenever they charged toward the Gnomes and raised their wooden clubs. They were running slower and slower.
The Ogres were shocked, thinking that the Gnomes were using some evil magic, but Yang Ling was even more shocked!
A normal person would be completely unable to move after being struck by the poisonous stinger of a Horned Bee Beast, and even the powerful barbarians were no exception. But these Ogres were not only staying on their feet, they were managing to chase after the Gnomes at high speeds. They truly lived up to their name as human-shaped Magical Beasts with thick hides and muscles.
Laborers, they will make fine laborers!
After his surprise, Yang Ling had a thought as he watched the large group of Ogres approaching them. He wanted to capture all of the Ogres alive. Wissen Town needed loggers and miners. In fact, they also needed to build merchant routes on a large scale. They needed as many of these muscular, powerful Ogres as they could get.
