Chapter 114: The Plan Has Changed; Time to Fountain-Camp

The heavy door of the council chamber swung shut, sealing the room once more. It did little to dispel the eerie chill the Prince had left in his wake, a lingering void that seemed to suck the warmth from the air.

Celeste’s gaze was fixed on the map, her eyes tracing the location that the old city lord, Carlos, had circled in thick, heavy ink. She then risked a glance at Eldara’s icy profile beside her. Every taut muscle in that sculpted face seemed to scream a single, resolute phrase: I am going to wipe it out.

Her own mind was already a whirlwind of calculations.

‘The Undead Race’s frontline command post…’Celeste mused, unconsciously rubbing her chin with her fingertips.’A place like that sounds like it’s packed with bosses and swarming with mobs. If we could clear it out in one go, wouldn’t our experience bars just skyrocket? It’d be the ultimate EXP farm.’

“Commander, when do we set off?” Selene could barely contain herself. She squeezed her hands into tight fists, her knuckles letting out a series of sharp, cracking pops. Her entire being radiated an excited energy that screamed, I’m already fired up! “The sooner we clean up these piles of bones, the sooner we can find more information about the secret realm’s core.”

Eldara did not answer immediately. Her scarlet eyes were like two nails, pinned to the abandoned fortress marked with the red circle. Her focus was so intense, so deep, it was as if she intended to pierce through the layers of fog shrouding that area with her gaze alone.

After a long moment of silence, she finally spoke.

“No rush.”

Her voice remained as cold as ever, but the words she uttered made Selene freeze on the spot.

“We are not going there.”

“Huh?” Selene’s eyes went wide, her face a canvas of pure, unadulterated confusion. “We’re not going? Why, Commander? Didn’t we go through all this trouble just to wipe out their nest?”

Su Wan and Xia Lian also cast puzzled glances in their direction. They had all been radiating such murderous intent just a moment ago; why the sudden change of heart?

Celeste, however, wasn’t nearly as surprised. She looked at Eldara, her expression thoughtful. “Commander, do you think… this is a trap?”

“A trap, not necessarily,” Eldara shook her head. She finally tore her gaze from the map and looked directly at Celeste. “But we have already been exposed.”

She paused, then explained in more straightforward terms. “The Undead Race knows I’m here. That Necromancer who escaped from the battlefield will have certainly reported my whereabouts.”

“In this situation, if we follow City Lord Carlos’s information and head straight to this so-called ‘command post,’ what do you think will happen?” Eldara’s gaze swept slowly over each of them.

Selene scratched her head. “We’ll have a fierce fight with them?”

“We would be walking headfirst into a passive, grueling siege,” Su Wan picked up the thread, her logic clear and calm. “Since the enemy knows we are coming, they will inevitably reinforce the fortress and even gather heavy troops from the surrounding areas. Although the Silent Watch is elite, we are at a severe disadvantage in numbers. The cost of a direct assault would be far too high.”

“Correct,” Eldara said, giving Su Wan an approving look. “The Undead Race fears a war of attrition the least. Even if we could win in the end, we would suffer heavy losses and be delayed for a significant amount of time.”

Eldara’s voice grew even colder, laced with chilling pragmatism. “Most, even if they can’t hold the fortress, they can calmly abandon it and move the command post anywhere else. We might fight to the death, only to end up tearing down an empty shell, achieving no strategic objectives at all.”

The logic clicked into place for Celeste instantly.

‘Got it. Rushing in blindly is the brute-force, no-brain strat. They’re fully prepped, and we’re fighting on their turf. It’s a losing play no matter how you slice it.’

“Since these undead know the Commander is here,” Celeste voiced her thoughts, “they’ll definitely focus all their attention on this abandoned fortress. They might even move their elites there, just waiting to clash head-on with us.”

A bolt of inspiration struck her mind like lightning.

“Feint to the east, attack in the west!”

“Feint to the east, attack in the west!”

Two voices, one crisp and bright, the other cold and sharp, rang out at the exact same moment.

After speaking, both of them paused, momentarily stunned.

Eldara gazed at Celeste, and for the first time, visible ripples disturbed the placid, blood-red depths of her eyes. It was a strange light—a mixture of surprise, inquiry, and a distinct hint of appreciation. She had never expected that this girl from another world, with her bizarrely imaginative combat methods, could also achieve such stunning synchronization with her on a tactical level.

Celeste secretly threw up a V-sign in her heart. ‘Nice one, me! I actually thought of the same thing as the ice-queen Commander! Looks like the tactical literacy I honed in my past life while using planets to melt glass hasn’t gone to waste.’

“Sis, what are you talking about?” Selene asked, looking completely lost. “What east? What west? Why can’t I understand a single word?”

“Simply put,” Celeste cleared her throat, slipping easily into the role of commentator, “it means that since the Undead Race has moved their main force to that fortress to get ready for a deathmatch with us, their defenses elsewhere must be wide open, right?”

Realization dawned on Selene’s face. “Oh! I get it! We aren’t going to attack their frontline; we’re going straight to their backline to cut them off!”

“Smart!” Celeste patted her sister’s shoulder approvingly.

“Then where is their rear?” Xia Lian asked in a low voice. She had followed the line of thought and was already beginning to think from a professional standpoint. “We don’t have a map of that area, nor do we know the specific location.”

The question made everyone’s gaze converge on Eldara once more.

The Death Knight walked back to the map. Her long, pale fingers traced a path over a large, unmarked black area on the parchment, heading all the way north before finally stopping at a narrow pass sandwiched between two colossal, snow-capped mountains.

“The Scar of Sorrow is the base camp where the Undead Race has been entrenched for hundreds of years. It’s located in the Land of Death, at the far north of the continent, a place shrouded in death energy all year round where no living thing can survive.”

“And from the Scar of Sorrow, there is only one road south into the heart of the continent.” Eldara’s finger tapped heavily on the pass, the sound like a judge’s gavel delivering a final verdict.

“Frost Trail.”

“This is an ancient passage hidden deep within the snow-capped mountains, battered by blizzards year-round, with an extremely harsh environment. But for the Undead Race, who do not fear the cold, this is the safest and most hidden artery for them to infiltrate the south.”

Old City Lord Carlos leaned in, his eyes wide. He stared at the location on the map, the muscles on his aged face tightening. “Frost Trail… I have only ever seen that name in a few ancient texts. It is said to be full of unknown dangers, a forbidden zone for the living.”

“Danger also means opportunity,” Eldara’s tone was imbued with a powerful confidence that commanded the battlefield. “The Undead army needs to move south. Their supplies, their reinforcements, and even some of their mid-to-high-ranking commanders must pass through this road.”

“As long as we guard that place, it is the same as holding them by the throat.”

“Rather than passively chasing after them, it is better to take the initiative and let them run into our blades themselves.”

Her words sent a surge of heat through everyone present.

‘Awesome! The Commander’s strategic thinking is so damn clear!’Celeste applauded wildly in her mind.’Instantly flipping the script from a passive investigation to an active ambush. This is the kind of big-brain play a real commander makes! And Frost Trail… it sounds like a high-level map. Maybe we can even trigger some epic hidden quest!’

“I agree!” Celeste raised her hand first, her eyes shining. “This plan sounds way more interesting than trying to chew through that hard-bone fortress!”

“I agree too! Waiting for the enemy to walk right into our trap? I love it!” Selene shouted excitedly.

Su Wan and Xia Lian both nodded, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

Seeing no objections, Eldara made the final decision. She turned to the old city lord and gave a slight nod. “City Lord Carlos, thank you for your map and intelligence. We will head north now. This is where we part ways.”

“Take care on your journey,” Carlos bowed solemnly. “I will take advantage of the time you’ve bought us, while the Undead’s main force is pinned down, to immediately notify the other city-states to go on full alert.”

With the plan finalized, the group wasted no more time. After a simple replenishment of food and water at the City Lord’s Mansion, Eldara led Celeste, her three companions, and her elite knights out of the devastated Stoneshold City under the cover of twilight.

They did not take the main road, instead choosing a more hidden forest path. They headed north, advancing at full speed toward that unknown land of ice and snow.

“Sis, do you think there will be Yeti monsters in that Frost Trail place?” Selene asked, riding a spare Skeleton Warhorse provided by Eldara. She curiously examined the horse’s glowing skeletal frame as she spoke.

“I don’t know, but it’s gotta be better looking than this pitch-black forest,” Celeste replied. She was already feeling aesthetically fatigued by the unchanging, dead landscape.

Su Wan, on the other hand, seemed somewhat expectant. As an Ice-type mage, heading into a frozen, snowy environment was like a dragon returning to the sea; her combat power would be greatly enhanced.

Xia Lian had taken out a dry cloth and was carefully wiping her shortbow and dual blades, making her final preparations for the battle to come.

The team traveled along the edge of the Silent Forest for about half a day.

When they finally walked out of the oppressive woodland, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

A vast, boundless grassland unfolded before their eyes. A gentle breeze blew, sending ripples through the green grass like waves on an emerald sea.

At the far end of the horizon, the faint outlines of rolling mountain ranges could be seen. Above their peaks, a pristine blanket of white snow, which never melted all year round, gleamed under the open sky.

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]