Chapter 44: Discussing Tactics

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Discussing Tactics

Anya lowered her gaze. Her fingertips gently traced the cuffs of her robe as she took a moment to digest this unusual piece of information.

She turned to look at Erin. The Red-haired Mage’s mouth was wide open, disbelief written all over her face.

"I... I’ve never heard of an instance of a Halfling becoming a Barbarian."

Anya weighed her words, trying her best to keep any hint of offense out of her tone before gently adding, "But the world is vast, and there are many things I haven’t heard of."

She gave Pip a slight nod, her gaze calm and sincere. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pip."

The short Halfling froze for a moment, then laughed happily. "Pip is very happy to meet you too, polite human Priest."

Lorin had been silently observing from the sidelines.

Anya’s reaction was much milder than he had expected. He originally thought that even if this Priest didn’t directly question it like Erin, she would at least offer some polite words to smooth things over. Something along the lines of, "We trust Mr. Nathan’s judgment." But surprisingly, she directly accepted this rather implausible-sounding claim.

This raised Lorin’s evaluation of the team a notch.

"Well then..." Anya withdrew her gaze from Pip and looked back at Lorin, her tone returning to its usual steadiness. "Regarding the hunt for the Rock-dwelling Salamander, since you’re willing to participate, we need to discuss the specific division of labor. Erin?"

The Red-haired Mage curled her lips, getting up from the windowsill and walking over. She gently placed her Magic Staff on the table and unrolled the map that had been resting there.

"You all should have read Nathan’s investigation report. The Rock-dwelling Salamander is a purely carnivorous Magical Beast. We believe that because food is too scarce in the wild during winter, it took the risk of attacking merchant caravans."

Erin spoke rapidly. It was as if she had memorized the information so many times that it easily rolled off her tongue.

She reached out and tapped a spot on the Black Water River on the map, continuing, "Judging from where it has appeared, it most likely resides in this deep pool at the bend of the river. Rain went to observe the site. The north bank of the deep pool is a Shingle Beach with open terrain."

Sitting in the corner, Rain gave a slight nod. His metal gauntlet tapped gently against the edge of the table in agreement.

"So... our plan is to set an ambush on the Shingle Beach and use enough flesh and blood to lure it out of the water," Erin summarized, clapping her hands.

"What kind of flesh and blood?" Lorin asked.

"Preferably fresh and bloody. Livestock blood, pig or sheep offal will all do. The fishier and stronger the smell, the better."

Erin turned to look at Nathan, questioning him in an unquestionable tone as if instructing a subordinate. "Can your town scrape these things together?"

Nathan nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, yes. They butcher fish at the docks every day, there’s plenty of fish offal..."

"That’s not enough; fish won’t be too attractive to it," Anya softly supplemented. "We need the offal of warm-blooded animals, preferably a whole sheep or pig."

"Alright, I’ll have someone handle it." Nathan nodded. Sourcing those things was nothing difficult for him.

"Luring it out doesn’t look hard, but how do we guarantee it won’t escape? If it’s determined to charge back into the water, I don’t have the confidence to stop it," Lorin spoke up.

Anya gave him an approving look. "Mr. Lorin is exactly right. The most critical part is how to keep it there. We are already prepared for this." She nodded to the Red-haired Mage.

Erin pulled a neatly folded piece of parchment from her Mage Robe and spread it on the table. It was drawn with complex patterns, resembling the rough sketch of some kind of Array.

"I will pre-set a Frost Array on the Shingle Beach." Pointing to several nodes on the sketch, she said with a hint of pride, "After it comes ashore, I will activate the Array, creating a frost barrier between it and the river water. The Rock-dwelling Salamander will instinctively avoid ground that is too cold and won’t dare to escape back through it."

"How long can the Array hold? Have you tested its effects?" Lorin asked.

"Are you questioning an Official Mage who graduated from the Olast Royal Arcane Academy?" Erin crossed her arms, looking at him with utter displeasure.

Lorin met her gaze calmly, then said unhurriedly, "Before a battle begins, any uncertain factors should be eliminated. I don’t know if your teachers ever taught you this."

This was already the second time he had heard the name of this Royal Arcane Academy. He wondered if she knew the previous owner of the Oath of Bones, that Eldrick Brandon.

"Hmph. Half a quarter-hour. Half a quarter-hour at most. So we have to finish it off within this timeframe," Erin said displeased.

Sitting in the corner, Rain suddenly reached out and tapped the map. Pointing to a location far from the riverbank, he said briefly, "Here."

Erin looked down and nodded in praise. "Right, we can force it to the innermost part of the Shingle Beach. That way, even after the Frost Array expires, it will still need time if it wants to charge back to the water."

Lorin nodded. As expected of the Duke’s subordinates, not only was their equipment luxurious, but their tactical thinking was also extremely clear.

Erin looked at the two of them and softly added, "The three of us will be responsible for front-line containment and dealing effective damage to it. We’ll have to trouble you to block its retreat. You just need to delay it for a few breaths when it tries to charge toward the river."

Lorin raised an eyebrow. Erin made it sound so easy, but between skirmishing to contain it and taking the full brunt of its desperate Charge as it fled, the latter was obviously much harder and far more dangerous.

"A few breaths?" Pip scratched his head. "How big is that thing?"

"This is an adult Rock-dwelling Salamander. Its body length is about fifteen feet." Erin glanced at him, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as if waiting for him to cower.

"Fifteen feet..." Pip tried hard to picture it. It seemed... not even half the size of Silvia’s bear?

"Oh, oh... okay," he replied.

Erin’s expression froze.

She had originally thought this shorty would shrink back in fear, or at least show some hesitation. That way, not only could she put these two unfamiliar Adventurers in their place, but she could also justify assigning Rain to this crucial position.

After all, it was a task assigned by the Duke. Even for the three of them, it had to be taken seriously; they absolutely could not let the creature escape.

Beside her, Anya couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curve upward, though she quickly suppressed it. She then confirmed with the two of them, "This part might not be as simple as you imagine. Beasts can burst forth with tremendous Power in desperate situations. Can we trust you?"

Lorin and Pip exchanged glances, then both began to laugh.

He raised his hand and slammed his scabbard onto the long table, stating with absolute certainty, "Of course. We’ll send it straight to its grave."