Chapter 382 - 314: The Battle Commences

Chapter 382: Chapter 314: The Battle Commences

"I don’t think this can be used underwater." Pazani looked down at the telescope in his hands, occasionally lifting his head to press the scope to his eye and peer deep into the forest.

"It can’t. The environment underwater is completely different, after all." Shire was also holding a telescope, scrutinizing the distant forest.

"We of the Naga Race can naturally sense distant changes through the water flow," Pazani said, pointing to the barbels at the corners of his mouth. "It’s all thanks to these."

Shire glanced at the Naga Prince beside him. Seeing Shire’s gaze, the prince pursed his lips a few times, making his barbels twitch.

"But back to the matter at hand... are you really planning to go to war with them just like that? This time, you don’t have the Ice Array or that Druid from before," Pazani said as he continued to survey the distance with his telescope.

When Shire had glanced at him, he noticed the guy’s posture was identical to how he’d been during the hunt for the Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish in the Frogman Cave—poised to turn and flee at a moment’s notice.

"I think we should all hide in the underground Fortress and seal the entrance from the inside. We can come out after those goblins get bored and leave. Besides, those goblins can’t do anything to the Elephant Lord. We can just leave him on the surface."

"No," Shire said, shaking his head. "Putting aside whether the Fortress can even hold everyone, the Centaurs’ village is already mostly built. If we abandon it now, there’s no telling what kind of destruction those goblins will wreak. Them burning it all to the ground would be the best-case scenario. Besides, how do you know we won’t win?"

Hearing Shire’s confident reply, Pazani fell silent for a few seconds. "Fine. Since Shui Yumo was so insistent that I find you, maybe you really can work a miracle. But I must remind you: they’ve likely brought a lot of goblins this time, as well as those Petrifying Lizards. You need to be extremely careful when dealing with them."

Shire nodded to show he understood. It was the third time he’d heard this warning from the Naga Prince. It seemed Pazani held little hope that Shire’s faction could ultimately defeat the goblins of the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. Given the current balance of power, many people would likely share Pazani’s opinion.

But Shire knew he still had a few aces up his sleeve to handle the enemy’s attack. There was also another reason for fighting that he hadn’t shared with the Naga Prince. His faction had grown to its current state through a series of perilous battles, but they had ultimately been victorious in almost all of them. This had fostered a fanatical confidence among the goblins. Shire knew that if they were to suffer a defeat or even avoid this battle, that confidence would shatter. His only choice was to keep finding ways to secure victory.

After all, the faction’s circumstances were still too dire. They hadn’t yet reached the point where they could build a true army—one that could endure defeat without breaking.

That would require the faction to have sufficient reserves of supplies, a large enough population, and a deeper level of education to overturn the goblins’ primitive mindset.

"Something’s coming," Pazani suddenly cried out. "In the sky."

Shire didn’t need his telescope; the black dots in the sky were already obvious. They were the Flying Goblins. "Looks like they’ve arrived. The battle is about to begin."

Hearing Shire’s words, Pazani tactfully shut his mouth and quietly awaited his next command. This time, he was carrying a large barrel of water on his back to make it easier to cast Water Magic. But if the battle went poorly, he would grab Shire and flee at the first opportunity. ’How is he going to handle this?’

...

"They’ve already assembled?" Bald Hide was taken aback by the Flying Goblin’s report. "And here I was, planning to use the dense forest to conceal my troops for a sneak attack."

He showed no frustration that his plan had failed. Instead, he adjusted the new grouse-feather headdress on his head and took a few steps forward. "This forest hasn’t changed a bit."

"Military Leader," a few goblins who appeared to be Dongtou gathered around him. "Since those guys are on alert, should we call back the goblins we sent away and charge them all at once?"

"No need," Bald Hide said, waving them off. Seeing the Dongtou hesitating, wanting to speak but holding back, he knew they had their own opinions. "Many days ago, I led a troop here. The surroundings were just as they are now; everything was as it was before."

"Though we lost last time, it allowed me to gauge their strength." He puffed out his chest and tilted his head up, struggling to keep the feathered headdress from sliding off. "I don’t understand why you all want me to call back the other contingent. I’ve merely employed a simple tactic. Do you know what this is called?"

He turned to the Dongtou behind him. "This is called wisdom—the very thing the High Priest is always telling us we must strive to learn."

"Once the battle begins and they commit all their forces to defending against our attack, our other contingent can easily sweep into their undefended rear. The enemy will scatter in a panic, and we will claim the final victory."

"But Military Leader, we’ve always just charged in all at once," a few of the Dongtou tried to reason with him.

"That’s just brawling. It’s not a battle, not what the High Priest calls military strategy," Bald Hide said, shooting the Dongtou a haughty look. "In any case, we have superior numbers. The advantage is mine."

He waved his hand, issuing the final command. "Send the great lizards forward! Drive them to charge the enemy’s ranks!"

...

"What’s all that racket?" Shire frowned, using his telescope to scan the clearings in the woods. The enemy seemed a bit smarter this time, staying hidden in the forest. "To make such a commotion, they must be sending in the Petrifying Lizards."