My Players Are So Fierce

On the third day after Murphy’s disappearance due to assassination, the situation at Blackflame Mountain Pass had deteriorated to an irreparable state.

The Pī zhǎo Clan hadn’t launched another reckless all-out attack, yet both players and Elf Rangers’ scouting results indicated that the gnoll army had already taken position.

Over one hundred and fifty thousand gnolls and countless gnoll cannon fodder had blockaded all directions of the Blackflame Pass, isolating the area into a true battlefield island, even the non-direct battleground near the Fortress of Courage was under siege tactics by a gnoll army.

Lord Hether and her commanders didn’t understand why the gnolls hadn’t begun their assault yet, but it was certain that the initiative in the war was not currently with Blackflame Pass.

The lord was under immense pressure these past few days.

Because while Blackflame Pass was under siege, the Pī zhǎo Clan had also sent gnolls to execute excavation tactics in other passable directions of Blackflame Mountain Pass.

It’s difficult for them to create tunnels large enough for an entire army to pass through, but carving out some small paths for infiltration was achievable, causing small groups of gnolls to appear in the desolate mountain area behind Blackflame Pass.

There were already some local gnolls wandering about, and once they joined forces, they became a new threat.

Lord Hether was incredibly relieved that there was a Transian contingent available for redeployment over at Dark Valley, meaning she didn’t need to worry about those sent as vanguards causing trouble from behind the positions.

What was comforting was that the Transian warriors were as active as ever on the battlefield.

They still guarded the first three defensive lines and were more than willing to assist warriors on other lines with various challenges, and this enthusiastic attitude led many in the Retinue Army to regard the Transians as reliable allies.

Apart from being a bit greedy and restless, these guys were nearly perfect battlefield companions, and some in the Retinue Army even proactively requested to be temporarily attached to the player squads for daily patrol duties.

With the situation becoming ever more critical, even patrolling had become dangerous, as you never knew if a group of fierce gnoll rioters might suddenly leap out from originally safe spots, making it reassuring to have a few warriors who would become frenzied upon seeing combat and were perpetually high-spirited within the ranks.

In the worst case, when it’s most crucial, these Transians could still secure opportunities for the warriors to retreat and call for reinforcements.

Most impressively, the Transian war spirits were unafraid of death, and as long as the pay was substantial enough, the Transians were even willing to die voluntarily.

But as their strength increased, the cost of hiring Transians to voluntarily die was also rising, luckily, there was a constant influx of new warriors freshly passing the Black Iron trials, which made their rates “cheaper.”

In any case, everyone on the front lines knew that a great battle was imminent, but before the shoe dropped, they had nothing else to do aside from the endless daily regimental preparations and fortification of the positions.

Surely, they couldn’t abandon the defense and follow the Transians filled with explosives to charge the enemy’s grand array?

Damn, how is that different from committing suicide?

Old Chen, the honorary chairman of the Transia Stonemason Brothers Association, along with his two students, came to Blackflame Mountain Pass under such oppressive and serious conditions, accompanied by the Silver Dwarfs’ architectural master, Mr.

Ilich Uhm, Battle Heart.

They arrived quietly, yet their task was very important.

In some mysterious place recovering from his wounds, Lord Murphy suspected there might be hidden vulnerabilities within the defensive system of Blackflame Mountain Pass that hadn’t been discovered, so he entrusted these professionals to conduct a final check on the pass’s positions.

To be honest, Old Chen found the mission issued by Lady Adel somewhat odd.

“I heard that after the end of the Fourth Black Disaster, Blackflame Mountain Pass began its reconstruction, commissioned by the Blood Covenant Clan, who hired the Brass Dwarves good at excavation, taking nearly fifty years to build it to its current state, then every few years there’s maintenance and reinforcement.

If there really were problems with the positions, there’s no reason they went unnoticed for all these years, right?”

Wearing an architect’s robe and equipped with the Cold Tooth Blade, Old Chen leaned on a staff specifically used for measurement and said to his Silver Dwarf friend who was secretly drinking from a flask:

“The design plans for the positions were issued by your Gaia Temple, and subsequent inspections were conducted by Gaia’s priests.

With the Dwarfs’ keen perception of earth forces and your high standards for building quality, surely they weren’t just going through the motions each time, being negligent?”

“I’ve never been here before.”

Master Irich exhaled a breath of alcoholic vapor, speaking carelessly, this old fellow who started drinking early in the morning said:

“But I’ve heard of Blackflame Mountain Pass.

A few of my students regarded it as a masterpiece in their architectural careers.

When the twelve line fortifications and various permanent structures of Blackflame Mountain Pass were completed, the temple indeed sent representatives to verify.

The result was perfect.

My colleagues believe that with the terrain of this mountain pass, this defense line has pushed the functionalities to their limits, and I too think it couldn’t possibly have quality issues, as the Earth Priest had performed multiple Spiritual Energy fortifications on the positions.

Over two-thirds of these fortresses cannot be destroyed by Fossil into Mud spells.

Because the gnolls used Meteorite Skill to attack here during the Fourth Black Disaster, the Blood Covenant Knights’ construction requirements for us were that the defense systems of crucial nodes had to withstand meteorite strikes.