Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

An unreliable teammate he had fought alongside for a long time, who might still carry a game once in a while, was exactly what Mo Fan thought of Zhao Manyan.

Zhao Manyan had accidentally found the enemy’s camp, which sped up their advance significantly.

The enemy’s base had around fifty thousand soldiers. The Federation Army sent seventy thousand soldiers to take down the enemy’s base and reclaim their side of the Scorching River.

A huge battle would soon occur that day.

The Riders were the main firepower after the first wave of cannon fodder. They would be charging right into the enemy lines after finding the enemy’s base. Enemies would be everywhere when the time came. The trio did not dare lower their guard, even with their outstanding capabilities.

——

“Are you sure it’s this way? We might be walking into a trap!” Captain Benson was very suspicious of Zhao Manyan’s discovery.

“I’ve gotten rid of the enemy’s Undead. They won’t know we are coming. Just stop worrying and follow me. I’ll cut my wrist and kill myself if you don’t see the enemy’s base in the next hour,” Zhao Manyan answered confidently.

“Fine!”

The troop of Savage Bull Riders was advancing faster than their previous troops. They had lower numbers too, so it was easier for the soldiers to keep up with the three.

They did not encounter any resistance along the way after getting rid of the Undead scouts.

After all, the Brown Rebels did not want to fight the Federation Army in the swamps, except for the Necromancers who had a slight edge over other Casters.

The Savage Bull Riders crossed the swamp quickly. They were no longer looking at cattails and reeds, but the lush and dense trees of a tropical forest.

The rainforest close to the Scorching River was divided into several layers. The highest layer was the Wind-Gathering Layer, consisting of the canopy of the trees. The tops of the trees were almost touching the lowly-hanging clouds, and many birds resided on the trees there. They were not affected by the upcoming battle between the two armies.

The middle layer was the Leaf Umbrella Layer, made up of trees with relatively huge leaves. The trees were connected by vines, allowing people to walk over them.

The lower layer consisted of shrubs and flower clusters, but were still taller than humans. Therefore, going into the woods was no different from prying through the reeds in the swamp.

The Leaf Umbrella Layer made it difficult to tell the direction. It was possible to hide a whole city of civilians in the woods, let alone an army of a few tens of thousands of men.

Fire was the most effective weapon when fighting in a forest. They did not have to worry that the fire would spread out of control, since the forest was surrounded by swamps and rivers, as the whole place was soaked wet because of the never-ending rain. The flames would fizzle out in no time.

The Brown Rebels had established their base and defenses in the woods some time ago. The Federation Army did not necessarily have an advantage, even if it had twenty thousand more men than the enemy’s army, if they were charging into the enemy’s territory without a plan.

Either way, Mo Fan and his crew did not really care whether the Brown Rebels or the Federation Army won the battle. They just needed the Federation Army to fight the Brown Rebels and keep them busy so they had a chance to sneak closer to Wu Ku.

——

“Do you see that? They are under the trees. They have surrounded their base with a huge circle of spiky shrubs and some magic Formations,” Zhao Manyan said, pointing ahead of them.

They were currently standing on top of an ancient kapok tree. They could see a corner of the enemy’s base from their angle, but the thorny shrubs had formed a sturdy wall around the base.

“We won’t be exposed easily if only a few of us are crossing the shrubs, but if we are sending Riders in, they would quickly trigger the traps and magic Formations,” Zhao Manyan went on.

“We will lose our direction in the shrubs. If the enemy keeps us in the shrubbery, we are no different from animals in a trap!” Mu Bai was familiar with the uses of the foilage.

Mo Fan scanned the area. It turned out that the highest layer was the only possible way for them to infiltrate the enemy’s base.

They had to use the cover of the canopy and move between the trunks. If they fought the enemy on the ground, they would suffer great casualties!

The information they had was very important. It would decide the Federation Army’s approach in taking down the enemy’s base.

“We can try to cross from above here, but we have no idea if they are expecting us…” Mo Fan pointed out.

“Do you think my Savage Bulls can transform into apes?” Captain Benson scoffed.

“It’s going to be difficult. After all, our soldiers aren’t that strong on average. We’ll lose a lot of firepower if the riders abandon their mounts,” Lt. Colonel Mason said.

“First the Wind Warships, next the Undead in the swamps, and now the walls of thorny shrubs. Why is our enemy’s intelligence and execution always better than ours?” Zhao Manyan swore.

Somehow, the Brown Rebels were more like the well-trained army of a nation, while the Federation Army only consisted of a bunch of useless militia in a revolution!

“It’s common for a Federation to have this problem, since it’s a combination of a few countries. They have yet to finalize many things. On the other hand, the Brown Rebels are also the Yellows, who planned on going independent. They can easily match the strength of a below-average country in South America,” Mu Bai showed off his outstanding knowledge.

Mo Fan frowned.

The enemy had a clear advantage over them. The Federation Army’s numbers did not matter anymore.

If the Brown Rebels beat the crap out of the Federation Army here, how were the three of them supposed to cross the Brown Rebel’s base, which had fifty thousand men in its regular army?

“The Savage Bulls have sturdy and smooth skin. I believe the thorny shrubs won’t hurt them at all, right?” Zhao Manyan inquired.

“Of course, but we are the only Riders here. You’re not thinking of asking us to take the lead as cannon fodder, are you?” Captain Benson spat.

“Can’t you ask for more Savage Bulls?”

“These are everything we have. The other troops with Riders are the Brutal Lizard Riders, and the Damp Bird Skyriders. The Brutal Lizard Riders will only show up when we are fighting the enemy’s main force, while the Damp Bird Skyriders are our army’s trump card. They won’t be able to help us in this assault, since they are more valuable to the army than we are!” Benson stated grimly.

“Doesn’t our army have high-level Summoners? We just need a few of them to Summon a Beast Tide to push forward with your troops and take down their defenses,” Zhao Manyan asked.

“You will have to ask your commander to request for Summoners, but I wouldn’t put too much hope on it if I were you. Every Advanced Summoner and above is at least a general in the army. They won’t want to fight in the front line. If our troop hadn’t made a mistake, do you think you would have the chance to order us around?” Benson replied disdainfully.

“Summoners, summoners, Oh Forneus, please grant us a few powerful Summoners!” Mason prayed.

Zhao Manyan was doing the same thing as Mason, since he did not have a better idea.

However, he quickly turned to Mo Fan after he recalled something.

“That’s right, you’re a Summoner. How many Summoned Beasts can you Summon with your Beast Tide?” Zhao Manyan asked him.

“If they don’t have to be Commander-level creatures, I think I can Summon between five to six hundred of them,” Mo Fan admitted.

Zhao Manyan and Mu Bai gasped.

Five to six hundred! Does he own a factory that cultivates Summoned Beasts or something?!

The proud captain only had around four hundred men in his troop, yet Mo Fan could already Summon a couple hundred more creatures than the troop’s size!