Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 332: Diverting trouble to the east
The internal troubles within the kingdom were still brewing, and Su Mu was unaware of them. Even if he had known, he couldn't have done much about it.

All he could do was fulfill his promise to Gwen and stay in the Plains.

In reality, it would be difficult for Kuraki's troops alone to withstand Lloyd's army. Although his men were all elite soldiers, their numbers were too small to defend a large area of ​​territory.

Su Mu had no choice but to change his strategy, leading the undead legion to disrupt the stability of Isildur and prevent Lloyd from advancing westward.

"At present, the Astrological Month is not a big problem. The Crimson Moon weakens the fortress, and Isildur may not send troops at this stage."

Su Mu led his army of the undead out of the hilly area, where some jungles spontaneously combusted, creating raging fires and unbearable heat.

The natural jungle of the fortress might be more heat-resistant, but it still requires constant vigilance against fire, otherwise a chain reaction of blazes could occur. The appearance of the Crimson Moon at such a critical moment must be giving Lloyd quite a headache.

However, there is one exception: the Firetree Legion, being fire-attribute, will be able to unleash additional power during the Astrological Month. If Lloyd goes all in, they will surely be able to advance to Black Cliff. Judging from the current defensive fortifications, this will likely be quite difficult.

Just then, he closed his eyes and sensed a magical message—the latest news from Maggie from Longlet Castle.

"Hold on for at least a month. If you can hold on for two months, you will receive double the resources. If you make a great contribution, we will ask for a dukedom for me."
What a beautifully crafted promise!

Su Mu was speechless upon hearing the news from the parliament. It seemed the kingdom's support was slower than expected. If they had stuck to their previous agreement and held Black Cliff, they would likely be surrounded by Isidore's army by now, and would never receive reinforcements.

Now, the only option left is to continue down this path, launching a surprise attack on the grasslands and plains to disrupt the reconstruction of the Far Forest.

This was a very dangerous act. Isildur had already undergone a great migration, with hundreds of millions of free people moving to new cities, where the defenses were naturally very strong.

Disguise isn't foolproof; infiltrating enemy territory makes it easy to be detected. After all, magic in the world of heroes is incredibly diverse, and no one can claim to know it all.

The most dangerous thing is to think that the other party has not discovered your whereabouts, when in fact the enemy has already set a trap and is waiting for you to walk into it.

Su Mu was indeed confident in his governing skills, but the world was vast, and there were other powerful spells and magics, not just his.

He beckoned Liliana over and explained the upcoming plan in detail.

“The Far Forest used to be the territory of the kingdom, but after the Great Migration of Isildor, the focus of town defense has changed. Send some men to gather intelligence, at least mark the most dangerous areas so we can avoid them.”

In warfare, intelligence is paramount. Liliana is experienced in reconnaissance; she is skilled in seduction and has Enchantresses under her command, adept at disguise, making her perfect for infiltrating towns to gather intelligence.

Liliana smiled seductively: "Leave this to those sluts. They haven't had any fun in a while. Let them out and I guarantee they'll get the job done."

For the Enchantresses, the monotonous marching and fighting was really getting to them; only by going to fortified cities could they exert their greatest effectiveness.

“The area near the hills must be a weak point in Isildur’s defenses. Let’s capture a few resource points first, make a big fuss, and put pressure on the fortress.”

Liliana nodded and ordered the army to scout out the surrounding area before setting out at night.

She carries treasures and drapes herself in the night, making her difficult to detect even if the enemy has scouting abilities. However, if she appears openly, her area can be easily locked down, so nighttime is a better time to send troops.

Uli watched the Night Queen's actions from a distance without making any reaction. In the past few days, he had focused on upgrading the Soul Cauldron, investing a large amount of materials, and was just waiting for the final main ingredient.

Su Mu called him over and asked, "How's the crucible situation?"

"Preparations are almost complete, only the final step is needed, which requires 50 logs, 50 stones, 35 mercury, 30 sulfur, and the souls of three mid-level heroes for sacrifice."

As expected of a hero of the cemetery, his tone was nonchalant and indifferent to worldly rules; in his eyes, heroes were merely materials for sacrifice.

Su Mu thought for a moment and asked, "If a powerful undead hero is used as a sacrifice, would the demand be even lower?"

Seeing the Dark Night King's serious expression, Uli felt a chill run down his spine and could only bite the bullet and say, "Then it will take at least two people, after all, it is quite difficult to upgrade the Soul Cauldron to a level 4 treasure."

Su Mu pointed thoughtfully to the hills behind them: "Do you think Katherine and Fao might catch up?"

Uli's expression immediately became somewhat unnatural, but fortunately, his skeletal frame didn't show much change: "They do have some tracking methods, but we've already penetrated deep into Isildur's territory, so they might not dare to pursue us."

While not completely denying the possibility of pursuit, Uli explained the difficulty. He wasn't sure if Su Mu had noticed anything, so this was the only way he could deal with it.

Just then, a scout came to report the military situation.

"Report! A fire elemental structure has been spotted ahead, seemingly an illusion of the Astrology Moon." "Looks like we're going to make some gains. We'll have to find the resources to upgrade our treasures in Isildur's territory, otherwise we'll be at a loss."

After saying that, Su Mu led his troops toward the illusion, leaving Uli behind, still suspicious and distrustful.

"He discovered I was tampering with things? That's impossible. Black magic is so subtle, there's not even a fluctuation of magical energy. If he didn't have a detection spell, there's no way he could know what I was doing!"
"Are you just trying to trick me?"

"Whether it's Katherine's skeleton army or Fao's nightmare knights, does he really have the confidence to defeat them?"

A few days ago, Uri would have made the decision with absolute confidence, believing that the two undead heroes from the ancient ruins could easily defeat the vampires. That's why he left clues to attract reinforcements.

But after witnessing Titan's Arrow, he began to wonder if the arrival of the two undead heroes would actually turn them into sacrifices to the Soul Cauldron, which would be ridiculous.

"It shouldn't be that bad. Katherine and Fao are quite capable."

Uli could only try to comfort himself, but he was also very uneasy.

He was unsure of Su Mu's true intentions. After all, this madman dared to attack even the Esidor Empire, and his purpose was completely unclear, which was truly perplexing.

In fact, Uli already had some doubts about Su Mu's identity, guessing that the other party was a dark force under a powerful organization, but without solid evidence, he could only remain at the stage of suspicion.

……

Two forces were embroiled in a fierce battle at the passage leading east from the hills.

As night fell, this road, usually quiet and deserted, was now the site of a large-scale war.

The bastions and the legions of the undead clashed, with at least tens of thousands fighting fiercely in this area.

"I caught them! Those undead hound bastards really wanted to raid the Fal Forest!"

"Kill them! Blow their rotting bones into the earth!"

Dozens of golden dragons soared in the sky, spewing forth flames that instantly buried dozens of skeleton soldiers. The undead were no match for the dragon flames.

However, the undead also have special units; the Night Skeleton can survive for a while even if it suffers fatal damage and continue to inflict damage.

The undead commander, Katheri, possessed an extremely strong ability to enhance skeleton units, and this vast sea of ​​skeletons inflicted heavy casualties on the Bastion Legion. What puzzled him, however, was why Isildur's legion was fighting the skeleton army so recklessly, as if they were courting death, even though he had never actually fought them before.

"The other side must have been drawn to the hatred by the Dark Queen's actions, and we've been mistaken for accomplices!"

Faol appears beside Katherine, and the two heroes of the ancient ruins choose to cooperate in retrieving the Soul Wizard.

To avoid conflict, they took a detour at night, hoping to sneak out of the hills, but Dino caught them red-handed.

Both sides were equipped with elite troops, and the battle raged fiercely, with neither side willing to give an inch.

However, the undead side is still stronger overall. Dino only has a flying legion, and the number of golden dragons is also relatively small. Fao, leading the Nightmare Knights, can inflict critical hits that even the golden dragons have to avoid.

After the dragon flames burned thousands of skeleton soldiers to death, Dino temporarily chose to retreat, though he was clearly not convinced.

"You wait!"

After making those threats, Dino led the golden dragon and a large number of silver pegasus to retreat to the hills, leaving the undead far behind.

Katherine and Fao looked at each other, gazing at the dark plains to the east, momentarily hesitant.

Should we continue the chase? They're running so fast, did they notice our presence?
"Once we enter the plains, let's find a grassland and lie in wait for a while, then await the orders of the Undead Grand Duke!"

Katherine glanced at the burning battlefield. Over a thousand of her troops had perished, along with more than a dozen Nightmare Knights. Moreover, Dino seemed to possess a special artifact capable of countering the Spirit Gathering Technique. The magic's effect was poor; only half of the troops had been resurrected.

This battle was fought inexplicably, and the losses were so great. It's really frustrating!

If the Queen of the Night is caught, she must be severely punished to vent my anger.

(End of this chapter)