Mist Lord

Deep within an abandoned mine, a kobold camp.

Fluorite embedded in the walls and ceiling cast faint glows into the dim mine. Various rare ores, chests of silver coins, and the most precious candles could be vaguely seen piled up in the corners of the chamber.

This place is both a treasure room and the residence of the kobold leader.

"Chief, the mist monsters in the vicinity have been mostly driven away. Should we launch the final assault tomorrow?"

The dog-headed strategist came to ask for instructions.

The kobolds' attempt to drive away the mist monsters came at a price.

In addition to deploying kobold miners as bait in front, elite kobold warriors should also be stationed in the rear to block the roaming mist monsters.

When necessary, nearby mist monster lairs should also be wiped out, leaving them with nowhere to hide.

The sacrifices were considerable.

Fortunately, from the kobolds' perspective, the enemy would inevitably suffer greater losses in order to wipe out these mist monsters.

"Are you certain that the enemy has been largely wiped out?"

The kobold leader, Kaz, had piercing eyes, but deep within them lay an undisguised greed.

"It should be about time. How many mist monsters have the men driven away these past few days? The enemy is just a newly emerged small territory; it's a miracle they've held out this long."

Bone-winged bats hovered in the air, and the kobolds dared not approach to scout and confirm the results of the battle, lest they expose themselves prematurely.

"Then let's do it tomorrow!"

Katz's nickname is "The Mineral Sniffer," which speaks volumes about his greed.

The thought that the enemy territory must have an endless supply of food, beautiful women, all kinds of gold and silver treasures, and an inexhaustible supply of candles made his breathing quicken.

After the kobold strategist left, Kaz got up and went to the next room.

This is a dark and gloomy underground prison, where a disheveled old man is imprisoned.

"Old man, this is a good idea. Once we take over the territory, I'll reward you with a meal."

"Alcohol~~~"

The old man's voice was hoarse, like a bellows, weak and feeble, as if he might die at any moment.

"That's wishful thinking!"

Kaz was speechless. He wanted to drink that stuff, but where was he going to find it? He wondered if he could find such a treasure after conquering the territory this time.

I'm drooling!

.........

July 7th was another sunny day.

Because of the perpetual fog, droughts are rare on the Misty Continent, even in summer. But the sun still works tirelessly every day, setting and setting on time.

"Master, there's some unusual activity on the kobolds' side. They're gathering their troops, probably preparing for a general offensive."

Celia's reconnaissance methods are not limited to riding bone-winged bats. As a shadow assassin, she is difficult for the enemy to detect even when she sneaks into the kobold mines.

If it weren't for the need to avoid alerting the kobolds and actively luring them into an attack, she could have even sneaked into the kobold camp and carried out a decapitation strike.

The kobolds were already gathering their army before dawn, which naturally couldn't escape Celia's scouting.

"Judging by the time, it should be here soon. Notify all departments to proceed according to plan."

Since yesterday, the number of Mist Monsters attacking across the border has decreased significantly, indicating that the kobolds' tricks are almost exhausted and it's time for them to take the stage themselves.

Xia Yuan went to great lengths to lure the kobolds into attacking the city.

They couldn't even directly withdraw the various tribes fighting on the border back into the city walls. Instead, they created the illusion of fighting and retreating, feigning defeat within the city, to prevent the kobolds from realizing something was wrong and abandoning the siege.

Then wouldn't all this acting have been for nothing?

.........

Before six o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the kobold army couldn't wait to launch a general offensive.

"Kill them all, for the candles!"

Over three hundred kobolds, with kobold miners leading the charge. Only about a meter tall, hunched over, dressed in tattered clothes, and wielding pickaxes, they were clearly cannon fodder. Due to years of hunger, they were all emaciated, looking even worse than the wandering swordsmen.

However, the number was the largest, exceeding two hundred.

Following behind the kobold miners were the true elites: over eighty Tier 2 kobold warriors, all clad in leather armor, wielding spears, short knives, or short axes, each with a fierce and menacing appearance.

"My sword and shield!"

The kobolds were attacking from the south, which was heavily guarded by the sword-and-shield kobolds.

The original orders for the sword-and-shield dog were to feign defeat after a brief sniping attempt and retreat back inside the city walls, so as to take advantage of the defensive position to annihilate the enemy forces later.

It was clear that the attacking kobolds were shorter than them and extremely ugly, yet their attitude was so arrogant that the kobolds with swords and shields could no longer tolerate it.

Can I get a refund?

They had barely engaged the enemy when they all got carried away and had no intention of retreating.

They don't even deserve to be called dogs!

Feeling humiliated, the sword-and-shield dogs were determined to chop these ugly monsters to pieces.

Sword and Shield Number One remembered Xia Yuan's orders. After successfully engaging the enemy, he tried to call the Sword and Shield Dogs to retreat, but he couldn't get them to move. Once they entered combat, the Sword and Shield Dogs were impossible to pull back.

Moreover, when one feels humiliated, there is no way one can back down.

"Hehehe~~~"

Seeing that the enemy was just a bunch of small dogs, the kobolds were amused, thinking they had met their match and were immediately filled with fighting spirit.

Both sides thought they could win easily, and the battlefield immediately descended into chaos.

"...These bastards!"

Xia Yuan, who was watching the battle from the gate tower, turned pale upon seeing this scene. The perfect script he had painstakingly planned had only just begun when it was swerved off course by the sword-and-shield dog.

"Master, what should we do now?"

Satie, Elua, and the others who were by her side were also dumbfounded; the script was completely wrong.

"What else can we do? Let's go out of the city and meet the enemy!"

No matter how angry Xia Yuan was, he couldn't just sit idly by. If he didn't send reinforcements in time, the sword-and-shield dogs might even be wiped out.

"Pass on the order!"

"Order Black Armor to lead his troops to attack from the right flank, circling around and directly targeting the enemy's elite forces."

Mingguang Village's proactive attack will inevitably reveal its true strength. Xia Yuan's concern is that if the kobolds see the situation is unfavorable and retreat back into the mist, things will become difficult.

Now that the war has begun, there is no reason to give up halfway. Only by cutting off the enemy's retreat can we wipe out the attacking kobolds in one fell swoop.

"Elua!"

"exist!"

"Take the half-elf archers out of the city immediately to provide support, but remember not to get too close."

The half-elves were originally stationed at the gate towers and arrow towers, where their high vantage points provided the best position for them. With no enemy archers to threaten them, they were virtually invincible.

Now, however, they must risk leaving the city.

Fortunately, the half-elves inherited half-elf blood, and in addition to bows and arrows, they were also equipped with short swords. They were all agile and could not be defeated in close combat.

"Yes, sir!"

Elu Adam immediately summoned the half-elves who were originally guarding various parts of the city wall, and they quickly gathered and left the city.

"Celia!"

"Owner!"

"Find a way to take down the kobold leader and the enemy's main fighting force."

Because the sword-and-shield dogs were overconfident, Mingguang Village had to temporarily change its strategy and launch a preemptive strike. In order to minimize their own casualties, they had no choice but to implement a decapitation strike tactic ahead of time.

"Yes, sir!"

Celia gave a whistle, and the bone-winged bats flew over from the distant misty lighthouse. She immediately jumped onto one of them and flew quickly toward the front-line battlefield.

Under the rising sun, the bone-winged bats cast huge shadows on the ground; that was Celia's true hiding place.

"My lord, is there anything we can do?"

Militia captain Lu Chenggeng volunteered, as their original task was to operate the ballistae on the city wall. Now it seemed there was no chance for that.

"You will also go out of the city, mainly responsible for transporting the wounded back to the city for treatment in a timely manner."

"Yes, sir!"

Lu Chenggeng bowed respectfully, mustered his troops, and left the city.

The city walls suddenly became deserted.

Satir, however, did not go anywhere; protecting her master's safety was her top priority.

.........

"Chief, something's not right."

As various units from Mingguang Village launched their attacks, the battlefield situation subtly changed. The astute kobold strategist was the first to sense something unusual, and his expression turned grave.