Goddess Kaleidoscope

"I was fighting ratmen, not ogres and trolls!"

"Alright, stop arguing! Your Excellency, you make the decision. We'll all listen to you."

Seeing that everyone was in a bit of a panic, old Rom stopped the elders from arguing and looked to Rudd for help.

Thanks to the fact that he had helped the villagers overcome several difficulties without incident, Old Rom, though he didn't say it, actually had a deep trust and reliance on Lud, just like his eldest son.

Since he was able to protect the entire village when the giant dragon attacked, the combined forces of ten thousand demi-humans would certainly be no match for the power of "Blood Hand Soul Severer".

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Lu De couldn't help but sigh. He thought to himself that these troubles lately were really something else, either they didn't come at all, or they all came at once, catching him off guard. But he was in the position of commander, so he couldn't show any panic on the surface, otherwise the village's paper-thin morale would really be easily punctured.

"Alright! Elders, please calm down. Since you all trust my judgment so much, I'll make some preliminary arrangements. First, don't rush to reveal this news, lest it cause unease among the villagers. However, we absolutely cannot slacken our preparations. We must immediately organize a reconnaissance team to gather as much intelligence as possible about this demi-human alliance, based on the location Danka just mentioned. The more detailed and accurate the better. After all, only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle!"

End of this chapter

In today's world, thanks to their overwhelming numerical advantage, humanity has long since secured its position as the world's number one power, with more than half of the world's landmass under the control of human nations, distributed across all three continents.

It is no exaggeration to say that if one day in the future humanity becomes the common enemy of other civilizations and races in this world and is attacked by all of them, then as long as humanity does not fight among itself and gathers all its strength to fight back, it can easily wipe out all other non-human races.

Of course! This is just a theoretical inference based purely on data, because it's impossible for humans not to fight among themselves.

However, overall advantage doesn't guarantee local success. Pine Tree Village currently has only a little over three thousand residents, while the allied forces of the demi-human race that suddenly appeared to the north may number over ten thousand. If they are truly targeting them, then Pine Tree Village alone will likely face dire consequences.

So Lud immediately made arrangements: on the one hand, he sent men to scout and monitor the encampment in order to obtain more intelligence; on the other hand, he sent messengers out at full speed to not only ask the neighboring earldom for help, but also to warn other villages to the east to be careful.

Meanwhile, the village must also make preparations as soon as possible. Currently, their defenses consist of only a wooden fence and eight simple watchtowers, which are barely enough to defend against small-scale bandits and wild animals, but certainly not enough to stop the overwhelming army of demi-humans.

Lude had considered strengthening defenses and transforming Pine Village into a proper town, but everything had to be done step by step. Large-scale construction couldn't begin during the winter, and in the spring, resources had to be concentrated on cultivating new fields to quickly restore self-sufficiency. Therefore, the construction of the town had to be postponed until the latter half of the year.

But plans can't keep up with changes. The sudden appearance of the demi-human race once again disrupted Lud's original pace, and defending their base with armed force once again became their top priority!

After arranging the relevant matters, Lud returned to the temple. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. A dozen races and tens of thousands of demi-humans—Lud couldn't believe that such a diverse coalition could have been formed entirely spontaneously by a group of small tribes. They must have a leader.

After much thought, Lu De suddenly had a bold idea: he planned to return to his old ways and become an undercover agent again!

Lud's idea was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of careful consideration. First of all, they were currently lacking in intelligence. The hunters sent out by the village to monitor the camp could only keep watch from a distance and could not infiltrate the enemy camp to gather more information.

Lude, on the other hand, was a seasoned undercover agent in his previous life. He was well-trained and experienced, and he also possessed "Hume's Smile" and Hume himself, which gave him the ability to disguise himself as a demi-human and infiltrate the enemy.

Lude knew that while it was good for him to be the spiritual leader of the villagers and to keep the army in the center, he was also the commander and needed to have enough intelligence to defeat the enemy.

Back on Earth, even the renowned "Flower of the Empire," Man Guangzhi, the brigade commander of Zhurihe, once disguised himself as an old farmer to personally investigate the Red Army's deployment. Lu De also had to take action.

However, Lud had made up his mind and was not in a hurry to set off. He first found Hume, told her his plans, and then asked her in detail about the customs and habits of the demi-humans. At the same time, he begged her to help him and to infiltrate the demi-human camp with him.

In terms of individual combat ability, Hume is among the top tier of mortals. He can deliver a powerful taunt and a heavy blow, or sneak up behind and stab someone in the back! Moreover, he can control the strength of his presence, and his appearance can change in countless ways. In addition, he has seen a lot in the world over the past three hundred years, so he is naturally the best infiltration partner in Ludd's mind.

Upon learning of Ludd's request, Hume readily agreed and confidently assured her that as long as she was there, even if they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, there would be no problem escaping with Ludd.

So Lud decided to set off that very night. The temple would first pretend to send Fallen Leaf out to deliver a message, and then secretly slip back to impersonate Lud. Aina and Shanis would be responsible for covering for her. Lud promised to do her best to return within three days.

And so, after dark, Ludwig and Hume quietly left the village and headed north towards the valley where the demi-human camp was located.

The journey of over twenty miles took Ludd and Hume less than two hours. Hume, possessing the body of a god, naturally had no problem with this amount of exercise, but Ludd was quite surprised by his own physical fitness. He vaguely felt that this was not just the result of his regular physical exercise.

The two first found a high place and observed from a distance. The campfires and messy tents looked like a town. Judging from the size of the camp, there were indeed probably tens of thousands of people inside.

Ludd marked the location of the camp on the map in detail, while Hume sneaked into the camp first and soon stole two dirty robes made of animal hides, which smelled like rotten rags.

"I'm telling you, even if it's to cover up the smell, you didn't have to steal two sets like that, did you?"

"Don't underestimate the sense of smell of some demi-human races; it's even better than a dog's! If you fart in front of them, they can even smell what you ate for breakfast."

"That's really exaggerated?"

"It's that exaggerated, come with me."

Led by Hume, Ludd followed her to a stream. To ensure they wouldn't be discovered during their infiltration, they had to wear the two stolen robes and wash off the scent they'd brought from the village.

The two reached the stream, and Hume began to undress without hesitation, quickly stripping naked in front of Ludd, leaving only his python-skin gloves on. His partner's wheat-colored skin and graceful figure, bathed in the stream and moonlight, resembled a goddess from a world-famous painting.

"Are you planning to watch me finish washing before you wash yourself?"

"Uh... I was just thinking about something."

Slightly embarrassed, Lu De scratched his cheek. Although he was a virgin in both his lives, he was still a police officer with a strong mental fortitude. He took off his clothes and went down into the stream to bathe. It was thanks to the forest stream in early spring that the little flame that had quietly risen in Lu De's heart was extinguished the moment his big toe entered the water.

Physical methods of extinguishing fires are incredibly effective!

After taking a cold shower, the two put on animal skin coats. Hume first transformed into a male grey goblin, and then had Ludd transform into a similar one. The two then infiltrated the camp and pretended to be brothers.

Among the many demi-human races, the gray elves are considered to be of higher intelligence. They are related to the high elves by blood, but their appearance is far less handsome than their cousins. Their skin has a sickly bluish-gray hue, and their physique is not as tall and imposing as that of the elves.

After transforming, Ludwig and Hume exchanged a glance and then burst into a strange laugh in unison.

"Gagaga!" x2

End of this chapter

For Ludwig and Hume, who were disguised as grey elves, sneaking into the camp was not difficult at all. The two walked in as if they were going home, without any sentries questioning them or showing any identification to anyone.

In the chaotic camp, various strange-looking demi-humans were gathered in twos and threes around the campfire. Some were dozing off, while others were chatting in a strange language that Lud couldn't understand. Most of them only glanced at the two gray goblins who had suddenly entered the camp, and some didn't even look at them.

Looking at the overly disorganized camp and its almost non-existent defenses, Lud thought that it was more like a large refugee camp than a coalition camp.

After entering the camp, the two did not rush to inquire about information. Instead, they first wandered around to check the layout of the camp and estimate the actual number of people here and which powerful demi-human races were difficult to deal with.

As Lud walked around, he quickly discovered that there were strong class differences within the camp, with each race divided into several distinct areas according to their strength.

The outermost perimeter of the camp was inhabited by a relatively weak race, such as kobolds and grey elves, numbering about a dozen or so, with a few rare species that even Hume couldn't name. Their numbers likely exceeded seven to eight thousand, making up the vast majority. However, although these minor races appeared numerous, their combat strength was quite low, posing little threat to the village.

Further inside are some relatively powerful races, such as orcs, ogres, and trolls. These demi-human races generally possess individual combat strength superior to humans, and a small number are even classified as monsters by humans due to their low intelligence.

Interestingly, these powerful races generally look down on the lesser races living on the outskirts. When Lud and Hume, disguised as gray elves, tried to approach their camps, they were either scolded or nearly attacked.

It was precisely because of these guys' arrogance and rejection that Lud searched the entire perimeter of the camp but never managed to get close to the center. Therefore, he deduced that the big boss who assembled this multi-racial coalition must be there.

"We need to find a way to get in and take a look."

"Why don't I go inside and take a look? You wait here for me."

Lude thought for a moment. Hume's stealth ability was first-rate. Let her go in first to scout the way. Maybe she could find a way to let Lude in as well.

So the two split up. Lude stayed behind alone on the outer perimeter. If their movements were discovered, he would first use Holy Light to blind the surrounding dogs, and then use Shield Wall to charge out.

Ludwig himself had his own means of survival and escape.

After Hume left, Ludwig found a quiet corner near the Grey Elves' camp and squatted down. While there wasn't a strict separation between the various races in the camp, their distribution was clearly defined. Pretending to be passing by was fine, but squatting in the wrong spot could easily get you beaten up.

Based on previous observations, the Grey Elves mostly use human language, but Rud couldn't be sure he wouldn't give himself away in his accent or certain behaviors, so he didn't rashly approach the campfire where there were more people.

However, just because he doesn't seek out others doesn't mean others won't come looking for him. Lude was squatting down when he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him. He turned around abruptly and saw a thin male gray elf approaching him, asking him with a smug look on his face.

"Hey buddy, wanna order some?"

"???"

The gray goblin, who had taken the initiative to approach, raised its eyebrows at Lud in a cheeky manner. Its shifty-eyed expression was undeniably irritating, yet at the same time, it gave Lud a very familiar feeling.

So Ludwig calmly countered with a question.

"Then we'll have to check out your goods first."

"Hehe, you can tell from your tone that you're an expert. Don't worry! This is definitely the best stuff in the whole camp."

As the gray goblin spoke, he took out a small pouch from his bosom, poured out a few dried grass fruits, and then handed them to Rud.

By the light of the surrounding campfire, Ludwig took a closer look and vaguely remembered seeing a sketch of this thing in an old astrologer's research notes. It seemed to be the fruit of a plant called "ghost head grass," and the smoke produced by burning it had hallucinogenic effects.

Back when the old man was running an underground religious group, he often burned this stuff for the believers to smell, in order to enhance the fear effect of the ritual.

However, the old man's research notes also stated that although the smoke from burning this stuff can cause hallucinations and is highly addictive, it is a powerful painkiller when used to make soup, and as long as the dosage is properly controlled, it is almost non-addictive.

Recalling the description of the dried fruit of the ghost head grass, Lude thought to himself that he could indeed find something useful in it, but just as he was about to reach out to take it, the gray goblin medicine vendor opposite him suddenly withdrew his hand.

"You'll have to trade something for it."

"So what do you want to change to?"

"Food!"

At the mention of the word "food," the drug dealer's eyes widened, and he unconsciously swallowed. Lu De looked at his thin, monkey-like body and gleaned another important piece of information.

The food supply at this camp doesn't seem to be very sufficient!

Lude thought for a moment and figured that this drug dealer probably knew a lot about the camp, so he could try to get some information out of him. So he nodded and agreed to the exchange, and then, as if acting mysteriously, he took out a small bag from his pocket, pulled out two dark, flat pieces, and handed them to the drug dealer.

Is this okay?

The drug dealer sniffed what Lud was holding, and his bloodshot eyes widened instantly, because it smelled of dried meat. This stuff was a very valuable "hard currency" in the outer camp!

So the drug dealer quickly nodded and gave Lud the whole bag of dried ghost grass and fruit he was holding. Then he snatched the dried meat and stuffed it into his mouth and started gnawing on it, which made Lud worry about his teeth.

Keep in mind that this is dried wild boar meat, whose hardness is second only to various metals and stones among all the objects in Pine Tree Village. Compared to it, even pine bark can be considered soft.

So, the villagers usually put this in a pot and simmer it over low heat in the morning until evening before it's even palatable. Before leaving the village, Lu De brought a few pieces with him, expecting it to come in handy, but he didn't expect anyone to actually bite into it.

Under Lude's astonished gaze, the drug dealer quickly swallowed the two pieces of jerky, a blissful expression still on his face. Then, his eyes glanced at Lude's arms, clearly still wanting more.

Lu De, who had been waiting for this, immediately took out another piece and waved it in front of the drug dealer.

"Hey buddy, how about we become friends?"

End of this chapter

With a few hard pieces of dried wild boar meat, Lude successfully befriended the medicine dealer and learned that the dealer's name was Gamma and that he came from a gray elf tribe called Mada.

Lud's extensive undercover experience in his past life made him very adept at extracting information. Through simple casual conversation, he managed to get Gamma to reveal a lot of important information that he desperately wanted to know without him even realizing it.

Lud claimed to be a wandering mercenary who made a living by fighting for other grey elf villages. Gamma looked at his physique, which was indeed much more robust than that of an average grey elf, and believed him without suspicion.

Lude learned from him that the demi-human tribes currently stationed in the valley were indeed planning to unite and head south to human territory to pull off a major heist. This was because a major event had occurred in the Void Forest last winter, leaving many tribes without food and forcing them to unite to rob the formidable humans.

“We don’t know what happened either. All winter long, a black dragon has been hunting like crazy, and it specifically targets wild boars. It flies around every few days, causing chaos in the whole forest. Many animals have been scared away by it, and since we tribes can’t catch anything to eat, we’re just going to go hungry!”

"Uh... so you tribes are only robbing humans because they're short of food?"