Chapter 591 - 591: The Power of the Ocean, God Bless Victor!
When this news reached the New Moon Islands, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded. The residents exchanged glances and, as if by unspoken agreement, dropped their work and followed the routes they had practiced and trained for, heading underground to seek refuge in the lizardman world.
However, among them, the elves of Vale seemed somewhat bewildered as they watched the humans evacuate one after another, feeling a bit lost.
Marianne hurried to the Lord’s castle and found Ji Chen. “Your Excellency, have the enemy reached here?”
Ji Chen looked at the map on the table, glanced up, and nodded. “The enemy has scouted the approximate location of the Crown of the Ocean. Seventy thousand troops, accompanied by twenty thousand sea slave laborers, are pouring out and heading straight towards the Stormy Sea.”
Worry crept across Marianne’s face. With a total force of ninety thousand against the Ocean Crown’s meager twenty thousand, they were clearly at a severe disadvantage in terms of manpower.
Not only had their territory been discovered, but now they also had no room to maneuver.
Marianne couldn’t help but feel that the odds were stacked against them this time.
If they could seize this moment to leave by ship, they might still have a chance…
Seeing Marianne’s changing expression, Ji Chen spoke in an understanding tone. “Lady Marianne, if that’s what you desire, I can provide you with several ships to leave. However, there won’t be any military escort. Every unit is crucial for the Crown of the Ocean’s defense now. Please understand.”
Marianne looked conflicted. Without the Ocean Crown’s army for protection and guidance, they could easily get lost in the vast sea, not to mention reaching the Maple Principality.
Since an immediate departure was not feasible, they had no choice but to stay and face the impending challenges together.
She finally let go of her fleeting hope.
Her expression became more serious as she said, “In that case, Your Excellency Ji Chen, if there’s anything you need assistance with, please don’t hesitate to ask. We will do our utmost to help secure the safety of the Crown of the Ocean.”
Ji Chen slowly revealed a smile and nodded without hesitation. “The enemy has repeatedly dispatched reconnaissance teams. Although all of them were intercepted outside the sea, their deaths have allowed the enemy to gradually pinpoint the approximate location of the Crown of the Ocean.
Despite our repeated interceptions, the enemy has come to believe that the Crown of the Ocean is indeed within the Stormy Sea.”
He pointed to the map on the table and used his index finger to indicate over a dozen red marks on the outer edge of the Stormy Sea, marking the positions where the Crown of the Ocean’s forces had intercepted Lord of the Waves’ scouting teams.
Even though they were on the verge of the Stormy Sea, none of the teams had actually entered the sea itself or come close to the New Moon Islands.
Marianne was puzzled and asked, “Is there anything wrong with the fact that the Crown of the Ocean is indeed located within the Stormy Sea?”
Ji Chen nodded with a smile, then shook his head slightly. “That’s true, but 1 believe they don’t actually know that the Crown of the Ocean is really here. It’s just a guess based on our actions.
From their perspective, it appears that the Crown of the Ocean’s team is vigorously blocking their scouting squads. This could be to safeguard their territory from being found, or it might be for different reasons, like concealing a recently uncovered and yet-to-be-explored ancient relic with divine significance. What do you think they would decide to do in response to this situation?”
“They’ll probably change their target without hesitation, after all, it’s the inheritance of ancient gods. 1 understand your thinking,” Marianne looked puzzled. “But how do we make them both ‘believe’ and ‘discover’? With such a powerful sea clan army, the Lord of the Waves shouldn’t be a fool…”
Ji Chen snapped her fingers. “Leave the ‘belief’ part to me. As for ‘discovery,’ we may need your help.”
“I remember you elves are skilled in illusion magic, right?”
“Of course, but illusion magic is mostly used to hide buildings or conceal entrance points. How does it fit into your plan?”
“I need you to cast a massive illusion spell, the kind that can create an illusion of a relic out of thin air.”
Marianne suddenly realized and nodded quickly. “We need some time for that. Producing an illusion spell that can make a relic look real isn’t something we can do in a moment.”
Ji Chen nodded, “We’ll buy you enough time.”
The Lord of the Waves’ camp was over a hundred miles from the Stormy Sea, and it would take a considerable amount of time for tens of thousands of troops to march here. In theory, they had at least a day’s time, which should be enough to set up everything.
As long as there were no unforeseen circumstances.
The elves quickly got to work, selecting the spellcasters and explaining the materials they needed to Wilus.
Ji Chen also made several preparations, such as the possibility of the illusion plan being discovered or the Lord of the Waves’ army arriving.
At this point, it was a matter of life and death, and all means, whether high or low, righteous or despicable, had to be used.
This included, but was not limited to, using the lower-tier troops of the Guardian Legion as suicide bombers with alchemical explosives, mobilizing and arming all residents of the Crown of the Ocean to fight against the invading enemy, and even involving the elves. In other words, even thousands of elves could keep the enemy occupied for a while..