Chapter 551: Another Use for the Soul

The Necropolis, Resurrection Plaza.

As the ghostly green soul-fire reconverged beneath the massive obsidian statue, a skeleton draped in tattered mage robes stepped slowly out from the void.

Ye Zhiqiu flexed his newly reassembled finger bones, which emitted a series of crisp *crack-crack* sounds.

The dizzying sensation of his soul being forcibly ripped from his body and stuffed back in caused the soul-fire in his eye sockets to flicker uncontrollably.

"Damn it... has the pain reduction in this game failed? That moment just now felt like my skull was being pried open."

A complaint came from nearby.

Not far away, white light flashed repeatedly at the resurrection point as Hu Wan, the Tauren Knight, and the Pig-headed Warrior emerged from the resurrection chamber one after another.

The two Lizardman players were grimacing as they rubbed their necks, clearly still shaken by the experience of being instantly killed just moments ago.

"Don't even mention it. I didn't even see what the BOSS looked like before the screen went black."

Hu Wan flicked his tail—which was nothing but bone—in frustration. As a top-tier thief in the entire game, being killed instantly without even a chance to stealth was an absolute disgrace.

Ye Zhiqiu sighed and habitually reached for the staff tucked into his ribs, only to grasp at empty air. He then remembered his staff had been dropped in that godforsaken cave, along with the ring on his finger.

At this moment, even though he was a skeleton without flesh and blood, everyone could read a hint of heartache in his stiff movements.

"Brother Ye, what's the plan?" The Pig-headed Knight leaned in, his face wearing a cheeky expression. "The forums are all mocking us for being delivery boys. Can we just take that?"

"Let them talk. Do you think I'd take that to heart?"

Ye Zhiqiu gave a faint smile, putting on an indifferent expression. However, those who knew him well all knew that this guy was actually incredibly bothered by it.

Those damn NPCs have no sense of martial honor!

Of course—

What's even more outrageous is the damn developer, actually resorting to a sneak attack!

This score must be settled!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment and continued.

"Go to the shop, buy some supplies and white-tier gear, and we're killing our way back right now! While that cave hasn't been explored by anyone else yet, we might still be able to retrieve our gear. Although we aren't short on Nether Coins, we can't let those rats get the better of us."

The Pig-headed Knight's face lit up with joy.

"Boss is wise!"

The four of them marched toward the shop with high morale.

At this time, the Necropolis commercial district was bustling, with countless players setting up stalls to trade.

Ye Zhiqiu headed straight for the "Logistics Supply Station" opened by the officials, preparing to buy a few sets of white-tier gear for transition.

However, the moment he stepped into the shop, the Gnoblars shopkeeper—who usually couldn't be bothered with anyone—suddenly lit up, jumped down from behind the high counter, and rubbed his hands together.

"Yo! Isn't this 【Ye Zhiqiu】? You've finally arrived!"

Ye Zhiqiu was stunned, the soul-fire in his skull flickering with a hint of oddity; he didn't remember this Gnoblars ever being this polite.

"What? Is there a sale today?"

"A sale? No, no, no, today there's something even better than a sale!"

The Gnoblars shopkeeper gave a sly grin, then turned and dragged a tightly wrapped package from under the counter, pushing it with great effort in front of Ye Zhiqiu.

"This is an 'express delivery' just sent back from the front lines. General Alakto specifically instructed me to say that you brave warriors worked hard scouting in the north! You offered your hearts to the Demon King's Army, and the Demon King's Army cannot let you suffer losses in vain. Now, this equipment is returned to its rightful owners! Please check it!"

Regardless of whether this guy had a heart, he recited the lines given to him by the Demon King Sect without missing a single word.

Through the translation crystal placed on the counter, these words were translated into a language the "players" could understand.

He hadn't expected such a good turn of events.

Ye Zhiqiu's soul-fire jumped violently, and with some disbelief, he extended his finger bones to slice open the spider silk on the package.

*Clatter—*

Accompanied by a crisp sound of metal clashing, several familiar pieces of equipment slid out.

Lying right on top was none other than the staff that haunted his dreams, which he had named "Abyssal Grasp"!

And his golden diamond ring!

Not only that, Hu Wan's daggers, the Tauren's spear, the Pig-headed's battle axe... even the few bottles of potions they had dropped from their backpacks were all neatly packed inside, not a single one missing!

In the gaps between the equipment, he was surprised to find a note with a line of scrawled text:

【Well fought.

——Demon King】

……

The scorching heat of late June blanketed the temporary camp outside Cold Crow City, the air filled with the stench of rot and the aroma of stewed grains.

Flies hovering at low altitude made an irritating buzzing sound, like ghouls impatiently rubbing their hands, waiting for the feast to begin.

Refugees from the Ryan Kingdom who had escaped from Burial Peak were lying scattered in the shade of trees or in crude tents.

Most of them were barely clothed, missing limbs, their hollow eyes staring fixedly in one direction, their spirits clearly on the verge of collapse.

For these people who had just crawled back from the edge of hell, the past few months had been like a persistent nightmare.

The soldiers at the northern outpost of Cold Crow City didn't know how to handle the situation before them. After all, they weren't the patrol guards of Campbell Castle; they mostly dealt with bandits, not refugees.

The only thing to be thankful for was that Cold Crow City's response had been relatively swift.

The City Lord had brought local officials and church priests, while the local baron had brought servants from his manor and several carts of supplies.

Of course, this wasn't because these gentry were particularly compassionate; it was merely because they had heard that His Grace the Grand Duke and that legendary Prince were about to arrive.

In order to make a good impression in front of the truly important figures, these nobles from the remote countryside displayed enthusiasm even greater than during a festival.

"Move faster!"

"Damn it, haven't you all eaten? Set up that tent! And you, what are you standing there like a fool for! You over there, go boil the water!"

"What? You're the tent-setting person? Then get back!"

A baron with a beer belly rode on a stocky warhorse, waving a horsewhip in his hand, shouting loudly in the camp while drenched in sweat.

His gorgeous silk formal wear was already soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to his obese belly, looking indescribably ridiculous.

Clark stood not far away, helplessly rubbing his brow.

It would have been better if this master hadn't shouted; with this shouting, the servants who were already busy were running around like headless flies. The tent-setters picked up soup ladles, and the porridge-boilers picked up wooden sticks.

Well...

He was happy, but the people below suffered.

Fortunately, this baron soon felt he had performed enough, or perhaps he was impatient with the stench here, so he left in a hurry with a few attendants, saying he was going to welcome the Grand Duke's carriage.

With these boisterous masters gone, the camp finally returned to an orderly routine. The tent-setting fellow lit a cigarette, and in the time it took to smoke it, the work was finished.

By the way, ever since the Luokesai 1053-type rifle was equipped, people discovered that using paper to wrap gunpowder could greatly improve loading efficiency, and soon they applied this craft to cigarettes by analogy.

Although people had done this before, the "Luokesai 1053" completed the popularization of this technology... this is something that "Prince Luokesai Kelin" himself probably never expected.

"Saint Xisi above... thank you!"

A survivor who had just finished drinking hot porridge tremblingly grasped Clark's hand, saying with a choked voice.

"If it weren't for you... we would have really died in that hellhole!"

That hand was withered like a branch, with black blood scabs remaining under the fingernails, and the cloudy eyes were filled with tears of gratitude.

Clark pulled his hand back uncomfortably and grinned, his smile carrying the roughness and simplicity unique to frontier soldiers.

"You're welcome..."

Honestly, he really couldn't take credit for this "thank you"; after all, the fact that these lucky ones escaped death really had nothing to do with him.

Last night, all the fellows at the outpost had slept through the night, and he still didn't know what had happened in the north.

Looking at the face of the other person that had regained some spirit, Clark hesitated for a while, but in the end, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked in a low voice.

"Last night... what exactly happened?"

The survivor's pupils shrank, a flash of confusion passed through their eyes, and they spoke as if talking in their sleep.

"I don't know... it was too dark at the time, and it was a mess. I heard someone shouting, and then I started running out. It wasn't until halfway through that I heard someone say they saw a group of dwarves riding giant spiders rush into the cave, killing every rat-man they saw..."

Dwarves?

Riding spiders?

Clark raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

Although there were indeed dwarves and cave spiders in the Wan Ren Mountains, when did these two species get together?

This sounded like an outrageous story made up by a drunk bard.

However, he didn't ask any further.

Presumably, in the pitch-black night, these captives who were only concerned with running for their lives had no chance to see the true faces of their saviors.

Perhaps they were mercenaries, or perhaps some other force.

And those people might not have come to save people; it's possible there were interest entanglements behind it that small people like himself couldn't understand.

Clark shook his head, deciding to bury these questions in his heart.

Anyway, the big shots from the Royal Railway Company had already arrived, so let them worry about such headache-inducing matters.

……

The sun tilted west, and a burst of rapid hoofbeats broke the silence outside the camp.

Since the Royal Railway Company's train only reached Sipinuoer Castle in the west, the remaining distance could only be measured by hoofbeats.

Luo Yan and Ailin did not take a comfortable carriage, but instead switched to fast horses all the way, rushing to the north of Cold Crow City, covered in dust.

Accompanying them were only Teresa, Shala, and twenty elite guards.

Although this wasn't the first time Luo Yan and Shala had come here, they still tacitly acted as if it were their first time.

"Whoa—"

The warhorses neighed and stopped at the entrance of the camp.

Shala dismounted, her movements as light as a falling leaf, and then walked naturally to Luo Yan's side.

"Leave it to me, Your Highness."

As she spoke, she naturally took the reins from Luo Yan's hand and skillfully tied the warhorse to a wooden stake in the camp.

As the Demon King's most intimate guard, Shala was as reliable as ever, as if there wasn't a detail in this world she couldn't take care of.

Teresa, standing to the side, saw this and also wanted to learn a bit of the thoughtfulness of the "Imperial Guards."

However, just as she reached out to take Ailin's reins, she found that her capable master had already nimbly jumped off the horse's back and tied a beautiful knot.

The hands-on ability of Campbell nobles was still too strong; Teresa couldn't help but worry for His Highness, as she had heard that Imperial nobles preferred delicate ladies.

As for where she heard that...

That would have to be asked of the little writers in Lei Ming City; they must have imagined the Imperial nobles based on the nobles around them.

Luo Yan straightened his cuffs and followed Ailin into the refugee camp, while Shala, Teresa, and the others followed behind them.

Everywhere they looked, there was devastation; this wasn't the watered-down version from a bard's mouth, but true misery that could be seen with the eyes.

Ailin looked at the people curled up in corners, covered in bandages, and her emerald eyes flashed with unbearable pain and anger.

Some had broken legs, some were missing arms, some had backs that were a bloody mess, unable to even lie down, only able to lie face down...

"This is... too much."

Ailin's voice trembled slightly.

Luo Yan noticed that her fists hanging by her sides were clenched tightly, the leather gloves creaking from the excessive force.

He stepped forward and comforted her softly.

"At least they survived."

Ailin was silent for a long time, then sighed softly.

"... It's just that I don't know how many didn't survive."

"Although it's cruel to say so, there's no other way."

Luo Yan looked at the wounded and said softly.

"Even an omniscient god cannot save everyone. And all we can do is extend a helping hand wherever our eyes can see."

Just like what they were already doing.

Ailin felt better in her heart, gave him a look of gratitude, and then stepped forward to continue walking deeper into the camp.

Soon, the officials in the camp noticed these two extraordinary figures.

A person in charge from the Royal Railway Company in uniform walked over quickly and performed a humble chest-touching salute to the two.

"Your Highness, Your Royal Highness."

Ailin had no heart for small talk and went straight to the point.

"How is the situation here? Are they all okay?"

The staff member quickly restrained his smile and answered respectfully.

"The priests of Cold Crow City are doing their best to treat the wounds of the survivors. Although they were tortured miserably by those beasts, those who could run here have tough lives, and there is basically no life-threatening danger."

Obviously, this was a correct but useless platitude.

Luo Yan coughed lightly, interrupting his official tone, and went straight to the point.

"Did they mention anything of value? For example... what exactly were those rat-men doing in the mountains?"

The staff member was stunned, seemingly organizing his language.

"They... said a lot of things, but they were all chaotic, and some were even a bit delirious. Some said the rat-men wanted to boil them and eat them, others said the rat-men were using them as test subjects, as sacrifices to the evil god. Others said they were forced to write letters home—"

Luo Yan frowned.

"Get to the point." "Yes!" The staff member wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Many survivors repeatedly mentioned a few words, such as... a black mage's laboratory, an evil god's altar, a huge millstone, oh, and... a pond that screams."

"We speculate that those rat-men should have adopted some kind of evil technology from hell."

"Those demons!" Teresa, who had been following behind, couldn't listen anymore and cursed angrily.

Ailin also bit her lip, anger burning in her eyes.

Teresa had voiced her inner thoughts; besides the demons of hell, who else could think of such cruel means?

However, Luo Yan's expression became somewhat subtle.

The evil of hell was certainly true, but that was using the "Holy Word Book" as a coordinate system, and compared to the situation here, it was clearly a minor matter.

For example, the labyrinth core that harvests fear energy is essentially a collection of faith power, and it usually doesn't destroy the adventurers thrown into the dungeon along with their souls, but rather tends to be a sustainable harvest; after the harvest, it might even give a carrot... just like training a dog.

And once humans surrender to the Demon God due to extreme fear or Stockholm syndrome, the demons simply let them transfer to acolytes, and the exploitation ends there.

Objectively speaking, humans in hell live more comfortably than goblins, after all, humans belong to Bayeli's face project.

As for the casualties in the war, that is another matter, both sides are prepared to kill and be killed.

This kind of non-combatant exploitation as materials in an unsustainable way made the Demon King feel a hint of confusion in addition to shock.

Especially thinking that the Academic State participated in it, he always felt that there was some technology hidden in it that hell didn't understand.

In short, it is certain that this is not for faith.

But focused on the plunder at the soul level...

Just then, the staff member seemed to suddenly remember something and added another sentence.

"Oh! Your Highness, a few survivors also mentioned something, they said... some rat-men called that thing holy water."

The air was quiet for a moment, and an atmosphere of shock flowed among the crowd.

"Holy water?"

Ailin was stunned, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Is it the kind of holy water used in the church to transcend the dead?"

"Your Highness, are you joking? Where are there rat-men who believe in the Holy Light? They wish the sky outside was as dark as the cave, preferably without a sun in the sky."

The staff member laughed, then shook his head, a hint of obvious disgust appearing on his face, as if he had seen something very dirty.

"If that thing could be 'holy water', there would be no poison in this world. I am more inclined to believe that it is a trick used by demons to cover people's eyes."

"My speculation is that they created something extremely evil, and out of some evil taste, packaged it with the name 'holy water'."

Luo Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Holy water.

Soul.

And, the Academic State professor with complex ingredients.

These fragments were quickly pieced together in his mind, although he couldn't see the full picture yet, the blurred outline was enough to make even a demon feel surprised.

"It seems necessary to investigate in depth..."

……

After asking about the clues of "holy water", Ailin asked the staff member a few more questions, and then went to visit and investigate in the camp.

The emotions of the refugees were much more stable than she had imagined.

For these people who had just crawled back from the gates of hell, they clearly didn't need a high-and-mighty princess to express sympathy.

That pot of bubbling oatmeal, and the warm white light in the hands of the military priest, were far more real than any language.

Watching them holding bowls and wolfing down food, Ailin didn't disturb them anymore, and silently returned to the entrance of the camp with Luo Yan.

At this time, a burst of rapid hoofbeats stirred up the dust outside the camp.

Grand Duke Edward had arrived.

The master of the Campbell Principality was covered in dust, and the cloak embroidered with the family crest was stained with dust.

Not far behind him, the City Lord of Cold Crow City and the baron with a beer belly were trying hard to squeeze flattering smiles from their faces, but they ate a mouthful of dust.

Edward dismounted, ignored the flattery of the local officials, and walked straight to the camp commander who had been waiting here.

"Are there any Campbell people inside?"

As the monarch of Campbell, this was his most concerned question.

The camp commander saluted respectfully and answered immediately.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have checked three times. All survivors are from the Ryan Kingdom, and no citizens of the Principality have been found."

Hearing this answer, Edward's tense shoulders relaxed significantly, and then he asked the second question he was concerned about.

"Then, what about the exploration team of the Royal Railway Company? Is there any news about them?"

The camp commander's face was slightly stiff, not daring to look directly into the Grand Duke's eyes, but he still bit the bullet and answered.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have repeatedly confirmed in the confessions of the survivors, no one has seen the explorers in uniform. Forgive me for speaking bluntly... I'm afraid they have already met with misfortune."

Edward fell into silence, and the relaxed expression was rewritten with a hint of gloom.

"I see. Go do what you should do, settle these people down."

"Yes! Your Majesty!" The commander in charge of this camp saluted again, and then strode back to his post.

After dismissing the camp commander, Edward glanced at Ailin and Kelin who were standing at the camp gate, and then glanced at the officers following behind her.

"Gather everyone, meeting."

Sir Wei Sili and Teresa's father and others nodded respectfully.

"Yes! Your Majesty."

……

Inside the military tent in the center of the camp, the atmosphere was murderous.

A military map of the Earl of Sipinuoer was spread out on the table, with several locations suspected of being rat-men nests marked with charcoal pencils.

This time rushing to the Earl of Sipinuoer, Edward set off directly from the banquet at Gladstone Castle. He not only brought his think tank, but also brought the most elite military backbone of the Principality with him.

Among them were emerging nobles like Sir Wei Sili who rose in the Winter Moon Coup, and traditional nobles like Bertrand who stood loyally with the royal family.

Luo Yan and Ailin stood together and also attended this meeting. Edward had never treated him as an outsider, it was so before, and it is so now.

As a representative of the military, Sir Wei Sili broke the silence first and expressed his views on the current situation.

"... The terrain of the Wan Ren Mountains is complex, and those rats are hiding in the deep mountains and old forests, occupying the geographical advantage. If we rashly send the regular army into the mountains to clear them, not only will the supply line be difficult to maintain, but it will also be very easy to be ambushed."

Wei Sili glanced at Edward's face and proposed the plan he thought was the safest.

"My suggestion is, on the one hand, to hire adventurers to form a mountain corps to conduct tentative attacks on the main caves of the Carrion Clan for the purpose of reconnaissance, and on the other hand, to strengthen the defensive fortifications on the northern border of Cold Crow City, protect our border line, and block the threat in the Wan Ren Mountains—"

"That's too slow!"

Ailin almost immediately raised an objection.

She supported her hands on the table, burning flames in her emerald eyes, wishing she could kill into the Wan Ren Mountains immediately.

"Everyone, while we are having a meeting now, our human compatriots captured by the rat-men are still suffering! Every minute we delay here, an innocent person may die, the top priority is to save people as soon as possible!"

While speaking, Ailin looked at Edward and said sincerely.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard and lead a team of elite troops to take the lead—"

"Your Highness! Forgive me for not being able to agree with your reckless plan! That is the life of the Ryan people, not the Campbell people!"

Sir Wei Sili did not back down because the other party was a princess, and said in a cold and realistic tone.

"The young men of Campbell have no obligation to fight the rat-men in the Wan Ren Mountains to save the captives of the neighboring country, they should call their Lionheart Knights to save people!"

"But they are also the people of the Holy Light!" Ailin also did not back down, and retorted unceremoniously. "Facing the enslavement of alien races, we have an obligation to stand up! Whether it is Campbell people or Ryan people, we are all human race!"

"You are right, I don't deny it, but obligation cannot be eaten as a meal, nor can it be distributed as a pension to the families of fallen soldiers!"

"Condoning evil means paying a greater price to make up for it in the future! If those rats are performing rituals to summon chaos, we will pay more pensions in the future!"

"Then wait until it happens!"

Although the wording of the two was still restrained, it was clear that they had already quarreled.

Edward sat in the main seat, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, making a dull sound.

He didn't speak, but the deep wrinkles between his brows exposed his inner entanglement.

Emotionally, he agreed with Ailin and hated the atrocities of those rat-men. However, rationally, he tended to Sir Wei Sili.

The Campbell Principality had just ended two wars, and although the economy was recovering, it could not afford a war of attrition without benefits.

The Twilight Province was fine, after all, it had huge strategic buffer value. But for this group of rats hiding in the mountain ditch, is it really worth letting Campbell bleed?

Revenge will not bring the missing explorers back to life, the rational approach is to pay a pension to the family, fire two shots, and declare victory.

However, Ailin's sentence did touch him—

Condoning evil means paying a greater price to make up for it in the future.

If those little rats are doing chilling things in the cave, they can sacrifice Ryan people today, and they can sacrifice Campbell people tomorrow.

Once they can't live without human flesh, that is something that will definitely happen.

Just when the situation was deadlocked, Luo Yan, who had been standing in the corner of the long table without speaking, suddenly coughed lightly and interrupted the dispute between the two.

"Both of you have a point."

Looking at Ailin whose chest was heaving, he said in a soothing tone.

"Saving the people of the Holy Light is indeed our sacred obligation. But General Wei Sili is also right, we don't necessarily have to bear all the pressure alone."

As he spoke, Luo Yan picked up a flag from beside the map and gently inserted it into the towering mountains on the north side of the map.

That was the territory of the dwarves.

"The Wan Ren Mountains do not belong only to the rat-men. As far as I know, the dwarves living in the depths of the mountains are the original inhabitants there, and they are natural rat-extermination experts. Those rats have been digging holes and performing evil rituals recently, I think they should be more chilled than us."

There was one thing he didn't say, the dwarves are probably not just chilled at this time, even their backsides are starting to feel cold.

After all, the Academic State professor actually got together with the rat-men.

Luo Yan didn't believe that these dwarves hadn't heard any wind, and not daring to speak out was probably the truth.

After all, the Empire is a hundred and eight thousand miles away, and whether they care or not is still a matter of buck-passing, but the Great Sage is right beside them.

They must feel that humans are really blasphemous, and there is nothing they can do, after all, Brass Pass still has to rely on human help.

Edward's eyes lit up slightly.

Indeed—

If there is help from dwarves, the difficulty of mountain warfare will be greatly reduced!

"We can send envoys to the High Mountain Kingdom and mobilize this ancient ally! They will launch an attack from the northeast and form an encirclement with us!"

"That is exactly what I mean, if they are willing to participate in the battle against the Carrion Clan, our pressure at the strategic level will be greatly reduced, and we only need to open a supply line to the Dwarf Kingdom on the front line..."

Luo Yan smiled slightly, his index finger moved down, left the Earl of Sipinuoer, and landed on the southwest corner of the strategic map.

"Besides that, we can also recruit soldiers from Mud City."

"Mud City?" Bertrand frowned.

"That's right! Those lizardmen have a natural adaptability to harsh environments, and as far as I know, in their recipe, this kind of rat is a rare delicacy."

Luo Yan spread his hands, his tone relaxed.

"As long as the reward is enough, those lizardmen can clear those tough caves for us... This is like eating a buffet for them."

The tent was quiet for a few seconds.

Bertrand touched the stubble on his chin, and the resistance in Sir Wei Sili's eyes also dissipated a lot.

"If that's the case... it's a good idea. Let the alien race deal with the alien race, we only provide equipment and logistics, and we can keep the casualty rate to a minimum."

Ailin also nodded.

Although there was still a hint of worry between her brows, she also knew that this was indeed the most feasible plan at present.

"But... how long will this take? Those captured humans may not be able to wait."

"On the dwarf side, they once fought side by side with us, and communication will be fast. As for Mud City, I believe that with the help of Mr. Saku Jifeng, mobilization will not take too long."

Luo Yan looked at Edward and continued to say in a gentle tone.

"It's just that this may require our Grand Duke to make a small change. For example, grant the Gutafu Kingdom temporary military passage rights within Campbell... We need Gutafu officers to go to the front line to command the battle."

"No problem!"

Facing Prince Kelin's proposal, Edward did not hesitate at all and made a decision immediately.

"The people of the Dragon God are ancient allies of the human race, if the Gutafu Kingdom is willing to lend a helping hand, we welcome it with both hands! Not just passage rights, the railways and ports of the Royal Railway Company will be fully open to those who support us! Prince Kelin, I leave it to you to persuade them!"

Whether it is the Kelin Principality or the Gutafu Kingdom, they are important allies of the Campbell Principality. Since Prince Kelin is sure to persuade the Gutafu Kingdom to take action, he will of course not refuse.

Moreover, this is a good opportunity to observe and learn!

Edward was looking forward to seeing more amazing good things from the people of the Dragon God than the "Luokesai rifle".

"It is an honor to serve you, my friend."

Luo Yan nodded happily and bowed elegantly. Then, he turned around and looked at Ailin who was still a little worried.

"In addition to these macro-strategic deployments, the next step is tactical action."

"On the one hand, we need to prepare for a full-scale war with the Carrion Clan, and take action on both troop deployment and diplomatic levels. And on the other hand..."

Luo Yan's tone was still gentle, but a cold light that was hard to detect flashed in his eyes.

"We will form an elite team to go deep into the hinterland of the rat-men's defense line first, and figure out what those rats are doing sneakily in the cave."

"And, do our best to bring back the human compatriots we can see!" ===== CHAPTER 552 =====