Chapter 463: Solar Plot

Lord Lifusi need not worry too much.

Ai Mi Li Si spoke to soothe the first duke who openly pledged allegiance to her, "The defenses of Baroske City and Flowing Fortress have been repaired; the turret and water‑screen shield defenses, Lord Lifusi knows better than any of us, and Mark's army is not so easy to breach."

Duke Fei She slowly nodded and said gravely, "It was my over‑caution."

If it had been half a month ago, he would not have been this worried, but after witnessing the tragic collapse of Flowing Fortress within half an hour, who could say whether the Lao Bo Di Er family also possesses some formidable means.

He said he was over‑cautious, yet his heart still would not let go.

Wa Luo Gen consoled, "Lord Duke, the likelihood of the Lao Bo Di Er family choosing to attack Baroske City is very low; it offers them little benefit." He paused, "We have left hidden sentries along our march; once the enemy approaches Fei She's domain, we will know at once and can rush to reinforce at top speed."

He looked at Lei En and gave a confident smile.

Duke Fei She also seemed enlightened; he recalled when the dragon‑born army stormed Crab Port, Lord Ge La Mo Gen opened a massive portal that transferred the troops directly from Dragon Crystal Island to the harbor.

He just didn't know how far Lei En's portal could reach, or whether it would be in time.

Lei En was also calculating in his mind.

The Void Spirit Portal can transmit at most three hundred li per use, twice a day, totaling six hundred li. He glanced at the map on the table, made an estimate, and quickly conceived a plan.

"From Flowing Fortress to Wind‑Rage Fortress is just over a thousand li," Lei En said. "If we travel east for half a day, we'll reach the midpoint of this stretch; from there I can cover both Flowing Fortress and Wind‑Rage Fortress and deliver the troops to the battlefield within twenty minutes."

Ai Mi Li Si and the others were all taken aback; they hadn't expected Lei En's portal range to be so great.

Ding La Ji's eyes widened even more, "Lord, you mean to split the forces into two routes?"

"Exactly."

Lei En smiled and voiced his plan, "After we leave the city tomorrow, we'll find a concealed spot east of Oakwood City and split up. Ai Mi Li Si, you take five thousand centaurs, the Scale‑Riding Guard, and the Spear‑Wing Knight Order forward straight to Wind‑Rage Fortress."

"The remaining River Bay Legion, the duke's lords and the Transcendent troops, as well as my Elite Vanguard, will stay behind on standby."

"Whether the enemy ambushes Baroske City or lies in wait on the road to Wind‑Rage Fortress, we can use the Communication Beacon to contact, and my forces can teleport there instantly."

Thus the whole force splits into two armies of five thousand each, weakening strength and making it easier to lure enemy attacks. Moreover, the Void Spirit Portal can only sustain ten minutes; transporting five thousand is already the limit, and a longer duration would only make it vulnerable to enemy blockades.

"This method is excellent!" Duke Fei She exclaimed.

Wa Luo Gen, Ding La Ji and the others also nodded repeatedly; Lei En's plan was truly optimal, not only reassuring Duke Fei She but also securing the strategic initiative.

After careful consideration, Ai Mi Li Si also approved the marching plan.

Then the group discussed a few more details and each went to rest.

When Lei En rose to leave, he glanced at Ai Mi Li Si without a flicker, noticing she was also watching him covertly, then subtly shifted away, seeming to sigh in relief, showing no intention of a private conversation nor inviting him to share a bedroom.

Since ascending to the Kangjiatuo Kingdom, the two have never been intimate.

Lei En is not the type to be driven by base desires; he knows the greater picture matters, and now is the most crucial period of her life, so he does not wish to distract her and has never pressed the issue.

But he noticed that Ai Mi Li Si seems, consciously or not, to avoid close contact.

"She is hiding something from me."

Lei En felt a doubt, yet his Soul Eye sensed no change of heart, nor any other man; he is confident in this regard.

Whether emotionally or in terms of profit, Ai Mi Li Si lacks the nerve to play any tricks.

Leaving the hall, Lei En returned to the camp to rest.

After a night passed with no night raid, the army broke camp at daybreak and left Oakwood City.

Not long after heading east, Lei En mounted Bo Er Qi and rose into the sky.

Ai Mi Li Si's three‑headed dragon also took to the air.

Weizelan's elite wizards, under the guidance of the two chairmen, cast Flight Technique and each ascended into the sky, scattering in all directions.

This had been agreed upon yesterday: before the army split, potential hidden scouts must be eliminated. In Ai Lun E Si, because of the existence of Shadow Warriors, Stealth Element and Invisibility Technique, scouts easily hide in darkness and are hard to clear; a large‑scale troop movement cannot easily conceal its trail.

But it's not impossible; it's just difficult.

Wa Luo Gen had already placed scouts outside Wind‑Rage Fortress, yet still lost track of the Lao Bo Di Er family troops, indicating the enemy is superior in this regard.

The enemy's secrecy is clear to me; this is very detrimental to executing the split‑troop plan.

Thus the situation must be turned around.

The wizards, while flying, cast Detection Technique on themselves, and the dragons, naturally possessing phasing and camouflage abilities, flew outward ten li from the ground forces as a center.

Lei En's eyes, like radars, swept over a vast area.

"Hm?"

A figure emerged less than half a li behind the troops, fully clad in black leather armor, lurking beneath roadside bushes, its camouflage so deft that no breath was betrayed.

Not far from it, two companions were also concealed.

The three had already spotted the dragons above, all lying motionless on the ground, holding their breath for fear of being discovered.

Lei En patted Bo Er Qi's neck and pointed downward.

The golden three‑headed dragon also locked onto the target, diving like a fighter jet; halfway down, the three scouts realized they were exposed, instantly terrified, their souls scattering, and they instinctively split apart.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast they ran, they could not match the dragon's flight speed.

Bo Er Qi easily caught up, spitting two streams of scorching dragon breath left and right, incinerating two scouts; the last, the swiftest, fled over two hundred meters from the opposite direction.

Lei En opened a Dimensional Gate, appeared ahead, and hurled a Thunderbolt Hammer.

Boom!

The scout was merely a Mid‑stage Transcendent, unable to withstand the war hammer; it didn't even react, smashed into meat fragments and burst.

Lei En caught the hammer and returned to Bo Er Qi's back.

The golden three‑headed dragon circled twice in the sky, and Lei En located another scout. This scout hid extremely well, slipping into an underground cavern that others could hardly find, yet his heartbeat still gave away his position, unable to escape the all‑encompassing sound.

Bo Er Qi breathed a mouthful of dragon fire into the cave, instantly silencing it.

Returning to the troops, the wizards and dragons each reported; together they had found nearly twenty scouts, which made Ai Mi Li Si, Wa Luo Gen and the others a little uneasy.

The Lao Bo Di Er family's preparations were far more thorough than expected.

The army pressed onward.

Lei En and the four‑headed dragons took turns patrolling the skies, eliminating hidden scouts; by late noon, he confirmed the surrounding enemies had been completely cleared.

Ai Mi Li Si led the centaurs, the Scale Guard, and the Gunwing Knight Corps onward.

Wizard Corps also followed her.

Lei En and Fei She Title: Duke took the remaining troops and turned into a hidden valley; the two Legendary High-rank Speakers erased their tracks on the road, and before leaving they set up a simple Mist Concealment Formation around the valley, which was shrouded by thick fog, with five thousand people hidden inside.

Fei She Title: Duke had a group of shadow warriors who placed hidden sentries at the valley entrance.

Sure enough, shortly after, enemy scouts appeared outside the valley, but they did not spot the army inside; instead they chased the contingent led by Ai Mi Li Si.

This reassured Fei She Title: Duke, who said, "The plan succeeded!"

He stood on a hillside, watching Lei En sitting on a stone reading a book, seeming to have anticipated everything, and asked oddly, "Honorable Speaker, aren't you afraid we'll be exposed?"

"Even if we're exposed, it doesn't matter," Lei En replied calmly.

Fei She Title: Duke was momentarily stunned, "Why?"

Those scouts surely carried magical items for sending messages outward; they may not be as useful as a voice beacon, but they can certainly transmit a message before dying, so killing them is futile—the valley will inevitably be discovered.

Lei En closed the book, "Title: Duke, think carefully: if the Lao Bo Di Er Family discovers that half our army is here, what will they do?"

"Attack us?"

"Or ignore us and continue ambushing Ai Mi Li Si's forces?"

"Or perhaps they'll launch a surprise attack on Baroske City?"

Each time Lei En mentioned a possibility, Fei She Title: Duke shook his head, then understood. No matter which target the Lao Bo Di Er Family chose to attack, the outcome would be the same, because the use of a massive teleport gate forces them to face enemies far beyond the obvious.

"Title: Duke, this is an open strategy," Lei En laughed, "Even if we tell the Lao Bo Di Er Family the plan, they can't decipher it."

"Open strategy!"

Fei She Title: Duke suddenly understood, his face full of sincere admiration, "Your Excellency the Speaker's wisdom has opened my eyes."

Lei En modestly waved his hand, noting that the plan wasn't particularly brilliant; the key lay in the use of the massive teleport gate, which solved the spatial‑temporal separation. The art of war often hinges on securing space and time; seizing temporal‑spatial initiative already secures half the victory.

However, Fei She Title: Duke still had a question, "If it doesn't matter that the enemy knows the plan, why do we still need to stay hidden?"

"Doing so makes Ai Mi Li Si's army appear weaker, luring the enemy's attack and preventing them from choosing to strike Baroske City."

Lei En explained, "War fought on the enemy's ground is always better than fighting on our own territory."

This made Fei She Title: Duke feel grateful.

He bowed and said, "Thank you, Excellency the Speaker."

The Soul Eye saw Fei She Title: Duke's attitude shift dramatically, showing much goodwill, and Lei En smiled to himself. During the capture of Benliu Fortress, Extreme Warrior and Gunwing Knight Corps killed over three hundred Sturgeon Warriors; although Fei She Title: Duke has now defected, he still harbors some resentment.

He took this opportunity to untie the knot and draw both sides closer.

As for why he needed to win over Fei She Title: Duke, Lei En did it casually; Ai Mi Li Si's recent changes made him wary, forcing him to keep a contingency.

Fei She Title: Duke, who has lived for centuries and endured many storms, keenly sensed some of Lei En's thoughts.

But he did not refuse.

On the contrary, he proactively drew close, sitting on the hillside to talk with Lei En; what seemed a simple chat was actually intentional flattery, both parties tacitly understanding, talking for most of the day before parting.

Lei En watched Fei She Title: Duke's departing silhouette and muttered, "What a clever person."

The mist in the valley did not dissipate.

Over five thousand transcendent beings rested in the valley, recuperating from noon to night and into the next morning; Lei En used a voice beacon to contact Ai Mi Li Si every fifteen minutes. She led her army on a rapid march, passing through the territories of two Lao Bo Di Er Family vassals; as expected, the two lords abandoned their lands and fled, and no battle occurred.

Ai Mi Li Si simply marched through the night, moving at top speed straight toward Windrage Fortress.

The terrain of the Lao Bo Di Er Principality consists mainly of rugged hills, with an overall area similar to Kangjiatuo—very elongated, long north‑south and narrow east‑west.

In just a day and a half, Ai Mi Li Si led the great army across the Lao Bo Di Er Principality's lands and is about to reach the sea‑built Windrage Fortress.

"Lei En!"

"The enemy has appeared."

Around noon the next day, Ai Mi Li Si's voice came through the voice beacon, "Title: Speaker Kai De Jia has discovered the Lao Bo Di Er Family's army; you come now."

"Alright." Lei En replied.

Fei She Title: Duke nearby also heard the news, instantly perked up, his face showing joy; the Lao Bo Di Er Family's army chose to ambush rather than sneak attack Baroske City, which was the outcome he most wanted, avoiding casualties in his own lands.

"Gather the troops, prepare the teleport."

Lei En dropped the sentence, drew the Arcane Flood Staff to activate a teleport gate, and with Bo Er Qi and another person stepped through. The staff's attached Five‑ring Teleport Gate can be used four times daily; he used them all at once yet was still short by over two hundred li, then used the teleport gates attached to two Phantom Gates.

When he emerged from the teleport gate, he appeared directly beside Ai Mi Li Si.

"Lei En."

"Excellency the Speaker."

"Lord."

Ai Mi Li Si and the others looked over, calling him by different titles; Lei En nodded toward Kai De Jia, the white‑haired Speaker who waved his hand, and a phantom map materialized before them.

It was still a half‑day's journey to Windrage Fortress; the terrain was extremely steep, and a rugged road was the only path to the fortress. The forests and hills on either side seemed calm, but under the spell's manifestation, thousands of transcendent beings appeared.

The Lao Bo Di Er Family's great army!

(End of Chapter)