Chapter 28: The Swamp Troll Crisis!

Intelligence Three: Your arrival thwarted the Demon Serpents' attack on Stormhold, but the monsters seem unwilling to accept defeat; today at noon, a force of over a hundred Demon Serpents will march toward Stormhold.

Most importantly, the Demon Serpent force includes a Swamp Giant as powerful as a third-rank beast.

Facing a Swamp Giant five meters tall, the wooden palisade of Wheatfield Village is as fragile as a child’s toy and utterly incapable of stopping the giant’s advance.

Intelligence Four: A slave-hunting party has returned from the Chaos Wastes, heavily laden with captives; to facilitate control, they chose the less-traveled route through Stormhold and are expected to arrive at Wheatfield Village in the evening.

Among all the captives, everyone appears ordinary, except a woman named Evlan, who possesses a faint trace of Ancient Golden Bloodline—making her exceptionally suited for cultivating the Breath of Battle Qi.

Her cultivation speed will be three times that of others!

Moreover, within a day, she will awaken the Golden Eye ability, granting her vision as sharp as an eagle’s.

Additionally, the slave-hunting party includes ten skilled longbowmen; if acquired, they would greatly enhance the strength of your domain.

Intelligence Five: At the border between the Chaos Wastes and the Mountain of Death, a previously uninhabited area has been occupied by a mysterious group who have set up a magical array.

As the array activates, the surrounding space begins to tremble—they appear to be attempting to open a portal between the Continent of Glory and an unknown realm.

Regardless of where the other side leads, the occasional leakage of death energy reveals that it is extraordinarily perilous.

However, this portal has been specially constructed so that once activated, it cannot be shut down; it will fully connect the two regions in one day—nearby domains must remain vigilant for potential dangers.

“The monsters are attacking again?!”

Gavis bolted upright in bed.

Stormhold is truly perilous—only a few days since my arrival, and the monsters are already preparing a second assault.

And this time, it’s even worse—a Swamp Giant as powerful as a third-rank beast; even Knight-Lieutenant Raymond might not be able to handle it?

Ding-ding-ding!

“My lord!” Caroline, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and swiftly began washing and dressing Gavis.

But Gavis, preoccupied with the looming crisis, had no time today to indulge his thoughts on his personal maid.

As soon as he finished dressing and washing, Gavis prepared to head straight downstairs.

“My lord!” But this time, Caroline called out to stop him.

“What is it, Caroline?”

Since yesterday, when the maid fearlessly tried to shield him from the sword,

Gavis not only realized his conditioning had taken effect, but also significantly changed his attitude toward her.

Caroline, blushing deeply, still said: “My lord, today’s punishment has not yet been carried out!”

Wow! Gavis was stunned.

With such a devoted maid, any crisis can wait!

“Then let’s begin today’s punishment!”

The words were ambiguous, but Caroline had witnessed Gavis’s character over the past two days.

Thus, the maid confidently lay face-down on the table.

Soon, the sound of slaps echoed as white ripples surged.

……

“My lord, you summoned us because you have important news?”

In the castle’s meeting hall, Knight-Lieutenant Raymond arrived with five knights, and Laurence, newly promoted to centurion, hurried in as well.

“Yes, I’ve just received reliable intelligence: the Demon Serpents will attack Stormhold again, expected to reach the border at noon.”

“More critically, the monster force includes a Swamp Giant with power equivalent to a third-rank beast!”

“What?! The monsters are coming again—and with a third-rank Swamp Giant?!” Everyone stared in shock.

“My lord, what should we do now? Should we immediately reinforce our defenses?” Laurence exclaimed, immediately asking.

As a native of Stormhold, he understood better than anyone the changes the domain had undergone in recent days.

This newfound prosperity brought joy to both him and the common folk.

Just as hope began to bloom, this nightmare arrived.

Yet Laurence would never allow this good life to be destroyed again.

Even if it cost him his life, he would hold his ground until the final moment.

“A third-rank beast’s power, combined with the Swamp Giant’s massive size—even reinforced defenses won’t stop its charge!” Knight-Lieutenant Raymond dismissed Laurence’s suggestion.

“Then… are we truly powerless?” Laurence turned pale.

“There are only two options: first, since my lord has precise intelligence, we evacuate all villagers immediately and have the rear guard hold the castle!”

“That way, even if the monsters attack, only the village will be damaged—and they’ll eventually retreat.”

“But wouldn’t the village suffer massive losses? Those monsters are vicious—they’ll ransack every house in search of food!” Laurence worried.

Knight-Lieutenant Raymond nodded and continued: “The second option: we launch a preemptive strike to lure the monsters away from Wheatfield Village—this might temporarily prevent them from attacking.”

“But it’s only a temporary solution; if the monsters still refuse to abandon Wheatfield Village, they’ll return again and again.”

“Moreover, luring the monsters is extremely dangerous—the soldiers sent to decoy them may suffer heavy casualties.”

“But the one advantage is that it would buy us enough time to request aid from the Kingdom’s Border Legion.”

“It’s sacrificing a small loss to avoid a greater one!” Laurence suddenly turned to Gavis. “My lord, I volunteer to lead the decoy force and buy time for reinforcements from the border legion!”

“My lord, I’ll go with him; otherwise, the guard unit alone won’t be enough to distract many monsters,” Raymond said.

“My lord, we’re ready to go too!” The other five knights, including Migen, volunteered.

“Your courage is commendable, but remember—when facing enemies, courage alone isn’t enough; strategy matters too!” Gavis raised his hand to silence them.

Amid their confusion, Gavis said: “I’ve already devised our response. Do you remember the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard?”

The Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard—they all remembered.

Stealing its offspring from such a colossal beast had been the most thrilling experience of their lives—they’d never forget it.

“My lord, we remember, but… how does the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard relate to the monsters?” Migen and the others were puzzled.

Knight-Lieutenant Raymond, however, seemed to grasp the idea—his eyes suddenly lit up.

“My lord, are you planning to lure the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard to attack the monsters?”

“Precisely. The Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard is among the strongest third-rank beasts; with proper planning, even the Swamp Giant won’t survive.”

Gavis then began issuing orders, but the monsters wouldn’t arrive until noon.

For now, he simply ordered his subordinates to prepare.

In the meantime, he needed to secure the other valuable assets mentioned in the intelligence.