vncnus Chapter 317 Manufacturing Cycle
Chapter 317 Manufacturing Cycle
Chapter 317 Manufacturing Cycle
This is Chris's first time personally leading an expedition.
However, before they could even get off to a successful start, an unexpected incident occurred during the deployment phase.
He was furious at that moment.
What is this?
This is his first time commanding an army, and he's encountered this outcome. What prestige will he have left in his community?!
Chris was furious and urgently convened a military meeting.
He must find the reason for this failure and a person who can take full responsibility for it.
Those who attended the meeting included Einar, Marshall, and several other commanders from this campaign.
Chris slammed his fist on the table in anger: "What the hell happened?!"
Ainar said, "Elder, I had already devised a complete and perfect battle plan. This battle should have been a historic victory under your leadership."
"You know, once it runs through the north and south, connecting the ravines and the Weeping Gorge, our central community will become a 'nation' that can be compared with the other three communities."
"This plan is quite cautious, including deployments in four aspects: ambush, sneak attack, surprise attack, and interception. It will surely be able to firmly and steadily pull White Mirror Square into our hands."
"However, an advance force dispatched by our army encountered an accident on its way to its deployment position."
"The original purpose of this unit was to monitor the movement of people in the southwest direction of White Mirror Square and to cut off the square's ears and mouth first."
"If the deployment is successful, this victory can be declared ahead of schedule. However, we don't know what the troops encountered."
"Hundreds of men were wiped out, not a single one survived, including Commander Alvin. Moreover, according to my subsequent investigation, it was discovered that these men appeared to have been killed at the same time."
Upon hearing this, Chris's eyes widened:
"Wait! You said they were killed simultaneously! Does that mean there's some kind of technique that can kill hundreds of people in one strike?!"
Ainar nodded: "Very likely! I've heard of this tactic before. In the absence of defense, and given enough dense crowds, killing hundreds of people is entirely possible."
"But why would these people encounter our troops? Could it be that people from White Mirror Square or the Southern Community were aware of our operational plans and deployed in advance?"
Chris found it amusing: "You're asking me?"
"No, Elder," Ainar shook his head, "I'm just asking you to consider that as long as this possibility exists, it means the enemy might be deploying some kind of plan. Therefore, I have to suspend the battle plan."
"Afterwards, I sent people into the square to investigate and found that the number of soldiers in the square had increased, though I don't know if this was before this case."
Or later.
Chris didn't want to know any of that: "So, whose fault is this defeat?"
"The lack of thorough investigation led to the accident, and the investigator is naturally culpable," Ainar said, bowing his head. "And I am also responsible for poor command."
Chris wanted to hear this: "This defeat has severely damaged the interests of the community, but considering the wartime situation, I will temporarily suspend this mistake."
"But they must be punished," Marshall said. "This defeat clearly shows their negligence, and they must be punished as a warning to others."
Upon hearing this, Chris thought for a moment and then said:
"Then we'll fine you six months' salary."
"Thank you for the elder's kindness," Einar said, bowing his head.
"So what do we do next?" Chris then asked.
Ainar replied, "Because of this accident, the subsequent deployment also fell behind schedule. And speed is of the essence in war. Once an accident occurs, the plan will be completely invalidated and must be re-formulated."
Chris frowned: "So, can we take White Mirror Plaza before autumn?"
"Elder, our strategic objectives have been completely exposed, and White Mirror Square, as a crucial pass, will not only be heavily guarded by the Southern Community."
"I'm afraid the Eastern Community won't just sit idly by; they'll probably send troops to support them and jointly defend the area."
"More importantly, White Mirror Square can directly receive troop and material support from the Northern Community through the port located in the ditch."
"We failed to take White Mirror Square with a surprise attack. If the Central Community launches a forceful attack later, it will likely be a thankless task and will only damage our strength."
"What do we do then!" Chris roared. "Once autumn arrives and snow begins to fall on the permafrost continent, it will be even less likely we can take that city!"
"There's nothing we can do about it!" Ainar said. "Elder, as you know, we bypassed many plazas and quietly arrived near White Mirror Plaza."
"In other words, we have no support in the rear. Once the enemy finds our hiding place, our situation will be extremely dangerous."
"If we can capture White Mirror Square and the several squares to its south, our army can launch a pincer attack from the north and south, and we will surely be able to achieve multiple victories quickly."
"But in the current situation, we are surrounded by enemies—to be honest, Elder, I even think that retreating now is the best strategy!"
Upon hearing this, Chris angrily slammed his fist on the table.
"Withdrawing troops now?! Doesn't that mean our army can forget about taking this square this year?!"
"Elder," Ainar said, "after this period of continuous fighting, I understand very well that one must not be hasty in military operations."
Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to disastrous consequences!
"Our chances of winning a direct assault on White Mirror Square now are less than 50%! Elders, please reconsider!"
Hearing this, Chris calmed down a little:
"Then tell me, how should we fight?"
"Since surprise attacks are unlikely to work," Ainar said, "then we can only proceed cautiously, retreating from the heart of enemy territory, and then advancing from south to north, square by square, until we reach White Mirror Square!"
"But this certainly cannot be achieved this year."
"Yes," Ainar nodded, "the further north you go, the harder it is to fight in winter, and our target is the northernmost part of the Southern Square."
Chris knew nothing about warfare, but upon hearing this, he understood that he had no choice but to listen to Einar on this matter.
Forget it.
Although he wanted to expand his territory as soon as possible, he couldn't afford to take any greater risks for it.
The potion's potential dangers aren't so immediate, Chris doesn't need to rush things.
Chris doesn't necessarily need to own a large territory; he just needs to ensure that his community is wealthy enough and difficult for outside enemies to easily destroy.
Thinking about it that way, Chris felt he had plenty of time.
"Okay," Chris stood up, "then let's do it your way."
After saying that, he left the tent.
Chris returned to his barracks and sat listlessly in his seat.
This was a complete failure.
He had no interest in commanding battles; he was only there to listen to advice, boost morale, and enhance his own prestige.
But then this unfortunate accident happened.
But who is the person who can kill hundreds of people with a single move?
There is only one thing without a doubt: he is by no means a soft-hearted person.
That evening, Ennar, carrying his new plan, went to Chris. Ultimately, Ennar decided to withdraw his troops and devised a detailed withdrawal route.
Chris agreed and ordered it to be carried out immediately.
Since staying here is dangerous, Chris doesn't want to linger.
Afterwards, the troops marched through the night and began their retreat.
Chris, riding a horse, just wanted to get back to safety as quickly as possible.
And he vowed never to come to the front lines again.
On the way, Einar came to Chris's side:
"I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Chris nodded: "There was a big problem with the intelligence this time. Einar, you need to talk to the intelligence officer and summarize the lessons learned from this failure to avoid making the same mistake again."
Ainar said, "I know the reason, and I knew that sooner or later there would be mistakes due to intelligence problems, but I didn't expect it to be this time."
Chris could easily tell that Enal's words had a hidden meaning:
"What do you mean?"
"This intelligence officer has only been in office for a short time and is lacking in ability, so problems are bound to arise sooner or later."
"Why change the intelligence officer?" Chris frowned. "Where did the superior intelligence officer go?"
Although senior officials need to be appointed by Chris personally, he couldn't be bothered with such matters.
Therefore, they simply scribble and sign documents haphazardly, rarely caring about the content.
That's why Chris was completely unaware of what Enal was saying at that moment.
"Huh?" It was Ainar who looked surprised. "My lord, don't you remember?"
Chris didn't want his subordinates to realize that he wasn't actually doing anything.
So he made an excuse, saying, "I have too many things to deal with, and sometimes I inevitably get things mixed up."
"But," Einar said, "you were the one who ordered his execution!"
"I?"
These words truly surprised Chris, as he had never given such an order before.
"Yes," Einar nodded. "Last time you investigated the spy case, you found more than a hundred people, including a former intelligence officer."
Hearing this, Chris felt a chill run down his spine.
He remembered that he had used the power of fate last time in order to find the spy.
Based on Fate Radiation, Chris narrowed down the possible spies.
Those he executed were people who could have a significant impact on Chris's fate.
Fate's guidance is always obscure, so Chris has no choice but to resort to this method.
After that incident, Chris felt that he had handled it brilliantly, that he was a genius!
But if that incident led to the current setback...
Doesn't that mean that even if he kills them, they will still have an impact on Chris's fate?
No! Chris's thoughts became clearer. That's not it!
That time, it was probably just that Chris couldn't determine in what way those fate radiations would affect his destiny.
Some people's survival would indeed hinder Chris's fate.
They were the cycle of Chris's fate, and Chris had no regrets about cutting them off.
But what if other people only affect Chris's fate after they die?
A deep chill spread throughout Chris's body.
Doesn't this mean that Chris felt a profound fear—that he had created the cycle of his own destiny?!
The night was both quiet and terrifying.
The army retreated in a tense manner.
But what should Chris do to turn his fate from a cycle back into an upward one?
Chris's return to Central Plaza went relatively smoothly; his troops were not discovered.
At least it was not attacked.
But Chris's unease did not dissipate; he knew all too well how dangerous the cycle of fate could be.
If he is not careful, he may face utter ruin.
But once a wrong move has been made, there's no going back.
He then made up for that bad move with a counter-move.
Now, he must increase his strength.
But how can I increase my strength?
Perhaps we should look for the answer in fate.
Chris decided that the long-stalled journey of destiny must be put back on track.
In addition, there are magic potions.
Potions are powerful things.
Gretella went to great lengths to leave behind an apostle to pass on the potion recipe to future generations; there was definitely a purpose to it.
This also suggests that the power of potions may be quite formidable.
If Chris wants to gain power, he can indeed start with potions.
However, the potion recipe was incomplete.
Chris could only guess the contents of the recipe through cryptic information.
The ice from the coldest places has been proven to be silver ice.
Adding silver ice to a potion greatly enhances its power.
So, by adding just one special ingredient, the potion's essence will become even closer to perfection.
He can use the power gained from the potion to reach an even higher level!
According to the intelligence provided by Marshall, the iron ore in the highlands is a different kind of ore from the Lyons Plateau!
Chris sent people to collect this ore a while ago, but I don't know how it's progressing.
With this in mind, Chris did not linger on the front lines any longer and handed over full command of the war to Einar.
He then immediately returned to his saddle square.
As soon as he returned to the square, he heard the good news.
The exotic iron ore has been brought back!
Chris immediately arranged for people to participate in the refining of the improved version of the potion.
A few days later, several more alchemists died.
Fortunately, the new version of the potion has finally been brewed!
The color of the potion has changed this time, turning into a dark purple.
Furthermore, the shadows reveal iridescent light floating within the liquid inside the bottle.
Chris took the new potion to see Grellara's apostle.
The palm, stuck in the cushion, stuck out a long tongue.
Chris poured out a drop of liquid.
"Hahaha!" the apostle laughed. "That's it! Hahaha! This is the potion that Master made before his death!"
Chris was overjoyed: "So, I've finished the potion?!"
"No, not yet!"
"But you just said..."
"...? This is the version made by the master, but not the final version!" the apostle said. "You have only collected two kinds of materials; you haven't collected half of the materials yet."
"Even Grelarara couldn't collect all the materials, and you expect me to?"
It wasn't that Chris didn't believe in himself.
In fact, as a man who built a new community, Chris is already worthy of being recorded in history.
However, compared to the famous Greta Thunberg, she inevitably pales in comparison.
"Perhaps the master simply didn't have the means to collect the materials back then," the apostle said, "but perhaps you can indeed do it."
Look! In such a short time, you've already completed half of it!
"Go look for it! You'll definitely find it."
"And it will definitely bring you unexpected power. I think you definitely need power—"