Real Mount and Blade Game

It was no longer about eliminating the remaining enemy forces, but about being on the highest alert against an unknown enemy and the extraordinary presence that had just appeared.

At this moment, Fatis, who had been standing silently, slightly turned his helmet and focused his gaze on Shen Mu once again.

Through the gaps in his visor, a light, completely different from the shock he had just displayed, flickered in his eyes, which were as calm as an icy lake.

It was a chilling, intense desire for exploration and a profound...anxiety ignited by an unprecedented threat.

"Lord Lord."

Fatis's voice remained calm and steady, but every word carried immense weight: "That power... we may have seriously underestimated the plane behind the Wood Elves, or... other entities connected to them. This is not simply the power of a plane, but more like... a kind of recycling or targeted harvesting. The target is clear, precise, and ruthless."

Shen Mu slowly turned his head, his deep gaze meeting Fatis's icy stare in the scorching air.

The sounds of soldiers running around, orders being passed around, and the groans of the wounded in the distance all seemed to become background noise.

"Underestimate?" Shen Mu's lips slowly curved into a cold, emotionless smile. His icy voice, like the scraping of cold iron, echoed clearly across the command post: "No, Fatis. This is not an underestimation at all."

He raised his hand and pointed to the sky and the huge crater on the ground, which were still filled with terrible emptiness. Every word he spoke carried the weight of tempering: "This is the first time a big fish has truly entered the hunting ground and bared its fangs at us."

At the heart of the battlefield, on the scorched earth.

Bandak, accompanied by a group of burly infantrymen, roughly but quickly inspected Yang Di and Zhang Bo.

Yang Di's life was rapidly extinguished; his pupils dilated, and his breathing became so weak it was almost nonexistent.

A Swadian infantryman probed his carotid artery, spitting in disgust: "Damn it, this bastard's practically dead! Hurry! Get the Aidengard believers here to heal him! We'll get in trouble if we delay the lord's request!"

Two soldiers roughly lifted the limp, noodle-like Yang Di and dragged him like a dead dog toward the temporary aid station in the distance, leaving a long, broken trail of blood on the scorched earth.

The 20 devout followers of Aidengad were waiting there.

But Shen Mu didn't care about their treatment.

He was still busy with his own affairs, riding his sacred tree steed to the edge of the deep pit.

The enormous crater, like a grinning mouth, stretched across the heart of the burning village.

The charred pit walls were smooth as a mirror, and even emitted wisps of smoke left by the annihilation of residual energy. The edges were scorched by the high temperature, giving them an eerie glassy texture.

The boundaries of the remaining material were exceptionally clear, as if the most precise eraser in the universe had silently wiped away the ancient war tree and its foothold.

The night wind swept by, carrying the lingering smoke and burnt smell to their noses, but it couldn't take away the chilling emptiness and icy energy emanating from the deep pit.

Shen Mu dismounted and stepped steadily across a patch of scorched earth.

The Holy Tree Knights followed closely, forming an even smaller defensive circle around him, their wary eyes still scanning the deep pit that seemed to devour all light, and the sky that had just healed but still bore traces of tearing.

Fatis followed closely half a step behind him, like the most loyal shadow and the strongest shield.

Shen Mu arrived at the edge of the deep pit.

His deep gaze, like a cold probe, swept inch by inch across the smooth pit wall, trying to find even the slightest trace of the core of the Wood Elf village—his spoils of war, the Lord's Core that symbolized complete conquest and plunder.

However, it was empty.

There were no struggling tree root remains, no shattered energy crystal fragments, and not even a trace of the energy fluctuations unique to the core of the Wood Elf Lord could be sensed.

Thorough, pure, and complete plunder, leaving not a trace!

A sharp, chilling anger, enough to freeze the air, instantly crept onto Shen Mu's brow.

His already hard jawline tightened, and his fingers behind his back unconsciously clenched, the knuckles making a slight cracking sound.

"Humph……"

A very faint, yet chilling snort, containing the force of a storm, escaped from his nasal cavity and clearly reached the ears of Fatis, who was following closely beside him.

Fatis straightened his back slightly beneath his armor, clearly sensing the raging fury beneath the lord's calm exterior—anyone would be furious at the sight of victory that was within their grasp but forcibly taken away, especially when such plunder came from a higher, more unknown will, filled with a contemptuous condescension.

Shen Mu shifted his gaze from the empty pit, a cold rage burning deep within his eyes.

The loss of this spoils, especially the pure energy and authority that may belong to a high-ranking wood elf contained within the lord's core, represents a loss of power and a loss of face.

The Wood Elf plane, or rather the force behind it, forcibly snatched away the cake that should have belonged to Deherim in a tyrannical and unreasonable way, leaving only a shameful, huge void and provocation.

Just as Shen Mu's killing intent and resentment surged within him, his gaze swept across the ravaged battlefield, calculating how to extract more value from the prisoners and the ruins of the Wood Elf village to make up for his losses—

[Ding! The key storyline node "The complete destruction and anomalous end of the Wood Elf Village" has been detected!]

[Phase Nine - Mission Complete!]

【Settlement in progress...】

[Judgment: Lord "Shen Mu" decisively destroyed the core resistance force (Green Leaf Group) of the Wood Elf village with overwhelming military superiority.]

[Judgment: Lord "Shen Mu" successfully forced the core force associated with the Wood Elf plane (Yang Di, leader of the Green Leaf Group) to make a final struggle, triggering direct intervention from the forces behind it.]

[Judgment: Lord "Shen Mu" successfully survived this unusual event and ultimately gained control of the battlefield.]

Overall Assessment: Task Completion – Excellent!

[Rewards are being distributed...]

[Special Reward (Unlocked with Excellent Rating): Village Template 'Elven Forest Outpost' (from the Wood Elf faction in Middle-earth, Lord of the Rings)]

[Description: A legacy of the wood elves from Lothlórien and Mirkwood in the distant Middle-earth. This template can be used to establish an elven-style stronghold within the core of the Deherime territory. This stronghold will unlock the corresponding recruitment sequence:]

[Building Characteristics: 1. Recruited units naturally possess strong stealth, jungle warfare proficiency, and precise ranged attack talents; 2. Increased nature affinity within the base area provides additional benefits for developing forest terrain/resource areas; 3. Slightly increases the overall morale and hit rate of ranged units in the territory.]

A series of incredibly clear notifications, which could only be "perceived" deep within Shen Mu's consciousness, flowed across his retina like a curtain of water, accompanied by a dazzling golden light.

The sharp, piercing anger stemming from the plundering of his core, like thin ice under the blazing sun, melted and disintegrated the moment he saw the reward list. Especially when the last piece of information—the blueprint for the [Elf Forest Outpost] template, shimmering with a unique, soft glow—entered Shen Mu's consciousness—

The blueprint unfolds in my mind:

The towering tree platform is surrounded by an intricately constructed stepped walkway, creating the illusion of living in harmony with the tree.

The light yet sturdy wooden arrow tower, topped with shimmering runes, overlooks the training ground below.

Elven warriors clad in exquisite gray-green or silver-green armor appeared and disappeared among the leaves, their longbows, drawn but not yet released during training, exuding a deadly elegance.

The air seemed to be filled with the chill and desolation unique to the forests of Middle-earth.

You can recruit Wood Elves from another legendary world, Middle-earth, the Land of the Rings!
The elite warriors of Lothlórien's Golden Forest, the woodland spies of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood... these troops are far superior to the "native" wood elves of the Balihe world!
They represent top-tier long-range firepower, absolute control over jungle guerrilla warfare, and may even be the dominant force in forest resource areas and special terrains in the future!

This fills a gap in the Deherem Legion's top-tier special jungle warfare capabilities!
Shen Mu's expression froze instantly.

The burning anger in his eyes seemed to be extinguished by a cold and deep spring, replaced by an indescribable bright light that gathered deep within.

Shen Mu was very happy.

His hands, which had been clasped behind his back, quietly loosened their grip, and his fingertips even unconsciously rubbed together slightly, indicating his pleasant mood.

Immediately afterwards, a faint yet extremely clear arc, like the first rays of the sun breaking through the clouds, slowly climbed up to the corner of Shen Mu's mouth.

He looked up, his gaze once again falling on the enormous pit that resembled the gaping maw of an abyss.

This time, there was no anger or resentment in his eyes, only a cold, all-knowing understanding, and a trace of pure, heartfelt mockery and joy.

A soft, almost inaudible chuckle escaped, less icy than the previous cold snort, but carrying an indescribable weight.

"The Wood Elf plane has saved me the trouble of refining the core."

Did they lose a "low-quality," localized Wood Elf village core?

In return, they gained a core stronghold that could directly connect to and recruit the legendary Wood Elves of the Earth World!
The reward for this "plunder" is worth more than a hundred times!
Shen Mu's gaze swept across his system interface, pausing for a moment on the brand-new architectural blueprint, "Elf Forest Outpost," as if examining a newly forged peerless sword, filled with a sense of control and anticipation.

The end of this ninth phase... was worth it!

He even felt that Yang Di and the elders of the Wood Elf plane's final "performance" perfectly paved the way for this extremely generous reward.

Without that extraordinary intervention and harvest, we might not have been able to obtain this special unlock that received such an outstanding rating.

Shen Mu withdrew his gaze, his expression once again becoming calm and composed.

He turned his head, his tone returning to its usual calm and authoritative tone, but upon closer listening, a subtle sense of pleasure could be heard, like background noise: "Bandak!"

"Sir! Those two scoundrels are being dealt with! Yang Di's life, which was practically rotting away, has been temporarily saved. The pastor from Aidengarde said that Zhang Bo can still be saved, but it will take time!"

Bandak wiped the sweat and blood from his face and ran over, reporting loudly.

He seemed still immersed in the shock and tension of the beam of light, unaware of the fleeting glint of light on Shen Mu's face.

"very good."

Shen Mu nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Yang Di, who was being carried by soldiers in the distance, his body twitching slightly: "That piece of trash... squeeze every last bit of value out of his brain—any fragment of information about that plane elder, their contact methods, or the method of his premonition of his arrival... no matter the means. After it's over..."

His tone was flat, as if stating something that had been predetermined: "Get rid of him."

"Understood, sir! I guarantee I'll pry open his skull and dig out everything I can!" Bandak grinned maliciously and replied in a gruff voice.

He turned and strode toward Yangdi, followed by several cold-faced Lake Rat Gang saboteurs who were in charge of interrogation.

At that moment, a Khergit archer under Bestur galloped up, dismounted a short distance away, and knelt on one knee: "My lord! Lord Bestur reports that during the search of the outer perimeter, he discovered the remaining defeated troops attempting to slip into the depths of the city. They are mostly remnants of the Wood Elves mixed with a small number of humans. We have already formed an encirclement with the infantry under Lord Bandark! Requesting instructions!"

Shen Mu's gaze fell on the edge of the forest outside the village, which was still burning from the fighting, and further in was the city center of Longcheng.

He could sense the last vestiges of resistance and the desperate counterattack there.

He didn't hesitate at all.

"Notify Bestur and Bandak's forces that those who resist to the bitter end..." His voice was as cold and hard as steel: "No need to ask any more questions, kill them on the spot."

There is no need to contain them.

He already has a large number of humans on Earth. It wouldn't be good if he let the remnants of the Green Leaf Group go for the sake of the humans on Earth.

After all, the reason why there are remnants of the diesel company in Deherim is entirely due to their excessive leniency in the past.

The final dust of this war must be swept away with blood.

The cleared space and the generous rewards to come will become the new foundation for Deherim to reach even greater heights.

Led by Khergit horse archers, Deherme's heavy infantry, like a moving iron wall, began to roll toward the edge of the dense forest.

The whirring of taut bowstrings and the metallic scraping of crossbow bolts being loaded once again filled the air, replacing the brief silence that followed the disappearance of the ancient war tree.

Shen Mu stood still, no longer paying attention to the harvest over there.

His gaze returned to the blueprint of the Elf Forest Outpost, radiating a soft yet resilient spiritual light deep within his consciousness, and he was filled with intense excitement.

The Wood Elves of the Central Plains... He looked forward to seeing how these legendary elites would shine on the battlefield of Balihe.

This "unexpected joy" turned what was initially a somewhat regrettable final battle into a perfect, even far exceeding, conclusion.

"Come to think of it, this is the first village building that is not built by humans, and it can be exchanged for my fourth village when it is expanded."

At this moment, Shen Mu was extremely excited: "And they're at the mid-level magic level, the Wood Elves from Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings, skilled in ranged archery and melee assault units!" (End of Chapter)