What did you do with the dice?

The voice startled her so much that she jumped up like a frightened little rabbit. Seeing it was Rusalka, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Lord Pearl Tear, good morning! I vaguely remember fainting during the battle. Did you save me? Where are Miss Phoenix and the others?"

"Good question, I'd like to know that, too." Rusalka knew she might not have any memories of being controlled by Theresa, and she didn't bother to delve into the underlying principles. Seeing her stomach growling with hunger, she pulled out a piece of dried meat from the interlayer of her armor and gave it to her: "Here, the last of our food."

"Thank you~" Ai Li was also very hungry and could only take it and eat it without hesitation: "Then where are we going next?"

Rusalka answered confidently, "All the way north."

Ai Li: "Oh!"

Seeing that the day was about to dawn, it was definitely too late to take an eight-hour long rest to fully recover, so Rusalka could only settle for a short rest.

In the Baldur's Gate 3 game mode, a short rest can restore half of the health, but the traditional settlement mechanism of using life dice to restore health is still used here. Due to the life-saving need of [Life Ferry], Rusalka cannot even restore health by using life dice during a short rest.

So the result of an hour's rest was that I got back two third-ring sorcerers, which can be considered as getting back some resources.

This is what war is like. Once you can't find a suitable place to rest and your resources can't be replenished, it will be very uncomfortable.

The advantage of a short break is that it is flexible. It only requires one hour of "rest", and as long as you don't do anything that requires exercise during this period, it can be considered a short break.

Perhaps it was because the mascot Ai Li had some kind of aura that attracted friendly forces. When Rusalka was about to set off, a team of about 30 of his own soldiers found him.

This is the first time I have met so many of my family members.

Upon seeing Rusalka, the leading captain immediately revealed a look of relief. "Miss Ai Li! Lord! We're so glad you're still alive! Deputy Commander Phoenix's carriage was moving too fast, and the soldiers behind couldn't keep up. Furthermore, the path in the forest was difficult to navigate, with some large trees that could move and attack us. As a result, our teams became separated, and we finally managed to escape."

Damn, cowardly cat!

Rusalka complained in her heart about how Phoenix ran away without even leaving his soldiers behind, and how he had no idea how to command a battle. Now, who knew how many people could escape from this man-eating forest.

Ai Li took the initiative to go over and start treating the wounded. Although morale is something that cannot be seen or touched, Rusalka always had the illusion that a morale bar appeared on the foreheads of those soldiers, and when they came into contact with Ai Li, the bar quickly filled up.

Rusalka didn't have much to do. The holy healing pool had been used up, so she went to chat with her brother: (Maomao lost Jieting, and she shed tears to kill Maomao.)

Sanita was taking a long rest, and since Rusalka didn't have one, he could only be alone in the dark space for eight hours. He was very bored, so he was willing to chat with Rusalka: (Prime Minister, how dare you talk to a cat like that?)

Rusalka: (By the way, why choose a crappy terrain like the forest? It's causing everyone to "fall apart." Are you implying that the Shaddoll deck is a bunch of shit when it's together, but a glittering sky of stars when it's apart?)

Sani Iron Tower: (We need to take advantage of the fact that this type of terrain doesn't allow for group battles. Even if the enemy has thousands of people coming in, they still have to fight on their own. If the north wants to gamble on you, they can only block you at the exit, so if they come in, they'll be in the dark.

That said, the elven druids and rangers' cooperation with the two marquises went a little beyond plan, but everything else went smoothly. Just hold out for another day, and the reinforcements I'll send will arrive soon. If we block their front and rear, the enemy cavalry will be completely wiped out.

Rusalka nodded. "I don't think Phoenix will get too far. Let's head north and see if we can try our luck and meet up with her."

Just as he finished speaking, a flare rose in the distance, exploding a cloud of red magic smoke in the air that lasted for a long time.

Rusalka: "The plan has changed. We're not heading north anymore. We're heading that way."

The captain of the soldiers said: "My Lord, that is also the north."

Seeing Rusalka looking at him without saying a word, he realized that he had spoken too hastily and said hastily, "We'll all follow your lead. We'll go wherever you say. Mason, go ahead and explore the way!"

The soldier who was called out stepped out and walked in front to explore the way, and a group of people began to move towards the direction of the signal flare.

----

"It's been a day and a half, and we still haven't caught the Lord of Pearl Tears. Those elves are really unreliable." The eldest son of the Allen family, Allen Gis, a knight, led two thousand cavalrymen to guard the horses and block the entrance to the forest. On the one hand, it was the objective role of the supervision team, and on the other hand, it was to prevent Rusalka's army from escaping in the opposite direction.

There is still no news of the 4,000 people who went in before. Logically speaking, the number of people on their side is twice that of the enemy, and they have the assistance of forest combat experts like elves. Rusalka is still being chased into the forest after being left behind. In one day, they should be able to quickly capture Rusalka, whose troops have been scattered.

Lord Pearl Tear is very powerful, able to kill the Viper Squad next door and his own guest Sword Master, but no matter how strong a person is, he will get tired. After all, he is still a human being. Is there any human being in the world who can fight continuously for a whole day without rest?

If he rested, it would mean that the elves had lost their target. Aren't these elves known for being masters of assassination, tracking, hunting, and harassment, aside from a touch of arrogance? They couldn't even handle a mere Pearl Tear Lord. He really didn't understand why his father would bow down to them.

"Master Legion Commander, the troops on the family's left wing are no longer able to hold on. It will only take a day for Rusalka's left wing to arrive for support. The head of the family suggests that we withdraw from here."

Gis: "Lian Zhan's army is already exhausted. They are just infantry. Once the army in the forest emerges and joins up, what is there to fear? A single charge will crush them. As for my brother Croissant, he was once so trusted, but he suffered a defeat right under our father's nose. How tragic."

Having said that, he still inherited the caution in the blood of the Allen family. This basin has only a single entrance, which is indeed a good defensive terrain. However, with only the forest as a retreat, it also means that once the entrance is not defended, they will be caught in a trap like Rusalka's army, forced to disperse the team and enter the forest, and fall into a state of fighting each other.

Just as he was about to order a retreat to the basin entrance, the mage beside him said, "Commander, the magic circle I set up has been triggered. The enemy is approaching us one kilometer away from the entrance."

"How is that possible?" Giss, incredulous, spurred his horse and grabbed a nearby cavalryman by the collar, angrily demanding, "What did you report this morning? We didn't see any enemy nearby. Are you blind? You lied about military intelligence and you deserve to be executed!"

"Sir, I'm wronged. I really didn't see any enemies."

Fortunately, a nearby wizard spoke up and saved the guy's life. "This might have nothing to do with him. The enemy army has a great wizard capable of using top-level magic. Perhaps they're using some kind of higher-level magic like Obscurity to hide their troops. However, this kind of magic often has the disadvantage of not being able to march quickly. Plus, they don't know we've discovered them. We can take advantage of this opportunity."

After hearing the description of "an archmage capable of using top-level magic," Giss pondered for a moment and said, "Since the troops next door to Momora are unwilling to intercept their reinforcements, there's no reason for us to make things difficult for them. Order the entire army to withdraw from this area and retreat to headquarters. Hey, send two men in and tell the troops inside to exit from the north after the battle."

"Yes."

----

The level of group obscuration in the Sani Iron Tower was not as high as that of the "Shadowless Forest". It could only obscure two thousand people at a time, and was not immune to simple magic detection. Therefore, before departure, it was arranged that each of the three legions would select a heavy-armored infantry unit to advance in the obscuration first, and the highly mobile troops would follow far behind.

The heavy armored infantry can hold the enemy back for a long time, and by then it will still be in time for the rear troops to come to support.

Of course, a magical pet is needed for long-distance casting, but the magic fluctuations of the magical pet are very obvious, and it will backfire on Sanita when casting the spell. Rusalka is not around to take the backlash judgment for him, and the opponent has an elf sharpshooter who is very good at sniping magical pets, so the important task of protecting the magical pet is given to Shana.

"Human mages are truly amazing. They can actually use small animals as materials for casting spells. How adorable! I want to learn this, too."

Shana, holding a wild rabbit, gently stroked the rabbit's ears and sighed as she looked at the soldiers around her who were hidden by the spell.

Kaster said proudly, "Of course. Haven't you heard about how the Archmage Sanita destroyed an entire city with a single spell? He must be one of the strongest mages in Snidi."

Shana shook her head: "I don't know, he's not on our assassination list."

She quickly became excited again: "Since he is so powerful, it means that he can definitely teach us how to use magic, right?"

Custer said, "That's not necessarily true. Learning magic requires talent. People like us, the Esidi, don't have the magical circuits in our bodies that are naturally adapted to casting spells."

Shana chuckled complacently and tossed her golden hair. "Talent? All of us pure-blooded elves are skilled spellcasters. It's just that I'm more gifted in archery. If I had gone to the Mage Academy like Alijie, I'd definitely be an elven wizard as skilled as her now."

Kaster didn't know how to complain, nor did he understand magic, so he could only nod and say, "Yes, yes, you are holding the magical pet of the Archmage Sanita, and you are indeed the one who knows the most about magic in the entire army, so you are right."

A scout came back on horseback, circling around as if he couldn't find the way. Only when he got closer did he vaguely see the outline of the army. He hurried over to report:

"Reporting to Commander Custer, the enemy troops are driving their horses toward the basin entrance. They seem to be trying to escape. Should we pursue them?"

This kind of emergency situation here will test the commander-in-chief's ability to respond on the spot. Now that there is no Sanita around, Custer has to decide whether the army's next step is to "ignore the fleeing enemy and enter the basin and forest to support Rusalka" or "ignore Rusalka for now and try to pursue and keep the fleeing enemy."

What to do when in doubt? Think about the order given by Sanita: cooperate with the troops in Rusha Kalin to attack the enemy cavalry from both sides.

Anyone who has studied Chinese knows that the key point of this command is the second half of the sentence, and anyone who can read Chinese also knows that the word "support" is not mentioned at all in the entire text.

In Kaster's impression, Sanita has always been a person who does things flawlessly. Now that he said so, he should not think about why he did not save Rusalka. The great wizard naturally has the wisdom of a great wizard. He only needs to carry out his intentions 100%.

"Give up your stealth and chase them!"

A murderous squad of heavily armored infantry suddenly started running. After being whipped, the horses pulling the carts began to run at full speed. After this acceleration, the magical effect on the entire army disappeared.

After feeling that his spell had failed far away, Sani Iron Tower, who was on the other side, used his pet's vision to take a general look at the situation, and immediately cast a legion-level "Swift Step" on the entire army.

He has always been decisive in making decisions. Since Custer decided to charge, there must be a reason for him to do so. There is no need to question it. It is better not to give orders from far away. All he needs to do is support him.

The two thousand soldiers were so close to him that Gis naturally saw them after the haze was cleared. However, since many cavalrymen had dismounted and left their horses unridden, the marching speed would definitely slow down if he wanted to bring these horses back.

Want him to give up these warhorses? Not only are they worth thousands of gold coins, but they're also strategic materials on the market. It would take forever to buy more of them. He's willing to part with them, but Marquis Allen might not.

My younger brother, who was more favored by my father, had finally suffered a defeat and had to take note of it. The retreat order on my side was a bit of a stretch, so I had to go back in style no matter what.

But he wanted to earn more, such as bringing back some spoils of victory.

"Sentry Cavalry, how many people are there on the other side!"

"Reporting to the Legion Commander, there are probably less than 2,000 people, all infantry. The first few rows should be heavy armored infantry, but they don't carry tower shields."

"Two thousand pure infantry without tower shields dare to chase an equal number of cavalry? Give them a lesson on the use of cavalry on the battlefield! Let them learn in blood how ridiculous it is to face cavalry without a position. Soldiers, charge formation!"

Chapter 163 Sicilian Front (13)

In the residence of Marquis Momola, a male elf messenger was sitting opposite the Marquis, fighting with him in a kingdom sandbox.

The maid beside them poured them a full cup of fragrant tea, arranged fruits and desserts, and stood quietly by waiting for other instructions.

Marquis Momola gestured for the maid to step aside. After the door closed, he slowly addressed the elven messenger before him, "If I don't attack the right wing of Rusalka's army, once they split up and send back to reinforce them, Allen's side will definitely not be able to hold out. I'm curious about what agreement your Queen and the Grand Duke reached that would lead him to issue such a ridiculous military order to me."

The elf messenger asked disapprovingly, "Isn't it better to retain your strength?"

Marquis Momola took a sip of tea and said, "But we Momola and Allen are old friends. If you can't give me a good reason, I might choose to disobey."

Elf Messenger: "After the matter is accomplished, everything will belong to your family."

The flickering candlelight illuminated the faces of the two men. The elf's face was full of confidence, as if he could see through humans. Marquis Momola frowned in thought, then suddenly chuckled: "I bet you said the same thing to him. Otherwise, how could he be so eager to send troops?"

The elven messenger's smug expression froze for a moment, as if he hadn't expected Marquis Momola to completely disbelieve him. But soon, that relaxed expression returned to his handsome face. "Then what if I told you that the Grand Duke wanted to use us to get rid of Marquis Allen and support you to take the throne? What would you choose?"

Marquis Momola pondered for a moment: "Give me a reason."

The Elf Messenger said, "Grand Duke Ox's northern border has been attacked by the El Empire's army, and he has already lost the border. Now he is already exhausted just dealing with the El Empire. It seems that Alice City's ownership will change soon. Therefore, for the Grand Duke, the most urgent priority is not to immediately capture Alice City, but to eliminate the hidden dangers in the territory."

Marquis Momola nodded. "If that's the case, why give Lord Pearl Tear, a traitor who wants to kill Esdi, a chance in this way?"

The elf messenger picked up a piece of exquisite cake with a fork and slowly raised his arm. "Lord Pearl Tear is like this layer of cake. He is very dazzling. He only needs to find a fulcrum to continue rising, rising."

But the cake was soft, and the fork was hard. Soon, the soft part could no longer support its own weight, and the whole cake slipped through the fork and fell to the ground, turning into a puddle of mud. The messenger looked at the cake batter with indifference: "But if they can't find a container to hold it, it will be like this, falling to eternal damnation. And the eldest prince is his container. As long as the rumors about him having the eldest prince are dispelled, Lord Pearl Tear will have no way of relying on Esdie's support to inherit the kingdom. After all, usurping the throne goes against Esdie's beliefs."

He turned his head and said to Marquis Momola, "And Marquis Allen, he has some secrets in his stomach that the Grand Duke doesn't like. It's like a fishbone. You can eat it without picking it out, but it might get stuck in your throat one day. It's very easy to break a plate, but it's very difficult to pick out a fishbone. Everything must be done in order."

Marquis Momola frowned and said in a deep voice: "When you tell me this kind of thing, aren't you worried that I, a family friend of the Allen family, will make a choice that goes against your theory?"

The elf messenger smiled and shook his head, picked up the teacup, blew slowly on the hot tea inside, and took a sip: "Of course not, because we know that you have secretly sent troops to take advantage of the lack of military strength in Rusalka's rear, so you went to capture Mingyue City in advance. As for what you want to do next, it's obvious, right?

You know, the Grand Duke's evaluation of you here is that Marquis Momola has never been one to play by the rules, so Her Majesty the Queen believes that there must be some kind of secret cooperative relationship between you and Marquis Allen. You don't want to get rid of Lord Pearl Tear, but want to replace him, right?"

"Hehe..." Marquis Momola sneered and activated the protective barrier on his body. Just when he was about to hit the alarm beside him, he found that his whole body was suddenly paralyzed and unable to move: "You... did what? The water is poisonous? How is it possible? There is poison on my cup..."

"Foolish human, when did you develop the illusion that Her Majesty the Queen wanted to get rid of Marquis Allen without also thinking of getting rid of you at the same time?"

The elf messenger blew gently on his long nails, dispersing the remaining white powder. "Haha, Marquis Momola has suddenly fallen ill and is in a coma. During this time, his eldest son, Momola Ula, has taken over the management of family affairs. You see, even among humans there are those who know how to act. Thank your son; he will carry on your pitiful wishes and carry forward the family."

----

When Rusalka arrived at the location where the flare was launched, she saw Phoenix leading a team of what looked to be nearly a hundred people, killing all around and constantly killing the enemy reinforcements that appeared.

Rusalka: (This is incredibly moving! This is a precious video of early cats leading humans into battle. It fell into a crack in the earth during the creation of the universe by Pangu and was lost. Now that I can see it again on this Sicilian battlefield, I am filled with nothing but gratitude.)

Sanitita: (Actually, I've already said this before. I've always suggested that she be the lord and you be the maid.)

"Three o'clock direction, raise your shields!"

"One group of archers shoots, the second group provides cover!"

"Team Four is responsible for recovering weapons!"

"Captain Phoenix, the remaining enemies have all surrendered. What should we do?"

The soldiers also saw Rusalka, who had just caught the arrow in mid-air, and shouted excitedly, "It's the lord, he's still alive!"

Rusalka looked more closely and found that the person in charge did not seem to be Phoenix, but a prisoner.

No, it’s not right to say that he was a prisoner. It was the bait he captured to play the role of the eldest prince, Robert Challens.

"Brother, are you serious?" Rushaka swung out her greatsword. "What's going on? The Infernal Affairs? Can spies defect so openly these days?"

Challens knew that his identity was no longer hidden, so he said helplessly, "I'm sorry, Lord Pearl Tear, I didn't mean to hide my identity, but this is a long story."

"I urge you to keep your story short, or this may be the end of your speech in this lifetime, Phoenix."

The cat really changes its attitude very quickly. She was fighting side by side with Charens just a second ago, but when Rusalka called her name, she immediately understood and pointed the shadow spike directly at the neck of Charens who raised his hands.

Challens took a deep breath and said slowly, "Actually, I am the eldest prince of Snidi, Mebius Challens."

"Hey, you're acting like a prince! You're acting like one! You're pretty convincing!" Rusalka pointed at him and smiled. "I'll give you one more chance. I urge you to honestly answer who you are."

Challens was stunned and stammered, "Lord Pearl Tear, have you ever met the Great Prince?"

Rusalka: "No, but he's been captured by the Seven Sins Church. Doesn't your village have internet access? Oh, I mean, don't you pay attention to national events like these in Snidi? Oh, you're a spy from Esidi, right? Ai Li, do you recognize him?"

Ai Li, who was hiding in the bushes behind Rusalka, came out. When Phoenix found that she seemed to be following Rusalka, she showed a look of dissatisfaction and made a light click of the tongue.

Ai Li shook her head. She definitely didn’t know him. If she had to say, Ai Li was the one in the village who didn’t have internet access.

Rusalka thought for a moment and said, "So they're from the Dwarf United Kingdom in the north?"

Sanitita: (Is there a possibility that he is really the great prince?)

Rusalka: (Is that outrageous? Anyone I catch sneaking through the sewers can be the prince? Then when I go back and catch another one from the sewers, can I also capture the great Duke of Gode next door? Don't be ridiculous.)

Sanita: (I didn’t believe it before, but when I think about what you’ve done along the way, I feel like everything is possible.)

The soldier beside him was, after all, a friend who had been through life and death with him many times. Suppressing his fear of Rusalka, he spoke, "Your Majesty, he said earlier that he was from Alice City and had saved many of us along the way. He doesn't look like an enemy, but he might be hiding something."

Rusalka thought about it and thought it might be that the outspoken bards had spread their fabricated version of the story about "instantly killing the high priest of the Church of the Seven Sins," causing the latter to seek revenge against him. "Alice City? Are you from the Church of the Seven Sins?"

"Lord Pearl Tear, I am truly the eldest prince. I was not dead at that time. That was a false report spread by the Church of the Seven Sins." Charon paused and said, "My master, Archmage Anthony, helped me escape from the city and sent me to your Silver City."