novelraw Chapter 572: Gaining Renown
Chapter 572: Gaining Renown
In fact, these Neanderthal Giant Crocodile Cavalrymen were not weak. Their coordination with the Giant Crocodiles was extremely full of Tacit Understanding. They were not afraid of turbulence; they could walk on waves. They were the most excellent marines and pirates.
But they had never seen such scoundrels.
The entire Platform island was battered by massive waves until it was tottering. Watching as it was about to collapse, the people on top of it shouldn't have even been able to stand steadily. Even if they could launch a counterattack, they would have accepted it.
However, to still be able to unleash Legion Skills in this kind of environment—that was simply bullying people!
And it wasn't just one wave, but wave after wave.
Whether it was the Heavy Shield Royal Guards led by Hunt, Shelt, and Kyle; or the Spearmen Royal Guards led by Capone, Lu Dajiao, and Chen Laowu; or even the Heavy Armored Swordsmen led by Jonathan and Athena—every fucking one of them could casually pull out a Blood-Thirsty Javelin. With a single shout, dozens would fly out. Fine, let them fly out, but as a result, they could actually trigger a Legion Skill!
This was equivalent to adding a double critical strike effect to normal attacks.
Any Giant Crocodile Cavalryman who dared to approach would be directly shot full of over a dozen bloody holes. In just a short while, the corpses of nearly two hundred Giant Crocodiles were floating on the water around the Platform island.
Fuck, this is too fierce! Something's not right!
The Neanderthal commander was completely bewildered.Actually, it wasn't just the Neanderthals who were bewildered; the knights of the Blazing Legion were also bewildered.
This works too?
They knew the Royal Guard's situation: currently, there were only one hundred Tier-3s. The rest were mostly Five-Star and a small portion were Four-Star. But just with this... was there any logic left?
Wave after wave of Javelin rain—Javelin rain that even came with complementary Destiny Resonance! When did these Royal Guards become so awesome?
But they didn't know that these attacks unleashed by the Royal Guard, which looked like Legion Skills, were actually just minor Legion Skills; they weren't considered proper Legion Skills. It was merely an effect they could produce because their Tacit Understanding was too high and their coordination was too perfect.
In Li Wei's words: when facing melee-type enemies, they were disguised ranged units; when facing true ranged enemies, they were disguised melee units.
One must never use their own shortcomings to clash head-on with an enemy's strengths. Instead, they should aim to strike the enemy's weak points...
Through coordination—effective coordination to fight for the initiative to strike first in battle—they dominated the rhythm of the battlefield.
Here, Li Wei's consistently demanded concept of seizing the initiative permeated everything.
Therefore, during these short twenty seconds, the Royal Guard could be considered to have made A Minor Display of Prowess, and it proved to be somewhat sharp.
But the Neanderthals on the opposite side felt miserable. They originally thought that the Samsara Travelers and Contractors had already crippled Li Wei's legion, so they rushed over just in time to harvest. As a result, fuck, instead of harvesting any benefits, they got two of their front teeth knocked out first!
Fortunately, it wasn't a big problem!
Druids, take to the sky!
In an instant, four Neanderthal Druids transformed into Giant Eagles. Carrying eight Neanderthal Archers, they soared into the sky. With a Commanding Presence looking down from above, this was a massive killing weapon.
However, Li Wei had been waiting for exactly this moment! Hadn't he held back for so long just for this very initiative to strike first?
In an instant, he descended in a ghostly, roundabout manner. While those four Neanderthal Druids were struggling to gain altitude, he suddenly reverted to his human form. At the same time, an equally massive four-star eagle appeared beneath his feet. It only needed to provide him with a split second of support, and that would be enough!
He didn't even need to activate Destiny Resonance. Just the Frost Ranger Bow paired with Tier-3 Frost Bolt rain could erupt with miraculous effects in this kind of weather.
Although those four Neanderthal Druids couldn't compare to the Druids on the Samsara Travelers' side, they were actually very strong too. However, they truly hadn't expected that there would be such an insidious schemer who had actually been hiding high up in the sky this entire time, all for the sake of an ambush with the initiative to strike first.
By the moment they discovered it, it was already too late. Those eight Neanderthal Ranger Archers reacted extremely quickly, dodging and jumping down. From a height of a kilometer, it was unknown whether they fell to their deaths or not.
But those four Neanderthal Druids were covered by the dense Frost Bolts. They instantly turned into Ice Blocks and plummeted uncontrollably.
And when Li Wei transformed back into a Level 6 Sky Hawk, flashing across the high altitude and disappearing into the clouds, the Neanderthal commander below felt as if he had Plunged into an Ice Cellar. He finally understood why those muggle Sapiens had chosen to retreat. This battle was un-fucking-playable!
"Retreat!"
With a single command, the remaining Neanderthal Giant Crocodile Cavalry hurriedly fled. As flashy as they were when they arrived, they were just as panicked when they retreated.
Or rather, he was full of regret. He shouldn't have gotten involved in this. Not only had he exposed a precious ambush unit, but he had also gotten his front teeth shattered. This would affect the subsequent war.
Now, he only hoped there was still a chance to salvage the situation... Wait?
At this moment, that Neanderthal commander suddenly felt a bit of a chill run down his spine. He looked at the Neanderthal Mage not far away, only to find the latter acting as if he had seen a Ghost, not daring to linger at all and directly blinking away to escape.
The next second, an enormous, thick Ice Spike that resembled a giant tree plummeted from the sky and heavily smashed into the swamp. Although it didn't hit its target, it no longer mattered.
The Great Frost was about to descend once again.
"Ooom—Swish!"
Massive Ice Spikes continued to plummet one after another. At this moment, Hathaway and Adai had finally succeeded, temporarily channeling the Great Frost from the high altitudes down, even if it was only regional and temporary.
But for that Neanderthal Giant Crocodile Cavalry, it was devastating.
The cold air froze the torrents and froze the thawed swamp. Those Neanderthal Giant Crocodiles were merely collateral damage; after struggling for a bit, they were sealed within blocks of ice.
Only those Neanderthals managed to escape.
But it didn't matter anymore.
The entire channeling of the Great Frost lasted for less than a minute before successfully refreezing the area within a radius of five to six hundred kilometers.
Li Wei also urgently issued an order for the entire army to set out again. Because Hathaway and Adai's action this time was like exhausting the very last trace of potential from the Great Frost in this region, there would definitely be a rebound next. High temperatures and scorching heat would turn this place into an ocean.
Moreover, this brief battle should have also alarmed both the enemy and allied sides. Once it turned into a massive brawl like Ping'an County, there truly wouldn't be any good fruits to eat.
Retreat!
They absolutely had to retreat.
Of course, before leaving, they packed up all the Giant Crocodiles and took them along. Those meant for eating meat would be eaten, and those meant for picking up Gold Cards would be picked up.
Then, they vaulted onto their horses and left—they were out of there!
They didn't dare to linger for even a moment.
They ran madly all the way north, fleeing out of this swampland. Rushing past the eastern side of the Whispering Forest, they arrived at the edge of the Tindal Plateau.
Here, Li Wei selected a barely usable small hill and ordered the Royal Guard to construct Permanent Fortifications on it. They couldn't continue. At this point, the men were exhausted and the horses were fatigued. Who knew if those scattered Samsara Travelers and Contractors hadn't set up new Traps ahead, hoping to claw back a victory?
So it was better to construct Permanent Fortifications and wait for the Ice Legion and Ranger Legion to come and rendezvous.
Sure enough, it was only after the Royal Guard had spent two days finally rushing to build a small Permanent Fortification that Li Wei received the message that the campaign had ended.
Before this, it couldn't be considered the end of the campaign; who knew how many insidious schemers were waiting to ambush him up ahead.
[Campaign Ended. Commencing Campaign Settlement]
[Congratulations. You have led your subordinates to successfully achieve victory in a campaign. This was a hasty campaign, unexpected by both the enemy and allied sides, fought in a rush without detailed intelligence support.]
[Your performance in this campaign is commendable. Your legion's performance in the campaign was close to a perfect score. Your tactical reserves for this campaign were nearly perfect. After all, you were prepared for jungling. Although this situation was completely out of your expectations, you were just a hairsbreadth away from the result of Total Annihilation.]
[Your opponents' performance in this campaign was utterly terrible. Habitual thinking and an arrogant mentality were major inducements for their failure. Terrible tactical deployment and command were the fundamental sources of their defeat. Their true advantages failed to be utilized. However, from today onwards, you may be heavily targeted and infiltrated by them. Trying every possible means to collect your intelligence and sending spies to infiltrate your Territory will become a daily occurrence.]
[Congratulations. Although the scale of this battle was not large, it was enough to alarm the entire Ascension Continent, especially on the eve of the Neanderthals' large-scale invasion and offensive, and especially since you nearly completely wiped out the main force of Neanderthals that had infiltrated this region. As a result, you have obtained 300 points of World Reputation. Based on the rules, your direct superior, Falcon Karl, has obtained 150 points of World Reputation, and your World Reputation has reached 500 points. In the current Ascension Continent, you have finally started Gaining Renown.]
[Congratulations. Because you completely wiped out a squad of Neanderthal Earth Dragon Cavalry, as well as a squad of Neanderthal Giant Crocodile Cavalry, you will have the opportunity to acquire a portion of the Auson Empire Heritage Fragment. Please make a choice: will you consume 50 Gold Cards and 50 Purple Cards (limited to those dropped by Earth Dragons and Giant Crocodiles) to extract and select the Auson Empire Heritage Fragment controlled by the Neanderthals?]
[Friendly Reminder: Please make your choice carefully, as this will lead to different paths.]
——
Eh?
Li Wei looked at these messages with a complicated expression. Previously, when the campaign hadn't ended yet, although all the Gold Cards and Purple Cards could be picked up and could also be used for enhancement and exchange, they could also be kept for a long time, waiting until the campaign ended to be handled.
So at that time, aside from using them to recover the conditions of the wounded, he hadn't rushed to exchange the rest of the Gold Cards. As expected, it really triggered an option like this.
Auson Empire Heritage Fragment?
This thing was indeed no small matter.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Li Wei ultimately chose to give it up. This Empire Heritage Fragment was like the Imperial Jade Seal—although it was a good thing, holding it would burn his hands.
His current foundation and strength were fundamentally unqualified to compete with Tyrant William. Even big shots like the Oathkeepers of Luo Mountain, Duke Will and his son, were secretly not daring to make a move. What right did he have to just bluntly take these things?
This was something he absolutely could not touch.
And following Li Wei's choice, the campaign settlement proceeded anew, but it didn't mention a single word about the Auson Empire Heritage Fragment from just now.
[You have obtained an Auson Empire Chiliarch Token. Equipping it will grant you corresponding effects.]
[You have won an exceptionally perilous battle, causing the enemies' blood and corpses to cover the earth. The name of this campaign will be recorded in the annals of history, although in reality it was just a small-scale skirmish. Your Contribution within Tyrant William's Faction has significantly increased. When Tyrant William ultimately rebuilds the Auson Empire, you will receive even more generous rewards as a result.]
[You and your legion have cumulatively killed 17 Samsara Travelers and 20 Contractors. The related drops have already been collected by the Nine-Star Council. Please choose whether to settle immediately or settle ten days from now.]
[Explanation: Immediate settlement will only yield 50% of the drops, because many dropped items carry indescribable evil powers and therefore require time to process.]
[If you choose to settle in ten days, you will be able to obtain a maximum of 75% of the drops, as well as Faction Reputation rewarded by the Nine-Star Council.]
——
There was nothing to discuss here. Li Wei wasn't short on these ten days, so he directly chose the latter.
Besides, the kill returns from the Neanderthals alone were already highly profitable for him. Deducting the Gold Cards used for healing and recovering condition, he obtained 150 Eight-star Golden Cards just from the Neanderthal side. One hundred of those were dropped by those Earth Dragon Giant Beasts; the life energy of those things was simply too strong.
In addition, he also harvested 245 Seven-Star Gold Cards and 302 Six-Star Gold Cards.
As well as a total of 800 Purple Cards.
However, it is worth mentioning that the Purple Cards dropped by the Earth Dragon Giant Beasts and Giant Crocodiles all contained their essence flesh and blood. But they would have 30% deducted by the Nine-Star Council; otherwise, he would have to spend his own time breaking them down, which was unrealistic.