The remaining troops retreated in a disheveled manner, like the receding tide. The whole process seemed anticlimactic, even somewhat perfunctory.
Immediately afterwards, several large catapults in the main force of the Sas people began to operate.
Huge stones were hurled into the air and crashed down on Greenburg with a dull thud.
However, the distance of the slingshots seemed to have been precisely calculated, as most of the stones landed on the open ground outside the moat or on the sturdy outer walls of the castle, causing no real damage other than making a few loud noises and kicking up dust and gravel.
After two symbolic volleys, the catapults stopped.
Then, under the slightly astonished gaze of the Greenburg garrison, this allied force, led by the Sassians and seemingly observed by the Orks, actually began to... set up camp in an open area three or four miles away from the castle!
The soldiers skillfully unloaded the supplies, erected the tent frames, dug trenches, and set up barricades.
The whole process was orderly, as if they were not there to fight a war, but to conduct an exercise or a long-term siege and observation.
Wisps of smoke soon rose from the newly built camp, creating an eerie contrast with the somber atmosphere on the walls of Greenburg.
"..."
Linde deactivated his active vision, his brow furrowing even more.
This level of "attack" and the subsequent camping action had an inexplicable strangeness about it.
"Baron Linde, what are they up to?"
Li Luns's words were filled with deep doubt.
"A probe? A probe is too naive. An encirclement? With this little force, they think they can surround us? That's a pipe dream. Besides, the Orks don't seem to have made a move at all."
"I don't know."
Lind's voice was low.
"But it can't be that simple. They seem to be waiting for something, or... trying to lull us into a false sense of security."
He recalled the distribution of the enemy's energy torrents in his activated vision.
The Orc forces appeared to be merely trailing far behind the Sassians, their energy levels stable, showing no intention of attacking.
The main force of the Sassians also maintained an almost lazy posture. Apart from sending out that unfortunate probing force and symbolic slingshots, most of the soldiers were busy setting up camp.
"Tell the scouts to be extra careful, especially at night."
Linde gave the order.
"They're likely to be complacent during the day and launch a surprise attack at night. Inform all sentries and patrols to be on high alert. Nix..."
He glanced down at the slightly undulating shadow beneath his feet.
"Tonight, I need your eyes and ears to go to the edge of their camp and 'listen' to the wind."
"I understand, meow!"
A faint but energetic response came from the shadow.
Linde's gaze returned to the rapidly forming enemy camp.
The afterglow of the setting sun tinged the outline of the camp with a blood-red hue.
While the absence of a direct threat from the Shadow Abyss Splinter was certainly a good thing, the enemy's unusual behavior only made him more on edge.
"Whatever your plans are..."
A cold glint flashed in Linde's eyes. "Shadow Abyss scum, or anything else, if they dare to show their faces, they'll taste the crossbow bolts."
Night was falling quietly. Greenburg and the enemy camp outside the city faced each other in an eerie calm, the air thick with a tension even more suffocating than during the daytime battles.
The calm before the storm is often the most deadly.
…………
Night fell like thick ink, completely soaking the fields outside Grinburg.
The flickering torches on the city walls were the only stubborn resistance in the darkness, while three or four miles away, the Sassin camp resembled a sea of death dotted with dim stars, its campfires burning weakly, illuminating the weary and vigilant figures of the patrolling soldiers.
The shadow beneath Linde's feet, like a drop of ink thrown into still water, rippled silently before merging into the vast darkness.
Nix's petite figure vanished completely from the real world, transforming into a pure shadow that clung to the cold, hard ground, flowing silently and swiftly toward the enemy camp like mercury spilling onto the ground.
The barricades and watchtowers surrounding the Sassa people's camp were practically useless.
Like a ghost without a physical form, Nix easily "flowed" through the shadows of the stakes and the dark corners of the fence. The sentries' numb eyes swept over her location, but they could only see an ordinary night scene.
Upon entering the camp, the oppressive atmosphere felt almost tangible. Most of the tents were pitch black, filled with the sounds of snoring, but Nix's keen hearing picked up whispers from many corners, filled with resentment and unease.
She moved like a gentle breeze, brushing against the shadows of the tent's canvas. Near the center of the camp, separated from the Ork camp by a clearly defined open area, the resentment of the Sass soldiers was strongest.
"...Those damned Kree barbarians!"
A hoarse voice came from behind a tent, filled with undisguised contempt and anger.
"They promised to charge forward side by side, but what happened? They just squatted in the back watching the show! During the day, we brothers went to test the waters, so many of us died, and they didn't even utter a sound! Now, they're sleeping like logs!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
Another, slightly timid voice advised, "Let the officials hear..."
"So what if I heard that?"
The first voice was louder, carrying a sense of despair.
"I'm so frustrated! The higher-ups are incompetent! Cooperating with these barbarians? Bah! Have they forgotten how they burned, killed, and looted the border last year? They're completely unreliable! I think they're just waiting for us to fight off all the tough guys in the castle so they can come and pick up the scraps!"
"Exactly! None of the Orks are any good!"
Another voice joined in, gritting its teeth.
"Let them lead the charge? Dragging their feet and making excuses! I bet they'd rather we all be wiped out!"
"Hmph, just wait and see. If the castle comes tonight, you'll see those barbarians run faster than anyone else!"
Nix's pointed ears twitched slightly in the shadows, taking in the whispers filled with sworn hatred and suspicion.
The rift between the Sass and the Orks (Kree) was deeper and harder to mend than she had imagined.
This superficial harmony provided fertile ground for Shadow Abyss's infiltration.
She didn't linger. Following her instinctive sense of "abnormality" and the guard distribution she had observed during the day, she silently glided into the deepest part of the camp, to the most heavily guarded area.
Ultimately, her "eyes" settled on a secluded area—several tents, thicker and more secure than the others, were arranged in a circle, with supplies covered with thick tarpaulins piled up in the open space in the middle. At least two well-equipped squads were patrolling the area, creating a distinctly different atmosphere.
Like the most patient predator, Nix chose a brief gap in the line of sight of the patrolling soldiers and instantly "flowed" from the shadow of a supply wagon into the shadow at the bottom of a large tent.
A faint light shone through the tent, casting blurry patches of light on the muddy ground.
She carefully "climbed" upwards along the shadows of the tent's inner wall, eventually extending her senses into an inconspicuous gap in the canvas.
The tent was quite spacious inside, with a few dim oil lamps lit.
The air was filled with an indescribable, strange odor, a mixture of herbs, metal, and something... a cloyingly rotten smell.
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