Chapter 101 The Devil Instructor from Silvermoon Forest...
Lin Yue hugged each of the children who would be staying in the Silvermoon Forest, and then patted their little heads.
"Be good, all of you," he instructed casually. "Eat well, sleep well, and learn new things from the elf brothers and sisters. We'll come and take you home after we've cleaned the house."
He then turned to the young people who had also stayed behind to care for the elderly and children, his expression turning serious: "You all bear a heavy responsibility. Take good care of them. If you encounter any difficulties that you can't resolve, seek help from the elves; don't try to tough it out on your own."
Several young people, their eyes red, nodded heavily. They knew the weight on their shoulders and were filled with worry about the upcoming battle.
"Mayor...you...you must be careful," a young man said in a hoarse voice.
"Don't worry." Lin Yue patted his shoulder. "Who are we? We're from Hope Town. A group of tough guys who dare to trespass even into the Cursed Land, would we be afraid of a few mere ragtag soldiers in red underwear?"
Although his words were crude, they eased the somewhat somber atmosphere considerably.
Finally, he looked at the rock-walking lizard, which was also returning with the team. It was lazily chewing on the tender and juicy energy moss that the elves had specially found for it.
“Don’t just sit idle,” Lin Yue pointed at it, “On the way back, the supplies Her Majesty the Queen sent us all depended on you pulling them. Speaking of which, you’ve only been out running around for a few days, but you seem to have gotten even bigger than back home. You’ve gotten so fat that it looks down on you even more!”
The behemoth seemed to understand, letting out a few low growls in protest.
The elven guard dispatched by Elendil was already waiting nearby. They would be responsible for escorting the Rockwalker Lizard and the Hope One heavy truck back to Hope Town with the basic aid supplies promised by the Queen.
After explaining everything, Lin Yue took a deep breath and prepared to embark on his journey home with Xiao Fen, Xiao Hei, and two Silent Youths who strongly requested to return to the battlefield with him.
Just as he was about to turn around, a slightly hunched figure leaning on a cane appeared behind them.
"Elder? What brings you here?" Lin Yue looked at Elder Farador in surprise.
Immediately afterward, Elendil, Lorian, the druid, and several other unfamiliar elves slowly emerged from the shadows of the forest.
“Lin Yue, kid,” Elder Farador walked up to him, “you wouldn’t… really intend to leave this old man here like a burden, would you?”
"I..." Lin Yue was momentarily speechless. "Elder, you are getting on in years..."
"So what if I'm old?" the elder interrupted him, slamming his cane heavily on the ground. "These old bones of mine have seen more storms than you've eaten meals. We Silent Ones have guarded the earth's wounds for generations, fighting against the heavens, fighting against the earth, fighting against those monsters born from filth for hundreds of years. How could we be afraid of a mere man-made disaster?"
He looked at the tribesmen beside Lin Yue who had also chosen to stay: "In the dictionary of the Silent Ones, there are no words for abandoning one's homeland and living alone. The children are the future and need to be protected. But I, who can still move, must go back and stand with our homeland and our allies. If we are to die, we will die on the road of the charge."
Ilandil stepped forward and smiled at Lin Yue, saying, "Mayor Lin, Her Majesty the Queen said that since we are allies, there is no reason to let our friends face the swords alone. Although we cannot directly participate in the war, we can still provide some technical support within our capabilities."
He gestured to Lorian and the druid behind him: "These are old friends of Hope Town. Lorian will serve as your military advisor, assisting you in training your guards. The druid will help you strengthen the town's natural defenses. They will fight alongside you until the crisis is over."
Looking at these partners who chose to stand with them through the crisis at this critical moment, Lin Yue felt a surge of warmth and pride in his heart, even though he knew that some of them were motivated by self-interest or by the Queen's orders.
“Alright!” He nodded heavily. “In that case, let’s go back together and show those Red Scorpion Army soldiers what kind of tough guys Hope Town really is.”
The returning group was more efficient and capable than the one that had come.
As they were about to leave the outer barrier of the Silvermoon Forest, Ilandil slowed down and walked alongside Lin Yue.
Lin Yue looked at his unrealistically handsome profile, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke somewhat awkwardly: "Um... Lord Ilandil... there's something... I need to be honest with you..."
He recounted in detail how he had initially been tempted by the food, and how, inspired by a mysterious ancient Eastern recipe, he had boldly experimented with using the tender shoots of the sacred tree in cooking.
"...That's how it is." Lin Yue finished speaking, picked his nose, and looked guilty. "I admit, what I did was dishonest. If you want to pursue this matter, if you want to punish me, I'll accept it. But... that stewed vermicelli was really delicious..."
After hearing his confession, Ilandil was stunned for a moment, then a look of bewilderment appeared on his face.
“Mayor Lin Yue,” he shook his head helplessly, “you really… I don’t know what to say.”
He sighed and explained, "Actually, we knew about what you did immediately. No energy fluctuation from the Sacred Tree could escape Her Majesty the Queen's perception."
“Then…then the Queen…” Lin Yue’s heart jumped into his throat.
“Her Majesty the Queen only said one sentence.” Ilandil’s eyes turned somewhat strange. “She said, ‘I never imagined that the leaves of the Sacred Tree could be used in this way. The taste… seems quite good.’”
Lin Yue: "...Huh?"
“She also said,” Elendil continued, “that we’re glad we’ve discovered another benefit of the sacred tree, and something good for us elves. It’s just… it would be better if we could be told in advance next time. After all,” a mocking smile played on his lips, “the sacred tree’s tender shoots are best eaten raw.”
"Ahem... Well... I was just afraid you wouldn't agree!" Lin Yue tried to save face. "Besides, our human cooking emphasizes practical application and integration! In fact, the leaves of the Sacred Tree can be used not only to stew with vermicelli, but also to make spicy hot pot, spicy lamb skewers, stir-fried Sacred Tree leaves, Sacred Tree leaf egg drop soup... There are so many ways to cook them!"
He rattled off more than a dozen dishes in one breath, making Ilandil's eyes twitch.
“…Thank you for letting me know.” Ilandil gave a “I don’t believe you” smile. “We will…consider it.”
...
When Lin Yue and his group returned to Hope Town with the elf's technical advisory team, he was surprised to find that the atmosphere in the town was completely different from the tragic and solemn atmosphere when he left.
Everyone was in high spirits and full of energy. Production in the various workshops did not stop due to the shadow of war; on the contrary, it proceeded even more vigorously and in an orderly manner.
Hope Town's No. 1 store remained open. Mia and Carwin, still in Blackrock City, communicated with each other, and even took the opportunity to purchase large quantities of flax, animal hides, and some basic mineral raw materials from small merchant caravans eager to ship their goods due to fears of war, at extremely low prices. At the same time, they also subtly spread the message through these merchants and mercenaries that "Hope Town is not afraid of powerful forces and vows to live and die with its homeland."
Even in the open space of Central Park, Li Ge and Amu spontaneously organized the young townspeople to conduct basic physical fitness and combat training during their breaks. Although their movements were clumsy and disorganized, their powerful shouts were enough to deter any enemy from underestimating them.
"You... what is this..." Lin Yue looked at the thriving and spirited scene before him and was speechless for a moment.
"Mayor, you're back!" Li Ge ran over excitedly when he saw Lin Yue, wiped his sweat, and said with a simple, honest smile, "Didn't you say that the enemy has a month to prepare? We have the same time. Everyone's thinking that just waiting isn't going to work; we have to do something. Instead of living in fear, we should put all our energy into working and honing our skills. Even if we can't win in the end, we'll still take a big bite out of them!"
The arrival of Lorian and the Druid, the two technical advisors, was like adding fuel to the already raging fire.
Considering that half of the month-long period had already passed, the Devil Training Camp in Hope Town officially opened early the next morning in a dense woodland on the outskirts of the town.
Lorian officially took over the training of the patrol guards. He brought with him a training method that no longer emphasized formations and strength like that of human armies, but a set of jungle special operations training full of elven characteristics, which could be described as devilish.
"Do you think fighting is just about lining up and hacking people to pieces?" Lorian stood atop a high rock, looking down at the Hope Town guards who still carried a hint of laxity. "Wrong! True combat is art, deception, and using every advantage you can to deliver the most fatal blow when the enemy least expects it!"
The days that followed were a nightmare for all the guards.
Every day, they had to perform extreme cross-country runs carrying dozens of kilograms of weight in woodlands studded with various traps, both real and decoy. They had to hit moving targets in pitch-black nights, relying solely on their ears and the sound of the wind. They had to learn how to perfectly camouflage themselves with mud and foliage, remaining undetected for an entire day under the sharp eyes of Lorian.
Li Ge and Amu, strong men used to head-on confrontations, initially scoffed at the elves' "girly" stealth techniques.
"Why bother with all this fancy stuff? Just go up there and knock him down with one blow, isn't that enough?"
As a result, in the first simulated confrontation, this group, which called themselves the Mighty Men Commando Team, couldn't even touch the hem of Lorian's clothes. They were covered in dirt and grime by various tripwires, pitfalls, and animal skin bags filled with itching powder that fell from trees. In the end, they were easily wiped out by Lorian alone with a sharpened wooden stick.
From then on, they dared not utter a single complaint and obediently began to learn stealth and disguise.
Meanwhile, Silent Ones like Kaylan and Hawkeye displayed astonishing talent during this training. They seemed to be born to be children of the forest, quickly mastering the essence of jungle warfare. They could even apply their knowledge to create more deceptive traps that impressed Lorian.
Of course, Gray was the most outstanding performer.
His veteran training in Blackrock City instilled in him the discipline and battle awareness of a human army. Meanwhile, the Silent Whisperer talent flowing in his blood granted him the agility and instincts of a cheetah. This combination made him Lori's most formidable and troublesome trainee.
In a simulated capture battle, he surprisingly turned the tables and used the terrain to kill one of the youngest and least experienced elves, even though he only used a painted wooden sword to slash the other's neck. This still surprised all the elves.
In the end, it was Lorian himself who took action, and after paying a negligible price, he finally captured this slippery creature.
"This guy..." Lorian looked at Gray, who was panting but whose eyes were still full of fighting spirit, and was secretly shocked. "Give him a little more time, and maybe... I won't be his match."
On the other hand, the Druids' technical support also opened the eyes of the residents of Hope Town.
He took out some special seeds that emitted a faint green light and several stones engraved with intricate runes, and set up a temporary natural barrier around the outer walls of Hope Town.
As the ancient incantation was chanted, the surrounding plants were guided, growing wildly at a visible rate. Tenacious vines coiled around the city walls like giant pythons, forming a second line of defense. The ground was covered with a dense thicket of thorny brambles, enough to make any enemy attempting to approach struggle to move forward. Even the air was filled with a pollen that could cause dizziness and mental confusion.
This process captivated Norm and Bard, who were learning alongside them, making them feel as if their own views on agricultural science had been repeatedly rubbed into the ground.
"M-Master..." Norm stammered, looking at the wildly growing plants, "You...your method...can...can it be used in our farmland? If it could make our corn grow this fast too..."
The druid smiled and shook his head, patiently explaining, "Child, this method of forcing growth comes at the cost of draining the life force of the earth and the seeds, and it consumes a great deal of magic and precious runestones. It can be used for defense, but using it to grow food will only result in a bunch of empty shells that are strong on the outside but weak on the inside, without any nutrition. More importantly, crops that grow against the laws of nature will have a disordered internal energy structure, which may not only fail to provide the healing effects we hope our food will have, but may even have a negative impact on the body. True harvest still depends on the laws of nature and your hard work."
After listening, Old Bard bowed respectfully to the druid: "Master is right, I have learned a lot." Looking at the druid's face, which was even younger and more handsome than the Gnomes', and hearing him address the Gnomes as "child" in the tone of an elder, he felt a strong sense of incongruity and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Ah, no wonder they are the darlings of nature. These elves live so long, are so beautiful, and know so much."
Amidst the intense preparations, Lin Yue didn't idle away his time.
He locked himself in a top-secret laboratory, conducting his research in secrecy.
He kept muttering strange, incomprehensible words, such as "one part sulfur, two parts nitrate, three parts charcoal," "granulation can increase the combustion speed," and "delayed fuses are a technical skill"...
He even went to the blacksmith's shop several times, sighing and saying, "Ah, if only Uncle Stone Fist were here. This thing's shell isn't strong enough; it always explodes. If only we had his skill in refining carbon steel..."
His eccentric demeanor made Xiao Fen, who also lived in Lin's Restaurant, feel that her boss's condition seemed to have worsened compared to when they were in Silvermoon Forest.
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