Chapter 775: Pollution and Landing
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Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
After receiving Ji Chen’s promise, the joint fleet collectively turned their ships towards the mouth of the Roni River.
The Roni River was the largest river in the southern continent, originating from the Domingo Plateau in the central part of the southern continent. The river rushed northward with surging momentum, forming long and fertile stretches of soil and oases along the way. Each tributary represented the birth of a settlement, becoming the source of civilization in the southern continent, nurturing countless populations.
The Roni River was the lifeblood of many desert kingdoms and gathering places, not just a river for thousands of years, but also a spiritual river for countless desert people, symbolizing hope.
However, on the Domingo Plateau at its source, with the final batch of resilient desert guerrillas surrounded and killed by demons, it meant that the entire plateau fell into the hands of the Greed Lord.
In less than half a day, a demon army that had traveled a long distance from the rear arrived here.
“Hurry up, this is the direct order of Lord Saskia himself. Soak the Polluted Crystals in the river! Let those foolish humans downstream taste the polluted water!”
The demon overseer shouted, and one by one, the chariot-shaped demon vehicles plunged into the rushing river, carrying black crystalline ma.s.ses on their backs and sinking them all into the river like unloading ore from a minecart.
As soon as the black crystals fell into the river, the surrounding water immediately turned pitch black, emitting a faint foul smell. Soon, the entire river turned black, like a black serpent winding through the land.
Several days later, people along the middle and lower reaches of the river were horrified to find that the water of the Roni River had become foul and polluted, emitting a nauseating odor, and a faint black mist rose.
Not only was the river water no longer drinkable or usable, but even the crops and plants planted on both banks of the river withered and died rapidly under the cover of the black mist.
It was as if the river water contained deadly substances!
The Roni River, symbolizing life and hope, no longer displayed her generosity and tolerance, becoming a spreader of pollution and despair.
The Desert Alliance, the Roni River front.
Soldiers rushed in from outside the camp, their faces full of panic.
“Sir! Something big has happened!”
Many generals and n.o.bles who had just finished discussing the improvement of the front line stopped one after another. Mijat frowned and looked at the soldier’s eyes full of endless confusion and panic, saying, “What happened? Could it be that the Greed Lord has launched the third wave of attack?”
“It’s not that, the Roni River has turned black!”
Everyone looked at each other, realizing that something was terribly wrong when they walked out and saw the pitch-black Roni River emitting a foul odor, and they finally realized the seriousness of the situation.
Mijat looked at the river, which seemed to be contaminated with toxic substances and emitted black mist, his face filled with suspicion and inquiry.
“When did the Roni River become like this?”
The soldier hurriedly said, “Just now, I saw the river started turning black from the upstream direction. Anyone who touches the river water will soon show signs of poisoning!”
Upstream of the river?
Mijat’s face changed slightly, and he asked sideways, “What is the current situation of the guerrilla teams active on the Domingo Plateau?”
The deputy next to him also realized something and said with a solemn expression, “They haven’t sent us any messages for several days. They might have already…”
d.a.m.n it!
This kind of situation usually means that they have already been killed by demons, so the reason for the Roni River’s current state has roughly been figured out.
“… The demons have completely occupied the Domingo Plateau at the source of the Roni River and contaminated the upstream water source using some method.”
Mijat’s words made many desert n.o.bles’ faces change drastically. The Roni River was the water source of their joint army and the lifeblood of maintaining the civilization of half of the southern continent.
Without clean river water, desert dwellers simply couldn’t survive in the arid sands.
“d.a.m.n demons, this move is really ruthless!” Someone cursed through gritted teeth.
This move hit the Desert Alliance right where it hurt. The demons were powerful, but with tens of thousands of soldiers, they could hold their ground, even using corpses to build walls to fend off attacks.
But without a water source, relying solely on stored water couldn’t sustain such a large army.
“We’ll send elite troops upstream to clean up the polluted source!”
“Useless! The Domingo Plateau have already been occupied by demons. Even if we manage to clean it up, they’ll just contaminate it again. It’s completely futile!”
Panic and despair began to spread.
Not just the soldiers, even the high-ranking members of the alliance were starting to panic. You could survive three days without food, but you’d surely perish without water in three days.
At this moment, someone suddenly spoke up.
“Wasn’t the Alliance Fleet supposed to come to our aid? Can they help us?”
Mijat was initially taken aback, but then shook his head.
Even if the Alliance Fleet came to support, they could only bring soldiers and supplies, never enough fresh water to supply so many allied soldiers.
Could they really abandon the frontline they had been working on for months, investing so much effort and resources?
But without the River Roni frontline, they had no strategic point to defend. The ultimate result could be nothing but destruction.
He was caught in a dilemma.
Suddenly, Ari rushed over, his face changing drastically as he looked at the foul-smelling, black River Roni.
“What’s happening?”
“The Greed Lord has polluted the River Roni, and we’re about to face a water shortage,”Mijat replied, then sarcastically added, “I wonder if this supposed savior has any brilliant solutions?”
Ever since Ari returned with news of the Alliance Fleet’s support, which uplifted the spirits of the slowly despairing alliance, some optimistic individuals hailed him as a savior. This nickname quickly caught on and became widely recognized among all members of the alliance.
This made Mijat feel uncomfortable all over, and he retorted sarcastically, as if it were a habit.
Ari, too, was accustomed to his elder brother’s words. In the past, he would have definitely spoken up to refute, but now he just gave a faint glance and began to contemplate.
“Although we’ve been prepared for this situation before, our reserves of fresh water are not plentiful. Even if we conserve, we can only hold out for at most half a week. The demons just need to wait until our fresh water runs out before continuing their attack, and they can easily deal with us when we’re depleted of fighting strength.
Looking at it from a general perspective, it seems we’re cornered…”
The others looked at each other, thinking, “Is there really no way out of this incessant predicament?”
“Of course there is!”
All eyes turned to him, filled with astonishment and a glimmer of hope.
Ari looked around at them, his expression resolute. “Lord Ji Chen can help us out of this predicament.”
Mijat couldn’t help but interject, “I know Lord Ji Chenming is powerful, but being powerful doesn’t mean he can magically bring us fresh water.”
But Ari shook his head. “No, you don’t understand the power of Lord Ji Chen. Fresh water is just a material he can easily obtain with a wave of his hand, it’s nothing to him.”
Mijat looked at Ari’s unwavering expression and thought to himself that his foolish little brother had become obsessed. After visiting the Crown of the Ocean, he had become a devoted follower of this Lord of Glory named Ji Chen.
“I hope the Alliance Fleet can bring good news…” Mijat thought to himself.
Meanwhile, the Desert Alliance was eagerly antic.i.p.ating the arrival of the Alliance Fleet, which was slowly approaching the coastline with hesitation.
On the elven flagship.
“Why is there not a trace of demon army on this coastline? Did they scout our route and attack direction in advance, hiding to ambush us?”
“That makes sense, otherwise why would the Undead Lord leave such a gap?”
Faced with such a strange situation, Yasen hesitated and once again activated his skill: Ask Ji Chen.
“Lord Ji Chen, what do you think?”
Ji Chen looked at the flat and barren coastline in the distance, feeling somewhat puzzled himself. Just as he was about to speak, a demon army suddenly emerged from the woods by the coast, instantly alerting everyone.
But soon they were confused again.
Why did this demon army seem so small in number, at most tens of thousands, and they looked like low-level demons, without even a single high-level demon species?
Did the demons really think they could block their landing with this army?
Yasen observed for a while, dispatched flying reconnaissance teams, and ordered all ships to be vigilant against waterborne demon attacks, before finally ordering the warships to engage the brazen demon army.
On the decks of dozens of warships nearing the coast, the gun turrets began to rotate, their stout barrels slowly pointing towards the sh.o.r.eline.
With the resounding roar of cannon fire echoing through the sea, the coastline bloomed with orange mandala flowers, and amidst the entanglement of flame and energy, the demons were torn into pieces.
Dozens of warships took turns bombarding, quickly submerging this strange demon army of ten thousand in explosions.
Soon, the Alliance Fleet dispatched the first batch of landing craft. Two thousand troops each from the Elven Empire and the Royal Marines of Rheinhardt quickly landed and established preliminary positions on the corpses of the demons.
“Report! The 18th Elven Marine Corps and the 9th Royal Marine Corps of Lienhardt have successfully landed on the coast and established positions. There are no signs of any live demons nearby!”
Upon hearing the soldier’s report, Yasen was somewhat surprised. He was shocked that the demons had actually left themselves undefended?
Despite many doubts in his mind, he knew this was a golden opportunity.
He immediately issued the order.
“All forces, initiate large-scale landing operations. Quickly establish camps on the sh.o.r.e, dispatch more flying reconnaissance teams, and cover our eyes within a radius of ten miles and beyond!”
“Yes!!”
The warships lowered one landing craft after another, laden with soldiers from various countries heading towards the sh.o.r.e. Large landing craft specifically designed for beach landings also carried various supplies, ammunition, artillery pieces, and even war beasts.
As long as they managed to establish a foothold successfully, it would be difficult for the demons to dislodge them again!
Ji Chen stood on the bow deck, watching the scene of many soldiers busy building camps, with a pensive look in his eyes.
What exactly did the Undead Lord want to accomplish?