When the news of the attack on the swamp monsters broke, the Norsca warriors were so excited that they roared, raised their weapons and slammed their shields, venting the anger that had been hidden in their hearts for a long time. Long hunting and training have worn out their last passions. A real battle is urgently needed to release the desires of the heart.

So, on a sunny morning, the hunting party, consisting of Norsca raiders and Kislev's militia, entered the Black Forest to the north again, looking for traces of dark creatures.

The hound roared excitedly and ran into the depths of the forest, and a vanguard of a dozen Norska hunters broke away from the main force and attacked first, tracking the trail of the swamp monster. While others lined up in a long line, slowly moving through the forest.

Everyone believed that they would hunt the Swamp Monsters. Rhodes' only concern was that the swamp monsters were just bait, and with their speed, they could go around in circles with the hunters, eventually leading the hunting party into the depths of the forest, and then attacking human towns and villages in a roundabout way, or directly attacking Blackhammer.

For this reason, Rhodes handed over the standing forces to Virgil's command again, and Blackhammer Fort could not be without guards, and Rhodes originally planned to leave Caroline in the castle as well, while watching those ice peppers, while helping to guard the castle. But Caroline is a Frost Witch after all, she is not bound by anyone, she will not even listen to her own father, let alone Rod......

She's going to travel with the army to meet the fabled swamp monsters...... Rod was helpless and didn't let her go, she always had a way to blend in with the army. So I had to take her again.

While camping at night, Rhodes picked up the map of the forest drawn by the scholar. This is a partial map that covers roughly the area south of the Troll Mountains and north of Blackhammer. Equivalent to a very small area north of Kislev, it is the tip of the iceberg for the entire Old World. But the minimap has the advantage of a minimap, which is that it is clearly marked, and even the road network can be marked, which is very important for marching.

As for the accuracy, it's still good. The origin of the map is very clear, and it can be said that Rhodes saw it take shape with his own eyes. Originally, there was no map of the area from the Black Forest to the Troll Mountains, but after two months of hunting, the Norskians had roughly explored the entire Black Forest, and through their descriptions, the learned officer drew this map.

The map clearly marks mountains, roads, water sources, open spaces, There are also areas frequented by the Beastmen, and when the entire map is completed, the Scholar is still applying paint to them, green represents the fully developed area, where humans have established themselves and there is basically no threat, these areas are concentrated around Blackhammer Castle, and red represents the danger area, where a large number of wild monsters appear, including skinned wolves and beastmen, in general, the forests in these areas are also dense and undeveloped, which can hide dark creatures well, and yellow represents the middle transition zone between the two, which is the area that is being developed and threatened by wild beasts。

This kind of clear map is a valuable item for an intelligence unit in the Empire or Kislev, and some generals or adventurers are willing to pay a high price for it. And these pigments are not afraid of long-term solidification, draftsmen have fading agents, once this chemical raw material is smeared, all the pigments will disappear, red can turn white, green can also turn white, and then turn red again. It's a great drawing tool.

"Judging from the intelligence fed back by the rangers, these days, the swamp monsters are mainly wandering around the Lorraine camp, and the distance between us and them is only two days, provided that they are still in place and do not move, otherwise, at the speed of these water monsters, we will only be pulled farther and farther away. ”

Sitting in the center of the tent, Rhodes spread out the map and pointed to the dark yellow area on the map. Camp Lorraine is mainly a forest camp for hunters and loggers, and it is also a resting place for them. Since the appearance of the Swamp Monsters, lumberjacks and hunters have left the area. Now, it's the place where swamp monsters are most entrenched.

"They don't seem to have brains, they don't have a hint of tactics to speak of, and, judging by all kinds of intelligence, they are not very concentrated. ”

Iron Claw added.

"Originally, it was just a bunch of brainless water monsters. ”

"No, don't say that, they were once glorious and were the darlings of the Chaos Demons. ”

Celta said. The Norscans have a deeper understanding of these dark creatures.

"It's just that then it declined, and humans became their replacements, the objects of chaos pollution. Just like my homeland, all creatures in the mountains, including humans, all worship the gods of chaos. ”

Celta said, with a bit of loneliness and helplessness in her words. In fact, the former Nosca was also a pure land, the Norscans, who were wild and uninhibited, conquering that cold and desolate land by their bravery, blood, and perseverance. However, due to their proximity to the Chaos Wasteland, they are the first to pollute every time Chaos goes south. Thousands of years have worn away the last pride of the Norscans, and the current Norsca itself is almost entirely composed of Chaos believers. There are very few Norsca Marauders like Celta who roam the Talon Sea and the southern coast.

"They have an IQ, trust me. They're not that easy to conquer, and I'm starting to suspect that the Swamp Monster isn't an accident. ”

Celta continued. He walked over to the map, drew his sword, and pointed at the northernmost point on the map. There, a dark realm, the edge of the forest, at the foot of the Troll Mountains. For a moment, Rhodes suddenly remembered that strange dream, in the night of the arrival of the evil moon, he had dreamed of that place, which was also the place where the bear spirit disappeared.

"What's that?"

Caroline asked.

"First of all, you must understand that swamp monsters are not a species that likes to go out. In fact, they are scarcely numerous, living in swamps and lakes, and they use spells to create fog and hide their territory. It is an isolated race. I suspect that some more powerful creature has invaded these swamp monsters to leave their territory and head south in search of habitat and food. ”

Celta's words sent a chill down the spine of those present......