A foul, pungent smell was in the air.

The smell was so strong that it could even overpower the bad smell of the inside of the trenches and fortifications.

The most serious thing is the artillery station, because of the large-scale stockpiling and use of crystalline shells, the smell here has become so strong that the artillerymen have to wear protective gear, in order to solve this problem, Waterl's military mages have even set up a large-scale magic ceremony in the station, so as to use the artificial wind to clean and dredge the station.

It is naturally impossible for ordinary crystalline shells to create this smell, and it is produced thanks to the two crystalline cannons that have recently been put into service by the army of the Kingdom of Waterl, as well as the shells that accompany them.

The condition of the rugged hills has deteriorated faster than anyone expected.

Initially, the Fifth Chasseur stationed in Brownhill was able to fight these threats with the quality of their soldiers, the weapons they were equipped with, and the strong defensive lines, and even at some times, these brave soldiers were able to build fortifications and outposts in the buffer zone with the help of the gaps after the massive shelling, but as the number of engagements increased, the pressure on the Fifth Chasseur began to rise rapidly.

One evening, a reconnaissance team of the 5th Chasseur Regiment conducted a routine alert and patrol of the shelling buffer zone, and in the process, they were attacked by a considerable number of enemies, and the team suffered heavy losses, but with ample firepower, the team eventually managed to withdraw from the area, but just as they merged with the receiving team to return to their positions, the warped monsters that had been repulsed reappeared and launched a larger surprise attack.

During this attack, the Fifth Chasseur Regiment also witnessed a huge individual in size comparable to a house for the first time.

This giant "living crystal" looks like a dark crystalline ore the size of a house, but inside this translucent ore, there will always be countless twisted figures appearing, and the chaotic lines will continue to appear in the process, and at the bottom of this "ore", there are countless irregular protrusions deriving.

These bumps are in fact sharp limbs made of a thick mist, which oscillates at a very high frequency, supporting the massive crystals above them to move forward, and when it succeeds in latching onto its target, it will begin to attack in all sorts of unimaginable ways, sometimes from dark spikes detached from the ore body, sometimes with tentacles that swing like shadows, and sometimes simply debris and fog erupting from within the crystals.

Either way, it was fatal for the soldiers.

This unexpected attack by the 5th Chasseur Regiment dealt a major blow to the defensive line set up on the edge of the rugged hills, and although in the end, the Council mage in the position was killed by directly detonating the crystalline cannonballs along with the moving giant ore, but the incident still affected the morale of the Chasseur quite badly.

It was against this backdrop that Waterl's military system began to actively seek some "more efficient" ways to respond.

At the same time as more artillery corps were mobilized into the rugged hills, the workshop reform measures that had previously been stalemate for various reasons were finally completed.

With the "disappearance" of some diehard nobles in the kingdom, a number of large workshops that had been in a state of competition and confrontation were integrated, and the Ernst family, which had previously given up a considerable part of its aristocratic rights, was transformed at this moment and became the spokesperson of the Wattel royal family in the field of military industry and alchemy.

The first set of important products launched after the birth of the "Waterl Royal Alchemy Factory" was the new type of cannonball developed and produced under the new system.

More violent explosions, higher yields, lower production costs, and a mana disruption trait designed specifically for magical creations...... This series of advantages makes it an immediate choice for troops stationed in the rugged hills in the current situation!

Of course, behind these advantages, there are also a considerable number of hidden dangers and disadvantages, one of which is the pungent smell that permeates the air, which is the result of the failure of the unstable crystalline ore to be fully reacted.

Yes, in order to be able to make up for the lack of crystalline mines in the country and further increase production, the Plateau Mage Council broke the standard for the use of magic ores formulated by Merlin Lehe in the past, and while increasing the mining efforts of domestic mines, the royal alchemy factory also included those ores that "do not meet the standards" into the scope of use.

Looking at the vehicles carrying the new shells, Alfred, who was in the artillery station, was silent for two seconds, and then walked into the improvised tent on the side.

A steam aromatherapy oven studded with magic crystals was working in the tent, and Alfred removed the mask from his face and took two deep breaths vigorously.

"It's not a way to go on like this, the accident rate of crystalline cannons has been increasing these days, and if it goes on like this, I'm afraid there will be more artillerymen sent to the hospital than commandos."

Alfred threw his mask on the table and looked sadly at his old partner, who was checking the ritual drawings of the defensive line.

Mage Krautz paused, then straightened up and turned his head.

If Shug, Verin, and the others were here, they would have been amazed at the way Master Klautz looked - his face had been ruined, as if lava or strong acid had once rolled over half of his face, his skin was in shambles, twisted scars were entangled, and he had lost one of his eyes, and now he could only wear an alchemical mask or blindfold.

Beneath these scars and flesh, there is a faint dark magical light and shadow wafting out, these remnants of magic are difficult to completely remove, they are deeply entangled with Klautz's flesh and blood, and these disordered, chaotic forces seriously interfere with the effectiveness of healing magic, which makes this hideous scar perfectly preserved on Krautz's face.

These injuries were caused by the very enemy that the Fifth Chasseur Regiment was currently facing.

The intensity of the battle was so staggering, and the opponents were so special that even an experienced senior mage like Krautz could not completely avoid the danger and losses.

"Alfred, you have to be clear, this is already an absolute 'preferential treatment'."

Krautz looked calmly at his comrades-in-arms, and the destroyed half of his face, although distorted and terrifying, was full of indifference and calm: "Just increasing the production of artillery shells and maintaining the supply of shells, the pressure on the country is already very terrible. ”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed upwards: "The influence of the black sun on the crystalline ore is too great, and the council has reached the theoretical limit of this step, do you know?" Now that miners are a dangerous industry, these crystalline mines will slowly kill those who come near them, even if they don't explode...... There are a lot of miners and workers in the alchemy factories who have developed new diseases, and if this continues, it will be impossible to suppress it. ”

Hearing these words, Alfred reluctantly tilted his head and avoided Krautz's gaze.

Of course, he knew about the news, after all, his family was originally an important arms dealer in the Waters Kingdom, and his family was also included in the previous integration.

"I've heard all of this, but you should also be until our field hospitals are almost full...... And most of these wounded will not be able to return to the battlefield! ”

"It was their luck to be sent back to the rear at this time."

Klautz looked back at the drawings in front of him: "At least they don't have to lie in the pile of shells like my hapless students." ”

The corners of Alfred's mouth twitched, the mage who detonated the alchemy bomb with his own hands before was brought out by Krautz himself, and this matter hurt the mage who did not smile a lot.

The two men in the tent fell silent at the same time, and after a few seconds, Krautz seemed to have made up his mind, he sighed softly, then reached out to open the drawing, and took out a letter from underneath and handed it to Alfred.

"What is this?"

"Letter from the direction of the Dawn Society...... Miss Verin and the Vann Magical Society have given us some advice that might help, so you can check it out. ”

Hearing this, Alfred didn't care about pursuing Krautz's private correspondence, so he hurriedly unfolded the letter and began to read it carefully.

It took a while for him to put down the letter paper in his hand with a solemn expression, and seeing this, Krautz fiddled with the magic crystals on the table, and the soundproofing ceremony quickly enveloped the tent.

"What they mean is that there might be someone behind these monsters?"

"Miss Verin's point of view, to be exact."

Klautz corrected: "This idea is interesting and valuable...... After all, Miss Verin had spent some time in the craggy hills before the fall of Salem, and she must have known the cracks in more detail than we did. ”

Alfred frowned and thought for two seconds, then spoke: "We can already determine that those monsters are not simple beasts, they are intelligent, similar to the helpers summoned by the Black Sun Society on the Northern Front...... But their source is the cracks in the mounds, and their power is even more amazing, can anyone really command them? ”

Master Klautz replied in a low voice, "Well, I don't think the average member of the Black Sun Society is capable of doing that. ”

"Wait, you say 'average'?"

"Yes, we've caught quite a few Black Sun Mages before, but in my opinion, these guys aren't much smarter than the Plateau Ogre...... They are completely excluded from the inner circle of the association, and their ability is naturally not very high. ”

"But if it's the ones who are on the wanted list, it's not for sure, we don't know much about the ancient rituals that the Black Sun Society has mastered, and maybe there are people within them who can do it." ”

“……”

Alfred held the letter in his hand, re-read the contents, and then asked in an uncertain tone, "Mr. Krautz, do you think I can do this...... Well, I mean, a little bit to the royal family? Mage Finn is now in Brownhill. ”

Before he could finish speaking, one hand suddenly lifted the curtain of the tent, and he passed through the magical barrier set up by Klautz and came to the two of them.

As in the past, Finn, the mountain elf who was the spokesman of the Waters royal family and the royal daughters, wore a crisp black outfit, but now, he had a conspicuous Highland Eagle insignia on his chest, which represented the temporary command he actually had.

"I'm not in Brownhills, I'm here."

The mountain elves lived as long as their relatives, and Finn's appearance didn't differ much from the past, except that he looked a little dusty because of his fatigue.

The butler of the royal family brought a chair and sat down upright.

Before he saw any movement from Finn, the letter in Alfred's hand was taken out of thin air by a force, and Finn grabbed it, looked at it quickly, and then said with a smile: "Mr. Clutez, the act of private correspondence during the war is a clear violation of the regulations...... But it's clear that you're loyal to the Kingdom, so I'm not going to deal with it. ”

After speaking, Finn looked at Alfred: "Alfred, you haven't disgraced your family, but you have to be careful, no matter how close your comrades are, you can't completely rule out the possibility of betrayal, and you can be more cautious in these things." ”

Alfred, who had been a little uneasy about Finn's sudden visit, was relieved to hear these words.

"What? Not worried? ”

"Since you're not here to deal with us, you should have brought a new order."

Alfred restrained the smile on his face, he gave a standard Wattle military salute, and then reported seriously: "The officers of the Fifth Chasseur Regiment, the military mages and all the members of their subordinates can accept the transfer!" ”

Finn waved his hand: "I just came from your field hospital, and there are a lot of wounded over there, so there is no need to say these things to me." ”

After a pause, he added, "I did bring new instructions, though, and in connection with what was said in this letter...... After much deliberation, we suspect that there is a high probability that there is an important 'high-value target' hiding in the interior of the rugged hills, and that he may be very high on the list of the Black Sun Society, and that his status should be no less than that of the deep sea mage Yatevich and the dead Kzlov. ”

"What do you mean?"

Finn's expression was rather solemn: "The actual leader of the Black Sun Society was completely out of our field of vision a month ago, and he was last seen in the northern port of St. Steele......"

"I'm afraid a month is not enough time to travel such a long way......"

Finn raised his hand and interrupted Alfred's speculation: "For a spellcaster like Novi, distance is never an effective shackle. ”

(End of chapter)