Chapter 55

"Captain, there's a situation!"

Soon after, the warning voice echoed on the grassland not far from Kuri Village. The scout who spoke raised his arm, making a "halt" gesture. The other six teammates behind him immediately pulled on the reins, moving in unison.

In the distance, a figure on horseback was galloping towards them. The scout who spoke then looked at Captain Ruge, who raised his hand and silently gave the reconnaissance order with a tactical gesture. The scout, upon receiving the order, immediately picked up the short bow from the side of the saddle and rode forward.

In the rear, Ruge and the others silently picked up their short bows and nocked arrows, watching the figure galloping towards them from a distance. They had already begun calculating the angle needed for the shot—this well-practiced readiness had been drilled countless times, so when a real situation arose, the scouts' faces showed no signs of panic, only calm and composure.

Before long, the scout in the front confirmed the identity of the approaching figure—it was Hank, the scout captain of Kuri Village, who was desperately galloping towards them.

When Ruge learned this information, his brows furrowed deeply. He watched as Captain Hank, pale-faced, approached him, his expression filled with tension and panic, which seemed to intensify rather than diminish.

Something big has happened.

This was Ruge's first instinct.

"Quick, report the news! Kuri Village is under attack! It's the Beastmen Wolf Riders! Many—very many Wolf Riders!"

The panic in his heart made his words stammer. As his gaze swept over the scouts from Noland Village, Hank expected to see the same panic on their faces. However, after repeating himself several times, he was stunned to find that these scouts showed no extra reaction.

He swallowed hard, opened his mouth, and wanted to emphasize what he had encountered, but saw Captain Ruge, the one at the front, raise his hand to stop him, asking coldly, "When? How many enemies?"

Such a tone made Hank feel as if the other party was asking him about his age or if he had eaten, with no extra emotion, as if it were just a routine inquiry. Feeling bewildered and somewhat angry, he shouted at Ruge, "Can't you understand me? Damn it! They are Wolf Riders! Oh God, don't you know what Wolf Riders are? Their war wolves—"

"I know they are Wolf Riders."

Ruge frowned and interrupted him again. This old soldier had never had a good temper, especially when he saw such a coward who was scared out of his wits. So when he asked his second question, his tone was already harsh and impatient—

"I'm asking you the time of the attack and the number of enemies, can't you understand?"

"What right do you have to ask me this? I mean—"

Hank was slightly angered by the other party's words. Being afraid of Wolf Riders was one thing, but being scolded by Ruge, another scout captain, was another. However, before Hank could finish his rebuttal, he saw Ruge draw his bow and aim an arrow at his head—"I... I mean... just half an hour... no! Twenty minutes ago, there should be thirty, maybe thirty-five... They burned the village and... have already fled."

Ruge, expressionless, lowered his bow and casually replied, "Understood," then turned to arrange his subordinates, "Kohl, go back immediately and report our current position to Rody. Make sure to clearly convey the information this guy just told us."

"The rest, follow me. Remember all the routes and return to Noland Village in batches to report my position. Wolf Riders cannot launch a long-range attack, so they must have a camp nearby. We will definitely catch up with them before sunset. As for how to deal with them, we will wait for Captain Rody's orders."

After efficiently assigning the tasks, Ruge waved his hand, indicating that a scout should exchange horses with Captain Hank. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Captain Hank and said, "Where did the Beastmen come from? Take me there now."

"Are... are you crazy? That's over thirty Wolf Riders! No—okay, okay, I understand, I'll take you, I'll take you!—You're all crazy. Why did I have to meet a group of lunatics?"

Captain Hank's second rebuttal was cut short when Ruge drew his short bow. He muttered curses, feeling an eerie sense of "escaping the tiger's mouth only to enter the wolf's den." His gaze swept around, and he even had the absurd thought that these scouts were disguised Beastmen!

However, Ruge didn't give him a chance to say more. He immediately moved in the direction Hank pointed, and the team instantly accelerated, galloping away.

After being forced to gallop for a distance, Captain Hank gradually noticed the difference in this team—

The warhorses of the Noland Village scouts were much larger and of better quality than the one he had been riding. The armor on the scouts was clearly of a higher grade. After a few minutes of the team charging forward, the soldiers on both sides maintained a similar distance while galloping at high speed, each with excellent riding skills and determined expressions...

This feeling gave Captain Hank a sense of overwhelming pressure, as if these people were from a completely different world—

Could it be... they are not the scouts of the Luciferon family?

Could it be... they are preparing to chase the Wolf Riders?

Oh God, what have I done wrong? Is this a nightmare?

...

"...So, your task is not to tell them how to do it, but to give them a belief that they can do it—'I can definitely do it!'"

"This is a psychological suggestion. It may sound like simple encouragement, but constant repetition will affect anyone. This encouragement is very important, so don't treat it as a joke. Be serious and avoid undermining their confidence."

Inside Noland Village, the scouts were exhausted from a group assault drill, while Rody, not far away, was talking to Carter about something that seemed unrelated to combat—Carter was trying to digest what Rody was imparting. After thinking for a while, he asked, "I've noted down the main points... when I encourage them, what should they call me? I always forget... what 'commissioner'?"

"Political Commissar, remember... call me Political Commissar."

Rody answered with a serious face.

"Got it, got it, I remember... so from now on, I'm Commissar Carter, hehe." Carter scratched his head; he had never thought that he would be assigned such a position because of his "eloquence"—though it seemed simple, it was clearly an important job according to Rody.

"Stop grinning, remember what to emphasize. Obedience to orders is the top priority. The training is almost over, go encourage them—Susan has prepared some ale, give each of them a cup to quench their thirst."

"Yes, sir!"

Carter happily went over to chat with the exhausted scouts. Rody, sitting nearby, could hear phrases like "good job," "faster this time," and "you shot well" from a distance. After a while, the sound of cheers as they raised their cups to drink filled the air.

Rody smiled. The role of a "Political Commissar" had a significant impact on the army. Apart from boosting morale, the main purpose was to instill the soldiers with the consciousness of "obeying orders"—obeying whom? Not the distant Luciferon family, but Rody, the ambitious scout captain.

By firmly controlling the team, he could ensure that orders were executed efficiently, allowing Rody to implement his plans with peace of mind.

He had already planned the combat arrangements for the next two months—in short, he would wait for the rainy season in July to raid the Beastmen Kingdom, boosting his level while disrupting their domestic situation.

This might sound absurd to anyone, but Rody was not reckless—the strategic intelligence he had gathered from forum posts could now be put to use. He had to admit that his efforts as a shut-in had not been in vain.

While contemplating the initial preparations, he rotated the newly made whistling arrows in his hand, comparing their curvature, center of gravity, and wind bias, and began to miss the arrows he used at level 59.

Ordinary people might not understand, but for a true archer, the precision of the "arrow" was far more important than the bow. Therefore, all high-level rangers used arrows processed by the Wood Elves, a race known for their obsessive perfectionism. Their arrows had extremely high consistency and minimal error, but the only drawback was their high cost!

Rody sometimes had to admit that these guys were "luxury manufacturers," but thinking of the "Wood Elves" reminded him of an opportunity to make a fortune.

Rody remembered that the Wood Elves were originally isolated in the forest until the game's launch, after which their villages gradually opened to humans. At that time, the wine brewed by the Wood Elves became an instant hit among the nobility, becoming a status symbol. In the first half of 590, many players made a lot of money by running back and forth to the Silent Forest as middlemen. Later, when prices stabilized, a lucky player obtained the brewing recipe from a series of quests and sold it for a sky-high price, which Rody envied for a long time. The guild that bought the recipe made an unimaginable fortune in the game's first year, becoming one of the long-standing veteran guilds.

"If I could establish a connection with the Wood Elves, even if I can't get the recipe, selling some fruit wine could help with the immediate financial needs..."

Rody muttered to himself. When he saw Carter and the scouts resting in the shade, he realized that Ruge and the others seemed to be returning late.

"That guy Ruge, he'll probably have to run ten laps today."

A scout joked, and Carter, after taking a swig of ale, looked over at Rody and said, "Captain! Didn't Soderlor say he would come today? Should I tell Uncle John to slaughter a sheep?"

Rody raised an eyebrow, remembering the letter from a few days ago. He nodded and said, "Go notify him now, I hope it's not too late."

Soderlor was bringing the scouts from Finks Village to "join" and needed to go through procedures and ideological work, which took about a month. A week ago, he sent a letter saying he would arrive today. Rody hadn't taken it too seriously, and if not for Carter's reminder, he might have forgotten about it. As he was thinking about how many people to bring to welcome Soderlor, the sudden sound of hooves made him turn around.

Ruge's scout galloped into Noland Village and began reporting the encounter. Rody listened with a serious expression, then looked towards the horizon... the black smoke rising from the burning Kuri Village made him clench the whistling arrow in his hand.

"These bastards... they actually made their move now..."

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