Chapter 124
▪️DONGFENG EXPRESS, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Upon listening to the conversation between Li Mu and HootyBird, the Saintess Alice became a little perplexed.
She was unsure about what they were making but she had noticed that several hundred low-level chosen ones were not partaking in this mission but were instead busy with something else back in the player's town.
However, soon enough, she found out what they were up to when she saw the teleportation array glowing yet again, as four or five players pushing a large structure came out of the portal.
Alice was taken aback as she gazed upon the large wooden contraption that was brought over. And after the first item was successfully transported, other players brought over three more identical structures like the first.
"What is this?" Alice asked, pointing her finger at the bizarre yet somewhat familiar contraption.
"This is our secret siege weapon, milady." HootyBird answered with a smirk before commanding some players to start assembling.
In no time, four huge wooden contraptions appeared on the hill.
The contraptions were upright, sharp-edged, and had the word "Dongfeng" written in chinese characters on the side. The main body of the machine consisted of two support columns with a fixed horizontal axis, and wooden wrenches and pulleys were installed on them. A lever that was perpendicular to the axis and could rotate freely around the axis was fixed on the horizontal axis. One end of the lever was inserted into a horizontally twisted rope, and the other end was a large wooden basket.
Alice's tone was quite strange as she remarked, "This...it seems to resemble that thing called catapult used by humans in their wars?"
She was no stranger to these things.
In Saigües, the current mankind's technological progress was somewhat similar to the late Middle Ages back on Earth. Although there were magical weapons such as mana-crystal cannons, catapults, which were cheap to make and could be easily made on the spot, were also used as siege weapons.
As a fantasy world, the trebuchets in this land were generally mixed in with magic as well.
However, Alice's impression of humankind was not good, and she did not have a positive view of the things made by them especially for warfare either.
But even so, she had to admit that some of the things invented by humans were still useful.
What surprised Alice was that the chosen ones could also make catapults as well!
Of course, the players could also make it.
Since trebuchets, in fact, doesn't require much technical expertise, as it is simply based on the rudimentary principle of leverage. Moreover, there are plenty of online tutorials available on how to make one.
However, it can be a bit challenging to make a larger trebuchet with a longer scope of range. But some players in the "Moe Moe Committee," whom have expertise in engineering mechanics, somehow managed to make it.
After learning that they were going to attack the stronghold of the Orcs, the players began to prepare in various ways.
Initially, they thought they would be attacking a fortified city, so some players suggested making some heavy artillery. They wanted to make cannons directly at first, but ideals are lofty, and reality is harsh.
Even with magical assistance, the players found that they couldn't make gunpowder with their current equipment and resources. Hence, they decided to make the relatively simple trebuchet instead.
Although it turned out that the Orcs didn't have the ability to construct a fortress, the players' preparation was not entirely in vain. And now, these things are finally coming in handy.
When they saw the finished assembled trebuchet, Demacia's eyes widened with glee.
"Wow, Miss Hootie, your guild is really amazing! You actually made it!"
"It's just a simple application of mechanics, but unfortunately, we don't have enough materials. This one can only launch projectiles about 500 meters at most. Fortunately, we have the high ground and some magical assistance," HootyBird said somewhat regretfully.
Demacia:. ..
What the hell, man? 500 meters is already quite far! Keep in mind that the average range of a heavy stone-throwing machine in medieval times on Earth was only about 300 meters.
These crafting meisters are truly monsters!
As Li Mu looked at the trebuchet, his mouth curved slightly upward. "These Orcs have become cowards and are unwilling to fight to the death, right? Then let's just use these 'Dongfeng Express' to destroy their base!" he declared.
The players exchanged knowing smiles with each other, and laughed maniacally.
"Hehehehe..."
Alice's mouth twitched.
These chosen ones... They are looking more and more like humans as time passes!
After setting up the trebuchets, the players filled the wooden crates with heavy objects and brought bags of broken stones to fill the oiled sacks on the other end of the lever.
"Does anyone have a fire-enchantment spell? It's best if it also has a delayed explosion property! It doesn't need to be delayed for too long; just a few seconds are good enough!" Li Mu asked again.
"I'll do it! I'll do it! I learned a fire spell before that can attach to an object for a short time! Delayed detonation is also not a problem! The power is absolutely huge as well! Hehehe... I bet my house that it'll be the best explosion you'll ever see!"
Li'l Salty Cat walked forward excitedly, rubbing her hands together to create a fireball.
Demacia: ...
Caverock Tribe
After changing their tactics, the Orcs suffered fewer losses, while the elves were still trapped on the hilltop. Although a Silver-ranked Swordsman who roamed among the elves was still a big problem, the Orcs became alert and took some countermeasures, making it difficult for their opponent to act recklessly just like before.
Unlike the players, Aél was still an 80-year-old child who couldn't be resurrected, and his stamina was limited, which made Jùshān breathe a sigh of relief.
He then looked at the hellhound who was barely holding on with the support of the Orc archers, and his heart was somewhat settled.
"Lord Count... should be finishing soon, right?"
However, just as he was feeling a little relieved, the high priest suddenly heard a cry of alarm from somewhere. He instinctively turned around and was horrified to see four "meteorites" hurling towards the Caverock Tribe in mid-air, alight with scorching flames!
These "meteorites" then flew directly towards the tribe at a slightly angled trajectory.
"Quick, dodge!" the chieftain quickly shouted to the rest of the Orcs within the tribe.
However, before the "meteorites" even landed, they suddenly exploded in mid-air!
With a deafening explosion, the "meteorites" shattered into pieces, and large and small stones mixed with flames flew around like a magnificent rain of fire...
Their houses were primarily made of stone and grass, and the tents were made of animal skins, all of which were flammable materials. It had not rained near the Dark Mountain Range for many days, and the weather was arid.
The stones, coated with flammable oil and scattered with flames, instantly ignited the houses they fell into!
Seeing the blazing scenes around him, the high priest's face turned livid as he shouted,
"Quick! Put out the fire! Put out the fire!"
However, before the Orcs could extinguish the flames, four more "meteorites" flew overhead, and another house was instantly engulfed in flames with a loud "Boom!" Even worse, one "meteorite" even exploded right next to the chieftain's tent, almost destroying it.
Witnessing this scene, Jùshān was almost scared to death. Inside that main tent was Night Wanderer whose still performing the summoning of the divine messenger.
"It's the elves! It's those damn pesky elves! They... they brought a catapult!" exclaimed a sharp-eyed orc, interrupting Jùshān's thoughts.
"A catapult?!" Jùshān was surprised.
Wasn't that a human invention? How did the elves even get a hold of it?
It is worth mentioning that the Elves are a proud race, that's especially fanatical about their civilization.
Even though their civilization has declined, this pride of theirs has never been lost.
In their view, humans, orcs, and other intelligent beings are all just short-lived barbarians who can only create simple and inferior tools or some fancy but useless things.
Therefore, their elven pride would not let them use such crude items.
In fact, their thinking is rather reasonable.
At the peak of elven civilization, other intelligent races were still in a primitive and barbaric era, while elven magical equipment has always been known for its exquisite beauty and magical functionality.
Elven products are the most popular commodity worldwide!
However, almost all of the elven items are not intended for use in warfare.
The growth of many civilizations began from learning from or receiving assistance from the elven race. Therefore, it is normal for the old elves to feel proud of their inventions and tend to look down upon others' creations.
The fact that these elves are using human trebuchets is unprecedented!
As he watched the tribe gradually be engulfed in a sea of fire, the chieftain's eyes turned bloodshot, and he was filled with rage.
No...
This cannot be allowed to continue!
These elves are becoming just as cunning and vicious as humans are...
If this continues on, the Caverock tribe will be reduced to ruins even if they win this battle in the end.
They have stored all their possessions, accumulated over hundreds of years, here in the tribe!
Not to mention, these trebuchets pose a huge threat to the main tent and the tribe's non-combatant people!
"Charge! Charge! Destroy their trebuchets!" Jùshān commanded with pained eyes.
This time, the Orcs did not hesitate to charge.
The previous explosions had already caused heavy casualties within the tribe. The priest's protective spells could not be cast on everyone, and these airborne explosions were already enough to pose a threat to the ordinary Orcs situated in the tribe.
And the trebuchets were still operating continuously...
"Damn elves! They're despicable!" The Orcs gritted their teeth and, with mad eyes, launched another charge against the players.
Seeing the Orcs completely enraged, the players on the hilltop let out a resounding cheers.
"This is how it should be!"
They drew their weapons and fought against the rushing horde once again..
Thus, the reckless melee warfare began anew.
The two sides clashed with swords as magic exploded everywhere.
Shouts and screams could be heard continuously as people fell down from time to time but were quickly replaced by others behind them.
Meanwhile, the players in the rear were not idle either; they continued to use catapults to throw fireballs into the tribe's base.
Some players even brought their own makeshift biochemical weapons: a bucket of excrement from the town sent over from the teleportation array.
In "Elf Kingdom," everything is so realistic, including eating, drinking, and of course, defecating.
As the number of players increased, they naturally built public toilets around the town, making it not difficult to collect some biochemical weapons like these.
They put the smelly projectiles in bags, attached them with delayed explosive magic, and threw them out with the catapult, making the orcs sick to their stomachs.
In fact, many medieval armies in the history of Earth used similar tactics to lower enemies' morale in wars.
Surprisingly, the effect was not so bad.
When the makeshift biochemical weapons exploded, many orcs who were hit were entirely covered in filth.
However, unlike humans, the orcs, who were not very intelligent and generally had a bad temper, became even more frenzied when faced with such insulting behavior.
"Disgusting sick bastards! These damn shameless long-eared cretins!"
"Ah ah ah! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you all!"
The horde became more and more violent.
"Wow! This is interesting! Let me try! Let me try!"
Seeing that the catapult could still be used in this way, Demacia became excited. He didn't commit suicide but instead volunteered to come to the catapult and began to play with feces projectiles...
Li Mu: ...
HootyBird: ...
Li'l Salty Cat: ...
The Orcs were taking heavy casualties once more in this chaotic battle, but they couldn't penetrate the players' defensive line.
Some Orcs who persisted the longest also noticed with horror that the elves' power was gradually increasing. They cried out in alarm, and the news spread among the tribe, causing chaos once more.
On the other hand, the players' morale grew as they watched their experience points, contributions, and equipment accumulate in droves.
Many of those who charged at the forefront had already leveled up, and they had gathered a pile of equipment into a small mountain.
The players then launched a charge against the Horde, which once again showed signs of defeat.
The high priest watched the Horde's formation gradually collapse and felt extremely urgent. He wondered whether Count Night's summoning had been successful.
Just then, a terrifying energy fluctuation came from the central tent of the chieftain. A huge magic circle with mysterious and sacred runes belonging to the Hunter god appeared in mid-air, along with a silvery light.
The hymn, which sounded like a battlefield chant, slowly echoed all around, as a golden hand suddenly reached out from beyond the magic circle!
Seeing this scene, Jùshān was stunned at first.
But when he saw the totemic runes on the magic circle clearly, as his grave expression instantly turned into shock and joy:
"This... this is... a summoning magic circle! It's... a divine messenger!"
"Divine messenger?!"
Hearing the priest's exclamation, the Orcs first became agitated, and then quickly fell into ecstasy:
"Totem Guardian! The Envoy has finally succeeded!"
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the silvery light became even more dazzling.
A rough and ancient, yet with a hint of majestic and divine aura, spread along with the appearance of the golden hand, making all the Orcs awe-stricken...
However... just as the golden hand further extended outwards, an unidentified projectile suddenly flew over from the sky.
It drew a beautiful curved trajectory, and moved straight into the range of the magic circle without any deviation.
"Hmph!"
A stern cold snort resounded in the air.
The golden large hand then grabbed the falling object and squeezed it hard.
"Crack..."
The unknown object from the hilltop shattered into pieces, as black and yellow fluids splashed all over the mysterious figure who had not yet emerged from the teleportation array...
A very pungent smell gradually spread within the vicinity of the summoning circle afterwards...As everyone suddenly fell into a strange silence.
On the hilltop, Demacia was surprised, opened his mouth wide unconsciously, and let go of his hand that was still holding onto a bucket load of feces...