Brynhild focused intently on a tattered, worm-eaten, and incomplete handwritten manuscript, occasionally translating Charlemagne's content into Elvish script on another piece of parchment. When encountering unfamiliar words, she listed them on a separate piece of paper, attempting to deduce their meaning by comparing them with the content. Her lively eyes followed the winding lines of text, and when she encountered the writer's clumsy and blurry handwriting, her graceful eyebrows immediately furrowed in agitation. She didn't look like a resolute female warrior at that moment, but rather a studious young girl, undisturbed by the noisy surroundings.
Tyr grappled with the numbers and spaces on a piece of paper in his hand, trying to fit eighty-one numbers into a large 9x9 grid, where each of the nine smaller grids, called "little 9x9s," contained the numbers 1 to 9. Even the brilliant student Tyr couldn't solve the Sudoku puzzle before grasping the correct formulas, leaving him to attempt the clumsy trial-and-error method to seek the path to the cruel endgame. For now, all he could see was the distant horizon.
Controlling the horse-drawn carriage at a leisurely pace behind Thor and the others, Li Lin maintained a subtle mysterious smile. Was the "driver" enjoying the scenery along the way or the unheard stories between the young men and women and their classes and learning? Those who had interacted deeply with Li Lin would absolutely deny this conjecture. The uniquely talentless Li Lin would not spare any attention for such matters. He was the epitome of this type.
Planning, evaluation, elimination, and organization – Li Lin's enigmatic intellect constantly churned within his dark mind. Numbers, texts, icons, formulas, and images arranged themselves in complex yet orderly patterns, sketching out the cold, rational personality of the sixteen-year-old youth. There was no room for anything superfluous in his world. Rather than engaging in frivolous activities that could not produce any meaningful outcome, he focused on how to deal with the ambushers and extract the greatest benefits from the attack.
Idiots.
Li Lin's emotionless, synthesized voice assessed the infiltrators who had spent most of the day undercover, no longer wasting attention on the living or the dead waste. Three specific reactions became the focus of observation.
Comparing Nidhogg to ordinary crawling creatures and Qiao Li, who had been cooked with microwaves, to ordinary humans, they easily identified three heat reactions characteristic of magicians among the dozens of human-shaped heat sources. From a tactical point of view, this would be the moment to assassinate the three mages from a distance with Li Lin's 1500-meter range sniping ability. The gap between the shots would not give the enemy any chance to react. Afterward, it would be time to mop up. The entire process would take no more than three seconds, making it the most efficient tactical choice.
However, for the strategic goal of collecting real combat data from magicians and crafting a battlefield manual against magicians, a quick kill would be a huge waste.
Welt was a world dominated by swords and magic. The cultivation of outstanding knights and warriors was a slow process. The cultivation of magicians was an even slower and more costly endeavor that only national-level financial resources could support and was subject to extremely strict control. The quantity and quality of various magicians, as well as the progress of magical disciplines, largely dictated the power balance between nations. Comparatively, the number and technology level of intercontinental missiles and nuclear warheads determined whether a country was considered a superpower during the 20th to 21st centuries on Earth.
It is understandable that confrontation with magicians and collecting data without provoking a large-scale direct conflict is a difficult task during a relatively peaceful era. The effort is akin to capturing enemy fighter jets for thorough research, a feat of equal difficulty and significance. Such a tremendous strategic gain could not be compared to a simple tactical savings of energy and time.
Tactics serve the strategy, and based on this fundamental consideration, the three magicians fortuitously evaded the sniper shots. However, if anyone informed them of Li Lin's plans or the subsequent events, the magicians would surely choose to flee or even prefer a quick death by bullet. Unfortunately, prophets were rare, and knowing what was coming didn't change their fate.
Thor, who had been clearing the path, stopped in his tracks. The look on his face as he turned around signaled that the countdown to combat had reached zero.
From a face that was almost in tears just seconds ago, his expression was now full of vigor. The tense look clearly indicated that he had discovered something incredible, but it couldn't possibly pose a threat to them; otherwise, Thor's unguarded facial expressions wouldn't allow for his twitching lips.
Curious as to why the path was blocked, the elves on the carriage and those leading the animals craned their necks to get a better look. Seeing the contorted expression on Thor's face, they followed Wagner and Hofman's pointing fingers to the ground in front of them, their own expressions becoming more interesting.
There was no difference between the knee-high wild grass surrounding the area, and the scattered branches on the ground. In the center of the path, however, there was a circular area large enough to contain a carriage, where the soil was darker and the smell of moist dirt distinguishable.
It was clearly freshly turned earth, and the young hunters immediately understood what the conspicuous circular area was.
A trap, disguised as a pit. Perhaps there were even sharpened stakes or other deadly objects at the bottom. The elves often dug and set up similar traps to catch dangerous creatures. Their elders had taught them how to recognize various snares to prevent careless youngsters from foolishly jumping in. When it came to identifying traps, the valley Elves were rare experts.
In front of this top-notch group of trap specialists, a crude "trap" that even a child could see through would only make the evil kids laugh. While laughing, they couldn't help but feel puzzled. It would have taken a lot of time and effort for the person who dug the hole to complete it and replace the original plants, carefully erase their footprints, and even scatter old soil over the surface. The trap could have been effective, but due to a simple oversight, it was rendered completely useless. It was irrational and uncharacteristic."
It was too suspicious, and there must have been other hidden traps or hidden soldiers. The clumsy ploy before them was merely bait.
The Elves who thought up new conclusions no longer found the hole-digging fellow ridiculous. Life experiences from hunting were integrated into their tense bodies; their highly guarded gaze radiated in all directions like a hedgehog with erected spikes. Metal-tinged reflections from their pupils carefully inspected any place within the range of their bows and arrows that could serve as a hiding place, and some areas with thick grass and trees were subjected to at least more than one strict scrutiny.
There might be more concealed and deadly traps set on the route they prepared to bypass. Perhaps the enemy might suddenly launch an attack during the detour. Perhaps...
The more they delved into these thoughts, the farther the Elves' speculations deviated from the truth, making it difficult for them to take the right action and trapping themselves in the process.
If they were dealing with a more simple-minded enemy or any other kind of situation, they might not have ended up in such a predicament.
[Simplifying complexity]is the root of the problem. The Elves' gene for deep thinking, which stems from their once abundant Mages, did not disappear with the passage of time or the migration of their tribes. They had followed Li Lin, a veteran of dialectics and strategic thinking, and had mingled in the violent and conspiratorial Black Market for several days. They received both verbal and non-verbal education imbued with hidden ideologies. Even the most innocent of Elves had somewhat activated their wits. The tendency of their ancestors, who enjoyed making simple things extremely complicated, also began to manifest itself in them. For Li Lin, it was a mixed blessing.
This characteristic meant two things: Elves could benefit from it in terms of academic, educational, and military training development, and they could achieve results in a relatively short time on the basis of establishing related systems. On the contrary, the problem of being[single-minded] might lead them to overthink and tunnel into dead-end solutions deeper and deeper.
At this moment, the Elves had deviated from their original thinking in a subtle way and ended up going farther and farther on the wrong path. If the fool who dug the hole knew that the enemy had elevated their intelligence to a height they could never reach, they would undoubtedly be grateful and shed tears. However, refusing to let this farce continue to waste any more time, Li Lin put an end to the act.
"Thor."
The gentle voice brought motion to the tense space, as the honest youth looked up at the driver who was playing with a strand of black hair.
"Don't stop, keep going."
The faint voice carried an undeniable pressure and definitiveness. Other opinions and persuasions had no room to voice themselves in the face of this unquestionable tone, and could only be swallowed and digested internally.
In the face of such an imposing demeanor, Thor didn't ask any more questions and turned around to stride forward.
The so-called[obedience consciousness]is built on two foundations.
Authority and trust.
The basic conditions to construct these two things are either having a powerful force that can make others submit, bend their knees and destroy dissenters, or having wisdom that can neutralize and transcend equal strength.
A clever, powerful, and infallible figure - it sounds too exaggerated, almost like a fantasy that couldn't possibly exist in the world but is referred to as[perfect fantasy]. However, Li Lin had continuously demonstrated unimaginable power and wisdom, transforming the[impossible fantasy]into reality before their eyes. Through perception, he had planted the seedling of unconditional trust within the Elves' consciousness and subconsciousness, and now it was taking effect.
Li Lin had always been right, and never made mistakes.
With a firm belief in this seemingly absurd concept, Thor stepped onto the dark soil of the obvious trap.