Reflecting on the famous battle of Xilin Island, many lament that the Mercenary King's greatest regret was his failure to decisively crush the already defeated Norton. This allowed Norton to learn a great deal from the tactics of Amy and Horns, becoming a formidable adversary in the subsequent wars of the gods.
At the time, the Mercenary King's decision was undoubtedly correct. With limited troops and uncertain enemy reinforcements, it was unwise to pursue and eliminate all the fleeing beast soldiers by sending his men into the sea. Such a move could have been catastrophic if the enemy exploited the opportunity to strike. The priority was to quickly assess the enemy's numbers and deployment, guard against another assault, and identify weaknesses to target.
If Amy had known that he let go of a future renowned general and major rival, Norton, he might have led a squad of elite troops to finish them. But, alas, war allows no room for "what ifs."
As the tide receded, no forces dared to storm the beach. The shallow waters prevented large ships from approaching, and small boats with a few oars couldn't reach the shore through the thick mudflat, extending over 50 meters. If any force was foolish enough to attempt a landing under such conditions, they would have long been eradicated by the Haiha Mercenary Empire and the Hughes Empire.
Horns signaled his soldiers to clean up the battlefield, leaving a squad of prairie elves and great swordsmen for defense, while others returned to camp to rest. Sharo, along with two other priests and ten doctors, began their work. Priests focused on those mercenaries lying immobile on the ground, administering aid at the slightest sign of life.
"Holy Elves, unleash your power—"
"Holy Denia, grant your strength to your warriors—"
Healing spells and moonlight magic were continuously cast, invoking white light that summoned holy spirits from the air, quickly stopping bleeding and saving warriors on the brink of death.
Doctors followed the priests, bandaging wounds and setting broken bones.
Thirty minutes later, the great swordsman battalion commander entered Amy's room to report: "Commander, Deputy Commander, after last night's battle, we killed 535 enemies and captured 74. Our losses include 17 dead and 14 seriously wounded in the great swordsmen battalion, with 20 lightly injured; the mage swordsmen battalion suffered 3 deaths, 12 serious injuries, and 15 minor injuries; the sniper swordsmen battalion had 1 death, no serious injuries, and 3 minor injuries, with no casualties in other units."
"Alright, sit down and join our meeting." Amy had long been attentive to developing talent at the team leader level in the mercenary group, and whenever possible, he included them in optional meetings: "We've lost ten percent of our forces. Cremate the fallen warriors with due honors and prepare compensation. Announce the battle results soon; we must maintain the mercenaries' confidence in victory, or fear could take hold while we're surrounded."
"They likely won't attack during the day. The next high tide is expected tonight at midnight," said Dashan, forcefully tapping the table with his right hand.
"It depends on their plans," Horns continued. "If their goal was merely a surprise attack on Xilin Island, they'll withdraw now." As he spoke, Horns stood up.
Based on Horns' understanding, if the troops from the Fascist Continent hoped to capture the island as a base for continental invasion through a surprise attack, the operation had already failed. If they retreat, the assault was limited to this island. If they don't, it indicates that the entire western coast of the empire, along Xilin Island, is under threat. According to the mercenary group's intelligence, there's no formal military presence on the empire's west coast, mostly just swordsmen battalions. If the enemy attacks in the same manner as before, other areas might face dire outcomes—where else would they find elves with such keen vision, looking out to sea at just the right moment?
"Aotian, fly a ten-mile reconnaissance around the island to assess the situation. We'll wait here for your report. Command the first, second, and third squads of the Wild Eagle Swordsmen Battalion to scout 25 miles west, south, and north to investigate," Amy ordered while quickly drafting two emergency dispatches, instructing the fourth and fifth squads to deliver them rapidly to Skambre and the General's Office in the Lion River defense zone.
Half an hour later, with Yao Li's loud cry, Chi Aotian returned to Amy's office.
Those familiar with Chi Aotian knew his face rarely revealed secrets—not because he was deeply scheming, but because he seldom showed any expression. His pale face was always tense, and if not for the occasional liveliness in his eyes, Chi Aotian's visage might resemble plaster.
In Skambre, a certain marquis tried to marry off his only daughter to the second son of the Chi family, repeatedly beseeching Chi Hanfeng, on account of their shared status as phantom beast knights, to arrange a meeting. Logically, Chi Aotian should have welcomed the idea. As the designated heir of the Chi family—holding at most a viscount's title without inheritance rights, let alone land—marrying the marquis's daughter would have secured everything.
Reportedly, the two young people were left alone behind a slightly ajar door, and fifteen minutes later, the 17-year-old girl burst out crying. The marquis was furious, suspecting the Chi family's younger son had wronged his daughter. Even if there were feelings between them, such haste would be disgraceful for both noble families, even if they eventually became engaged.
Chi Hanfeng remained calm, reassuring the marquis: "Don't worry unnecessarily. With me, the general of the Jingji defense zone, here, there's no need to fear any misconduct. My nephew is different from you—let your wife ask your daughter."
Between sobs, the girl explained, "That man sat there silently, like a stone. It was so cold in the room, the water in the cup even froze. I was terrified."
Lin Yushang, upon hearing of the incident, publicly remarked at a court banquet, "To become partners with Amy and Dashan, those two colossal pillars of the empire's border defense, one must either be as wooden or even more stone-like than they are." Considering Amy, Dashan, and Chi Aotian's behavior at past banquets, Lin Yushang's words quickly spread among Skambre's elite.
Chi Aotian sat leisurely, took a sip from his cup, and stated, "The situation is worse than we imagined."
As Chi Aotian described, the small mercenary group, surrounded on the Fascist Continent during the magical year 4 of midsummer, was indeed in dire straits. Facing the sea, the Fascist Western Expeditionary Army had mobilized its entire reserve force, joining the remnants of Norton's force, amassing 5,400 soldiers. To the north of Xilin Island were three battalions, one advancing along the mouth of the Lion River, with two others entering every 20 miles along the western coast; to the south, another battalion had already defeated the Hughes Empire's garrison, spreading 5 miles along the southern bank of the Lion River.
Norton's plan highlighted three key points for this operation:
The primary goal was to seize Xilin Island. With no substantial fleet on the empire's west coast, occupying Xilin Island would establish a base to attack both Amy Empire and Hughes Empire.
The main focus of the attack was Xilin Island, a territory of the Amy Empire, the most powerful military empire at the time. Under such circumstances, a buffer zone needed to be established on the side of the island facing the Amy Empire. Hence, most soldiers would be concentrated here.
Attacking the Hughes Empire was only necessary to ensure the Western Expeditionary Army wouldn't be caught between two fronts during the campaign. If necessary, the southern battalion could withdraw at any time—after all, another formidable army was already causing trouble on the southern coast of the Hughes Empire.
Chi Aotian discovered that both banks of the Lion River were under beast control for 10 miles, making it difficult for the mercenary group to cross the wide river in any direction without imperial support. Even if they reached one bank, the thousands-strong fleet in the open sea would quickly pursue and surround them.
"So, the beastmen are bound to attack with the high tide tonight," Barbas aptly concluded.
"Indeed, otherwise, once the imperial troops realize the situation and organize a large force, the thousands on the empire's side of the river will be driven into the sea. No matter what, they only have a few thousand men, while the Lion River defense zone alone boasts over 20,000. With Xilin Island like a hard nut swallowed whole, under internal and external pressure, they might face complete collapse," Amy explained, yawning from exhaustion after a sleepless night. "Everyone, get some rest. I know what to do—just keep them up during low tide and tire them out, so they can't attack effectively during high tide."
Everyone's eyes brightened simultaneously, faces breaking into mischievous smiles, all turning toward Dashan's quarters.
Two minutes later, the key officers of the small mercenary group gathered by Dashan's bed—still termed Dashan's bed, though he seldom slept there himself.
The gentle breathing of Lü'er resonated throughout the room. In the small mercenary group, even the commander couldn't bear to use the pure swan velvet blanket so gently draped over Lü'er, the side near his nose gently rising and falling with his breath.
Speaking of this pure swan velvet blanket, it was originally meant for Emperor Redstone's exclusive use. However, a certain individual, in an act of self-theft, planned to auction it off, claiming it as "the fundamental source of energy for His Majesty's nocturnal endeavors with ten women." Lü'er happened to be nearby, and with a small paw, he felt its exquisite texture. Taking advantage of the earl's distraction, he whisked it away, with the expression "I like this; it's perfect for me." As a third-tier dragon, he couldn't read, leaving the blanket still tagged with "the fundamental source of energy for His Majesty's nocturnal endeavors with ten women."
"Lü'er, wake up, we need you," Amy said, patting Lü'er's shiny little head.
A sleeping dragon is notoriously hard to wake. Lü'er seemed to hear some insect buzzing nearby, shifting his head under the pillow, using a front paw to block his ear completely. Then, he raised his dragon butt, his enormous tail swishing to ward off the imaginary pest. The one-meter-long tail swept half the room in an instant. Fortunately, everyone was familiar with Lü'er's magical and physical attacks, deftly dodging. Amy, nearest to Lü'er, simply jumped onto the bed, sitting on Lü'er's head to avoid the assault—after numerous tests, Lü'er's head proved quite capable of bearing weight. With no outsiders present, there was no need to feign respect for Lord Lü'er.
You can't touch a tiger's backside, but you can sit on a dragon's head; Lü'er's deep breathing remained undisturbed.
Amy had always been curious about one thing: how did other dragon knights wake their dragons from slumber? Judging by Lü'er's behavior, he often slept for three to five days, sometimes placing a silencing barrier on the room when he didn't want to wake. If other dragons behaved similarly, how did they manage battles? Perhaps everyone chose to fight only when their dragon was awake, or maybe only sacred dragons were like this, while ordinary dragons followed a more human-like schedule of early to bed, early to rise, ensuring good health. This line of reasoning might explain why Dashan "luckily" became the first-ever sacred dragon knight—other knights, even if they became sacred dragon knights, probably never had a chance to ride their dragons publicly, which is why nobody knew.