Many people are puzzled about why Green and Amy share such a close relationship.
Logically, the Sacred Dragons, being a superior race, generally disregard humans—often considering it beneath them to even dirty their hands by killing one.
Theoretically, Sacred Dragons should be unwilling to interact with any humans except for Dragon Riders—and this is just theoretically speaking, as there hasn't been a Sacred Dragon Knight in the past thousands of years.
Amy's admirers claim that Amy's charm surpasses even that of the Great Green Mountain, which is why Green is drawn to her.
Fans of the Great Green Mountain argue that its strong affinity creates a symbiotic circle with the dragon and Amy at its center.
Green privately confides that both humans are quite nice, and since Amy always offers food and never rides him, he has a fondness for her.
Of course, more famously, Chi Aotian once remarked, "In the presence of someone as kind as the Great Green Mountain, it's easy for evil forces to flock together."
Chapter 7: Trapped on an Isolated Island
Green bounded into the room, excitedly licking Amy's face, and slipped under the blanket to lie down.
"Your fire spirit bomb was impressive, Green—come join us for a meal," Amy kindly reminded.
Green yawned widely, indicating he was tired and preferred to seek out dreamland for more delicacies.
"Yeah, a bit more sleep is good. Go out and cause some trouble this afternoon and evening, remember, I've got Aotian watching you," Amy nodded with a sly smile, ignoring the pouting face emerging from the blankets, and patted her backside as she left the room.
"Commander, why don't we have the Vice Commander's mount flip all the ships? Then we'd win outright," the Sword Camp Leader suggested with excitement at the idea.
"Haha, if dragons were so capable, wouldn't every nation be raising dragons to conquer the world?" Amy replied with a smile, demonstrating his adeptness as both a leader and a teacher. He continued, "Dragons are powerful but not decisive in war unless they can be mass-produced."
Both dragons and humans have a maximum capacity for magic. The difference is that humans, due to their small bodies, have limited stamina and magical summoning energy—even as archmages, they have limits. Dragons have many advantages over humans, yet they also have limits. If Green were to continuously cast low-level spells like small lightning all day, he probably wouldn't tire much. But such spells don't harm the enemy. Casting a level-3 fire spirit or even a level-4 wind dragon spell drains Green significantly, which explains his current exhaustion.
"The enemy is cunning, attacking with the tide, rendering all our initial obstacles useless," Horns complained as he shoveled food into his mouth, grumbling about the disobedient soldiers from the Fascist Continent.
"Amy, what's our next move?" Barbas tapped his forehead lightly with his fingers.
"Hold," Amy replied, serving Ying a fish head. "According to the Empire's law on mercenaries, after the regular army retreats for 10 days, mercenary organizations have the right to withdraw or surrender."
"The enemy will certainly intensify their attacks soon. Xilin Island hangs overseas with limited resources, and the Empire's soldiers, especially those on home soil, have mostly never fought in war, having risen through the ranks in peacetime. Mobilizing them will surely be slow," Barbas said with a worried expression.
"Yes, yes," Horns chimed in. "I doubt the Empire can organize a significant attack within 10 days, and it'll be hard for us to hold out that long—unless the enemy doesn't attack us at all."
"Let's not discuss this further. I know retreating is the best option for the mercenary group's long-term development, but we can't abandon our duty. Otherwise, what's the point of having mercenaries? After dinner, the Great Swordsman Camp will set up barriers by the sea, the Vulture Swordsman Camp will coordinate with Green to harass the enemy, and everyone else continues training as usual." Amy quickly finished his meal and, after escorting Ying back to the house, joined the Great Green Mountain in setting up barriers.
Trained by Chi Hanfeng, both Amy and the Great Green Mountain bear the heavy imprint of their master. Amy, in particular, exemplifies this. Outwardly adaptable yet principled, he handles matters without fuss but never compromises on the essentials. If Chi Hanfeng were here, he'd likely be cursing the Redstone Emperor's stinginess while loudly proclaiming his intent to flee, all the while preparing defenses.
Xilin Island isn't large, and the only suitable landing spot is on the island's west side. To prevent an aerial assault by the enemy's flying troops, the small mercenary group has filled all flat areas with stacks of dry wood soaked in oil. The moment they spot any other flying units landing, they'll ignite the oil, as most birds, including magical beasts, fear fire and won't land.
During the first day of Xilin Island's defense, Green launched four attacks, killing 106 enemies and damaging 11 enemy ships, two of which were completely destroyed. The originally planned assault by the Fascist Western Expeditionary Corps' first and second battalions, as well as the third battalion in reserve, suffered minimal casualties but were too worn out and demoralized to launch a nighttime beach assault. The commander, Dainor, believed that even the stamina of a Sacred Dragon couldn't sustain a three-day harassment of the fleet. Therefore, while waiting for a better attack opportunity, he dispatched carrier pigeons back to the command headquarters to request an additional 15,000–30,000 reinforcements to expand their victory in the Amy Empire.
As the sun set, the small mercenary group intensified their island patrols. Over 100 members split into seven groups, each with a prairie elf, to patrol Xilin Island continuously.
Horns sought Amy out at night, hoping for a full retreat from Xilin Island within the next day or two. Currently, the enemy army from the other continent has only just surrounded the island, and the blockade isn't tight. If they can reach the north shore, there's still a high chance for the small mercenary group to escape safely. Given time, the enemy soldiers will establish deer fences and obstacles along the Lion River. Even if they manage to break through to the shore, the mercenary group would face a desperate battle and likely be annihilated.
Despite Horns' pleas, Amy managed to persuade him to go back to sleep. Then Barbas burst in, echoing nearly the same concerns. Were it not for his familiarity with the two, Amy might have suspected they had rehearsed together. Facing Uncle Bar, who never assumed the role of an uncle in public, Amy dared not bluff as he did with Horns. He could only repeatedly emphasize the mercenaries' duties, ultimately prompting Barbas to curse, "Kid, you've got guts, just like your father. When I get back to the capital, I'll report you to Director Chi Hanfeng for selling off your granddaddy's land without a care," before slamming the door on his way out.
No reminder is needed for Amy to recognize the small mercenary group's predicament. The enemy's cross-continental expedition, spanning thousands of miles, challenges three major land powers simultaneously. Based on scattered intelligence from the Empire's headquarters and last night's performance by the beast soldiers, they've proven to be formidable. Merely maintaining a supply line over such a vast distance demonstrates their immense strength.
The current priority is to hold the island for 10 days, using Xilin Island to divert all enemy forces, preventing them from deploying troops into the Empire.
There's no need to send Vulture Swordsmen for reconnaissance. Over the past six months, through various mercenary activities, Amy has gained a clear understanding of the combat power of troops under the leadership of Viscount Fan along the Lion River. If other enemy forces are as strong as those that attacked Xilin Island, most of Viscount Fan's troops along the West Coast would be no match. And Viscount Fan's elite forces are stationed along the Lion River, bordering the Hughes Empire. By the time these forces mobilize, assemble, and launch an attack, the enemy will have ample time to penetrate the Amy Empire's interior, ravaging the fertile plains north of the Lion River. The Empire's west coast is like an open sheep pen—the Lion River defense zone directly borders the capital's defense zone, with troops stationed to the south and the capital's troops to the north, creating a significant military vacuum of about 1,000 miles in between.
If the enemy commander's tactics are any sharper, they could outmaneuver Viscount Fan's troops, encircle, and defeat them piece by piece, leaving the entire Lion River defense zone vulnerable to a severe blow.
This is a scenario Amy is determined to avoid.
The 10 days is merely a promise Amy made to Horns and Barbas. The actual duration will depend on the Empire and the Lion River defense zone troops' response speed.
After closing the door, Amy turned to see Ying's mischievous smile, her face playful. Without her saying a word, Amy knew she was about to tease him. He pleaded with a wry smile, "Darling, don't tease me. Uncle and Horns mean well. They fear we might be wiped out and can't express it in front of others, so I suspect even the Great Green Mountain and Chi Aotian share this concern; they merely agree with my approach."
Ying buried her face in Amy's hands, giggling, "Hehe, I don't care about any of that. I just think it's amusing."
On the second day of the Xilin Island battle, the cunning commander Dainor deployed one-third of his centaur archers, surrounding Xilin Island in small boats to launch continuous attacks, exploiting the centaur race's unique traits.
Like the half-orcs, the centaur race is renowned across the Amy Nor Continent. To this day, some large city zoos still keep descendants of centaur tribes deceitfully brought back from the Fascist Continent by unscrupulous merchants. They stand about 1.9 meters tall, resembling miniature horses in their hindquarters, with developed leg muscles, paired hooves, and broad, fluffy tails. Based on gender, their backs may have long or short manes, all resembling horse characteristics. At the neck of a typical horse, the body suddenly transitions into a human torso—strong, with sturdy arms and chiseled features. It's as if a person and a horse were severed in half and then reattached.
The centaur race's greatest attribute is their proficiency with the bow—perhaps due to their unique physique, they are ill-suited for any other weapon. Centaurs and prairie elves are the two most renowned races in the known world for their mastery of archery.
Over 100 small boats were launched, each carrying 3-5 centaur archers and an equal number of sailors. Every 10 boats formed a team. Some teams rowed against the current, approaching Xilin Island, while others stayed afar, exploiting moments when the prairie elf archers were distracted by other teams to launch surprise arrow attacks.
The small mercenary group, primarily composed of swordsmen, mostly wore simple leather armor, offering limited protection against arrows. Consequently, during the initial barrages, they suffered significant injuries, although most were non-fatal due to the lack of precision in such chaotic firing conditions.
Once Green and Chi Aotian began their counterattacks, the situation improved slightly. After capsizing a few boats, the enemy retreated, only to return when Green and Chi Aotian descended. This cat-and-mouse game continued, leaving Green and Chi Aotian to alternate staying airborne.
Dainor's strategy was straightforward: employ a war of attrition to wear down the island's defenders, then seize the island in one decisive move. There was no immediate rush to assault the mainland, as the small mercenary group's performance had corrected Dainor's view of human soldiers. If the soldiers of the Amy Empire, the leading military power, were as formidable as those on this small island, even defending the mainland would be a challenge for his troops, let alone an invasion. Securing the island would at least establish a stronghold overseas.
Amy's plan was equally simple: endure the attrition. Chi Aotian and Green could withstand five days of this, and the Vulture Swordsmen could hold out for another three days. Ten days, then a retreat would be considered.
A seasoned old fox at sea and a cunning young fox on the island kept a watchful eye on each other, both hoping for the slightest lapse to launch a fatal strike.