Chapter 46: The Trolls' Trap
A cool breeze blew in from the depths of the dense forest.
It lightly brushed across their faces, causing a slight shiver of goosebumps.
A faint scent of decay wafted up from the thick piles of fallen leaves. The recent days of continuous rain had caused the forest floor to undergo some strange transformations.
Tender sprouts, nourished by the earth, timidly poked their heads out, swaying gently in the breeze.
Old Village Chief Field, full of joy, pointed at a patch of lush greenery in the bushes and said expectantly:
"In a month, we'll be able to harvest at least three Moonlight Flowers here."
Matthew looked over, and the detailed data display confirmed that Old Village Chief Field wasn't exaggerating. Matthew muttered softly:
"It's a pity we don't have a druid in our village..."
As they moved along, Leon instinctively blinked, pondering for a moment, but in the end, he said nothing.
More of the soldiers were curiously watching the kobolds rushing ahead with a cacophony of yelps.
They used their incredible energy to drive all the creatures ahead of them away and occasionally used their numbers to capture a deer or a goat.
What was most interesting was that the kobolds didn't eat the prey themselves but instead presented it to Yaya.
With their respectful gestures and actions, all the soldiers were amazed. Their gaze toward Yaya began to change.
The gluttonous Yaya didn't reject the raw food either, using her sharp teeth and powerful bite to devour the prey in two or three bites—like biting into a crisp apple.
Matthew could sense Yaya's hunger and quietly waited for her next evolution opportunity. Until then, he would need to stockpile more experience points and Fate Coins.
After about 10 minutes, Matthew reached the camp at the mouth of the valley.
To his surprise, the camp's original location was now engulfed in raging flames.
Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, and faint, agonized screams could be heard in the distance.
With her keen eyes, Yaya was the first to report the situation.
"Papa, there are more than ten ugly trolls up ahead setting fires. They've killed everyone in the camp and taken a few prisoners."
Matthew instinctively raised his eyebrows and looked closely, seeing that the temporary camp, surrounded by wooden fences, had been completely consumed by flames.
Broken and bloody corpses littered the ground—among them were members of the slaver group and many humans dressed in coarse linen.
It was a bloody massacre!
What was even more infuriating was that just in front of the burning camp, several trolls were feasting on a naked human.
Matthew saw Clark's terrified and twisted face as he was being devoured alive by the trolls. Strangely calm, Matthew gestured for Angela to stop.
"Halt. Prepare for battle."
The crisp command spread through the ranks, and the soldiers quickly formed up, having also seen the situation ahead.
The trolls noticed the arrival of the human soldiers. One of them, standing at the front, grabbed Clark's lifeless head and raised it high, roaring furiously at them.
The sight of such brutality stirred a deep anger within the soldiers!
They widened their eyes, their breathing heavy, just waiting for the lord's order to charge forward and slaughter these vile beasts.
Gripping his staff, Matthew glanced at his now reset Luck Value but held back the order to attack.
He wasn't afraid of the trolls—after all, he had enough experience points to refresh his mana and level up.
A sufficient number of Melf's Acid Arrows would still be enough to take down the dozen or so trolls ahead.
However, these ten trolls might not be the only ones around.
Matthew was well aware that this vast Dark Forest housed millions of trolls, and he was concerned about stirring up a hornet's nest.
Moreover, while the soldiers had shown great potential, they were still far from being able to challenge trolls with an average level of 7 or higher.
"Too dangerous, and there's no real gain here—this is a bad deal, and we don't do bad deals!"
Matthew leaned in close to Angela's ear and whispered a few words before decisively ordering a retreat.
Angela wasn't surprised. In her eyes, her lord never did anything unnecessary, so she calmly issued the orders:
"Field, lead a team to scout the rear. Signal if you spot any enemies."
"Rear guard becomes the front guard, march forward in step."
The soldiers came and went quickly.
As they retreated, the towering trolls illuminated by the firelight slowly turned around.
Their eyes were bloodshot, filled with an indescribable bloodlust.
From the surrounding forest, another dozen or so trolls emerged, exchanging glances but choosing not to pursue.
The soldiers, unaware that they had narrowly escaped disaster, carried a growing sense of urgency and anger in their hearts.
The cockiness they'd felt after successive victories was now slowly being replaced with a sense of calm.
They were relieved by the lord's retreat order, knowing they weren't ready to face such powerful trolls.
At the same time, they felt ashamed of the thought.
If they were strong enough, they wouldn't have to stand by and watch the trolls strut about before them.
Old John, at the rear, was already thinking about how to inspire these soldiers to develop a desire to grow stronger.
As the kobolds led the way again, Matthew watched the nimble little creatures, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
How could he make the best use of them?
With mixed feelings, the soldiers left the Dark Forest and returned to the sunlight.
Everyone's faces were heavy and disgruntled. Matthew noticed this unexpected benefit and chose not to dampen their spirits. Instead, he kept a stern expression as he and Yaya climbed into the carriage.
Outwardly, Matthew appeared to be upset and concerned about the incident, but in truth, he was passing down "the real wisdom" to Yaya.
"Relying on kobolds to improve themselves is unrealistic; otherwise, after all these years, they wouldn't still be like this."
"The most effective way is to pick a few of the smarter, more obedient kobolds, grant them power and authority, and let them manage the others."
"Moreover, with a species like kobolds, who lack much autonomy, you have to use strict methods to reshape their thinking and behavior. Turn them into proper tools..."
Yaya nodded thoughtfully, her eyes whirling as she absorbed what could be called slightly "evil" wisdom.
Outside, the kobolds were still charging ahead in a chaotic swarm.
They babbled nonstop, embodying their mischievous and comical nature.
Half an hour later.
The village patrol spotted the mass of kobolds approaching.
Fortunately, Old Village Chief Field quickly stepped in, explaining that the kobolds were now the lord's servants.
The villagers, once surprised, now curiously examined the kobolds, who were cowering from the sunlight and huddling in ditches.
The lord could control kobolds?
For what purpose?