Chapter 272: Task Allocation
Taling 343's display immediately piqued Matthew's curiosity.
"Image magic?"
"Something's off, there's no obvious spell fluctuation."
"Illusion?"
"That's not possible either; Yaya and my magical equipment aren't giving any warning signals."
"Could it be a function of the Mage Tower?"
"That's highly likely…"
Matthew quickly analyzed it, especially as the data display continuously flashed, showing an extraordinary level of sensitivity.
The magical channels and spell model structures rapidly appeared before Matthew's eyes.
It wasn't some profound magic!
Instead, it was the simplest of 0th-level cantrips—Image Projection!
However, 343's Image Projection level was incredibly high, surpassing the LV5 cap and reaching an entirely new tier.
Clearly, 343 was anything but simple!
Before Matthew could try to peek at her information, 343 snapped her fingers.
The map of red glowing points quickly zoomed in, clearly visible to everyone present.
The soldiers, who had never seen such a sight, instinctively widened their eyes.
Some were so startled that they shut their eyes, stumbled to the ground, or screamed without thinking.
The leading nobles exchanged glances, unable to decipher 343's abilities, their hearts filled with uncertainty.
To them, 343 was usually a harmless presence, and most nobles treated her with respect mainly because of the City Lord.
Provoking the City Lord could have severe consequences, so giving 343 some respect seemed harmless.
However, they never expected that 343 was hiding so much power.
A seemingly effortless display was enough to deeply shock them.
Matthew watched the projection in the air with great interest.
He sneakily browsed the information hidden within the images while counting the red dots representing the barbarian numbers.
Something seemed off.
There appeared to be too many!
A single red dot obviously couldn't represent just one person.
If each dot represented ten people, thousands seemed too few.
But if each dot represented over a thousand, tens of thousands seemed a bit exaggerated.
"As you all can see, this is a warning from the Empire's borders."
"Over 60,000 barbarian wanderers are approaching our Bloodmoon City, advancing along the eastern coastline toward us."
"Regardless of their intentions, the Eastern Province's noble council has issued an order."
"Our mission in Bloodmoon City's current conscription is to eliminate these invading barbarian wanderers."
Upon hearing this, most of the leading nobles were in an uproar.
It wasn't that they objected; confronting enemies threatening their homes was a duty every noble commander accepted.
But they never expected the enemy to be such a large force of barbarians!
This was far more dangerous than occasionally clearing out kobolds or driving away gnolls!
Even those nobles who already knew the enemy were barbarians were shocked.
The sheer number of enemies was overwhelming, nearly double the size of the conscription forces!
Even if they were confident in themselves, they couldn't guarantee their troops wouldn't suffer heavy losses.
Supporting the City Lord in battle was one thing; bleeding and sacrificing was another entirely.
343 sensed the unease among the nobles but made no effort to comfort them. Instead, she continued in a cold voice, assigning tasks:
"We must confine these barbarians near the coast and prevent them from spreading into other territories of Bloodmoon City."
"The first unit will consist of four forces, departing from Bay Territory to the right to preemptively block their westward path."
"You must hold the line firmly, ensuring they don't break through Bloodmoon City's eastern side."
"Now, aside from Lord Matthew's Bay Territory forces, which other lords wish to join?"
As soon as she finished speaking, almost everyone looked at Matthew, their expressions strange.
Everyone knew the first force to engage the enemy would be the most dangerous.
They would face the combined onslaught of all the enemy forces!
Since Bay Territory was Matthew's land, he had to join this battle, meaning he would bear the greatest risk.
The others breathed a sigh of relief, watching with schadenfreude.
Complaints were stifled.
Bay Territory had no objections, leaving no room for others to voice theirs.
Only a few nobles maintained their composure, knowing well the formidable strength of Bay Territory's soldiers.
They also knew that under such circumstances, Matthew wouldn't just send 1,000 troops into the fight!
Still, facing over 60,000 barbarians was incredibly perilous.
Completing the conscription mission and killing enemies would earn valuable merit.
But for most lords and nobles, preserving their strength was paramount.
Even if the "soldiers" who died were just insignificant commoners.
But under the Empire's oversight, compensations couldn't be hidden.
This would be another significant expense.
Unlike fighting other territories or human kingdoms, where restraint was usually practiced.
Nobles generally avoided dealing deadly blows.
They could maintain a calm demeanor when there was no life-threatening danger.
But facing barbarians was an entirely different matter!
Who knew what they might do?
Some had heard of certain barbarian groups that liked to kill opposing leaders to prove their valor.
If they encountered such barbarians, they'd be in deep trouble.
Some began to regret taking on what had seemed a safe but now suddenly risky task.
Others regretted being too casual and wished they had brought more personal guards.
Even in defeat, they could ensure their safety with their guards' protection.
Many were now thinking about how to avoid being assigned to the first area.
Amid the silence, Brown raised his hand without hesitation:
"I volunteer to join the first area and fight alongside Lord Matthew."
"I am willing to accept Lord Matthew's command and follow his combat arrangements."
His words immediately drew the attention of the surrounding nobles.
Brown felt a bit apprehensive before speaking, but seeing their gloating expressions, he couldn't help but smile inwardly:
"These fools have no idea; even a giant troll army couldn't handle Bay Territory—what are a few thousand barbarians?"
"As long as our first area withstands their initial assault, the barbarians will avoid us like the plague."
"And when that happens, who ends up suffering won't be so clear…"
Having been taught a hard lesson, Brown was now relieved to be playing it safe.