Chapter 391: Bay Territory "Fishing" Trolls
Everyone glanced at Old Li, touched by his courage, and listened with renewed excitement.
Who doesn't love a bit of divine "gossip"?
Without any hesitation, more detailed information reached their ears.
"Most of the gods we know truly exist in our world."
"However, over the past few thousand years, aside from a few deities who have demonstrated miracles, most are only known through rumors and churches."
"Their purpose, firstly, is to spread faith; secondly, it's also to collect the souls of their followers."
At these words, everyone involuntarily widened their eyes.
Also for souls?
How are they different from the evil gods?
Matthew had no intention of keeping them in suspense and directly revealed the shocking conclusion that countless players had painstakingly pieced together:
"The souls collected by these gods are typically those of sentient beings who voluntarily offer themselves in life."
"The two parties form a pact: sentient beings offer faith to the gods, and the gods, in turn, bestow power and knowledge."
"It's the simplest kind of transaction!"
"After death, the gods receive the souls of these sentient beings and provide them with the prosperous life they promised."
"In return, the souls continue to provide their devotion in the gods' divine kingdoms."
"This too is an exchange, though some gods are unwilling to uphold their end of the bargain..."
"Matthew" didn't elaborate further. Seeing the look of astonishment on everyone's faces, he chose to end the topic.
Some things are best approached step by step.
The illusion clone sat back down, remaining silent until the end of the meeting.
Matthew gave everyone a few minutes to reflect and digest, then activated a newly crafted sandbox display. Once everyone's attention shifted to it, he continued in an unhurried tone:
"From this battle, we can get a glimpse into the essence of the Gurubashi trolls."
"Individually, they are fearless, but as a group, their ability to fight cohesively is a complete mess."
"They have no battle plan, no command structure, no division of troops. Compared to the combat skills of orcs, they are far worse."
"Besides that, they lack weapons, equipment, food, and supply chains for logistics."
"The longer the battle drags on, the weaker their overall combat ability becomes."
"By the end, they might even end up fighting us with bare hands."
"Even the most primitive and backward form of order is better than the utter chaos among these trolls."
After some thought, everyone agreed with Matthew's assessment.
When analyzed in detail, the seemingly powerful and numerous Gurubashi trolls boiled down to just a few straightforward weaknesses.
They quickly understood that this was also part of intelligence analysis, secretly committing it to memory.
With the analysis completed and seeing that everyone had adjusted back to focus, Matthew gestured for Angela to take over.
Angela, having made thorough preparations, immediately began to meticulously present the detailed plan to everyone.
"Currently, we've taken one of the two major hunting grounds of the Gurubashi trolls. The Beast Lair Mountains in the west remain unclaimed."
"With the failure of their vanguard, the Gurubashi trolls will inevitably send a larger and stronger force in about five days."
"The larger their force, the greater their logistical strain."
"We'll implement the previous strategy of harassment and obstruction, setting traps along their path."
"This will delay their advance while also wearing down their fighting strength as much as possible."
"Even the current Gurubashi trolls can't endure prolonged exposure to the Scarlet Moon."
"If they do, without their priests, they'll descend into mutual slaughter and chaos."
"Finding the hiding spots of these troll priests is the second objective of our disruption efforts."
"As long as we delay them for more than two days, we can construct a solid fortress here."
Angela, laying out the plan that the group had developed together, clenched her fists slightly and looked confidently at the bright-eyed audience:
"By then, we can fight another defensive counterattack, just like we've always done."
Everyone smiled knowingly, feeling a rush of eager anticipation.
Based on all the gathered information, along with the Gurubashi trolls' likely targets and circumstances, they formulated the entire battle plan.
In the first part, the enemy had "cooperated" perfectly.
Now, they estimated that there was a seventy to eighty percent chance of success.
But even for the unpredictable twenty to thirty percent, they had contingency plans!
After further discussing and adding details, Angela looked at the bustling figures outside and smiled at everyone:
"Moreover, the hardest part is over. It's time for the adventurers to step up. They've been itching for action..."
The meeting concluded.
The commanders of Bay Territory poured out, eager to implement the plans as quickly as possible.
At the same time, news of the teleportation permission spread throughout Bay Territory.
Whether training in Bay City,
Exploring the Swamp Ruins,
Playing cat-and-mouse with the barbarians on the Silvermoon River Plains,
Or treasure-hunting in the Ruby Mines,
The adventurers all received the synchronized "Communication Spell."
The "Fishing for Trolls" operation was officially launched!
Mission Phase One: Delay
Set traps and ambushes to slow the advancing troll army.
For each troll soldier killed during this phase, a reward of 10 gold coins!
Mission Phase Two: Harassment
Once the troll army reaches Bull Fortress, destroy troll tents and buildings.
For every building destroyed, earn 3 gold coins!
For each troll soldier killed, a reward of 10 gold coins.
Special Note: Due to unknown contamination, the bounty for capturing Gurubashi trolls is temporarily suspended.
In addition to the primary mission,
There were side missions like "Drive the Bulls," "Hunt the Scouts," "Explore the Northern Battlefield," "Investigate the Gurubashi Troll Residential Area," and "Monitor the Orc Alliance."
Such a massive operation once again showcased Bay Territory's strength to all the adventurers.
Meanwhile, the Ail Elves, still in discussions, finally made up their minds.
There was no time to waste!
The efficiency of the Ail Elves was quick; it was a habit forced upon them by the Cole Elf Kingdom.
Steward Parry and Annie sought out Matthew.
Their expressions were more serious than before, less relaxed, as they directly conveyed their intentions to Matthew:
"Honorable Lord Matthew, we wish to purchase a greater quantity of military weapons and equipment."
Annie put special emphasis on the words "greater quantity," watching Matthew closely for his reaction.
Glancing at the elven spell scrolls provided by Annie, Matthew responded without hesitation:
"That's a good thing!"
Annie and Parry were stunned, ripples of shock running through their minds.
What was going on?
Wasn't Bay Territory about to go to war?
Did they not need these supplies?