Mage Legend
Chapter 209: Episode 76 Before the Meal_2

Chapter 209: Episode 76 Before the Meal_2

"We will raid the stronghold of the second family! Let them disappear from history forever!"

The hall was silent, the Dark Elves’ eyes glowed with excitement and fanaticism. Attacking the second family had long been their wish; the feeling of always being chased closely by others was not pleasant. Several young family members could barely contain their excitement, their fingers trembled rapidly, and their breathing became rapid. In their minds, only blood, only victory, and only the satisfaction after conquest could soothe the passion in their hearts.

Lynch thought for a moment and decided to stop this action. If only they could spend a few more days in peace, Lynch would have the chance to escape, and Zilvra wouldn’t have to endure suffering in this Dark World. Getting involved in the Dark Elf family war at the final moment might adversely affect their escape.

"Honorable Matron, now is not the best time to attack the second family. We haven’t recovered from the losses of our last operation."

"Shut your mouth, advisor! My orders are for you to follow, not to question! I did not ask for your opinion!" Batana said loudly, "The Spider Goddess has instructed me; now is the best time to attack the second family! The Great Goddess will support us from behind, and the second family, deprived of the Goddess’s favor, will tremble and beg at our feet. The glory of Ratris City descends upon the first family!"

The Martial Monk standing opposite Lynch looked a bit tired, just about to speak when Lynch interrupted him.

"Honorable Matron, with just our current manpower, even if we manage to eliminate the second family, the losses would be immense. This would leave us powerless against other opponents. I hope you can consider this point."

"Male! Your bit of wisdom is insignificant before me, let alone in the eyes of the omniscient and omnipotent Spider Goddess. The Great Goddess has given me clear instructions; victory lies ahead of us. In your eyes, it may all be darkness here, your timid heart narrows your vision. But in front of me lies a clear path to victory and glory!" Batana said excitedly as she swung the Snake Head Whip, "Priests, warriors, take up your weapons and march! We will surprise the second family! For the glory of our Goddess!"

Lynch shook his head, tightened his grip on his Magic Wand, and sighed helplessly. He patted his pocket, inside were a few "Advanced Invisibility" scrolls. When the time came, he would rely on the spells within these scrolls to avoid risks. Besides Zilvra, the life and death of all the other Dark Elves were not within his scope of concern.

"If I had the time, I should find another outstanding ruby. After all, one can never have too many Invisibility Gems," the Mage muttered to himself.

Batana led the way out of the Audience Room, with the Dark Elves following closely behind her. As Zilvra passed by the Mage, she flashed him a charming smile. Lynch quickly observed the reactions of those around; fortunately, nobody noticed.

At this time, the Martial Monk Regula approached Lynch: "Mage, let’s put an end to the grudges between us." He said seriously, "Have you done what I asked you to do?"

Lynch looked at the Martial Monk, and the Eye of Insight immediately detected multiple wounds on his body. The current Martial Arts Master was not at his best state; why had he gotten himself into such a situation?

"I haven’t found a way to remove the curse, but if you want to revert that thing to its original form, I can manage that," Lynch estimated his current spell-casting capability. Though not yet at his best, when it came to transformation and creation spells, he had absolute advantages and confidence.

"What’s the difference between the two?" The Martial Monk signaled the Mage to follow the team and asked.

"Besides transformation, the curse itself also causes painful torment. I’m not a Dark Elf priest, nor am I the ’great’ Spider Goddess herself; there’s no way I can eliminate such painful torment. But as for physical transformation, it’s not a problem."

"I see, magic truly is a miraculous thing." The Martial Monk thought for a moment, then suddenly stood in front of Lynch, blocking his path, "Mage, I hope you can help me. Of course, in the Underdark, everything is about payment. You’ve never demanded anything or proposed conditions in exchange, which makes me very uneasy. Tell me, what do you want, so I can be fully prepared."

Lynch thought for a moment, "Martial Monk, as a Mage, I don’t need you to do anything. Without you, I can still accomplish what I want independently. If you must exchange a condition, I require you to make a vow."

"Go ahead," the Martial Monk replied simply.

"Never stand in my way again," Lynch sidestepped the Martial Monk and walked forward, leaning on his Powerful Wand.

The Martial Monk turned around, looked at the back of the Mage, shook his head, and softly said, "That’s too cheap..."

The attack plan of the first family was not complicated; they would directly raid the second family’s stronghold. Unexpectedly, they chose a frontal attack, taking even the reserves with them. Lynch scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and understood why Matron Batana took this approach. Ratris City had two major layers: the main part of the city inside the cave and the complex sewers. Dark Elf warfare typically used a two-pronged strategy. A large group of slaves and cannon fodder attacked the main part of the ground base, aiming to paralyze their outer defenses in the shortest time possible. These expendable soldiers required no special training, only a single criterion: they must have no capability to discern traps—their fate was to pave the way with their corpses. Behind them lay the main attack force.

Another team attacked from the sewer; they were generally elite warriors skilled in ambushes and raids. Led by the Martial Arts Master, this squad usually set out before the battle, aiming to quickly and secretly penetrate the opponent’s core defenses, paralyzing their priest system as much as possible to gain enough time and space for the large force outside. Once the priests were paralyzed, the entire Dark Elf family would be on the verge of collapse, no longer able to organize effective resistance.

However, the current strength of the first family was definitely not enough to launch a simultaneous two-pronged attack. Perhaps other Dark Elf families couldn’t gauge the first family’s strength, but Lynch was intimately familiar with their resources. He knew exactly how many warriors were left after the last mission, how many soul-bound corpses remained, and how many slaves they still had. Given their recent purchases of supplementary forces, the two-front operation seemed inadequate. Therefore, the first family opted for a frontal assault, planning to break through the enemy’s defenses and penetrate their fortress core in the shortest time.

Speed was crucial. As long as the second family split their forces to defend the underground passages, the first family gathering all its strength could potentially break through the ground defenses. Once inside the castle, it would be a contest among elite warriors. Lynch couldn’t think of anyone else in Dark Elf City who could block Batana’s path forward—possibly old Mage Vizren, but he wasn’t part of the second family. The fact that the Matron would personally enter the battlefield rather than casting spells in the family Audience Room was certainly beyond the second family’s expectations.

As long as they could enter the castle before the underground forces of the second family fully returned to defense, the first family might win.

"Will it be that smooth?" Lynch took out an Invisibility Scroll and slowly approached Zilvra.