Chapter 86 — A Bold Plan
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 3
Amber blinked, then suddenly realized what he was referring to: "You mean... those fake crystals your number-two granddaughter cooked up?"
This fellow's talent for casually bestowing nicknames on people and things grew more refined by the day.
"Those crystals, yes. They're called 'Rebecca Crystals.' They have a name," Gao Yang said with a nod. "The raw material is just stone from the mountains, and once the instructions were handed down, even serfs could manage the firing process. So a great pile of the things has already been produced—perfect for putting to use."
Amber still wanted to grumble a bit more, but Gao Yang had already strode ahead and merely tossed a sentence back over his shoulder: "We'll discuss the details once we're back at camp. Those monsters won't stop and wait for us."
Amber watched Gao Yang and Heddy striding briskly along the rugged mountain path and stamped her feet in frustration behind them: "Hey! Hey! You two, wait for me! Gao Yang, fine, you're a knight, good stamina, but Heddy—you're a mage, how can you run through the mountains that fast too!"
Heddy heard Amber's voice, but only smiled and shook her head without answering.
How could outsiders know that by an ancient rule passed down through the Cecil family, all descendants—male or female, gifted or not—were expected to kill a wolf bare-handed in the forest before coming of age? Back then Rebecca had been knocked unconscious by a wolf three times before she passed the trial. Heddy, however, had cleared it on her first attempt!
After returning to camp, Gao Yang immediately summoned Rebecca, Byron, and Philip to his tent, and the druid Pi Yun, upon hearing the news, invited himself along as well.
Considering that too many things could not be kept hidden, and that if they truly had to fight those monsters head-on, this half-trained druid's healing spells would be an indispensable asset, he did not drive the little old man out.
"There are more aberrations—nearly a thousand of them—in the mountains," Gao Yang said bluntly once everyone had gathered. "They're moving this way."
Everyone was shaken by the news, but Pi Yun was the first to react. The old druid flung out his robe with an air of righteous indignation: "I don't want this month's wages."
"Stop. Why do you react exactly like Amber?" Gao Yang glared at the little old man. "Let me finish first. You can make your declaration after I've laid out the arrangements."
"Your Grace," Sir Byron spoke up, "there are fewer than a hundred fighting men in camp, and that includes the few dozen militia we've only just trained. Perhaps regular soldiers and militia, once equipped with those enchanted weapons and armor, could hold their own against the aberrations in a frontal fight, but even one-on-one would be a stretch..."
"I know," Gao Yang raised a hand to cut Byron off. "That's why I don't intend to fight those monsters head-on."
Rebecca's eyes went wide. "Are we... abandoning the camp?"
Her lips pressed together—clearly this was the answer she least wanted to hear. True, this was barren wasteland, but it was already the Cecil family's final foothold. It was her new home. The kilns for firing crystals, the steelworks powered by the Magic Net No. 1—her heart's blood was in all of it. This was the first place in her life where she could happily do the things she loved. No matter what, she did not want to give it up.
But if Gao Yang truly decided to retreat... she was prepared to obey.
"No, we're not retreating—at least not in such a hurry to decide," Gao Yang shook his head. "Those monsters will need another two days to reach a position where they can sense the camp, and after that it will take them at least another day to charge over. So we have three days at most to prepare. I have a plan, but it requires a large quantity of 'Rebecca Crystals'..."
Gao Yang laid out his bold idea, and took particular care to emphasize the plan's feasibility.