Quadruple split.

Chapter 2830 The Fifteen-Day Deadline

Game time: 01:29 AM
You have been disconnected urgently. Please select whether to reconnect.

"Keep going! Hurry up!!"

[Reconnection initiated, loading character information—]

"Hurry, hurry, please!"

Welcome back, Black Vane, the absolute neutral one. You are about to be enshrined in the realm of innocence. Goodnight.

……

Blood Barbarian Region, Skolk Stronghold, Skolk Hall, Second Floor

Damn it!

Because Yizou was with him while he was offline, Mo Tan, whose character body remained in the [Innocent Realm], suddenly opened his eyes. Then, when the female knight turned to look at him, he subconsciously raised his right hand, trying to confirm whether his mask was still on his face.

【!?!?!?】

not there!

With a start that nearly made her heart stop, Mo Tan suddenly realized that her mask wasn't on her face. After a long pause, she stared wide-eyed before realizing that she had no reason to wear a mask anywhere.

[Perhaps it's because 'Tanmo' is too dependent on all walks of life, sigh.]

Mo Tan sighed silently, then gently shook his head to calm Yi Zou, who had been startled, down. He then immediately opened his friend messages and began to check their contents. He selected valuable messages from hundreds of messages and read them carefully, reconstructing the situation in his mind based on their content.

The more valuable information includes:
The Scales of Dust have summoned nearly three thousand skeleton soldiers, and with the help of the Skulker Grey Dwarves, have successfully equipped one-third of them with high-quality gear, including the [Heavy Machine Gun Type Firepower Suppression Skeleton Frame], the [Chainsaw Sword Type Armored Suppression Skeleton Frame], and the [Congratulations on Your Fortune Type Ivan Skeleton Frame]. The combat power of these one thousand skeleton soldiers is generally at the peak of the mid-tier level. With the assistance of their equipment, they can often unleash high-tier level lethality, making them very useful as bargaining chips in a war of attrition.

In addition, the other two-thirds of the skeletons were also lightly armed, mostly with equipment captured from the enemy. Ranged skeletons were mainly equipped with war bows, earth bows, or simple crossbows; melee skeletons wore leather/light armor with ordinary swords and the spare weapons of the Dunbua Army soldiers; and suicide skeletons carried mass-produced earth detonators by the gray dwarves. Although the explosive power was not as great as that produced by goblins or gnome engineers, the limited power meant that a skeleton could potentially explode multiple times even if it was only missing an arm or a leg, so the cost-effectiveness was not low.

At the same time, the Scales of Dust also began to help the Black Brahma Independent Army, composed of the Skork Resistance Army and the Dunbua City Army, strengthen its defenses. It must be said that although people generally believe that strengthening positions and building fortifications are best suited for mages specializing in earth elementalism, it turns out that a necromancer with high expertise in bone manipulation is equally suitable for this task.

In addition, the bones needed to strengthen the defenses do not require 'humanoid skeletons' like those of skeleton soldiers. Not only is she skilled in bone control, but she is also proficient in engineering. These past two days, Ms. Libra has finally been able to smile. It is evident that after completing the task of creating an army by herself (creating three thousand skeleton soldiers), her SAN value is rapidly recovering, as she spends her days either helping to reinforce the defenses or setting bones for the wounded.

Then, here's some relatively important news:

First, the Holy Church Joint Investigation Force located east of the Eagle Claw Gorge [Tonglu] Fortress remains stable. Under the iron-fisted management of the interim commander, Hess Dongya, the standard-bearer of the Sun Church's Knights of the Apostles, this team of clergy has not lost patience with the current situation.

In addition, according to the members of [Ye Yin], Clara Champs-Élysées, who doesn't care about anything but likes to wander around the camp, and whose cross was accidentally dropped and even the three paladins couldn't pick it up together, Mo Tan felt that the morale and spirit of the investigation team would not be affected for at least half a month. Moreover, even if any minor problems arose, as long as Avery or Philip 'bursts into energy', most of the problems could be solved.

Secondly, there's the northwestern part of the Steelmane Tribe Kingdom, which has been affected by the "Great Morning Glory" recently. Although things seem relatively stable on the surface, only Mo Tan and other high-ranking members of the Independent Army know that the Great Morning Glory has ignited countless powder kegs, fueling the rebellious spirits of tens of thousands of Boarmen. While they can be appeased at present, it's not a long-term solution.

Simply put, given enough time, countless incited boar-men will either become disillusioned with Skolker, becoming extremely negative and even reporting the members of the Hidden Leaf Clan to the royal court; or they will impulsively decide to fight those brutal, ruthless, greedy, and wicked oppressors, with the motto "if we don't succeed, we die."

Given the 'Morning Glory's' insane ability to incite violence, those rural fodder who already had limited combat potential due to their race and had almost no formal training might actually choose to fight the oppressor and get wiped out.

In Mo Tan's view, this situation could last for at most another half month, because 'Big Flower Morning Glory' originally planned to leave the absolute control zone of the Steelmane Tribal Kingdom in half a month. Since he decided to leave in half a month, he would definitely be able to make his efforts that 'himself' had failed 'bear fruit' before he left.

Finally, there is a series of the most crucial and weighty matters:
According to feedback from the Dawn Cult through special channels, so far everyone is still patient, but even among the higher-ups, different voices have begun to emerge. For example, given that everyone knows the Holy Son of Abundance and the Holy Son of Justice are safe and sound, why not bring them back instead of continuing to bear the potential risks?

These voices are not loud now, but they are enough to raise alarm. After all, regardless of whether those speakers are really concerned about the safety of the Holy Son, many people can guess the unspoken message that "if we can't achieve anything, we shouldn't continue to waste resources and manpower." At least Mo Tan can guess it.

Among these differing voices, His Holiness Saint Rivigaz Goldmine, the current Pope of the Wealth Cult, carries the most weight. Meanwhile, Her Highness Saint Fiari Graham, also a member of the Wealth Cult, has consistently and tirelessly supported the Black Vatican Independent Army, continuously supplying it northward through various channels. This aligns with the characteristic of shrewd businessmen who like to take multiple risks.

In Xia Lian's words, the stingy goblin shouldn't go too far within a week. Within half a month, even if he throws a tantrum and goes further, she can suppress this goblin brat whom she has been beating since he was a child by force. But if it goes beyond half a month... Xia Lian, who must return to the position of the Dawn Sect's higher-ups, will find it difficult to say anything.

In addition, there is some intelligence that Mo Tan is currently paying close attention to—

The elite squads sent out earlier have, as of now, completed three small-scale resupply missions and one medium-scale resupply mission escorting more than two thousand people from the Steelmane Tribe to the [Tonglu] fortress. In total, they intercepted enough food to sustain the Independent Army's operations on the front lines for a month. It is worth mentioning that this food has undergone strict screening, and the total amount of supplies before screening could even feed the same number of Boarmen for three months.

Thanks to Mo Tan's prior arrangements, a large number of boar-men scouts heading south from the [Tonglu] fortress were not intercepted. If nothing unexpected happens, the two sides will soon reconcile their accounts and realize that there is a problem with the supply chain.

"And then comes the important part..."

Mo Tan breathed a sigh of relief because he hadn't missed any crucial moments during this 'disconnection'. He then stood up, looked down at the intricate terrain map in front of him, filled with alchemical chess pieces and arrow symbols, and rubbed his temples.

Just as Mino Paladin, far away at the front lines of Eagle Claw Gorge, had predicted, at least under his current personality, Mo Tan was indeed having a bit of a hard time, because he not only had to plan at the tactical and strategic levels, but also had to exert a lot of additional influence through the not-so-obvious thread of 'human nature'.

To put it dramatically, he now even has to take on the manipulation of 'politics,' such as the extra combat power of the Holy Church Joint Investigation Force, which was all brought about by his 'off-the-books' operations.

This is clearly not in line with the role of a commander, but even so, Mo Tan still had no choice, since simply using strategy is seriously insufficient to achieve strategic goals.

If you think about it carefully, you'll understand. The Blood Barbarians have been entrenched in the northern part of the Holy Domain for an incredibly long time. Due to the vast difference in their positions, their relationship has always been in an undisputed state of 'hostility'. Under such circumstances, the fact that one side has not been wiped out by the other so far is enough to illustrate the point.

The problem itself is not important, because it has nothing to do with Mo Tan, who defines himself as a 'variable', but the existence of the problem can explain some things.

The simplest of these is that conventional methods can only hurt it at most, but they are not very effective in killing the Blood Barbarian.

Therefore, it wasn't that Mo Tan liked to use unorthodox methods, but rather that he was merely a 'sword' and, given the difficulty in unifying the voices within the Holy Church, he had no choice but to take that unconventional approach.

His unconventional approach brought him Skolker. His cunning led him to the investigation team.

At the same time, he must always maintain tactical initiative and strategic clarity.

Don't work too hard, remember to rest more, even just logging off counts (ω)

I'm a little worried. Remember to let me know you're safe and sound from time to time (ω)ノ

'Is there anything I can help you with? I'm quite free during the day now, I can even gather intelligence or something. Whatever you want to know, I can ask.'

'(`)'

After carefully reading the most important information that he had saved for last, and replying to the other party, "It's not a big problem, I might take a rest, don't worry," Mo Tan sat back in his chair as if all his strength had been drained. He didn't know how many times he had the idea of ​​just abandoning everything and returning to the ivory tower of the City of Light to live a carefree life with Yu Chen.

or--

【Should we bring her over?】

A burning impulse flashed through his mind, startling Mo Tan.

"Neuropathy."

Mo Tan, whose mind was becoming somewhat scattered due to intense thinking, almost let his own desires take advantage of him and cause a major mistake. Without saying a word, he slapped himself hard across the face.

"senior."

Unfortunately, the epic-rank female knight was far more agile and nimble than a half-baked high-rank priest. So, just half a second before Mo Tan was about to slap herself in the face, her wrist was firmly and gently held by her guardian knight, Yi Zou Jelet.

Mo Tan turned to look at the female knight with a worried expression and said with a wry smile, "Sorry, I was just having a bit of a lapse in concentration."

"It's okay to be crazy, but don't do it to yourself."

Yi Zou gently released Mo Tan's wrist and asked with a smile, "Were you thinking about Prince Wang Yu just now?"

"Yes, I looked at her previous message to me and then replied briefly."

Mo Tan, who had long since stopped hiding the otherworldly setting and had even explained a lot of 'player' perspective knowledge to Yi Zou, nodded slightly and asked curiously, "But how did you figure that out?"

"Because the senior was smiling very happily."

Yi Zou gave the answer without hesitation, and smiled, "So it's obvious at a glance that you're thinking about His Highness Wang Yu."

"It seems I'm still too immature."

Mo Tan chuckled self-deprecatingly, then forced himself not to think about the girl in the City of Light who was so worried about this place, and refocused his attention on the situation.

It wasn't easy, but he did it nonetheless.

At this moment, the situation has entered the second stage, and what is pleasing is that, despite a number of incidents, the overall situation is still in Mo Tan's hands, especially in this regional conflict centered on Eagle Claw Gorge, where he has dominated a significant portion of the pace.

Despite the many hidden dangers and loopholes, and the many unexpected events and surprises to come, Mo Tan was not particularly nervous.

After all, pressure is one thing, ability is another.

There are difficulties, but the fact that those who tried to fight against Xue Man in the past failed does not mean that Mo Tan cannot succeed.

The future is clear, despite the immense challenges it presents to ourselves and everyone around us, and the fact that a single misstep could plunge us into an abyss. Yet, this does not prevent the future from being clear.

The Evil Eye King made a huge mistake: he had enough contact with Mo Tan but failed to gain any substantial benefits in return.

The latter, however, gained the attention of the Lord of the Broken Cliff.

Those were malevolent eyes, a disturbing perspective.

But... that's all there is to it.

Needing more perspectives, Mo Tan stared intently at [Tong Lu].

"Fifteen days."

He casually stated the deadline he could maintain the current stage after integrating all the valid intelligence, and scratched his head under the watchful gaze of the guardian knight, feeling immense pressure: "Even in the worst-case scenario... it seems okay?"

"What do you mean 'okay'?"

"It's possible to pack up and run away."

"?"

Chapter 2821: The End