Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 541 "They Are Coming"

The Demon Lizardmen actually arrived at the Great Rift before the Northern Army, and used some strange method to hide in the huge dark lake under the rift in advance, and only suddenly showed up after the expeditionary soldiers arrived.

Harvey watched several of his subordinates anxiously pacing back and forth in the conference room and sighed helplessly, "The intelligence the Federation sent was still a step too late. I should have expected them to be using some kind of deep-sea submersible vehicle for long-distance operations, but I didn't expect it to be so fast."

Pierce stood beside the huge map on the wall, muttering in a daze, "But how did such a large floating island sneak from the icy sea into the ground and finally reach the underground dark lake in the Great Rift?"

"The vast underground water system, after millions of years of erosion, has formed countless wide underwater passages. Some areas can even form a vast dark lake, just like the Great Rift." Duncan stood up, pointed to the map on the wall, and patiently explained, "The sea people living in the southern seas once reached the Storm Sea in the west by crossing the underground rivers on land... The burrowing dwarves of Hill's Breath also accidentally dug through the rock layer while building a new underground city, causing the entire city to sink into the dark lake."

Reiner said worriedly, "But we don't know the distribution of the underground river. If we rely solely on rumors and hearsay, we can't determine the true movements of the aliens underground. We might not even notice them until they reach our doorstep."

Harvey waved his hand and consoled him, "At least what we can confirm right now is that there's unlikely to be a massive underground lake within a hundred miles of Spark City, nor is there any underground river large enough for their massive [Floating Island] to pass through."

He was very sure of this. After all, ever since he devoured the magic core, millions of energy-absorbing beetles in the underground veins of the entire Spark City could connect with him at any time and monitor all movements underground for him at all times.

The living shield machines transformed from macrophage worms have been digging in the surrounding area for several years. Although they often dig through the earth's crust and cause groundwater leakage, no mainstream underground river system has been found.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Pierce asked carefully. "There are tens of thousands of Lizardmen near the Great Rift, and they are gradually trying to infiltrate and explore outside the Rift Valley. Our expeditionary force is hiding less than ten miles away from them. Staying here could be dangerous."

Although Commanders Wayne and Duff expressed a very strong desire to fight, with less than 2,000 troops and tight strategic supply, Harvey did not think they had any hope of defeating this alien "submarine force"... This was different from the positional warfare of the past where ambushes and firepower were used to crush the enemy. From the fragments Chief Dawson saw in the alien's memory, it can be learned that the reproduction method of these monsters is more similar to that of insects. They are more like being "manufactured" than being born. This is enough to show that they don't care about the casualties caused by the battle, and will only use any means to achieve their goals.

For Spark City and the North, the soldiers are living people who have been carefully selected and trained over a long period of time. Too brutal combat casualties will not only cause huge losses, but will also severely hit the morale and confidence of the people throughout the territory. Once fear and aversion to war spread, the defeat will inevitably be difficult to reverse.

After a moment's thought, Harvey slowly said, "The expeditionary force will immediately split into two groups. One mobile force will remain stationed around the Great Rift to monitor enemy movements, while the other will rush to the border tribes in the northern desert to mobilize them for migration... The members of the Stoneheart Priory have already reached agreements with several tribes. Our troops will be stationed at Wolf Fang Ridge, on the border of Isengard, to receive these rootless people."

Reiner shuddered and quickly asked, "According to the intelligence reports, there are more than ten tribes in the northern desert, with a population of no less than 20,000. If they are mobilized to migrate all at once, I'm worried that the situation in Fengyuan City will become unstable..."

The sudden influx of so many foreign refugees has even caused anxiety in the local city hall. The public, who had received the rumors early on, is abuzz with discussion. Although they dare not publicly protest due to the new emperor's authority, the number of people fleeing Fengyuan City is increasing day by day. Central Saint Valen, already experiencing a significant population loss, is now even more sparsely populated. "The first wave of arrivals won't be large. There will always be those who lack trust in us... or who fear betrayal, who will choose to wait and see. This will give the local city hall some time to completely disband these rootless people from their original tribes, relocate them separately as families, and encourage them to intermarry with the local poor farmers. Basic education and legal education must also be provided. Stabilizing the situation will be quick."

Harvey knocked his hand on the table and said seriously, "Everyone, remember, population has always been the cornerstone of our development, but from now on... it will become a precious strategic resource, the vital force that will help us win this protracted war. We must not abandon them lightly and hand them over to the butchering knives of alien monsters."

After saying this, he turned to Arsdalen and said, "Send a formal diplomatic letter to the capital of Isengard. Regardless of whether that mad king is still in office, at least let the nobles who control the situation know that the northern foreign enemies have chosen their country as the first stop in their invasion of the southern border... Those willing to resist in advance can join us. If they choose to flee, at least find a way to evacuate and resettle the people in the territory as soon as possible."

Asdalen chuckled and said calmly, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid no noble would choose to flee with their people. After all, their carriages can only be used to carry the wealth they have extorted from the people."

Fortunately, the territory of Isengard is relatively vast, and it still has a certain strategic depth... Although the Great Rift of the God's Spine Mountains has been occupied by the Lizardmen in advance, they have relatively ample time to prepare for battle.

Duncan then asked, "Your Majesty, regarding the Federation... do we need to inform them immediately about the situation in Isengard?"

"Of course, now that the Lizardmen have arrived at the Great Rift, they'll soon launch an operation against the surrounding area... Although their first target is unclear at the moment, as soon as war breaks out, news will spread immediately, so there's no need for us to hide it."

Harvey paused, then continued with a somewhat odd expression, "Haven't the three legendary leaders been saying they want to join our new federation? Perfect... I'll personally write to them and invite them to come to Spark City and take charge..."

Arturo was shocked and said quickly, "Your Majesty, that's a legendary spellcaster. We don't know what the Federation's plans are yet. If we invite them here like this, will it be..."

Besides, the first chief was still trapped underground, and had to be bound to the energy gathering array at all times because of the flesh-blood-soul fusion ritual.

"Lord Sarath is just trying to urge me to come up with a way to rescue him as soon as possible," Harvey said with a smile. "There's still no complete solution, but moving him to a different place and allowing him to continue [imprisonment] would be an easy solution..."

(End of this chapter)