Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 745 Tests and Anxiety

The legendary chief Gallagher, a battle mage by origin, was transferred from Blackrock City in the west of the South to Starfire City...

Harvey hadn't even considered this arrangement.

Although the main force of the demon army in the Evil Moon Mountains had long since withdrawn, small groups of remnants were still active in the area. After the complete collapse of the Holy See and the Divine Punishment Faction, even the last Judgment Knights stationed in Blackrock City were summoned to withdraw and rush to the Duchy of Iruvia.

Currently, Blackrock City is almost entirely controlled by the Old Guild and the Seven Wizarding Kingdoms, making it a veritable fortress of spellcasters.

“If Lord Gallagher is transferred here, the independent mage chapter of Blackrock City… will have to postpone its entry into the demonic territory north of Mount Godridge, and will be unable to gather timely intelligence on their battle with the Lizardmen,” Magic Shield cautiously reminded them.

The legendary spellcaster is, after all, the backbone of the chapter. Without his personal leadership, most battle mages would face enormous risks venturing into the northern wastelands.

Harvey nodded in agreement and said to Salas, "Before we have fully ascertained whether there are any alien evolved beings on Floating Island No. 5, there is no need to alarm Lord Gallagher..."

He paused, then turned to Senior Staff Officer Dickinson, "Tell me the General Staff's thoughts."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The latter immediately stood up and said in a deep voice, "According to the intelligence analysis of the General Staff, although the enemy's floating island fortress has penetrated deep into the interior of the wasteland this time, reaching the Leru Grand Canyon, which is closer to the capital Starfire City than ever before, from a strategic point of view, we have reason to believe that it was a forced move by them without any other choice."

As he spoke, he instructed his guards to bring up an enlarged version of the map of the Abyss Sea, which was placed on a shelf next to the map of the Northern Territory hanging on the wall.

"Gentlemen, please look at the distribution of underground rivers on the nautical chart... The Leroux Canyon is already the limit that the enemy's small floating islands can reach. Further south, up to the Icefield River area, although the underground water system is more densely distributed, there are no routes that allow the floating islands to submerge."

More than 600 li... just at the edge of the radiation area surveyed by the kingdom's exploration department.

This is also the maximum distance that the Lizardmen can send winged beings to launch a surprise attack on the capital... Without the influence of extreme weather, those mid-level winged beings can basically travel from Leru Grand Canyon in the morning to the evening, taking more than ten hours to make a long-distance attack on Starfire City.

They had made a similar attempt in the vicinity of Big Bear Lake, but they kicked over a "steel plate" and were blasted to pieces by the Royal Capital Defense Force's beam anti-aircraft weapons.

"Therefore, we must not give up an inch of this more than 600 miles of the wilderness inland... We cannot allow the strategic depth that originally belonged to mankind to become the cunning hideout of the demon lizardmen."

Dickinson tapped the coordinates of the Leroux Canyon on the map, slowly moving his finger half an inch south... According to the topographical survey, the area he was pointing to appeared to be a mountainous region.

"Yanshan?" Many officers with extensive experience in wilderness warfare recognized the name of that mountainous area.

Located about 20 miles from the Leroux Canyon, it is a towering mountain range whose altitude is no less than that of the Crow Ridge. Even in the height of summer, the mountain peaks are still covered with snow all year round, and it takes a lot of effort to actually reach it.

"The best way to test and lure the evolved beings that may exist on Floating Island No. 5 is to place long-range heavy artillery directly on their heads... The area between Yanshan and Lelu Grand Canyon is just right to meet the maximum firing range of the artillery positions, and setting up artillery positions at high points will allow for more accurate long-range strikes."

Harvey chuckled inwardly. It seemed that the high-ranking officers in the army had fully grasped the tactical essence of "high-level attacks on low-level targets, and attacks on idiots."

He pondered for a moment, then took the initiative to ask, "So the artillery position at Yanshan was actually a genuine... decoy?" Without Dickinson needing to answer, everyone present immediately understood.

If there are evolved beings on the floating island, they will certainly not stand idly by and watch their side suffer a devastating attack. Therefore, the plan to lure them away will succeed no matter what... The only difference is how the human side intends to launch the ambush.

Of course, if there are no evolved beings on the floating islands at all, the original "bait" will immediately turn into a "death scythe" falling from the sky, unleashing tens of thousands of shells into the Leroux Canyon without hesitation.

……

The meeting continued until nearly dawn, when everyone left one by one, looking exhausted, after Harvey decided to adjourn the meeting temporarily.

Salas and Dawson stopped the emperor as he was about to return to the palace.

"Your Majesty, at tonight's meeting... why was your suggestion not adopted immediately? Does Your Majesty lack confidence in us three old men?"

Although there was a hint of resentment in his words, Harvey knew that Salas was mostly joking, so he didn't feel offended.

“Your Excellency, there’s no need to belittle yourself. I didn’t mean to look down on the three of you.” Harvey gave a wry smile and shrugged. “In fact, from the end of the Dragon War until now, humanity has probably never faced a situation where all three Federation leaders had to personally take action at the same time, has it?”

The protracted war with these northern tribes has only just begun, and Harvey felt there was no need to reveal all his cards right away; there's a way to fight a war with plenty of resources.

Moreover... he also had concerns that he couldn't openly express because he needed to consider the chief's feelings.

After all, the youngest of the three, Lord Gallagher, is now nearly 120 years old, while Lord Dawson is slightly older than him... Lord Salas has just passed the age of 150 and has been cured of his soul separation disease from the near-fatal flesh-fusion ritual, so he will not have to worry about his lifespan ending for at least several decades.

However, no matter what... even short-lived species that haven't transcended the level of life will gradually age and weaken over time, and the existence of the legendary rank simply prolongs this process slightly.

From Harvey's perspective, Lord Gallagher should not have entered the irreversible phase of magical decline yet.

As for the two chiefs, Dawson and Salas... unless absolutely necessary, they rarely used the high-level spells that they used to be famous for. Magic has such cruel rules... the higher you advance, the more powerful the magic you cast, and the more fiercely magic corrodes your physical body and mental strength. It's like an exceptionally sharp double-edged sword, and you have to be extremely careful with every strike.

The three legendary mages of the New Union are all indispensable on the battlefield... If they were to fall in battle, it would be an unprecedented and enormous loss for the United Kingdom, and morale would be severely damaged.

Therefore, when it comes to dealing with the Lizardman Evolvers, Harvey still tends to trust the Son of Flame and his group of high-level battle mages who are at the peak of their strength.

And then there are the Bloodline Warriors and Starfire Warriors, whom he has always placed high hopes on.

(End of this chapter)