Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 15 The Wandering Scholar

Su Mu rested on the spot, adjusting his magic power. He had expended a considerable amount of effort to save these people.

There's no other way. Right now, he only has a few mediocre people under his command. Even the five archers who failed to advance are still quite capable. He really has to tighten his belt!
When the Earthbow is in battle, its arrows are covered with a layer of magical shards, and thin stone armor floats around its chest. Its arms are as steady as a sculpture, making it look like a miniature version of a stone golem.

The elemental buff significantly improved his abilities, but each use required a certain amount of time to accumulate and replenish mana, similar to a hero's mana replenishment. If he had a magic guild, there wouldn't be a problem, but now, once he runs out of mana, he needs a hero to provide it. Fortunately, the reduced mana consumption from his basic earth magic mastery is effective for elemental units; otherwise, his limited mana wouldn't be enough.

This is what is meant by: knowledge is power!

Seeing Su Mu awaken from his reverie, Ou Ling walked over slowly.

"Your archery skills are indeed extraordinary; given time, you may be able to become a hero."

Upon hearing Su Mu's comments, Ou Ling's eyes lit up instantly, but her expression turned somber again when she saw the brand on her arm.

Su Mu didn't ask any further questions. They were all adults; they would speak when they wanted to. Su Mu's requirements for him now were simple: don't betray him, improve your abilities to fight alongside him, and keep the forest farm alive.

As he used his governing techniques more frequently, he increasingly felt the difficulty in selecting personnel.

Everyone, as an individual, has their own thoughts and desires, and different environments lead to different interests. If you think that you can make people completely devoted and willing to risk their lives with just a few small favors, then you're not far from death.

If he were in a high position, people would naturally come to flatter and fawn over him, and perhaps he wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. But the reality is that he's starting out in a village or town, a forest farm owner—what kind of talent could he possibly attract? Discovering someone like Ouling is already a stroke of good luck. Then again, even if he were a marquis or a king, would his subordinates truly be selfless? It's all about mutual benefit.

Su Mu had a very open-minded attitude from the beginning, using people when they could be used. But if someone is eating their own food while listening to others, the governor's sword might not be so sharp!
"Sir, a cave has been discovered behind the statue, and someone is chanting."

The surrounding area was filled with magic, and no one could enter.

Upon hearing the soldier's report, Su Mu was overjoyed and got up to head towards the back of the fortress.

Dual-element mountain fortresses are not easy to find, and when you do encounter one, it's sure to bring some other surprises.

A magic scroll? A mysterious treasure chest? Or perhaps a prayer altar?
Ideally, he should be an earth magic prophet, so that he can not only buy spellbooks but also learn earth magic.

"Fools say magic is dead, but they don't know that every drop of morning dew creates miracles!"

"Use my pupils as a crucible to boil the mud soup, and you will see endless roots beneath the darkness!"

As Su Mu approached, the sound grew louder and louder from inside the cave. He used his magical power to break through the limitations of magic and went inside.

I saw no one, only a ball of light floating in the darkness, constantly chanting.

[The Wandering Scholar: You encounter a strange scholar in a dark clearing. He promises to teach you something before he leaves, but you need to exchange something for it.]

"Thirsty seeker of knowledge, if you are willing to hand over eight raw stones, I will teach you magic."

Hearing the ethereal promise in his ear, Su Mu frowned.

It was this guy! Unlike ordinary scholars, he was a wandering scholar from another dimension, his location unknown. You needed to pay certain materials to learn skills or magic from him; the range was quite broad.

This "broad" refers to something in a practical sense. It includes not only the four elemental magics, but also exclusive production and racial magic, as well as some spells from mysterious places—the kind that make you instantly powerful but also drive you mad.

Hearing the seductive whispers in his ear, Su Mu shook his head and withdrew for the time being.

He doesn't have raw stone resources; he might be able to exchange them on the market, but the price would be incredibly high.

Now is not the time to study mystical arts. Let's deal with this wave of enemies first. Anyway, he's the only one who knows about this place right now.

"Let's retreat. Find some branches and stones to cover the entrance to the cave."

Ouling obediently refrained from asking about the cave's interior, instead leading his men to camouflage the entrance so that it would be undetectable from a distance. When the group returned, it was already dark; the Earth Bow army had moved silently, having subconsciously become one with the earth's elements. Without exceptional scouts, they would be difficult to spot.

But as they reached the only way back, they discovered something unusual.

The crowded and treacherous mountain path was filled with the sound of a large number of marching footsteps, which sounded like horseshoes pounding on stones, in perfect unison.

The other party did not light a torch and walked along the cliff at night, showing some skill and daring.

Ouling climbed up the cliff and observed for a long time before bending down to report: "The darkness is too thick to see the number of enemy troops. The vanguard must be centaurs, and there are more than 200 of them."

The sharpshooter was cautious, but Su Mu felt that the commotion below indicated at least three or four hundred people, who were very likely the vanguard army that the prisoners had mentioned roaming the Xilin Plain.

"Prepare for a burst of fire, give them a surprise!"

Ouling advised, "Although the night has little effect on the Earth Bow, the enemy is far away and can only fire one volley before fleeing. Given the enemy's numbers, it will be difficult to inflict serious damage."

"It's alright, just make them panic, don't use elemental abilities."

Since the commander-in-chief had given such an order, Ouling said no more and directed the Earth Bow to fire arrows at the area where the centaur troops were most concentrated.

Arrows shot from the mountaintop, instantly felling dozens of centaurs, eliciting cries of agony, and turning the clandestine night march into a joke.

"Enemy attack!"

"They're archers! Everyone take cover!"

After being attacked, the centaur reacted quickly and hurriedly ran away from the mountain path.

The enemy was incredibly fast, disappearing from the attack area almost instantly and locking onto several suspicious locations. However, the darkness was too great for the centaur to make out the enemy's exact appearance; he only knew they were a group of archers.

"The distance is too far, shooting arrows again would be a waste of ammunition."

Su Mu remained calm and said, "It's alright, let's wait and see!"

Faced with this unexpected incident, the centaur forces no longer concealed their movements. They lit torches in the jungle, and there were probably eight or nine hundred of them in total. They were well-prepared, even carrying torches for a night march.

"bluff!"

"Shoot into the forest again!"

If we consider the previous range of the sharpshooter, this is somewhat beyond the scope of the skill set, but the range of the Earth Bow has been increased, so it is still barely possible to reach it.

Another volley of arrows rained down. The destructive attack of the stone arrows not only took the lives of the centaurs, but also caused many torches to fall and set the forest ablaze.

This really terrified the enemy. They couldn't see where the arrows came from, and assumed that the cliffs were full of enemy archers. They stopped holding their ground in the woods, threw down their torches, and ran away, retreating along the way they had come.

The disorganized force, at most four hundred men, was indeed trying to cover up the truth.

Ouling looked at Su Mu with admiration; he truly deserved to be called a hero.

Su Mu's expression was not optimistic. The centaurs were running like the wind, indicating that the opposing druid was a hero proficient in air magic. Furthermore, the opponent's swift night raid suggested they possessed either Logistics or Pathfinding skills. A unit known for its mobility, combined with these two abilities, made them virtually invisible.

If he hadn't happened to encounter them here tonight, the enemy's search and breakthrough might have reached the heart of the territory first. Although their target might not have been Kuraki Town, it was still frightening.

"Let's go! Back to the forest area for garrison duty."

Happy Lantern Festival to everyone!
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(End of this chapter)