Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 69 Crystal Riverside
Having passed through the Green Vine Pass checkpoint, the elite squad from Cloud Mist Territory found themselves facing a clear and easy path ahead.

In the perilous and complex terrain of the Dark Forest, Peiwen insisted that the squad bring their warhorses. The soldiers practically carried the horses on their shoulders and backs, using their manpower to protect them as they made their way through. Now, it was finally time for them to put their horses to good use.

Although the number of mounts they could carry was limited, with only one or two people per mount, the speed of the troops' march was still quickly increased.

At this moment, Chen Mo, who couldn't ride a horse, became a minor but significant problem.

Although, in terms of weight distribution, it might have been more "reasonable" to have Chen Mo ride with the young princess, and it seems that Princess Liushuang didn't object much, in the end, the leaders of Yunwu Territory still didn't come up with this awkward arrangement.

Chen Mo was led onto Captain Peiwen's horse.

His little white robot, gimbal, weapons, equipment, and supplies were carried by different soldiers, yet he still enjoyed the biggest privilege in the team.

It's worth noting that even Lady Linda's ever-present "Noble Etiquette" was discarded, and the young princess hadn't changed her coat in a long time. Only Chen Mo's bottles, jars, metal components, and unknown powder were carefully protected by the soldiers in the deepest part of their luggage, with not a single item missing.

Of course, none of the warriors in Cloud Mist Territory complained.

Sometimes, respect depends not only on status, but also on contribution or strength!
As the horses galloped, Chen Mo and Pei Wen's teamwork became increasingly seamless.

Captain Peiwen was very familiar with the general terrain and town distribution in this area, while Chen Mo used drones to fill the gap in the team's lack of scouts.

Within a quasi-safe zone at a considerable distance from enemy cities, Chen Mo would deploy a miniature reconnaissance drone. However, once he entered the relatively dangerous zone indicated by Pei Wen, Chen Mo would switch to the [Skylark] drone, which had a wider reconnaissance range and higher camera precision.

Advanced real-time reconnaissance allowed this elite squad to move like ghosts through enemy territory, traversing freely as if it were uninhabited.

On at least three occasions, thanks to the detection and early warning provided by drones, the small team, carrying leaves and bridles, silently concealed themselves in deep valleys or dense forests. Not far away, the thunderous hooves of a large enemy cavalry force stirred up clouds of dust, yet they could only brush past each other.

As for those scattered enemy reconnaissance squads... they became "spoils of war" that Captain Peiwen could easily harvest.

A fourth-tier Golden Scale Warrior can practically run rampant against ordinary, un-promoted warriors. In the past, there was always the worry of a head-on encounter where the enemy would scatter and flee. Now, with the intelligence support of drones, all they need to do is choose a concealed spot along the enemy's likely route and lie in wait. When the enemy passes by, they can strike with lightning speed, cutting them off cleanly and efficiently.

Not only did they clear out the enemy's cavalry, but they also replenished their warhorses and gradually changed into full sets of Green Pine Kingdom standard armor.

With this disguise, the Cloud Mist Territory team made slight alterations and swaggered onto the official road.

The Kingdom of Green Pine was well aware of the existence of such a force, but the kingdom's feudal management system gave each city-state a high degree of political, economic, and military autonomy. This situation of each governing its own territory, coupled with rather sluggish communication conditions, meant that they could only conduct small-scale defenses within their own territories.

Organizing a coordinated manhunt is no less difficult than launching a national war.

Right now, the Green Pine Kingdom is in the midst of a national war, so it's impossible for them to devote much energy to dealing with this small team.

After twelve days of arduous marching, the Cloud Mist Squad traversed the territory of the Green Pine Kingdom's Lookout City, Hemlock Territory, and Olive Castle, finally arriving at the final checkpoint—the Rainbow Bridge camp on the banks of the Crystal River.

The Crystal River is known as the mother river of the entire Emerald Plain.

Although this mother river is somewhat capricious, and every few years or decades she would suddenly unleash a furious rage, pouring her pent-up violent power down through breaches in the riverbanks, ravaging the towns and villages on both sides, there is no denying that without this ceaselessly flowing river, there would be no fertile plains stretching for thousands of miles.

When turquoise and emerald were at peace, the Crystal River served as their natural border. The only giant stone bridge spanning the river—the Rainbow Bridge—was a vital passage for communication between the two nations.

It was also a strategic location that military strategists fought over.

At each end of the riverbank stands a majestic military fortress, with thick stone walls stretching along the riverbank to the water crossing, firmly locking the two ends of the bridge within the control of the fortresses.

This is both a steel gateway guarding the bridge and a heavy fortress defending against enemy countries on the other side.

Peiwen carefully settled the team deep in a secluded valley. He then personally led Chen Mo, cautiously making their way along the undulating ridgeline. It took them a full half-day to quietly reach a mountain ridge about four kilometers upstream from the Rainbow Stone Bridge.

Chen Mo released the lark. The drone quietly spied on the Rainbow Stone Bridge from the sky upstream, and Chen Mo witnessed the breathtaking architectural wonders of the Starry Continent for the first time.

This is a wondrous structure that Chen Mo could not comprehend with the scientific knowledge he had acquired.

Looking down from a distance, the surging Crystal River is at least three kilometers wide, and the location where the Rainbow Bridge is built seems to be slightly wider. However, there is not a single supporting pier under the entire bridge!

It relies solely on bridge piers on both banks that are slightly higher than the embankment to extend a huge arched structure, soaring thousands of meters into the air in an elegant arc to connect to the opposite bank.

The bridge was made of some kind of shimmering stone that flowed with iridescent colors in the sunlight. Due to the visual difference caused by the distance, Chen Mo felt that if the wind were strong, this thing could break in the middle at any time.

Chen Mo's homeland, Dongxia, is one of the largest infrastructure suppliers on Earth, having created numerous architectural wonders. However, a pure arch bridge with such a large span is unheard of and unseen.

Peiwen kept his eyes glued to the screen, his brows furrowed, his expression grim, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the camps on both sides of the river, scrutinizing them repeatedly.

Sensing Chen Mo's probing gaze, Peiwen pointed to the other side of the bridge.

“The Rainbow Stone Bridge was originally the boundary between Green Pine and our Emerald Duchy. No one would feel at ease leaving such an important passage in the hands of another.”

"After decades of back-and-forth negotiations, it was finally decided that each side would be assigned half of the bridge, and the troops stationed at the bridgehead were among the top elite units in the country."

"Now, the three-tower flags with green pines have been raised on the other side of the river..."

"The Emerald Fortress has fallen!"

No, who asked you that...

I wanted to ask how this bridge was built? How could it not collapse without supporting pillars? Was it made of new materials or some kind of high-tech equipment? Could you provide me with some...?

Well, seeing the mournful look on Captain Peiwen's face, Chen Mo swallowed back a whole string of questions about bridge materials and principles.

As the drone's lens extends further, the battlefield situation becomes increasingly clear.

On the north bank of the Crystal River, with the fortress at the bridgehead flying the Three Towers flag as its core, the Green Pine Army constructed three dense, semi-circular defensive positions resembling giant iron rings.

Banners fluttered, armor gleamed, and scout cavalrymen, trailing dust, continuously sped out of their tents and returned from afar.

Seeing the heavy security, Peiwen's face relaxed somewhat.

"The fact that they've set up such a large defensive formation means that the north bank is still in our hands! They're trying to prevent a counterattack from the main force of our Emerald Kingdom."

"In other words, as long as we can cross the river, we can find the duchy's army!"

Chen Mo: "This defense won't be easy to get past..."

Peiwen smiled, revealing the magnanimity unique to veterans: "Forget about crossing the bridge. With this level of defense, even my teacher couldn't handle it. We need to find another place and swim across!"

"Swim...swim across?!"

Chen Mo suddenly felt a tightness in his body, and that memory that wasn't quite dead yet, swallowed by the waves, suddenly crawled out.

"Um... I, I'm not very good at swimming..."

Peiwen patted her chest lightly: "Don't worry, I'm here!"

(End of this chapter)