My inventory is full of monster materials.

Chapter 136 Action Plan

Theresa's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the stalemate on the training ground.

Everyone present stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

No one could have imagined that this taciturn female knight would defy public opinion and cast her crucial vote for Mark.

Everyone's suspicious gazes were focused on Mark, a mixture of curiosity, doubt, and a hint of inquiry.

Mark was completely bewildered at this point.

He and Theresa had only met once at the Violet Tavern and were not particularly close.

The only connection is that his teammate Emily and Teresa have a very close relationship.

Could it be because of Emily?

Mark instinctively dismissed the idea; if that were the reason, he should at least have given them a heads-up.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mark calmly bowed slightly in front of everyone and said with a gentle smile.

"Miss Theresa, thank you for your trust, but I am not participating in the captain election."

"However, I recommend Killian to you; he is a reliable candidate."

Theresa's gaze remained indifferent, unconcerned about the stares of others. After listening to Mark's suggestion, she nodded and responded softly.

"Okay, then Killian."

After saying this, Teresa ignored the astonishment of those around her, walked straight to the side of the training field facing the sun, knelt on one knee with her hands folded in front of her chest, and began to pray devoutly again.

Eris stiffly withdrew his hand, which had been hovering in mid-air. He opened and closed his mouth several times, as if trying to say something, but in the end he only let out a heavy snort and gripped the rapier at his waist with a face full of resentment.

Nolan gave Mark a deep look, then silently lowered his eyes and said nothing more.

Adele, on the other hand, tilted her head and looked at Mark with increasing interest, muttering to herself, "What a strangely tall guy."

Thus, the captaincy election ended in Killian's victory.

The Adventurers' Guild successfully seized control of the elite team.

Madeline secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly perked up again. Out of sight of the others, she reached out and pinched Mark's lower back hard, a sly smile on her face.

"Wow! Our Mage Mark is quite something. I didn't expect you could even handle the paladins of the Church of Dawn. You've been keeping it well hidden."

"Ouch~ Ouch~ Be gentle!"

Mark was already aching from the tenderness of the previous night, and when Madeline pinched him, it was like being attacked from both inside and outside, causing him to gasp in pain.

But Mark could only grit his teeth and force himself to remain calm as he argued.

"I don't know either, maybe it's because I'm too handsome."

"snort!"

Before letting go, Madeline twisted her hand slightly, applying even more force.

Mark's face turned deathly pale, but he swallowed the cry of pain that was about to come out.

"Seriously."

Madeline dropped her joking expression, her eyes now filled with a hint of inquiry.

"As you know, each member of this temporary team represents a major power. Those selected are the elites of their respective forces and are the key candidates for development."

"But Theresa is different from us. She is a strategic talent of the Church of Dawn, rumored to be the one who bestows the blessing of 'Radiance.' In the future, let alone advancing to the second-tier 'Templar Knight,' it is not impossible for her to even reach a higher rank."

Mark's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this.

"How could the church bear to let this precious child go out and undergo training?"

Madeline shrugged, gave Mark a sharp look, and began to speak eloquently.

"Who knows? Maybe she volunteered for this operation so she could have a secret rendezvous with you?"

""

After saying that, Madeline reached out to pinch Mark's waist again, but Mark had anticipated this and dodged it with a slight sidestep, then smiled and changed the subject.

"Stop fooling around. Now that the captain has been confirmed, shouldn't we talk about the next steps in the operation?"

Seeing this, Madeline's face flashed with a hint of resentment, but she knew this was not the time for jokes, so she could only reluctantly withdraw her hand and turn to look at Killian beside her.

The two looked at each other through their helmets, nodded slightly, and reached a tacit understanding.

The next second, Killian raised his strong arm, clenched his fist tightly, and pounded his chest hard with a dull thud, then shouted in a deep voice.

"gather!!"

This rallying order was powerful and resounding, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Even though Eris, Adele, and the others were still unwilling, they could only suppress their emotions and obediently step forward to join the group.

This is the captain's authority, and also the rule of the operation; no one dares to openly disobey.

After everyone had assembled, Killian led them to the pre-arranged operations room next to the training ground.

The operations room was small, with a long wooden table in the center, where everyone sat down in different postures.

Killian sat upright in the main seat, his back straight, exuding a calm and composed aura.

Eris, Adele, and Nolan were all somewhat relaxed, either sitting with their arms crossed in boredom or fiddling with their gemstone rings.

In contrast, Gray and Mark sat side by side, their expressions focused.

Madeline laid a detailed map flat on the wooden board, with clear markings of the terrain.

The canyon is marked with a few green flags, representing the anti-bandit joint force that has been besieged.

However, the outer perimeter was surrounded by a dense cluster of black markings, numbering more than ten times the number of markings.

Even without Madeline's explanation, everyone was aware of the severity of the battlefield situation.

Madeline tapped the black area on the map lightly with her baton, speaking solemnly.

"What you are seeing now is intelligence gathered by the guild's investigation team overnight."

"It's clear that the abyssal monsters have completely sealed off the entire canyon. Their numbers are enormous, and attempting a frontal breakout to rescue the trapped personnel is extremely risky..."

"I said, is it really necessary to go through all this trouble?"

But then Eris couldn't help but interject.

"With just a little money, we can hire one or two high-level professionals to rescue my unfortunate cousin. There's no need for us to take such a risk."

"quiet!"

Madeline retorted sharply, her tone incisive and full of energy.

"Do you think that only the heirs of the Glover family are trapped inside?"

"There are also hundreds of noble sons from Sergei City, as well as hundreds of soldiers and civilians inside!"

"If we only rescue Edmund and abandon the others, do you know what the consequences will be for Surge City?"

Eris fell silent instantly, her face showing a mixture of panic and guilt. She opened her mouth, but could no longer utter a word in rebuttal.

Everyone else had similar expressions.

Mark nodded secretly; Madeline's words had completely awakened everyone.

This operation was never just about rescuing a noble heir; it was also about ensuring the future stability of Sergei.

Once everyone quieted down, Madeline continued her deployment, slamming her baton heavily on the mountain pass south of the canyon on the map.

There was a red dotted line, winding its way through the dense black fog, reaching the besieged military camp.

"After repeated discussions at the command center, we discovered that there is a 5-kilometer-long underground river that runs through the mountains, bypassing the encirclement of the abyss monsters and reaching the interior of the canyon."

"Our team's first mission is to open up this underground river and clear away the dangers along the way."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought, silently calculating the difficulty and risks of the mission.

Seeing this, Madeline added.

"The core of the first phase is Mark."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes were instantly focused on Mark, filled with curiosity, anticipation, and a touch of doubt.

Madeline continued, meeting everyone's gaze.

"Mark is a professional mage proficient in frost magic. We need to help Mark freeze the water of the underground river to create a safe evacuation route for the trapped personnel."

Upon hearing this, Mark nodded slightly.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Then, Madeline changed the subject.

"Once we successfully reach the interior of the canyon and rescue the trapped personnel, the vanguard team will begin the second phase of the team's mission: to establish a temporary teleportation point."

T

As she spoke, Madeline turned to Grey and introduced him.

"The core of the second phase is Gray. He will immediately use the pre-prepared spell scrolls to set up a 5th-level 'teleportation circle.'"

Gray nodded slightly in response, a confident smile on his face.

"no problem."

Teleportation array?!

Mark pondered to himself.

The 4th level "Anywhere Door" that he is currently studying is a simplified version of the 5th level "Teleportation Array".

In comparison, the "teleportation array" has a greater number of teleports and a longer distance, and it is also more stable.

However, setting up a magic circle requires a large amount of magic power and special materials, which ordinary mages cannot complete independently.

But Mark soon became suspicious and couldn't help but ask.

"Since we've already secretly opened up a passage leading to the canyon, why bother building a teleportation point? That would be redundant."

Madeline nodded approvingly, clearly pleased with Mark's well-timed question.

"In fact, the teleportation array has limited energy, and can only teleport up to ten people at a time, which is just a drop in the bucket for the hundreds of people trapped."

"Its true purpose is to allow our high-level combat forces to be quickly deployed to the battlefield, coordinating with the support forces on the periphery, to catch the abyss monster army off guard and completely relieve the siege of the canyon."

"High-level combat power..."

Mark repeated the word in a low voice. Although Madeline had spoken cryptically, he quickly understood that someone who could be called a "high-level combatant" must be a second-tier professional like the guild leader.

It seems that this "anchor point" operation has thoroughly alarmed the higher-ups in Sergei City, forcing them to dispatch second-tier combat forces.

Thinking of this, Mark felt a little relieved.

In the border regions of Loran, second-tier combat power is the ceiling; with them in charge, the safety of operations will undoubtedly be greatly improved.

Madeline's gaze swept over everyone present, and she spoke with a serious expression.

"The reason this operation is codenamed Anchor Point is because we need to penetrate deep into the monster encirclement and establish this crucial teleportation point as an anchor point for our high-level combat forces," laying the foundation for the subsequent all-out attack.

"Do you have any other questions now?"

"I have a problem."

Killian, seated at the head of the table, spoke first, his sharp gaze pointing directly to the core of the mission.

"Does our mission end once Gray completes the construction of the 5th-ring 'Teleportation Circle'?"

Madeline shook her head and replied.

"In principle, yes, but the specific arrangements will depend on the command center's instructions..."

Afterwards, the group raised a number of questions, which Madeline answered patiently one by one.

Finally, Madeline slammed her baton down on the map again, pinpointing the starting point of the red path marking the underground river, and said solemnly.

"Another crucial issue is that the entrance to the underground river has been occupied by a large kobold tribe."

"These kobolds are quite strong, numbering two to three hundred, and there are about ten first-tier mutants among them."

"Now, the squad's primary task is to annihilate this kobold tribe and clear the entrance. This is also the first test of our newly formed squad's strength."

Then, Madeline looked at Killian and said in a deep voice.

"Let's get ready now. Check our equipment and supplies. We'll set off promptly in two hours to conquer the kobold tribe!"

Killian sat up abruptly, clenched his fists, and responded in a deep voice.

"No problem! Everyone disperse, prepare yourselves, and meet back in two hours!"

Everyone stood up and dispersed in an orderly manner. The originally loose temporary team had taken shape and gained more cohesion after the operation was planned and deployed.

Mark turned to leave to check his spell scrolls and monster materials, but Madeline suddenly called him back.

"Mark, wait a minute, take this."

"Um?"

Mark stopped, turned around, and looked at Madeline with a puzzled expression.

Madeline handed over a bronze box, exquisitely crafted, inlaid with gemstones and agates, and engraved with ornate patterns.

Madeline gave Mark a wink, signaling him to open it.

Mark took the tin box, gently opened the lid, and inside was lined with soft silk, on which lay a milky white horn.

It is about the size of an arm, resembling the tooth of some kind of giant beast, and was shaped after being carefully polished and engraved with magic.

Madeline looked at Mark, who was staring blankly at her, and introduced him with a smile.

"This is the Winter's Horn, a rare magical artifact treasured by Earthquake Keep." It is said to increase the ring number of ice spells. As for how to use it, you'll have to figure it out yourself.

"The adults were worried that your ice magic wasn't strong enough, so they specially prepared this magical equipment for you."

Mark's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the horn, his face beaming with joy.

The cool touch sent a shiver through him, and he could even vaguely sense the resonance between the magic within him and the ice element contained in the horn.

Mark examined the magic horn in his hand with great interest, and said modestly.

"This is way too expensive."

Madeline chuckled, reached out and playfully flicked Mark's nose, teasing him affectionately.

"You think this is for you? It's just for you to use temporarily. You have to return it after the mission is over."

"6

'

Mark's joy froze instantly, and he sighed helplessly.

"...Well, it's better than nothing."