Becoming a wet nurse is not the end of the story.

After hearing His Majesty's account of Lin Xueyin's actual situation and current circumstances, a man also dressed in baron's attire stepped forward first and expressed all his opinions.

“Your Majesty, I disagree with Baron Elru’s statement. I believe that the elves are allies of our empire and would not do something so self-destructive, especially when the demons have already prepared their troops and their blades are pointed at the entire continent.”

"Hmph, that sounds nice, but who knows what the elves are really thinking? What if they actually do it? Don't forget, the elves are also a major power on this continent. Faced with Baron Lin's abilities, wouldn't they be tempted?"

"I've also heard that the Elven princess is quite fond of Baron Lin, and often takes him out to play. She even brought the Elven race's top secret, the Jade Dragon. I think it would be really hard to believe that they don't have feelings for Baron Lin."

"So what? Even if they want to keep Baron Lin, are they going to force him to stay? Our ambassador is still there. They're not blind; do you think they can't see what's going on there?"

"In the vast Kerluqin Forest, hiding a little girl would be easy, wouldn't it?"

Upon learning that Lin Xueyin herself had actually defeated the renowned Nightmare Clan Chief Morogal and the Shadow Clan's super assassin, Nid Soul Reaper, the entire human race's high-ranking members were in an uproar.

Putting aside her battle record, her age alone speaks volumes. A priest who can save lives and even resurrect the dead is already someone to be reckoned with, not to mention her combat prowess. Who could possibly do anything to her?

Such a being must be kept among the human race and protected well. Presumably, the demon race is already itching to make their move, hoping to completely eliminate this elite human before she truly grows up.

“Your Majesty, I think we cannot simply listen to the Elven race’s side of the story. We must send troops to put pressure on them. Even if what they say is true, we must make a show of force to tell the Elven race not to easily attack Baron Lin in order to protect her safety.”

"Ha, that sounds nice. If you do this, aren't you afraid of causing a great war between the elves and us? If the demons take advantage of the situation, it won't be as simple as just putting pressure on them."

“Father, I think we can put pressure on them first through the ambassador as a way of showing our attitude and see how the Elven race treats us as their ally. If it is really as they say, that Xueyin, uh, Baron Lin, has gone missing, we should intensify our search efforts to prevent anyone from getting there first.”

Suppressing his worries about Lin Xueyin, Prince Ikux chose to find Lin Xueyin's whereabouts first, because only by finding Xueyin could he find out what had happened.

“Your Majesty, I agree with what the Prince said. My territory is close to the Elven Kerlochin Forest, and I will send out elite troops to conduct a comprehensive search.”

Grand Duke Lofix stepped forward and took full responsibility for the matter.

"Haha, I didn't expect the Grand Duke to be in such a hurry. Alright, you can search your territory thoroughly, and the other territories can be searched by their respective lords."

"My son, write a letter to Ambassador Urna and tell him not to return yet. Even if he is already on his way, he must turn back. We must tell the elves our stance to prevent them from harming Baron Lin."

"Understood, Your Majesty, I will take care of it immediately."

After speaking, Prince Ikux turned and left, but he failed to see the deep affection in his father's knowing eyes.

Meanwhile, the girl who was unaware that she was about to ignite a war between humans and elves, or perhaps a war between elves, humans, and demons, was also facing her own difficulties.

Back at the mercenary group's base, Yu Liuli had already planned to rest for two days before leaving and returning to the capital. However, during those two days, the undead she had encountered before reappeared outside, and at the same time, the rats from the Land of Despair in the Demon Realm swarmed in.

Faced with an overwhelming horde of rats wielding all sorts of weapons, they surged towards the fortifications across the entire mountain range like a tidal wave.

Among these ratmen, the undead warriors also slowly advanced, their chattering rats mingling with the low howls unique to the undead.

"Ugh, what on earth are all these things?" Lin Xueyin looked at the army of familiar faces surging towards her and suddenly felt like turning around and running away.

This is terrible! The feeling of rats everywhere is absolutely terrifying. Even if these rats are big, they are still rats.

Yu Liuli held Lin Xueyin's small hand, which was clearly trembling, and felt its coldness. She felt a pang of sympathy for this child who had never been on the battlefield.

"Yukine, don't worry, we're here, everything will be alright."

"Hmm... if this defense line is breached, then... then it will become food for the rats."

Seeing the girl's face turn pale, Yu Liuli held her in her arms and gently comforted the girl who was about to be baptized in blood and fire.

"It's alright, it's alright, don't worry, this place won't be breached."

As soon as the words were spoken, the roar of cannons echoed from the fortifications across the entire mountain range. Huge explosions resounded around the ratmen, accompanied by billowing clouds of blood.

After two rounds of artillery suppression, a dense barrage of musket fire followed, with three rows of muskets firing continuously and in a stepped fashion, inflicting severe damage on the ratmen once again.

At this moment, the ratmen also exposed their greatest weakness: cowardice. Before even getting close to the enemy, a large number of ratmen had already died around them, and many ratmen began to collapse. The battle line collapsed instantly, and the entire ratman army began to retreat or even scatter and flee.

Seeing this, Lin Xueyin breathed a sigh of relief. If these rat-men had been fearless, she probably would have become their meal.

However, just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they did not notice that tiny insects had appeared at their feet. They had quietly sneaked into the vicinity and were observing everything inside.

Deep in the mountains and forests, a one-eyed, lame rat-man was looking at all the arrangements inside a small crystal ball, muttering something to himself.

Only one remained, its eyes gleaming with cold light, its cunning gaze revealing a ruthless mockery of its enemy.

However, as the screen moved, he was suddenly shocked to see an unbelievable scene: that woman, yes, that woman, the woman named Lin Xueyin.

As rat-people, timidity is a characteristic, but also an advantage. Among the demons, Morogal, one of the chieftains of the Nightmare Clan, was defeated because of her. He was even thrown into a dark room.

If he could capture her alive and hand her over to the Demon King, wouldn't he receive an even greater reward? As for killing her, heh, the rat-man wasn't a fool. He could release her, he could capture her, but killing her... his rat instincts told him that would bring him a great disaster.

"Your Excellency the Prophet, our army is ready. I wonder if we can move out now?"

He carefully examined the ratman lords before him with his remaining single eye, a slight smile curving his pointed lips as if mocking them.

“No, Your Excellency the Prophet, we’ve had enough of that foolish necromancer who thinks we’ll obediently follow his orders. His incompetent command abilities are worse than even our rat slaves.”

"There's no need to rush into battle today. We'll wait until the main force arrives tomorrow. Besides, our target isn't just the dwarves, but also the winged race on the mountaintop."

"Are you saying we're going to wipe out both the dwarves and the winged race?"

"Haha, of course, otherwise why would we be fighting alongside these filthy undead in such a grand manner? But you must be careful next time you fight."

Hearing that there were things to be careful about, the rat-man lords all listened attentively. Something that the prophet emphasized so much was obviously no small matter. If something went wrong, it could cost them their lives. As rat-men who valued their lives the most, they naturally wouldn't risk their lives to test the power of the lightning.

"This woman, remember this woman, you must capture her alive. Even if you let her escape, it's okay, just don't let anything happen to her, do you understand?"

After receiving their affirmative reply, the ratman prophet still reminded them again, "Remember, do not let her get hurt, and even more importantly, do not let her be poisoned or infected with the plague. Even if we charge head-on today, do not cause her any harm."

"Prophet, I don't understand. What is it about this human woman? She's so ugly. Is there some special relationship between her and others?"

“I don’t know the specifics, but my intuition tells me that there is a huge shadow behind her, and if we take a wrong step, it will be truly irreversible.”

"But what if we're going to kill her?"

The rat-man prophet grinned again, his slender mouth splitting open. "How many days have passed since Morogal was captured? Has our Demon King uttered a single word about assassinating her or anything detrimental to her?"

One sentence silenced the other rat lords.

Volume 5: The Winged Race and the Dwarves: Chapter 15 Fierce Battle

The dwarves didn't have to wait long; they returned the next day. This time, the troops were clearly different from the previous ones, with superior weaponry, a variety of troop types, and most importantly, unified command.

With each sharp hiss of the rats, these ratmen slowly advanced toward the dwarves' fortifications, constantly putting pressure on the dwarves through this forceful advance.

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. The dwarves looked at these powerful and ferocious ratmen and couldn't help but feel fear. They stopped just three steps away from the range of the cannon fire.

“Listen up, you dwarves inside! We are the Skaven Legion of the Land of Despair, under the command of Marshal Krastrom of the Eastern Route Army. If you lay down your weapons and surrender, we will not do anything to you.”

"Our Dark Iron Dwarf race has never surrendered since its inception. How dare you, a mere mouse-man, utter such nonsense?"

A dwarf general suddenly leaped up from the low wall, brandishing a huge long-handled battle axe, staring intently at the ratmen who had come to invade his tribe.

His response was the ratmen's frantic, shrill howls. Some undead warriors slowly emerged from the ratman ranks and moved step by step toward the dwarven army.

When these undead warriors returned to cannon range, they were met with a barrage of artillery fire. However, as the cannon fire subsided and the smoke cleared, the ratmen launched a frenzied charge, unleashing a tidal wave of attacks on the dwarven forces behind the fortifications.

The raging swarm of rats charged toward the dwarves' fortifications, and after another round of artillery fire, these ratmen were about to breach the first line of defense.

Lin Xueyin watched as the dwarves on the first line of defense continuously fired their muskets at the ratmen. Although she wanted to go out and help, Yu Liuli pressed her firmly back down, preventing her from leaving.

"Xueyin, are you crazy? What can a priest do in that situation? Those ratmen won't be merciful just because you're a little girl. What will your family do if something really happens?"

"I....."

"Stop talking about yours and mine. Stay here, Orichils. Keep an eye on her. I'm going to discuss the upcoming coordinated operations with the dwarven generals. Until I return, none of you are allowed to move around."

Orichalos was unfazed, but Lin Xueyin sat on the ground in frustration, watching the dwarves detonate the gunpowder in front of the first line of defense, temporarily halting the ratmen's attack and buying them time to retreat.

Along the long, winding defensive line, the dwarves retreated continuously towards the rear, while the ratmen, after passing through a sea of ​​fire, began their pursuit. But at that moment, hundreds of helicopters that had been seen before began dropping incendiary bombs, burying the ratmen behind the dwarves in the inferno.

The piercing screams relentlessly pounded on Lin Xueyin's heart; the battle, even more brutal than the one at Sunset Pass, instantly drained the color from her face.

She clenched her hands tightly, her pale lips trembling unconsciously, whether from worry about the retreating dwarves or from the screams of the ratmen that frightened her.

The cannons roared and roared as they relentlessly attacked the entire sea of ​​fire, while the dwarven musketeers wove a dense net of guns across the inferno.

The screams coming from inside were the last sounds of the ratmen as they were about to leave.

However, this hellish scene did not frighten the rat-men; instead, it aroused their ferocity, causing them to charge even more cruelly into the sea of ​​fire.

Meanwhile, some of the ratman mages behind them unleashed fierce water and earth magic, gradually extinguishing the sea of ​​fire in front of the defensive line.

Soon, the ratmen continued their attack on the newly opened road, and the dwarves had no choice but to abandon the second line of defense and move to the third.

"Sister Liuli, why don't we engage in close combat with the enemy at the first line of defense? Wouldn't that allow us to hold out a little longer?"

“Little girl, if we retreat along the first line of defense, which is such a long distance, the ratmen can break through just one point and the dwarves will have a hard time getting back to defend. But if we retreat in stages, we can preserve ourselves while effectively annihilating the enemy’s manpower, and we can even occupy the most advantageous terrain in future battles.”

Lin Xueyin looked back at the remaining lines of defense and felt slightly relieved. However, she was still uneasy, feeling that there was some kind of conspiracy behind the ratmen's crazy attack.

"Look, the ratmen are starting to regroup their forces again. I'm afraid they'll launch another large-scale attack soon."

Just as Orichalcos was pointing at the ratmen who were about to gather, the helicopters appeared in the sky again. This time, instead of dropping fuel, they descended slowly, using their sharp rotors to ruthlessly harvest the lives of the ratmen.

The tens of thousands of ratmen of various kinds gathered together became history amidst the rotor blades of the helicopter that seemed to land like the Grim Reaper.

Blood splattered on the ground, leaving only sighs of despair. Lin Xueyin's body could no longer bear the sight of this bloody scene. When she was on the battlefield, as a participant, she didn't have such a strong reaction. She never imagined that watching this scene from the sidelines would have such a profound impact on her.

"The ratmen have been defeated. Unit 3, clear them out quickly."

One of the pilots shouted and prepared to land again, but then a burst of spears came from behind, and too many sharp spears turned the pilot inside the plane into a pincushion.

"No, no, pull up quickly, pull up quickly..."

"Quickly, get up! The enemy has ranged soldiers attacking! Take off, quick, take off!"

However, the being that was just moments ago the Grim Reaper has now become prey. The muscular, dark green ratman carrying a spear slammed the spear, which gleamed with the light of death, into the helicopter that had just been reaping its own men below.

Amidst a flurry of sparks, apart from a handful of helicopters, the rest became spoils of war for the ratmen, a string of symbols on their record of achievements.

The dramatic drop in altitude dealt a heavy blow to the dwarven warriors like a giant hammer, and their morale began to plummet. Having lost air superiority, a sense of pessimism began to creep into their outlook on the battle.

Volume 5: The Winged Race and the Dwarves: Chapter 16 The Pre-Battle Potion Distribution

In one day, three lines of defense were breached. Looking at the mountain below that was now a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, Lin Xueyin still found it hard to accept, even though she had been somewhat prepared.

The main thing was the ground covered with dead rats, which would be horrifying to anyone. Yu Liuli dragged them to the innermost defensive line, which was also the defensive line where the Fire Phoenix Mercenary Group was forcibly brought. The group quietly talked about everything that had happened that day.

"Xueyin, are you alright? So much happened today. I'm so sorry I couldn't bring you back safely..."

"It's okay, Sister Liuli. I just get a little creeped out looking at all those dead rats. I'm scared too."

Lin Xueyin's face was still somewhat pale as she kept rubbing the hem of her clothes with her fingers, which made Yu Liuli feel a little sorry for the girl.

"That's how war is, it's a fight to the death, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and you could die every day."