Chapter 962 (1/2)

Chapter 962: The Invisible Supply Line

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

“Oh?” Roland asked, raising his eyebrows. “Go ahead.”

“Since the Taquila devouring worm can tunnel through the mountains of the Impassable Mountain Range, they can also be used to open up a passage under the Barbarian Lands,” Edith said, as she held up two fingers. “Two worms working in parallel will be able to create a passage wide enough to allow a wagon to pass through it. I’ve already asked Minister Karl about it. The result he arrived at is that the unstable structure of the mud lands may make it impossible for us to open up a space that can accommodate an underground palace, like the one in the Third Border Town, but if we go deep enough, we should be able to open up a passable tunnel.”

“How do we go about it?”

“The construction work should start within the main camp of the First Army. The entrance to the passage can be a shaft heading underground from the center of the camp, covered by a tent and disguised as an ordinary structure.”

“What are we going to do with the passage after we retreat?”

“We seal the shaft and cover it with soil, leaving behind only a vent to maintain air circulation.”

“How long the construction will take us?”

“It’s expected to take two weeks more than the time needed to march the army to the combat zone. In fact, considering possible harassment from the demons, it’s reasonable to assume we’ll march slower. In this way, the greatest disadvantage of the First Army can be bypassed as well, as the army will appear in the shape of a fist, while the logistics tail behind it will be hidden. This ‘fist’ would instantly attract all their attention.”

Roland could not help curling his mouth into a smile. It seemed that after a long night of consideration, this plan had already matured quite well.

“Were you the one who proposed this idea?”

“Kind of,” Edith admitted honestly. “But it was a result of the cooperation between many departments. In addition to the Ministry of Construction, the Arithmetic Academy also joined in, though they weren’t aware of the details of the second plan.”

Roland wanted to praise Edith as being well-deserved of her reputation as the Pearl of the Northern Region. The most valuable point of this plan was not thinking the novelty of the idea itself but how she had exploited all the resources and tools available to refine the idea.

Ordinary people would never have taken the monster-like worm into account.

Also, the Arithmetic Academy had just been established for less than a year and, apart from the star observation, it had only been working on the tasks given by Roland. But she had already been trying to use the more professional personnel from this new department to perform the calculations and statistics for the underground passage.

It was gratifying to find someone had such accommodating views and extraordinary foresight.

In addition, somehow he had a faint illusion that the Edith in front of him seemed more remarkable than before, as if he had uncovered a deeper layer of her talents.

“Nice work,” Roland encouraged. “Just follow this plan.”

“Yes,” Edith paused. “But there’s one more thing I need to point out. Even if we adopt the second plan, casualties will still be unavoidable. Moreover, it won’t be an easier battle than the one against the church at Coldwind Ridge. After all, the demons have the initiative this time, so before the First Army reaches the destination, they won’t be able to set up stations and blockhouses to defend themselves as they did before.”

“So, are you inclined to halt the troops and bide our time?”

“No, I intend to crack this nut, no matter how hard it is,” she said slowly. “If the Battle of Divine Will is as cruel as the Taquila witches have said, it’s absolutely necessary for the First Army to experience a trial of blood and fire before that war. It’s only you who, I always think, cares so much about the soldiers’ lives that you have to think twice before taking every step. Now that our new enemies, the demons, are unknown to all of us, and also possess inhuman abilities, so please be prepared for some casualties.”

“This feels a little weird…” Roland thought. In the past, Edith was unlikely to say such words to her superiors, for her words would definitely have been viewed as an insult. Edith was too clever to make such a simple mistake at this level.

“Is it a backlash triggered by my reprimanding her last time?”

“But who cares?”

“As long as she serves me well, the rest is irrelevant.”