When Ophelia returned by carriage, peering through the gap in the curtain, she made a surprising discovery.
“Willis clearly took away five hundred soldiers, so why are there still so many soldiers in the camp?”
Even standing nearby, Ophelia couldn’t immediately realize that these were the scarecrows the soldiers had set up before Willis left.
In the dim firelight, the scarecrows looked incredibly lifelike!
While she was still puzzled, the carriage had already arrived outside the main tent.
“Your Highness, we have arrived.”
The voice outside called out according to Willis’s instructions. Ophelia responded with a nod and stepped down from the carriage.
Her face was veiled with a light silk, obscuring her features.
But judging from her attire, it was undoubtedly the Second Princess.
The soldiers patrolling nearby immediately saluted. Ophelia didn’t dare make a sound and simply nodded before returning inside the tent.
The tent was thoughtfully divided into two sections: the outer area for receiving guests, and inside was Willis’s temporary bedroom.
Inside was a soft large bed, a faint fragrance of incense, and a small table with untouched fruit.
Besides that, there was even a dressing table and a small wardrobe.
Though these items were not as grand or luxurious as those at home, in this remote mountain wilderness, they were quite the luxury.
Ophelia knew all of these things had been brought in by the supply wagons.
“So extravagant!”
She snorted coldly, choosing not to dwell on it for now.
After traveling half a day, even by carriage, she was quite exhausted.
The moon hung high in the sky, stars scattered everywhere. It was already past midnight, time to rest.
“Whatever you’re up to, just don’t come back again!”
The blonde girl muttered bitterly to herself and sat before the dressing table to remove her jewelry.
Suddenly, the sound of a guard came from outside the door.
“Your Highness, Lord Normankev requests an audience.”
“Not seeing him!”
Ophelia replied in a muffled voice. “The Princess has already gone to bed. Tell him not to disturb!”
“Er…”
The guard paused for two seconds. He hadn’t heard Willis’s voice, but since the instruction came from the princess’s personal attendant, he dared not neglect it.
He hurriedly said respectfully to Normankev, who stood several meters away outside the tent, “Lord Principal Justice, the princess has already retired for the night. Please come back in the morning.”
Normankev had naturally heard Ophelia’s voice. At this moment, he could only nod helplessly.
“Very well… I wanted to ask the princess why so many scarecrows were set up… but now, there’s no need.”
Normankev didn’t know that the person who had returned inside was only Ophelia, not Willis.
In his eyes, the princess had returned, but the five hundred soldiers she took with her had not.
“Could it be that the princess intends for these five hundred soldiers to serve as a surprise force waiting in ambush around here? If there’s an anomaly in Yufeng Valley, these five hundred could catch the enemy off guard?”
That was the only reasonable explanation.
Otherwise, where else would Willis have sent those five hundred soldiers?
She wouldn’t have returned alone while letting those five hundred leave the area, right?
That would be pure madness, deliberately weakening her own defenses.
“Now that I think about it, the reason for setting up the scarecrows is clear—probably to prevent attackers from discerning the truth.”
From a distance, it was hard to tell, especially with the tall, dense mountains and forests on both sides making the scene hazy.
Although the ancient forest on both sides helped conceal the camp, the trees also made it harder to see inside.
During the day, the scarecrows were obvious, but at night, under the cover of darkness, they looked like real people to outsiders!
“The princess is truly a genius!”
Normankev sighed in admiration and continued leading his men to patrol around the camp.
Though the Vistoria Continent had a long history of warfare, its people were often stubborn and unimaginative.
Intrigue and schemes were usually reserved for individuals, noble houses, or political factions within the court or cities.
When it came to warfare and marching, it was mostly about training armed forces to crush the enemy head-on; at most, some surprise attacks.
Because this continent had knights and nobles who cared about honor, many looked down on using tricks or deceit on the battlefield.
They didn’t even bother thinking about it.
The enemy?
Just crush them with sword and magic!
If you can’t kill them, it means your sword isn’t sharp enough or your magic isn’t skilled enough!
Then go back and train. Come back for revenge in a few years!
That was the general principle many followed.
But not everyone was like that.
Some thrived on schemes and political maneuvers, even trying to eliminate the enemy with cunning just before battle.
Yet it was clear that Normankev and his soldiers were not such people.
Now, Willis’s tactic—so common on Blue Star—to deceive enemies with fakes was a rare and brilliant move here.
Normankev’s surprise was entirely understandable.
But then again, when facing reality, very few could think of and implement such a plan.
It was like a difficult problem: when the teacher explains it, it suddenly becomes simple and clear—“Oh, it’s this easy, I’ve got it down perfectly!”
But when you do it yourself, you only manage to write down the “solution.”
The reasoning was almost always the same.
As night deepened and quiet settled, nearly every soldier had set up two scarecrows.
Following Willis’s previous orders, they placed the scarecrows inside tents or far from the firelight.
The cool wind blew through Yufeng Valley, carrying faint whistling sounds, while the shadows of these scarecrows flickered in the dim firelight.
Just like real people!
Night grew silent…
At this moment, except for the patrolling soldiers and those on duty, the rest had all entered the tents to rest.
Within Yufeng Valley, only distant birdsong, insect chirps, and the soft wind in the canyon could be heard.
Compared to this quietness, elsewhere…
Inside the mountain stronghold…
In several thatched huts inhabited by elves, many elves were fully armed and ready.
Because of this mission to Monsel, there were almost no young elves among them.
Except for the female elves, male elves actually made up about seventy percent of the group.
They were the warriors of the elf race, guardians who protected their homeland.
This time, they were also the executors of the mission.
Magic bows, short blades, long knives, iron swords, iron rods, great hammers…
Though each elf wielded different weapons, they all carried a quiver on their backs.
Soft bows and hard bows of various makes hung over them; the male elves’ gazes were resolute.
“Children, remember what Mama Karo says: prioritize your own safety first, then gather as many supplies as you can carry…”
Mama Karo lowered her voice but made sure every elf in the room heard.
“Never get into prolonged battles with those human soldiers; leave if you can. Also… never abandon your comrades!”
“But if the situation changes, take as many as you can and retreat. As long as our people survive, there’s hope!”
“Do you understand?”
At her words, many elves nodded in acknowledgment.
They would act according to the situation!
“Also, this time we must split up. Traveling together is too risky; it makes us an easy target for encirclement and annihilation. So…”
Mama Karo pondered for a moment before naming a rendezvous point.
“We will regroup at the Haitai Rift in the Kenar Steppe, southeast of the Okam Empire!”
“That area is no longer under Okam Empire jurisdiction, but be careful of the wildlings on the steppe—don’t get discovered by them.”
After giving instructions, the elves began whispering, quietly dividing into teams and submitting their lists to Mama Karo for approval and safekeeping.
“Winnie, you’ll go with me. Jenfenny, you’ll travel with Mikenni and the others!”
The two girls standing beside Mama Karo exchanged a glance and nodded.
At this moment, after a brief rest, Jennifer had regained her composure.
At least on the surface, she no longer looked so weak. Clenching her fists, a hint of pre-battle nervousness appeared on her face.
“Time’s up, move out!”