CHAPTER 362: CHAPTER 320 ELF JOINS THE BATTLE_1

Prince Elrado had been busy settling the Elves within Thunderous Swamp. Although he could have returned to Snowland through special routes, he insisted on staying with his subordinates, waiting together in the harsh marsh environment for winter to pass.

Fortunately, with funding from the Silvermane Principality, the Eternal Domain’s supply of materials for the Elves was quite sufficient. Additionally, since the Elves earned wages working for Yan Xing, their living conditions became even more comfortable than in Snowland.

However, the swamp’s miasma, along with venomous snakes and various toxic insects and vermin that persisted even in winter, made it difficult for the Elves to adapt.

This time, when Yan Xing announced the campaign against the Heize Werewolves rebels, Prince Elrado, upon receiving the news, immediately summoned his generals for several secret meetings. Simultaneously, he secretly gathered some warriors, preparing to respond to any major changes that might occur within Thunderous Swamp. If necessary, they would seize Blood Crown Mountain City and Eternal City for self-preservation.

Soon, Yan Xing led the main force to suppress the rebellion, arriving at Blood Crown Mountain City.

Twenty thousand soldiers in jungle combat suits, a joint army of Werewolves and Humans, took over the defenses of Blood Crown Mountain City. A large flock of Griffons landed at the city’s newly built airport.

Due to secrecy measures, all Beak Eagle Transport Planes were deployed in the Eternal Domain. Only a batch of drones arrived sequentially during the night, with specialized personnel assigned to camouflage and conceal them.

On the road from Blood Crown Mountain City to the Eternal Domain, trucks and horse-drawn carriages formed a line that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Modern warfare is heavily dependent on logistics.

To support these 20,000 main force troops, Yan Xing conscripted 50,000 Werewolves for logistical support. This also served to strengthen the defenses of Blood Crown Mountain City, including the construction of bunkers and artillery towers. This was to prevent any brainless Werewolves and Lizardmen from sabotaging their supply lines.

And then there were the Elves...

Caravans conducting business in Snowland brought news. The Snow Elves might be quite poor, but they possessed mines. Beneath Snowland, in particular, lay an extremely vast subterranean world, the Underground City. The Underground City was rich in mineral resources; Gold was as common as ordinary stones, and Rare Alchemical Resources were so plentiful that the ’rare’ could be stricken from their name.

However, the relationship between the Snow Elves and the Underground City was unfriendly. The Underground City’s network was closed off, preventing valuable goods from being exported.

Although the Eternal Domain and the Silvermane Principality had established aerial transport routes, relying on aircraft for material transport was costly and had low airlift capacity, serving only as an emergency solution. If the Eternal Domain wanted to develop and expand, it needed to possess a resource zone.

The Elves had mines, and the Underground City had even more. Yan Xing’s interest in Snowland was very strong.

Therefore, the first thing Yan Xing did upon reaching Blood Crown Mountain City was to summon Prince Elrado.

Although he could have worn finer clothes, Prince Elrado dressed like an ordinary Elf in a green military greatcoat. For him, his future prospects depended on this army.

Upon seeing Elrado, Yan Xing enthusiastically pulled him before a map. Pointing to a winding, extended line from the Eternal Domain to the northern frontier of Snowland, Yan Xing said to him, "Snowland possesses many resources, but you lack the capability to develop them. The Elves could be several, even dozens, of times richer than they are now. What you lack is the workforce and the people who can transform these resources into wealth for you. Now... you have both."

As the Snowland prince, Prince Elrado certainly knew that Snowland had abundant resources. However, the small and scattered Elf population lacked the capability for labor-intensive resource extraction. The primary reason remained the harsh climate, which caused food shortages and made it difficult for Snowland to develop cities with large, concentrated Elf populations. Another point was that Snowland itself consumed few resources and therefore had little motivation to expand mining operations. They mined only as much as they needed.

Prince Elrado knew that resources meant wealth, and wealth equated to power. He asked Yan Xing, "My Lord, do you plan to build roads in Snowland and then transport the resources out?"

"Yes," Yan Xing nodded. "The Eternal Domain has alchemical mining equipment that can increase mine output dozens of times with minimal labor. The Eternal Domain has alchemical trucks; with roads, the extracted resources can be transported out. We can make money together!"

Prince Elrado said to Yan Xing, "Living in Blood Crown Mountain City these days, I am amazed at your wealth. Of course, I hope for more cooperation with you, My Lord, but I am merely one of many princes in the Snowland Royal Court. I do not have the authority to make such a significant decision, nor can I give you any promises. However, I can report your suggestion to my father, the King, and let him make the final decision."

Yan Xing laughed heartily. "I think there’s no need for you to report to His Majesty the Elf King. The Elf King is old; Snowland needs an enlightened, young, and capable leader. Otherwise, Snowland will not be able to keep up with the changing times."

Yan Xing’s words caused Prince Elrado’s expression to change drastically. The issue of succession could only be intuited, not spoken aloud. If Yan Xing’s directness were leaked to the Royal Court, it would undoubtedly be massively detrimental to me.

"Lord Yan Xing, I don’t understand what you mean by that. My father is in excellent health; he is the wisest of all Elf Kings in Snowland’s history."

Yan Xing patted Elrado on the shoulder. "I speak candidly with you because you are willing to share the hardships with the Elves here in Blood Crown Mountain City. You have ambition, long-term goals, and the willingness to strive for them. I admire you and am willing to lend you a hand. My army will soon launch an offensive against the Heize Werewolves rebels. Would you like to join the battle as an ordinary Eternal Domain Soldier and see for yourself what kind of strength your future allies possess?"

Prince Elrado was, of course, eager to witness the strength of the Eternal Domain, especially since this newly arrived army at Blood Crown Mountain City was quite peculiar and seemed equipped with many items suspected to be Alchemical Weapons. If those truly are Alchemical Weapons, then equipping rank-and-file soldiers on such a large scale is an unprecedented display of resources!

"Very well, I am willing to participate in this battle as an ordinary Eternal Domain Soldier. At the same time, My Lord, I hope you will allow me to bring a group of Elves to join. We guarantee we will follow all your commands."

"Agreed!" Yan Xing accepted Prince Elrado’s request. It would be good to expose the Elves to the power of modern warfare; this will make it easier to sell weapons to this Elf prince. "Prepare your Pegasus to join the Eternal Territory Air Force. Tomorrow, I will lead an air strike on the Heize region, and you will accompany our sortie."

"Yes, My Lord! I will return and prepare immediately."

Prince Elrado set aside his royal status and saluted Yan Xing like an ordinary Elf Warrior.

He returned to the Elven residential area within the city.

One hundred Elf heroes were gathered by Prince Elrado, and then the roster of Elves participating in the battle was delivered to Yan Xing. Yan Xing organized this group of Elves into a flying squadron under Prince Elrado’s command.