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"The full extent of the elven realm's strength remains hidden," said Tan Yueer, the "Moon Maiden" from the Moonlight Tower, who, as a high-ranking human, was much more cautious in her assessment of the war. "In this war, the high elves have demonstrated their superiority in magic, strategy, and culture, but they have not revealed anything we don't already know. This seems unusual, considering they are a civilization with tens of thousands of years of heritage. It's impossible that they don't have secret weapons we are unaware of. So, while it appears that the elves are dealing with the merfolk, in reality, they are likely guarding against humans."

"So, are the elves still a significant threat?" Carol couldn't help but ask upon hearing Tan Yueer's analysis.

"No, although the elves' hostility towards humans is quite evident, I don't believe this is a prelude to an imminent attack on humans. The high elves have always prided themselves on being the founders of magical culture. If they truly possessed the strength to wage war against humans, they wouldn't hide their power like this. They would first challenge our forbidden spell casters with the most powerful magic to settle the matter decisively. From this perspective, their secrecy can be seen as both hostility and, more importantly, fear of humans. They hope to avoid the spearhead of human vigilance in this manner, or perhaps it's a form of concession and avoidance. In any case, unless something extraordinary happens, the elves should not engage in direct conflict with us in the short term."

Tan Yueer's analysis had its own logic, but there were those who held the opposite view.

On the rooftop garden of the tall bronze fortress, the silver-haired werewolf lord also received the battle report of the "Blue-Green War."

"Hmph, it seems those stubborn high elves have wised up. Then again, it might be the 'Eagle,' that undead, who taught them," Chen Xuanfeng mused as he read the report, comparing it with the secrets he knew, naturally deducing many things others couldn't imagine.

Meanwhile, Catherine, standing beside Chen Xuanfeng, smiled and shook her head, saying, "Don't underestimate the wisdom of an ancient civilization, my love. Think about it, tens of thousands of years is a long time—a hundred times longer than human history. The elves have endured countless trials, produced many wise sages, and accumulated vast knowledge. Even if later generations of elves, by nature, shunned this knowledge, their long lifespans gave them ample time to learn it. So, the elves are not incapable of using strategy; they simply avoided it due to their past pride. Now that they’ve rediscovered this wisdom, they’re sure to dazzle the world."

"Haha, you’ve got a point. It seems I too have been misled by the elves' usual behavior," Chen Xuanfeng thought for a moment and agreed with his wife's view. After all, no race is born arrogant and aloof. The elves rose step by step from the path of slash-and-burn farming and conquering the four directions. Even if they relied somewhat on their innate talents, how could a race that dominated the continent for tens of thousands of years be a group of arrogant fools completely ignorant of deceit? "In this war, the elves have shown the advancement of their magical culture while deliberately exposing the inadequacy of their mages' quality. I believe humans will at most evaluate their strength as 'sufficient for defense, insufficient for offense.' This makes it much less likely their true plan will be exposed."

Yes, everything is for "that" plan.

Then, the silver-haired werewolf lord turned his gaze to the distance and said, "After lying low for so long, it’s time to take action. Since the elves' actions are already on the agenda, we should also respond accordingly."

His gaze was directed towards the northwest, where human uprisings were raging like wildfire.

Now that the goal has been achieved, the "tool" can be reclaimed.

Northwest.

In the northwest of the Golden Great Plains lies the confluence of the Hualuo River and the Xiting River, with the western foothills of the Never-Setting Mountains blocking the northern cold currents. Thus, the land is fertile, and the climate is favorable. In previous years, May here would be a season of lush greenery and growing crops. But this year, the land is ablaze with the fires of war.

The rebel army’s banner, featuring a black skeletal dragon, waves proudly over the land. Tens of thousands of human warriors gather under this banner, wielding crude weapons, forming dense battle formations, and fighting their enemies with fearless determination.

Although their enemies possess superior weapons, more orderly formations, greater combat experience, and even include many beast warriors whose strength far surpasses that of humans, they are undaunted. For they have faith—not in the Light God or the Dark God, but in the young man who has led them to victory time and again on the battlefield, the legendary figure known as the "War Magician," their commander—Enrico Willy Young.

The young mage, master of the black crystal skeletal dragon, stands beneath his namesake banner, his hands constantly manipulating extremely complex magical symbols. Using the power of these symbols, he directs the coordinated attacks and defenses of various units, leveraging the intricate terrain and ever-changing formations to hold off an enemy force twice their size.

This battle is a crucial one that Enrico has planned for a long time.

Since his forces rapidly expanded several months ago, Enrico was forced to change his mode of operation from simple, free guerrilla harassment to a step-by-step strategy of nibbling away at the enemy. However, he did not directly confront the beastman army. Instead, he cleverly chose areas with complex terrain and weak beastman control to gradually establish a broad strategic depth. Then, he lured the beastman forces into his territory, defeating them piece by piece. Taking advantage of the enemy's depleted forces and weak defenses, he continued to expand. Over the months, the black skeletal dragon banner has been planted in dozens of towns across the northwest. These locations were carefully chosen, occupying favorable geographical positions and supporting each other like interlocking horns. Despite several beastman counterattacks, they remain unshaken, and Enrico has solidified his position as a formidable leader, commanding a hundred thousand warriors and over two million civilians.