Game of the World Tree-Chapter 531

【 THE DECISIVE BATTLE BEGINS 】

Flames crackled and surged into the sky, painting half the heavens red. Thick black smoke billowed upward, filling the air with a choking stench.

Evé glanced at the orc settlement, now consumed by fire under the players’ relentless assault. Hearing the whistles and laughter echoing around the vicinity, she couldn’t help but shake her head slightly.

“Let’s go,” she said.

“Mm,” replied Little Salty Cat with a nod.

Taking a deep breath, the petite girl shouted into her guild’s battlefield voice chat:

“Hey, everyone! That’s enough. Gather your things—we’re leaving!”

Her crisp, clear voice echoed across the battlefield channel.

At her command, every players in the surroundings quickly sprang into action.

Whilst hauling in the loot and prisoners they had captured, the players laughed and bickered as they moved northward through the tribe’s ruins.

There, an underground tunnel dug by crypt spiders led directly back to the players’ base camp, which was the very route they had used to launch their surprise attack.

Crowding together like ants on the move, the players formed a long line at the tunnel’s entrance, lining up to return underground one by one.

After the last player disappeared into the tunnel, the crypt spiders followed suit. Then, just as before, the spiders sealed the tunnel behind them.

With that, another raid on an orc tribe had come to a successful close.

The tunnel dug by the crypt spiders was long and narrow, but thanks to some mages who used light spells to illuminate the way, the players easily zipped through the underground passage, either riding crypt spiders or using speed-enhancing magic.

Nonetheless, it still took them over an hour before they finally resurfaced at their base encampment near Sandstorm City.

Compared to just a few days ago, the encampment had changed significantly. Now, a sturdy earthen wall encircled the entire perimeter, standing about eight meters tall and four meters thick.

Built with local sand and obsidian, the walls had been designed by HootyBird, and her construction team quickly built them with the aid of magic.

From above, the walls formed a six-pointed star around the encampment. Combined with the internal road layout, the entire place resembled a giant magic array.

Atop the earthen walls were simple battlements and mounted ballistae. In every other section, elevated platforms about eleven to twelve meters tall housed modified trebuchets.

At the same time, various flags fluttered in the cold wind, numbering over a hundred.

Each flag bore a unique and finely crafted insignia, representing the various guilds participating in the campaign.

Inside the encampment, the once haphazardly placed tents had been reorganized. Now, it was uniformly divided into several large sectors grouped by their respective guilds. Moreover, smooth roads had also been constructed between these clusters of tents.

These roads converged toward the center of the camp, which was an open square. At the heart of the square stood a raised platform upon which a statue of Evé was enshrined.

Beneath the platform sat an altar, upon which rested a module etched with intricate magical patterns that shimmered with a soft glow.

This was a city defense core, which were capable of generating a divine protective barrier.

It wasn’t looted, nor was it hastily constructed by players.

Instead, Little Salty Cat had persuaded Meryer to save time by dismantling the defense core from his Black Dragon Castle and relocating it here.

With a proper defense core and a holy statue in place, they could now activate a much stronger divine protective barrier. So, when the battle against the orcs’ main army broke out, the players could draw upon the statue’s power to raise the barrier. Although it was not as powerful as the one used in Sandstorm City, it was more than enough to reinforce their earthen walls.

With that, their base defenses were finally complete.

From a distance, it no longer looked like a temporary encampment but rather resembled a rough-hewn fortress.

Looking at the changes within their base, Evé felt very satisfied.

All of these improvements had taken the players less than seven days to complete, which was an impressively fast construction feat that also reflected their extensive building experience over the years.

Having built Chosen City and renovated several elven cities, constructing a fortified base was no longer a challenge for them.

The return of Moe Moe Committee’s legion army didn’t cause much of a stir within the camp.

Aside from a few players looking to buy rare goods, most were already accustomed to large guilds coming and going. The surrounding players only spared them a brief glance, before returning to their own business.

The entire camp was lively and noisy, resembling a bustling marketplace. But the most crowded place was undoubtedly the encampment’s central square.

Due to the distance from the Elven Forest, most players found it inconvenient to return frequently. Over time, the square at the center of the base, where the goddess’s holy statue was enshrined, naturally became the new hub for player activity.

Here, they brought gear, learned new skills, applied for job class changes, and bound their equipment. All such functions were handled in this central location, making it the heart of the players’ daily routines.

At the same time, many players idled in the square. Some even hosted bonfire parties, filling the air with laughter and music that echoed without end.

Meanwhile, with the majority of players on the server now congregated in this location, the more business-savvy among them had already set up shop around the central square. The area buzzed with activity, filled with the calls of vendors and the clamor of negotiations, as the sounds of trade echoed through the air.

What once resembled a temporary encampment now gave the impression of a thriving, up-and-coming town brimming with vitality.

Standing there, even Evé couldn’t help but feel a momentary illusion, as though she had returned to the central square of Chosen City.

She couldn’t help but marvel at how adaptable and creative the players were.

She had originally thought they’d struggle to adjust, especially after becoming so used to the convenience of Chosen City. Yet, to her surprise, they’d managed to transform a bare-bones camp in the middle of an arid desert into a well functioning makeshift hub with everything they needed.

Although small in size, it was complete in function.

Evé had no doubt that if given a few more months, this place wouldn’t just be a makeshift camp anymore but would become a proper city.

→⟐←

The sun, glowing a rich gold and crimson, slowly sank westward, casting a warm orange hue over the Desert.

The ridges and ripples in the sand stretched outward like frozen waves, vanishing into the distant horizon. The wind whispered across the dunes, carrying with it the scent of dust and the fading heat of the day.

Evé stood atop the encampment’s earthen wall, her gaze fixed toward the south.

Her eyes lingered on the dark silhouette of Sandstorm City, veiled in the shadows. Its towering walls and tower spire appeared like ghostly shapes against the setting sun, solemn and unmoving, as if awaiting the coming storm.

“It’s about to begin,” she murmured.

As if in response to her quiet words, a ripple of commotion began to spread through the camp a few moments later.

Then she noticed Li Mu hurrying toward the wall, glancing around urgently as his eyes lit up when he spotted her.

He quickly approached and gave a respectful salute, his face brimming with excitement.

“Lady Zero, we’ve received an Intel just now,” he said eagerly. “The orcs are finally planning to mobilize their main army tomorrow morning!”

“However, we’re still unsure how many troops they’ll be sending.”

Sandstorm City’s connection to the Underground was both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.

In the underground black market, there was very little that couldn’t be bought with enough gold coins.

Just as the players had once bartered with those same black market merchants to obtain Hodür’s holy statue, they could just as easily buy intel from the merchants situated within Sandstorm City itself.

In fact, if the orcs didn’t have a passable inspection system for those entering their city, some daring players would’ve already slipped in disguised as merchants to stir up trouble from the inside.

Evé nodded lightly after hearing Li Mu’s report.

“Understood.”

“Then prepare for battle and consider the worst case scenario. They may come out in full force.”

“Before any divine beings join the battle, it’s up to all of you to inflict as much damage as possible.”

Li Mu gave a firm nod, eyes blazing with determination.

“Yes, Lady Zero!”

→⟐←

News of the orcs’ impending attack quickly spread throughout the entire camp, and its festive, carefree atmosphere soon shifted to one of preparation and urgency.

Immediately, bonfire parties were halted and every business shops ceased operating, as the players stopped idling around and sprang into action. The camp’s central square, which were once filled with laughter and music, now buzzed with hurried footsteps, clanking armor, and shouted commands.

Yet despite the tension in the air, fear was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, everyone’s expressions lit up with excitement. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation for the upcoming battle—after all, they had been waiting for this moment.

This operation had long ceased to be a secret across the server.

Now that the orcs had finally decided to launch an attack, it could only mean one thing…

At last, they had taken the bait!

Now, the decisive battle was soon upon them.

And this upcoming battle could very well decide the course of the entire war.

Leaders from every guild began mobilizing their members, issuing commands and rallying troops for the coming fight.

Those currently online quickly sent messages to their offline friends, urging them to log in or at least be ready when the time came.

The entire encampment moved like a massive war machine slowly grinding into motion.

The war mobilization lasted nearly three hours before gradually settling down.

The once-noisy camp eventually fell into a deep hush.

Only the flickering of lanterns and the occasional moving figure remained in the darkness.

By now, most players had logged off to rest, recover, and prepare for tomorrow’s battle.

The night passed quickly.

→⟐←

With the break of dawn, the desert sky blazed with a thousand golden rays. The red sun rose like a massive molten gemstone, casting its brilliance across the land.

Its warm light bathed the encampment’s earthen walls, and the erected flags snapped and rustled along the howling morning wind.

Morning had arrived.

One after another, players slowly emerged from their tents, fully equipped and ready.

They yawned, exchanged groggy greetings, and stretched out their limbs. Some rubbed the sleep from their eyes while others immediately began checking their gear or munching on hastily prepared rations.

And of course, the usual grumbling could be heard among them:

“Man… if this keeps up, I swear I won’t be able to tell the difference between in-game time from the real time anymore.”

“I can say for certain now, there’s no way this game’s storyline is pre-scripted. No dev in their right mind would schedule an important battle at this ridiculous hour…”

“I still think it’s the devs messing with us…”

“Eh, it’s just the accelerated cognition doing its thing. You’ll get used to it. Once we’re in the game, our minds will adjust in a few seconds and the drowsiness will fade. Plus, while we’re playing here, our real bodies are still sleeping and recovering, right?”

“I guess that’s true…”

It really was a bit rough on them.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Unlike here in Seigües, where it was already morning, it was still only 3:00 AM back in the real world. Many players had set alarms just to drag themselves out of bed in time for the battle, forcing themselves to wake up far earlier than they were used to.

Sure, once they entered the game, their real bodies could still rest and recover, but waking up in the middle of the night like that left anyone feeling groggy and disoriented.

Moreover, quite a few players had also been so excited about the upcoming battle that they had struggled to sleep at all. Therefore, they’d stayed up late or logged in early, already exhausted before the fight even started.

Fortunately, most of them perked up after moving around a bit.

Only their consciousness was transferred to the realm of Seigües. Hence, the moment their minds disconnected from their physical bodies, any physical fatigue or negative conditions no longer affected them.

And for some of the more hardcore players, as long as the body-monitoring system in their gaming pods didn’t sound an alarm, they could basically stay in-game indefinitely.

Anyhow, back in the present—

As time passed, more and more players logged in, which, in turn, increased the number of users in the battlefield chat channel to nearly 100,000.

Unlike previous battles where their forces were split up, this upcoming battle was going to be a full-scale mobilization—meaning all 100,000-plus players would be fighting together this time.

Even with all their griping and joking, every player was itching with anticipation, their gear ready and their nerves buzzing.

The once-quiet camp gradually stirred back to life.

“Have you checked the catapults and ballistas? How about their mana explosive ammo?”

“All done! Everything’s in place!”

“What about the camp’s divine barrier? Is it holding?”

“No issues!”

“Is there anyone who hasn’t joined the global battlefield chat yet? Hurry up!”

“Coming! Coming!”

“Anyone on your side still offline? Call them now!”

“Damn, you think I won’t get yelled at for calling people in the middle of the night? Dude, it’s only 3:30 AM…”

“Only call the ones who promised they’d log in! If they’re not here by now, they probably hit snooze and went back to sleep!”

“Haha, I could sympathize with them…”

A driving soundtrack surged through the battlefield channel again, setting nerves alight.

Players took their positions. Soon, the ramparts were lined with fully-armed personnel.

By the time everyone was ready, daylight had fully broken.

Previously hidden under the mountain’s shadow and its own earthen hues, Sandstorm City slowly emerged under the rising sun…

And when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the darkness and touched the top of its towering spire, every player heard it—

A long, echoing horn blast:

“Hoooooo—”

It was deep, ancient and resonant.

And the moment they heard it, every veteran of the Black Dragon Fortress campaign lit up with recognition:

“That’s the orc war horn! Their signal to attack!”

“They’re really coming!”

Newer players jolted to attention at the veterans’ explanation.

They craned their necks, used magic to enhance their vision, or simply squinted as hard as they could toward the direction of Sandstorm City…

But from 20 kilometers out, with terrain in the way, they couldn’t see clearly.

Still, they could just barely make out sand and dust rising at the horizon. But from her vantage point atop the earthen watchtower, Evé saw everything with perfect clarity.

The Orc’s main army were finally on the move.

Two hundred thousand orc soldiers, stationed on all four sides of Sandstorm City, had begun advancing, moving in four massive formations toward the players’ camp.

At the same time, the city gates creaked open, and fully-armed orc warriors began pouring out to join the army outside.

Dust billowed across the desert, sand whipping through the air in thick gusts.

Countless tribal banners rose above the orc army—each one bearing the sigil of a tribe from the Desert.

Towering behemoths emerged among the orc ranks, roaring and howling as they beat their hairy chests, charging forward amid the sea of orc warriors.

From above, the land below looked blackened with bodies.

And then, from the distance, came a thunderous sound that shook the earth.

It was the pounding of war drums.

The rhythmic march of the orc horde.

The decisive battle had finally begun.

— 531 —

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