"If all goes smoothly,

after recruiting the Dwarves,

we will rest and reorganize in their territory for a short while,

then head straight west to the region where the Fire Elves live!"

"When the time comes, communication with the Fire Elves will be handled by the Natural Elves of the Elf Mage Corps and Elf High Priest Shamiel."

Legion Commander Feiyana turned to look at Elf High Priest Shamiel beside her,

and Elf High Priest Shamiel nodded, indicating she would take responsibility for the matter.

Then, Legion Commander Feiyana continued to issue her commands.

"As for the Kobolds and Jackal-wolfmen living in the eastern part of this continent, they are the two races that have best preserved their strength!"

"The Oracle from our great Elf God primarily tasked us with subjugating the Fire Elves to the west and the Dwarves to the north!"

"Therefore, until we have dealt with the Fire Elves and Dwarves, we will not actively provoke the Half-beastmen in the east!"

"But not provoking them doesn’t mean we can let our guard down."

"An operation of this scale is highly likely to be discovered by Half-beastman scouts!"

"The Half-beastmen could also have spies lurking in the northern and western parts of the continent."

"For that reason, our Wood Elf Scouts must maintain a presence to the east. If anything happens, report back immediately!"

After Legion Commander Feiyana made her decision and explained it to all the Wood Elves,

they began to carry out their orders meticulously.

The force of over 100 Wood Elves and Natural Elves was divided into three groups.

One was the guard detail, composed of the most experienced Wood Elves who had awakened their Fighting Qi and were equipped with full iron armor and iron weapons!

Another was the Mage Corps, formed by the Natural Elves.

The last group was the supply team.

Clothes and blankets made from sheep and rabbit wool,

an ample supply of Baobab Fruit, and barrels of meat broth,

were all loaded onto the supply team’s wooden carts.

These were preparations made in advance for trading with the Dwarves and Fire Elves to gain their goodwill.

In the Oracle from the great Elf God,

the best strategy was to win over these three factions through trade, without spilling any blood.

But if that failed,

the mid-level strategy was to "move them with emotion and persuade them with reason," depending on the situation.

They would contrast the unstable, currently frigid climate of this continent with the four seasons of blissful weather under the protection of the great Elf God,

to entice the Fire Elves and Dwarves into migrating and living in his Divine Realm.

When the time came,

after seven days,

the continent would drift away again,

and these races living in his Divine Realm would have no choice but to slowly submit to the great Elf God!

And the last resort, the worst-case scenario, was to forcibly subjugate these two forces with military might.

However, conquest by force would inevitably fill these races with hatred that would take a long time to fade.

Even if Zhang Yi could use his [Fanatical Faith] achievement to instantly gain a baseline level of loyalty,

even [Fanatical Faith] took time to take effect.

’The highest form of warfare is to attack strategy itself. The next best is to attack alliances. The next, to attack the army. And the worst is to besiege cities.’

’Besieging cities is a method of last resort!’

Winning over these two forces without bloodshed so they could be put to work immediately—that was the optimal solution!

After all, the Wood Elf Clan in Zhang Yi’s Divine Realm wasn’t large,

and it pained him every time one of them died!

At the same time, this was also a test from the great Elf God for Elf Legion Commander Feiyana.

’The talent of a general lies in the ability to both command troops and judge character!’

...

The company of over 100 Wood Elves and Natural Elves marched through the unmelted snow for more than two hours.

Only then did they spot the mountain range where the Dwarves lived in the distance.

After that, the Wood Elf Corps marched for another hour through the snow before finally reaching the spot where the second scout had made his observations.

"Legion Commander, ahead is the area where we found traces of the Dwarves!"

"Look here! You can still see the marks where a body was dug out of this snow pit!"

Elf Legion Commander Feiyana looked where the scout was pointing.

Sure enough,

there was a massive snow pit, surrounded by the tracks of wild beasts.

The remains of the Dwarf who had frozen to death showed they weren’t wearing many clothes.

Feiyana then turned to observe the rest of the area, focusing on the trees on either side.

Feiyana hadn’t fully believed the report from the Wood Elf Scout before,

but now, seeing it with her own eyes, she was starting to believe.

She cross-referenced her own observations with the Oracle handed down from the great Elf God.

In Feiyana’s mind, a picture formed of the Dwarves’ current living conditions:

a lack of fire, a lack of clothing, and not enough food to eat!

Because they lacked fire, the surrounding trees hadn’t been cut down;

Because they lacked clothing, many Dwarves had frozen to death;

Because they lacked food, the surrounding trees showed signs of their bark being gnawed on;

Faced with this situation, it was clear the Dwarves were truly in a desperate plight!

Of course, a trace of suspicion still lingered in Feiyana’s heart, but she concealed it well.

It was, after all, an extremely small possibility!

For the Dwarves who were still alive, this may have been a tragic and painful experience,

but for Legion Commander Feiyana,

this development

only increased her confidence in fulfilling the great Elf God’s Oracle!

"Guard detail, be ready!"

"Mage Corps, you may now cast the Comprehend Languages spell!"

"All supplies are to be kept at the rear of the marching army!"

As the Wood Elf Corps ventured deeper into the cold mountains, the surrounding scenery began to change.

More and more traces of Dwarven life became apparent,

prompting Legion Commander Feiyana to order preparations ahead of time.

Because the Wood Elf Corps made no attempt to conceal their arrival, approaching openly and honorably,

Feiyana believed the Dwarves would soon discover their army.

Sure enough, after the Wood Elf army had advanced another 500 meters or so,

they were intercepted by a group of Dwarves!

At the very front stood the Dwarf Leader.

Though Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer was dressed in ragged clothes,

the iron hammer in his hand was polished to a bright sheen.

Clearly, even in their desperate situation, the Dwarves had not given up on maintaining their weapons.

Icicles clung to Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer’s beard, and his breath came in heavy, rapid white puffs.

When he saw Feiyana’s column drawing closer and appearing before him,

a light flickered in his cloudy eyes—a mixture of vigilance and hope.

"Halt! Elves!" The Dwarf Leader’s ice-caked beard vibrated as he spoke.

"This is the territory of the Copperbeard Clan!"

"What do you want?!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The Dwarf Leader’s voice was loud,

but both Feiyana

and Elf High Priest Shamiel

could hear the apprehension contained within his words.

As the distance closed, both armies could clearly see each other’s faces.

When he saw the Wood Elves, each one clad in iron armor, with rosy complexions, seemingly completely unaffected by the natural disaster and without a hint of fear on their faces,

an expression of utter shock flashed across Dwarf Leader Copperbeard Ironhammer’s eyes!

’How is this possible?!’

After all, behind the Dwarf Leader was a group of starving, powerless Dwarves who could barely even stand,

only managing to remain upright by using their weapons for support!

The cold wind howled, whipping pellets of snow between the two opposing forces.