61: Chapter 61 The best defense is to turn your enemy into your own.

The bear of the north, that warmonger famous for his brutality and bloodlust, whose territory bordered Blackstone Territory—Karl von Heinrich!

The name was like an ice-tempered Iron Hammer, smashing hard against the hearts of everyone in the drawing room.

The air instantly froze; the previously tense atmosphere caused by the food issue now seemed incredibly ridiculous and naive.

Elder Borin's weather-beaten face turned from red to white in a matter of seconds, finally settling into a deathly ashen gray.

He was no ignorant farmer; as the elder of Kushui Village, he knew better than anyone what the name Karl von Heinrich meant in the North.

That was no noble, but a beast in human skin. Wherever his army passed, only scorched earth and heads hanging from flagpoles remained.

His gaze was fixed firmly on the scout—more accurately, on the arrow buried deep in the scout's shoulder blade.

The arrow's craftsmanship was crude, but the fletching was made from the long feathers of a gray vulture. That was standard equipment for human armies, definitely not the inferior quality items made of bone and stone used by Ogres.

This wasn't a natural disaster; it was a man-made one!

In Borin's cloudy eyes, the last trace of wishful thinking and anger was replaced by cold terror.

He finally understood that while they were still bickering with the Lord over a bite of white bread, a true wolf had already quietly approached the sheepfold.

“Support him and take him down! Call for the physician! Use the best medicine!” Levi's voice broke the dead silence.

His expression was equally grim, but not a trace of panic could be found in his eyes—only a high-speed, machine-like calmness.

Two guards immediately stepped forward, carefully supporting the scout who was on the verge of fainting.

Before being dragged away, the scout used the last of his strength to roar, “My Lord... Dragons Tooth Pass... Orc corpses everywhere... and our patrol's... they... they were driven here...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he lost consciousness completely.

Driven here...

Levi's pupils shrank suddenly, and countless scattered clues in his mind instantly connected into a clear chain of logic.

He looked at Borin, who had clearly thought of something as well, his body shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind.

“Lord... Karl... he wants those hungry Orcs to be his vanguard!” Borin's voice was hoarse and filled with despair. “He knows we just had a great victory and that we harvested all of Augustus's grain! He wants the Orcs to wear us down. Once we and the Orcs have fought to a standstill, his army... will flatten everything we have in the name of 'purging the Orcs'!”

In the drawing room, the color drained from the faces of the remaining nine village representatives.

They weren't fools; if Elder Borin could think of it, they naturally could too.

This was a most malicious open scheme, pushing Blackstone Territory into a situation of certain death.

Levi ignored the crowd's panic. His gaze swept over Borin, and his tone, devoid of emotion, was like a sharp knife dissecting reality.

“Elder, do you still want to discuss the issue of brown bread versus white bread with me now?”

Borin's body stiffened; shame and fear made him want to disappear.

He took a sudden step forward and, in a manner uncharacteristic of his age, dropped to one knee with a thud, his aged head hanging low.

“Lord! Please forgive me! Borin was blind and shortsighted! We... what should we do?”

The nine representatives behind him also snapped out of it and fell to their knees one after another. Their previous arrogance and doubt had long vanished, replaced by the most primal instinct for survival.

“What to do?” Levi paced slowly to the center of the drawing room, his gaze sweeping across every face. “It’s simple. From now on, Blackstone Territory enters a state of maximum alert. All entertainment activities are canceled, and a territory-wide curfew is in effect. All adult males must register in front of the castle.”

His voice rose a few notches, filled with unquestionable authority.

“Borin!”

“Present!” Borin looked up sharply.

“I appoint you as the temporary militia coordinator for Blackstone Territory! Your task is not to lead them to the battlefield, but to return to the people immediately, calm their emotions, and tell them what is happening! Then, at the fastest speed possible, tally and register all hunters with combat experience, retired veterans, and all able-bodied youths who can draw a bow or swing an axe! I want an accurate list of personnel delivered to my strategy room within two hours!”

The immense external pressure was like an invisible hand, pinning Borin firmly into the position he had been hesitating over just a minute ago.

He had no choice and no hesitation. This was an order, and even more so, the only hope for survival.

“Yes! My Lord! I guarantee the mission will be completed!” Borin kowtowed heavily, then stumbled to his feet and rushed out of the drawing room with the nine equally distraught representatives.

Levi watched their panicked figures leave, his eyes showing no fluctuation.

He turned and rang the copper bell that summoned the core members.

He knew that the real war was only just beginning.

Inside the strategy room, Evelyn, Old Jack, and Mia—who had just been helped in by a maid—were already waiting.

The atmosphere was even more solemn than the last meeting. The news brought by the scout was like a giant boulder weighing on everyone's heart.

Evelyn's fingers brushed lightly over the large sand table. Her seductive purple eyes now flickered with the cold light of wisdom.

“Master, although the scout's intelligence is incomplete, it is enough for us to piece together Karl's full plan.” Her voice was crisp and calm. “Dragons Tooth Pass is our only natural barrier to the north. The terrain is treacherous and easy to defend but hard to attack. Karl knows very well that if he attacks head-on, even if he takes it, he will inevitably suffer heavy losses. This does not fit the greedy nature of the ‘bear of the north.’”

She picked up a small red flag representing the Orcs and placed it outside Dragons Tooth Pass.

“Therefore, he used a smarter and more malicious method. He sent an elite unit across the border deep into the northern wilderness, where several hungry Orc tribes are entrenched. His people slaughtered the Orc elderly and weak, stole their winter rations, and then drove them toward Dragons Tooth Pass like livestock. These beasts, blinded by hunger and hatred, will become his cheapest battering rams, used without regard for casualties.”

She then picked up a small black flag representing Karl's army and placed it in a hilly area thirty miles away from Blackstone Territory.

“As for himself, he will lead his main force to camp out of our sight, like a patient vulture, waiting for us and the Orcs to tear at each other until the last drop of blood is spent. When the castle walls are breached by the Orcs and our soldiers are exhausted, he will appear as a savior and easily harvest everything.”

Old Jack broke into a cold sweat as he listened. He wiped his forehead and said anxiously, “Then what are we waiting for? My Lord! We must reinforce the walls immediately! Send everyone up! Prepare the rolling stones and logs! We must hold!”

“We can't hold.” Levi's voice rang out calmly, rejecting Old Jack's most conventional suggestion.

He walked to the sand table, looked at the miniature model representing Blackstone Castle, and shook his head slightly.

“Our territory has just started. Large sections of the walls are a mix of old and new; they simply can't withstand a large-scale Orc assault. Our population has just been integrated, and the people's hearts are not yet stable. Forcing them onto the walls would only be a massacre. Most importantly,” he tapped his knuckles lightly on the edge of the sand table, “war is a matter of attrition. We can't afford it. Even if we win a pyrrhic victory and kill all the Orcs, with a dilapidated castle and a group of exhausted, disabled subjects, how will we face Karl's elite army waiting in reserve?”

“Then... then what do we do?” Old Jack was completely at a loss.

Levi's gaze moved from the sand table to him, and he issued an order that left everyone bewildered.

“Old Jack.”

“Present, My Lord.”

“Stop all reinforcement work on the walls.”

“What?” Old Jack almost thought he had misheard.

“You heard correctly.” Levi's tone was beyond doubt. “Not only that, I order you to immediately inventory all the large iron pots in our warehouse—the bigger, the better. Also, all spices—pepper, fennel, salt, even those pungent herbs—as well as all our animal fats and lamp oil. Gather them all together and store them separately. I want to see an accurate list in the shortest time possible.”

Old Jack stood with his mouth agape, his face full of confusion.

With a great enemy at the gates, the Lord didn't want rolling stones or logs, but iron pots and seasonings?

Was he preparing to have a hearty meal before the city fell?

But Levi's indisputable gaze made him swallow all his questions. He could only nod heavily. “Yes, My Lord, I'll see to it at once!”

Watching Old Jack's hurried departure, Levi turned to the last core member in the room, the Druid who had remained silent.

“Mia.”

“I'm here, Lord.” Mia responded weakly.

Levi walked to her and handed over a parchment he had already written.

Her body was still very weak; even the movement of reaching out for the scroll seemed a bit strenuous.

“This is the list.” Levi's voice softened slightly, but the content was equally baffling. “I need you to use all your power to accelerate the growth of these plants. Remember, only the ones on this list. Not snow potatoes, not wheat, not anything that can fill a stomach.”

Mia unfurled the parchment, and her pale face showed the same confusion as Old Jack's.

The list contained various plant names she had never heard of or had only seen in ancient texts: Dragon-Breath Grass, Screaming Mushrooms, Stink-Gland Flowers, Hell Peppers... The only commonality was a small line of text in red ink next to their descriptions: 'Possesses a strong, irritating odor.'

What were these things?

In a time of war, instead of growing food, he wanted these useless plants that gave off strange smells?

Mia didn't understand, but looking into Levi's deep eyes, she saw a powerful conviction that she couldn't question.

She nodded slowly. “I... will do my best.”

“Good.” Levi straightened up and looked around. An invisible pressure enveloped the entire strategy room.

Finally, he looked at Evelyn, whose purple eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation.

“Evelyn.”

“My Master, please give your command.” The Succubus curtsied slightly, her skirt tracing a graceful arc.

Levi's finger pressed heavily on the sand table, on a narrow canyon area south of Dragons Tooth Pass.

“I want you to immediately lead a fifty-man squad of the most elite scouts and hunters. Take all the iron pots and spices Old Jack inventories, travel light, and head north. Your mission is not to intercept the Orcs, nor to scout Karl's army. You are to reach this windward canyon before the main Orc force arrives and... set up camp there.”

A spark flashed in Evelyn's eyes. She seemed to have caught onto something, and a playful smile curled at the corners of her mouth. “Just setting up camp, Master?”

“Yes, setting up camp.” A mysterious smile appeared on Levi's face. “The best defense has never been to passively take a beating. Since Karl wants to invite us to watch a grand show, we must... return the favor with a grand opening gift.”

Evelyn didn't ask further; she loved these tasks full of challenge and uncertainty.

She gave a flawless bow, and her figure vanished outside the door like a ghost.

Orders were executed one by one, and the entire Blackstone Territory began to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

Elder Borin used his prestige to quickly calm the populace and raised a reserve force of over five hundred men.

From Old Jack's warehouse, massive iron pots were moved out, and the strong scent of spices and fats filled the air.

With the help of a maid, Mia began chanting ancient incantations in the castle's greenhouse to accelerate the growth of those plants emitting strange odors.

And Evelyn's team, like a black arrow, vanished silently into the northern snowy forest half an hour after the order was given.

Less than an hour after Evelyn's team departed, a scout responsible for monitoring the perimeter galloped back with new intelligence.

“Lord! Karl's army has stopped at Falling Eagle Slope, thirty miles away! They didn't continue forward; instead, they set up camp on the spot and... and sent out a large number of scouts, spreading out like a net toward our direction!”

Levi stood on the castle balcony, listening to the scout's report as the northern cold wind whipped at the corners of his clothes.

He gazed at the gray horizon in the distance, a 'just as expected' expression appearing on his face.

Karl, that old fox, was even more cautious than imagined.

He wasn't afraid of Levi defending to the death; he was afraid of Levi running away.

Sending out scouts was to confirm whether he was already pinned down by the Orcs, ensuring that this 'driving the tiger to swallow the wolf' show was officially starting according to his script.

Every one of his unusual actions was exposed to the monitoring of the opponent's countless eyes.

He had to deceive both parties at the same time—the impending, bloodthirsty Orcs, and the cunning, cruel human in the distance.

And the key to the deception lay in those dozens of large pots Evelyn had taken, along with those seemingly absurd spices and fats.

Levi took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs and making his mind even clearer.

His gaze seemed to pierce through dozens of miles of wind and snow, landing on that unremarkable canyon at Dragons Tooth Pass.

At this moment, inside the canyon, the biting cold wind was howling through.

Evelyn stood on a giant rock, her long black hair dancing wildly in the wind. She waved her hand, her voice not loud but clearly reaching every team member's ears.

“Listen to the Lord's command! Everyone, move! Set up all these dozens of large pots for me!”