The terrain of the Dark Realm is complex, filled with rugged winding paths and natural barriers. In the past, traveling from the western border of the Merchant Alliance to Darkness City often took half a month or even longer, all while dealing with attacks from various Magical Creatures and terrible road conditions.
Even now, with the hardened earthen roads laid by the Slime Kingdom, this journey would normally require seven or eight days of marching.
By utilizing magic scrolls and potions, the travel time could be shortened to two or three days.
Thus, it was only the second morning when the Merchant Alliance legion had already reached the front entrance to the Everly Valley.
Here, the rock walls on both sides were towering and high, forming a canyon terrain. At the narrowest part of the canyon, looking up, the sky was reduced to a thin line squeezed by the towering cliffs. The cliff walls were dotted with natural holes of all sizes, from which the eerie cries of unknown Magical Creatures echoed intermittently. Even the boldest Adventurers passing through here often needed companions and thorough preparation.
Therefore, Adventurers also called this place the Wailer Canyon.
The legion mages raised their Staves high, casting bright illumination spells in an attempt to dispel the Darkness. However, the Light could only illuminate a limited range. The higher parts of the rock walls and the deeper shadows remained a thick, impenetrable blackness.
What was more troublesome was that the light actually disturbed certain flying Magical Creatures nesting in the rock caves, provoking their angry and uneasy wails, along with sporadic diving attacks.
Nolan rode on his warhorse, looking up at the sliver of sky above.
But he was certain the pocket watch with a constant magical effect in his pocket wouldn't be wrong. The current time was indeed already morning.
It was just that this region of the Dark Realm was enveloped by special Mana, with no clear day-night cycle, and naturally, no sun to be seen.
Besides this sky that resembled an eternal curtain in the hands of the Goddess of Eternal Night, what caught his attention were the black shadows that flashed by at the edges of the illumination spell's glow, emitting sharp shrieks.
They seemed to be native canyon Magical Creatures that had been startled, such as terror-claw screechers, shadow bats, and a few small flying magical beasts capable of spraying acid or releasing mental interference.
Although these sporadic Magical Creature attacks posed no substantial threat to the well-equipped legion, Nolan's sharp battlefield intuition made him notice the "wonderful" aspect of this canyon's terrain.
The wonder lay in its narrowness, dimness, and the complex structure of the rock walls, which made it difficult to detect enemies even if they disguised themselves as Magical Creatures and quietly flew over their heads from the shadows.
Fortunately, several sentinel constructs were circling and on alert dozens of meters above the legion. Their magical eyes continuously scanned the surroundings.
Currently, no abnormal Mana concentrations or large-scale life reactions had been detected, nor were there any signs of the ambush he feared.
This put him slightly more at ease.
Canyon ambushes were not uncommon in the continent's war history. Usually, sending out sufficient aerial units for reconnaissance in advance could effectively avoid falling into traps.
However, the peculiarity of the Dark Realm was its lack of natural light. Even with aerial reconnaissance units, amidst such complex light, shadow, and rock wall structures, it might still be difficult to promptly spot enemies hiding in rock shadows or natural holes.
Nolan cast Hawk Eye again, his gaze sharp as he carefully scanned every shadow and crevice on both sides of the canyon where enemies might be concealed.
A moment later, he withdrew his gaze, completely reassured.
It seemed he had worried too much.
The White Horse Kingdom might be unprepared for a frontal defense, but they might not have the courage, nor necessarily the capability, to set an ambush in such a place.
His attention quickly returned to the march.
Their schedule was tight. They needed to reach the Rubble Plains by tonight to establish an advance camp. There was no time to waste on these annoying Magical Creatures.
Nolan waved his hand and ordered, "Archer squad, mage squad, clear all aggressive flying Magical Creatures within twenty meters ahead and on both rock walls. Maintain marching speed!"
The order was swiftly executed.
The well-trained archers drew their Enchanted longbows, arrows accurately shooting towards the circling black shadows. The legion mages chanted short incantations, releasing small-area magic missiles or wind blades to clear the more clustered targets.
For a moment, the wails of Magical Creatures in the canyon were replaced by the sounds of arrows cutting through the air and spell explosions.
The legion's marching speed was almost unaffected. Soldiers stepped in orderly strides, bypassing the Magical Creature corpses on the ground as they continued forward.
However, on a dark brown rock wall above their heads, what seemed like a pair of eyes blinked.
When a startled terror-claw screecher, following the turbulent air currents in the canyon, flew frantically and crashed into that rock wall, something bizarre happened.
The surface of the rock wall, which appeared hard and rough, actually gave way slightly inward like elastic gel, silently absorbing and dissipating the impact force before quickly returning to its original shape, as if nothing had happened.
The dazed screecher flew away, unaware that this was not a rock wall at all, but a slime with a high level of Mimic.
Its body stretched into a gel wall conforming to the rock wall's depression, perfectly blocking the original gap.
If these Merchant Alliance people could access the Slime Kingdom's Gel Network at this moment, they would hear the lively discussion beneath the Mimicked rock wall.
"Hmph! I told you so. Hiding here, these guys definitely won't find us." A voice tinged with smugness sounded, belonging to Nilly.
"Little Arno, make some room for your auntie. I need to see clearly where those guys outside have walked to."
Yano's light cough sounded. "Auntie, you only recently became an Extraordinary Professional, and you're already looking down on me, the Stone Scion Grand Duke, Arno Belmont?"
"Of course! Just look at who's squatting next to you. I am the most talented... auntie in the history of the Belmont clan! As an elder, of course I need to save some face in front of my junior." Nilly said righteously.
Neither yielding to the other, they subtly elbowed each other a few times with their arms in the cramped space, like children, until Chen Yu, who was perched on Yano's shoulder, let out a few "hmm hmm" sounds. Only then did this pair of "deeply affectionate" aunt and nephew stop their little scuffle.
And in this not-so-wide hidden space, more than just the three of them were crouching.
Also squeezed in were Sekashi and her sister Semiaya, the Slime Scholar Tamu whom Nilly hugged like a plush toy, and the snow eagle Penny and Little Ka, who occupied the vast majority of the space.
Seeing the previous "friendly interaction" between the two Stone Descendants, Penny and Little Ka silently shrank their massive bodies even tighter, afraid of accidentally bumping into someone.
As for Tamu, held in Nilly's arms, its current mood was quite complex.
On one hand, being able to stay so close to the King filled it with immense happiness and honor.
On the other hand, seeing its student act so unreliable, it couldn't help but worry. Would the King think its teaching ability was lacking, that it had taught the student to be like this?
Sigh...
Tamu helplessly emitted a string of sorrowful little bubbles.
Nilly seemed to sense Tamu's low spirits. She patted Tamu's soft head with her small hand, then turned to Chen Yu, waving her fist and chuckling, "Your Majesty, you see, just as I said, Wailer Canyon is absolutely a great place for a Backstab."
"We don't need to wait for them to slowly trudge all the way to Blackrock Bastion. We can beat the crap out of them right here, sending them crying and running back to the Merchant Alliance."
Chen Yu's Gel Body wobbled up and down, indicating approval, happily bubbling.
Just as Nilly said, the terrain of Wailer Canyon was not only easy to hide in, but also had plenty of flying Magical Creatures for cover. It was simply the perfect place for an ambush.
Blackrock Bastion still had Galvin and the main force guarding it. Even if something unexpected happened, they could quickly rush back for support.
It's just that...
Chen Yu still had some doubts.
Actually, they had only arrived here half an hour earlier than the Merchant Alliance legion, with no time to make any preparations.
How did Nilly manage to so skillfully pull them directly into this hiding spot and accurately predict the legion's marching route?
Meeting Chen Yu's gaze, Nilly gave a dry laugh twice. Though her confidence was somewhat lacking, she still puffed out her chest and responded righteously, "I am an Assassin Master. Knowing such observation and ambush positions is normal, right?... Alright, alright. Actually, back when we were beating up those Vampires, we often disguised ourselves as Magical Creatures in canyons, pulling off Backstabs and scaring them silly. So we're very familiar with this place."
Sekashi was squatting right next to Nilly. Hearing her words, she couldn't help but whisper to her sister Semiaya beside her, "As expected of an Assassin Master. So impressive!"
Semiaya gave a slight nod. Though her face showed no expression, she internally acknowledged Nilly's cunning and deviousness.
Hearing this made Nilly even more pleased with herself. She patted Sekashi's shoulder.
"Student Sekashi has good taste! After we finish beating up these clueless guys outside, Auntie will treat you sisters to a big meal at the best restaurant in Winterhold!"
Tamu instinctively interjected weakly, "A big meal... does that also mean skipping class?"
"Of course..." Nilly was about to answer instinctively, but suddenly feeling Chen Yu's gaze upon her, she immediately changed her tone, becoming extremely serious. "No, what do you mean 'also' skipping class? I am a good student. I respect teachers and love studying. How could I skip class? Teacher Tamu, don't slander me."
"Re... really? Sob?"
Tamu was somewhat doubtful, but seeing the King also looking over, it instantly became so shy its entire Gel Body shrank. It cautiously poked out just a tiny bit of its head from Nilly's embrace, secretly observing Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was secretly satisfied.
It seemed this scholar's teaching ability was indeed good, able to educate even a troublemaker like Nilly so well.
He decided. Upon returning, he would promote Tamu and give it a raise, making it a special-grade teacher at the winter academy.
He just didn't know if Tamu, upon learning Chen Yu's current thoughts, would feel gratified or even more worried.
So, striving to become a good teacher actually meant moving further and further away from its dream of going to the front lines...
At that moment, Semiaya, who had been calmly observing the situation outside, suddenly spoke. "I've observed. The defense in the middle section of the legion formation below is the weakest. It's concentrated with some mages in carriages, as well as supply vehicles carrying dormant constructs, magic scrolls, and other Supply Materials."
"As long as we wait for the legion's middle section to march directly beneath us, we launch a surprise attack. We can immediately cut the entire marching column in half. Even if the legion reacts, crossing the chaotic middle section to provide support would take some time, giving us enough opportunity to create sufficient chaos and withdraw."
Chen Yu's Gel Body wobbled up and down, indicating agreement.
"Very thorough analysis. However, try not to target those mages, especially the ones wearing collars with star and flower patterns."
Sekashi shrank her body, trying hard to make more room for everyone, then tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Does the Envoy wish to recruit these mages?"
Chen Yu hopped once, saying with surprise, "Sekashi, when did you suddenly become so smart?"
"Ah? Me?... Actually, I guessed." Sekashi lowered her head shyly, but the tail behind her gently swayed, unable to conceal her elation from being praised.
Nilly looked at Chen Yu, then at the mage carriages protected within the formation outside, and suddenly understood.
"Oh, I get it, Your Majesty. You have a secret deal with these mages, right?"
Chen Yu didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to Yano. "Yano, you explain."
Yano, hearing this, cleared his throat and explained, "Actually, while stationed at Gold Lionheart Fortress, we received an anonymous letter from within the Merchant Alliance."
"The letter's content was ambiguous, but it hinted that some mages within the legion held reservations about this war, and were even willing to provide some conveniences to the Slime Kingdom at an appropriate time."
"Of course, the authenticity and intent of this letter are still uncertain, but we might as well take this opportunity to test these mages' reactions."
"So... are we just going to charge out like this in a moment?" Tamu asked naively via telepathy.
"Don't rush, Teacher Tamu."
Nilly's pitch-black, bright eyes rolled, and she soon had a new idea. She said excitedly, "Your Majesty, do you remember I reported to you before that there are still many Magical Creature Lords lurking at the edges of the Dark Realm that haven't been cleared by the Kingdom?"
She excitedly rubbed her hands together.
"Coincidentally, there's a pretty interesting big guy hiding right here in Wailer Canyon. We might be able to let it go greet our guests first."
Chen Yu's Gel Body paused, interested. "Oh? Tell me more."
Nilly proudly placed her hands on her hips. "A long time ago, the family thoroughly explored Wailer Canyon inside and out. Deep in this canyon, near the Echo Cave area, lives an old stone behemoth."
"That thing is as big as a small hill, with skin like rock. It usually sleeps in its cave, occasionally coming out to prey on passing Magical Creatures or unlucky Adventurers."
"The sound of its roar is terrifying, like a mountain collapsing, and it can even shake rocks loose from the cliff walls."
"Most importantly, this guy has a very bad temper. It hates light and noise the most. It once offended the great Lady Nilly, so it must be taught a lesson."
It indeed sounded feasible, but Chen Yu somewhat suspected that the last sentence was her real purpose.