Chapter 318 - 313: Dong, Dong, Dong

Chapter 318: Chapter 313: Dong, Dong, Dong

On the outer wall battlements of Minas Tirith, a sea breeze thick with salty, briny air whipped the torches into a frenzy.

Thomas, a rookie who’d only joined up six months ago, leaned against the rough stonework of the crenels, struggling to light a shoddily rolled tobacco leaf.

It took three strikes of his flint to produce a spark, and he quickly leaned in.

The tobacco had just caught, but before he could even exhale a ring of smoke, he felt a strange tremor through the stone floor beneath his feet.

It wasn’t the familiar rhythm of waves crashing against the fortress.

It was a deeper, more regular pulsation.

THUD...

The ring of smoke at his lips trembled and dispersed.

THUD...

The sound seemed to rise from the very heart of the earth, conducting up through the stone walls and into the soles of his feet.

The veteran beside him spat out the grass stalk he was chewing on and pressed his ear to the wall. The scar on his face twitched.

"Fucking here again," the veteran rasped, his voice full of irritation.

Thomas clutched the tobacco roll so tightly the burning tip seared his fingers.

"Chief, what in the hell is that noise? They’re saying... those sea monsters are digging tunnels right underneath our feet."

"Shut your mouth," the veteran hissed. "Stand your post and don’t listen to that bullshit."

But for all his bravado, he subconsciously tightened his own hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The noise had been going on for two days.

It had grown from a faint, barely perceptible whisper to a sound that was now all too clear.

Panic, like the insidious, damp sea air, had already seeped into every crack of the fortress.

Inside the Alchemy Workshop, a wave of heat and the acrid stench of chemicals washed over them.

Valerius, wearing a monocle, was cautiously adjusting a brass valve.

"Master Alchemist, how is the progress on that underwater explosive device we discussed?"

Velin’s voice cut through the air. His index finger tapped sharply on the blueprint, just ahead of the enemy’s marked excavation route.

"I need it to cause a controlled undersea landslide—not too big, not too small, but just right to block this tunnel."

Valerius stopped his work and adjusted his monocle.

"My Lord, I do have a preliminary concept for the deep-sea demolition! But do you have any idea how severely water pressure dampens explosive energy? A standard alchemical charge tossed down there wouldn’t even make a splash. At best, you’d get a slightly larger-than-average bubble..."

"I just need results," Velin cut him off. "How long until you can give me the first testable prototype?"

Valerius pursed his lips.

"Assign me a few more Casters! Tomorrow! I’ll have the first prototype for you tomorrow!"

Velin nodded in agreement, then turned and strode out of the Alchemy Workshop.

Tristan already had horses waiting at the door.

Velin vaulted onto his horse, and the two immediately spurred their mounts toward the Lord’s Mansion.

"My Lord, Sarah’s latest analysis."

Tristan reported to Velin as they spurred their horses on. "The enemy has deployed at least twelve large-scale excavation units. Their objective is clear, aimed directly at Mining Zone Three. At their current rate, they will breach the seabed’s rock layer in seven days at most."

Velin’s stern profile was a mask of flickering light and shadow from the moon and torches.

"Unas knows we can detect the digging. He’s counting on it to cause panic..."

As if on cue, they heard soldiers shouting curses out at the sea.

The two men glanced over before Velin continued, "It’s psychological warfare. He’s trying to bait us into revealing an opening."

Just as they reached the doors to the council chamber in the Lord’s Mansion, the thunderous sound of a fist slamming on a table echoed from within, piercing the thick wood.

Velin didn’t hesitate. He reached out and pushed the doors open.

"He’s digging under our very feet! By the gods, it’s like we’re sitting on a barrel being hollowed out by termites!"

Baron Kroo’s face was flushed with agitation, spittle flying from his lips, completely oblivious to the figures at the door.

"Many of the soldiers are too afraid to sleep! They claim they can hear tapping on the walls from deep underground!"

"That’s right! Those long-legged squids are about to gut the very foundations from under our arses!"

Complaints and doubts erupted from all sides, throwing the entire council chamber into an uproar.

In a corner, Ola listened to the pointless bickering, veins bulging on his forearms in frustration.

Diana paid the clamor no mind; her gaze was fixed on Velin as he walked through the door.

Velin met her gaze with a slight nod of acknowledgment. "My apologies for being late, everyone."

He then turned to the rest of the room. "According to the intelligence I just received, the enemy will breach the rock layer beneath our feet in seven days at most."

The moment the words left his mouth, the recently quieted council chamber exploded into chaos once more.

"Seven days?" Baron Kroo cried out, aghast. "If seawater floods the mines, we’ll basically be fighting them on the seafloor!"

The panic in the room surged again, even stronger than before.

"Seven days is just their wishful thinking," Velin said, holding up three fingers, his expression completely calm.

"My plan is to delay that timeline... to at least ten days from now."

"We can’t afford to just wait."

He looked to the silent Dwarf in the corner.

Ola’s head snapped up. His fists clenched, then opened, then clenched again.

"Unas thinks we’re just going to turtle up. He thinks he can dig his tunnels in peace. All his defensive measures are focused on the surface."

Velin’s fingers tapped a crisp rhythm on the tabletop.

"And the more he thinks that way, the more reason we have to give him a ’surprise’."

He turned to Ola, firelight glinting in his amber eyes.

"You’re itching for a fight, aren’t you?"

"By my father’s axe, I am!" Ola declared, his chest swelling with pride.

"Excellent," Velin nodded. "Tomorrow, you will lead the strike. Take your Knight Order, board the Leviathan, and launch a raid."

"Your target isn’t a head-on engagement. It’s the waters directly above their excavation site."

Velin’s voice rang through the council chamber, clear and powerful.

"I don’t need you to annihilate them, just to harass them. Use your axes and your charge to teach them that the seabed beneath Minas Tirith is not their private garden to stroll through as they please."

"Stir up the waters. Don’t let them dig in peace."

"Do you dare accept this mission?"

Ola’s eyes lit up, blazing with newfound fighting spirit.

He broke into a wide, toothy grin.

"Now *this* is a goddamn fight!"

The Dwarf let out a roar and pounded his fist against his breastplate in a salute to Velin.

"By your command! When the sun rises, I’ll give those squids a taste of my axe!"

With that, he spun around excitedly and stormed out with his men, their booming laughter echoing behind them.

Their heavy footfalls made the floorboards rumble.

Inside the council chamber, the oppressive atmosphere had vanished, replaced by a volatile mix of excitement and simmering battle-lust.

The faces of many young nobles were flushed with excitement, as if they could already taste victory.

Velin sat back down and gave an order to Tristan, who stood beside him.

"Tell Barrett to increase patrols. Anyone caught spreading rumors is to be thrown in the brig, immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"And tell the men... the counterattack begins tomorrow."