Chapter 550.5: Have You Heard of Bay Territory?
Outside Arad City.
Chris silently observed the swarming Mad Dragon Lizards climbing the city walls. Holding back his urge to attack, he smacked his lips and said:
"Let's retreat and let them fend for themselves…"
Ashes, feeling a bit uneasy, instinctively nodded, murmuring in disbelief as he watched the ongoing explosions of magical light along the walls:
"The impact of the Mad Dragon disaster is still growing—could it reach the Underdark too?"
Hearing Ashes' words, Morak's eyes widened in curiosity as he asked:
"You mean the Mad Dragon disaster in the Underdark might affect the battle's outcome?"
Ashes nodded, a hint of expectation gleaming in his eyes, followed by a sly smile:
"Exactly. The drow have so many slaves—there's bound to be plenty of dragon-blooded creatures…"
Hearing this, Alice glanced at the information Leon had sent, then called out to the other members of the adventuring group:
"Guys, stop dawdling—a baron is requesting our assistance. This is a 100,000-gold job!"
Hearing this, the adventurers' eyes lit up, and they turned and left without hesitation.
They no longer cared about the fate of Arad City—after all, their employer had been stingy.
Schroder stood expressionless, silently watching his family's guards fight on the city walls.
He witnessed many of them falling, yet he didn't bother engaging with the frantic, inept commander nearby.
Without hesitation, Schroder turned and walked away.
Though the Mad Dragon Lizards were troublesome, they weren't enough to break through the reinforced defenses of Arad City.
The family's reinforcements had once delighted Schroder.
But the accompanying scolding and commander made him unwilling to comment further.
He decisively abandoned the troublesome burden, heading down from the walls and hurrying toward the camp.
Not knowing how much longer the family's reinforcements could hold, he felt compelled to prepare in advance.
Schroder had purchased a large quantity of war supplies from Bay Territory, earning him a favorable price.
So, he simply reorganized a new unit, ensuring they would only follow his orders—not the fool's.
As he looked at the neatly arranged soldiers, his gaze fell on their thick leather armor, filled with relief.
Fortunately, he had used his own funds, freeing himself from family control.
Still, Schroder couldn't help feeling regretful: without the adventuring group's escort, the Bay Territory supplies could only be delivered via teleportation, incurring a huge cost.
That would be a massive expense!
Recalling Bay Territory's response and assessment of the "Mad Dragon," Schroder couldn't help feeling envious.
Rather than a lord of Arad City, he felt more like a watchdog chosen by his family.
Now, he hoped the new commander would hold out long enough for his soldiers' training to finish.
However, upon returning to the walls, seeing numerous bodies and wounded being carried down, Schroder couldn't help feeling compassion.
Indeed, one must take control of one's own territory!
While Arad City had support from Shining Moon City, other territories nearby weren't so fortunate.
As the Mad Dragon disaster's influence grew, more dragon-blooded creatures emerged from deep forests and mountains.
Driven by frenzied whispers and primal instincts, they launched fierce assaults on nearby settlements of intelligent beings.
Even their bodies began to change significantly.
Many "lucky" dragon-blooded creatures awakened latent powers within their bloodlines, gaining coveted abilities.
Yet, these abilities came at the cost of their sanity, leaving them as rabid, uncontrollable beasts.
Exchanging reason for power reduced them to mere weapons and cannon fodder.
Chris decapitated a wolf-hybrid whose size had grown by a third, then wiped the sweat from his brow.
Glancing at his companions cleaning up the battlefield, he pointed toward the castle under siege and asked:
"Have we made contact with them?"
Alice shook her head in resignation:
"We were too late—the lord already fled, and hundreds of Mad Dragon gnolls have overrun the town."
Forcing himself not to look at the carnage, Morak rubbed his chin and spoke hopefully:
"The lord fled? That's even better—if we retake the town, we can claim it temporarily…"
Alice blinked, hearing the intent behind his words. Resisting the urge to respond, she shook her head:
"That's not our goal. Saving as many people as possible is our top priority."
Sheepishly rubbing his head, Morak nodded in agreement.
Chris, after receiving confirmation from the scouts that no second wave of Mad Dragon creatures was nearby, nodded at Alice. She then called out to their now-rested comrades:
"Let's move out."
The waiting adventurers eagerly charged ahead.
They loved helping to break sieges—saving lives while earning handsome rewards.
These Mad Dragon gnolls averaged a challenge level of 6+ and numbered over 2,000.
Even without sufficient siege equipment, their numbers and strength alone allowed them to overrun a town defended by only four or five hundred people.
Within the town, intense sounds of battle and cries of pain echoed.
With their wealth of combat experience, Alice's adventuring group avoided rushing the 600–700 Mad Dragon gnolls still present.
They deliberately flanked around to the other side of the wall, where the soldiers had already moved to reinforce the town, making their ascent relatively easy.
They quickly made their way to the opposite side of the wall.
800–900 Mad Dragon gnolls were attacking 200 soldiers.
The gnolls held a clear advantage—they were numerous, large, and utterly fearless.
The town's ordinary guards stood little chance against them.
The soldiers, driven by sheer courage, used the narrow terrain to barely hold off the attack.
Occasionally, a valiant guard would fall, only to be killed and devoured by the ferocious gnolls.
Just as their defenses were about to collapse...
A barrage of projectiles zipped through the air from behind them.
The leading dozen or so Mad Dragon gnolls were killed in an instant.
Morak and Batum, charging ahead, plunged straight into the gnolls as the astonished soldiers watched.
In mere moments, over a dozen gnolls were slain, clearing a small area.
Other armored warriors quickly followed, leveraging their superior strength and equipment to reinforce Morak and Batum's rear.
As streaks of lightning erupted among the gnolls, their fate was sealed.
Seeing that victory was just a matter of time, Alice glanced at the devastated town center. Turning to the bewildered captain of the guard, she asked:
"Have you heard of Bay Territory?"