Free Web NovelChapter 163: Chapter 99: My Dear Mother [Pale Elegy]
What made the militiamen’s eyes gleam with excitement was that Lynch, using the vision of the Demon Rat Skeletons, had pinpointed the locations of numerous demon rat granaries.
They were dug open on the spot.
Inside was a massive hoard of "grain" the demon rats had collected for the winter. Though it was mixed with grass seeds, nuts, and even dried insects, the bulk of it consisted of ears of Black Rye and gray potato tubers.
"Food! It’s food!"
"There’s so much! If we’re careful, this is enough to feed the entire town for a long time."
"Long live Lord Lynch!"
The militiamen were moved to tears, their eyes filled with fanatical adoration as they looked at Lynch.
This Lord of theirs not only had the strength to protect them but could also use such a magical and efficient method to snatch food right from the mouths of the demon rats. It was nothing short of... a miracle!
Heh.
Lynch, however, wore a calm and nonchalant expression.
’The demon rats weren’t strong to begin with,’ he thought. ’As I see it, once you find the right counter, dealing with them isn’t hard at all.’
However, with so much farmland around Lakefront Town, he couldn’t possibly stay here exterminating rats forever.
Therefore, Lynch left the rest of the rat extermination and grain recovery to the Bone Mage to lead and complete.
’It’s been watching from the sidelines for a while now,’ he thought. ’That’s long enough for it to have learned how to work independently. Besides, the town has plenty more to keep busy with.’
With the rat infestation gone, the food wouldn’t just grow out of thin air. They needed to till the land and rush to plant some short-cycle crops before the season ended—things like fast-growing leafy greens or cold-hardy beans...
However, that work wasn’t Lynch’s responsibility.
Now that the food problem was handled, he had more important things to do.
And that was: get money! freeweɓnovel.cѳm
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Back before Lynch had crossed over, there was an "old saying."
How do you describe someone who’s rich?
"Their family owns a mine!"
That’s right. Ore is the kind of thing you can sell for money just by digging it out of the ground. If you then smelt it into Iron Ingots and copper ingots, the profits are even greater.
Currently, the Empire was plagued by frequent wars, with the flames of conflict rising everywhere.
The Draenei Brotherhood causing trouble in the southern provinces was just one of many rebel armies.
The three main army corps and various regional forces were busy putting down rebellions everywhere. The wear and tear on military equipment was immense, and the logistical pressure was unprecedented.
Therefore, the prices of iron and copper—the most basic raw materials for weapons and tools—had naturally skyrocketed, and demand was incredibly high.
Why had Lakefront Town become such a prosperous major town in the past? Why did several trade routes converge there?
Surely those profit-hungry merchants hadn’t traveled thousands of miles just to buy Lakefront Town’s meager grain and fish, had they? frёeωebɳovel.com
There was, of course, only one answer.
They came for the ore.
In the mountain range west of Lakefront Town, there were several mines of varying sizes.
The two largest mainly produced iron ore, and a smaller mine occasionally produced hematite.
After these ores were sorted and roughly smelted, they would be transported to the forging centers in the north or sold directly to passing merchant caravans. This was once Lakefront Town’s most important source of wealth.
However, with the outbreak of war and the flight of the previous Lord, these treasure-filled caves were now occupied by Gnolls from the Mist Forest. They had enslaved the original Kobold miners and forced them to excavate ore.
Now that Lynch had made initial progress on the food and morale problems, it was only natural that he set his sights on the mines occupied by the Gnolls.
This was a project that, once restored, could bring a steady stream of wealth.
It was a much quicker way to make money than fishing or farming.
With money, he could buy better equipment, recruit more Soldiers, purchase cultivation resources, and develop his territory... It was a crucial step to revitalize all of Lakefront Town, and it was even tied to the grand scheme of his own personal development.
However, Gnolls weren’t like goblins or Fishmen—low-level mobs that, while annoying, were individually weak.
They were a true predator race—fierce and brutal. Adults generally stood over two meters tall, with muscular bodies and sharp claws and fangs. They were born Warriors and hunters.
It could be said that any given adult Gnoll was no weaker than a well-trained human Tier One Warrior. It wasn’t even uncommon for the especially strong or old among them to reach Tier Two.
Therefore, Lynch was extremely cautious about attacking the mines.
He spent ten days on thorough reconnaissance and preparation.
While having the Bone Mage clear the farmland, he even personally led elite units like Bone Shadow, Boneguard, and Esther to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the mines in the western mountain range.
The situation was far from optimistic.
According to the initial reconnaissance, the iron mine closest to Lakefront Town—which had also been the most productive—had become a veritable den for the region’s Gnolls.
No fewer than fifty Gnolls dwelled inside the mine, along with over a hundred Kobold miners.
What gave Lynch an even bigger headache was the intelligence gathered from secret surveillance by Bone Shadow and the Squirrel Skeletons: the leader of this Gnoll band was named Hog—a Gnoll Chieftain who had reached Tier Four!
Moreover, Gnoll Chieftains were usually blessed by a tribal totem, and their combat experience and ferocity were far beyond that of ordinary monsters.
’A frontal assault would be extremely risky. But the mine has to be taken.’
Therefore, after making thorough preparations, Lynch arrived with his Undead Army and fifty Soldiers from his barracks.
The main force stopped behind a rocky slope about a kilometer from the mine entrance. They then quickly spread out, using the terrain to form a semi-encircling ambush.
