Fifteen, super large fake and inferior products

  Fifteen, super large fake and shoddy products

  The faint sunlight passes through the overcast clouds, sprinkling on the vast expanse of ice and snow, making people feel not a bit warm. In the vast mountain wilderness after the snow, there is a silence, the crystal clear frost freezes the autumn fruit, freezes the bird's nest at the top of the tree, also freezes all sounds of everything, making people feel lonely and desolate.

  A motley army, barely large enough to be called massive by the standards of the New Continent, trudged laboriously along the highway from Emon Port to New Morsborough, breaking the rare stillness that followed a winter snow. The season was not suited for marching in large numbers. The vanguard's footsteps turned knee-deep snow into slush, and the rearguard had to squelch through icy mud. Many people suffered severe frostbite on their feet as mud seeped into their shoes, but they gritted their teeth and kept moving forward until they collapsed from exhaustion, softly falling onto the muddy ground.

  Some elves wearing shiny magical light armor with the emblem of the elven gods on their chest, riding northern ponies adapted to the cold climate, holding sabers and whips, galloping back and forth on both sides of the formation, occasionally giving a merciless finishing blow to those who fell to the ground, so that they would no longer have to suffer from the torment of winter. The rest of the soldiers just looked at them with fearful eyes, their bodies still numbly following the main force in slow progress, as if all consciousness of resistance had been worn away.

  Among these unfortunate soldiers, about half of them wore emerald green uniforms with elven characteristics, holding firearms or long spears, but revealing obviously human features. The rest were a motley crew, including half-elf sailors wearing white sailor suits with ribbons on their hats; beastmen laborers wrapped in gray-brown tattered clothes, with blue faces and sharp teeth; Mazkan native slaves with reddish-brown skin, shivering uncontrollably in the cold wind. At the end of the procession were a few bearded dwarven artillerymen, struggling to push several cannons through the muddy road. The small wheels under the gun carriages looked like they had been used on warship gun emplacements and were completely unsuitable for such poor road conditions. The hapless dwarves pushed forward a few steps before getting stuck in the mud again, without any draft animals to pull the cannons, and gradually fell further and further behind their unit.

  "Move faster, you lazy devils!" The sound of horseshoes suddenly rang out, and the long whip of the elven knight fell mercilessly on the backs of the dwarf cannoneers, causing them to roll around in pain. However, the poor traffic conditions could not be changed, and the knights had no intention of contributing their own mounts to pull the cannons either. No matter how they whipped, scolded and shouted, the heavy artillery was still unable to move an inch.

  "Never mind those clumsy guys, get back and catch up with the team immediately, go quickly!"

  Although the voice was not very majestic or loud, the elf knight and dwarf cannoneer at the end of the team were scared like a devil being called by his true name, and quickly abandoned their entanglement. The knight mounted his horse, and the dwarves pulled out their axes from the cannon car, as if they were being chased by a terrifying beast, rushing forward. The dwarves' short legs could even keep up with the warhorse, and in an instant, they caught up with the main team.

  Sophia, wearing a deep green military coat, stood quietly at the end of the army, her aged body unable to wear the heavy armor, but her eyes still inspired fear. The more than 8,000 hastily assembled soldiers had just experienced a long sea journey and a landing battle, and were driven to continue attacking without rest. If it were another general, the whole army would have mutinied. But under the "Ghost Rose"'s fearsome reputation of several centuries, the soldiers, already cowed by bloodshed and terror, stepped onto the arduous march without complaint, not daring to stop for a breath even if their noses froze off.

  "Don't worry, those cowards will surrender after a couple of loud shouts!" Several military chaplains waved holy flags and jumped around in the crowd to boost morale. "The new city of Sabrae is a famous prosperous city! Lord Monlia has granted that after breaking into the city, the whole army can move freely inside for three days! Don't be afraid of the cold, add a bit more strength, and once we enter the city, there will be gold, silver, and treasure galore!"

  Although they had long since become numb under the bloody suppression of their superiors, the greed for plunder still slightly stirred the soldiers' minds, and their advancing footsteps seemed to quicken somewhat, under the lashings of the whip and the temptation of wealth, this army gradually approached its destination - New Morsleeburg.

  The distance from Emmon Port to the surface entrance of New Masobray City is not far, and under normal circumstances, ordinary people can walk there in just three or four hours. There is only one straight road between the gorges, with no danger of getting lost. Even with today's poor road conditions, the elven army arrived at their destination in just half a day.

  Just after turning a mountain wall, the advancing troops suddenly fell into disarray, with many soldiers pointing and shouting at the valley ahead, retreating in panic, while those behind them failed to stop in time, colliding with each other, the entire formation instantly descending into chaos. Even the church knights acting as military police could not control the situation.

  "What's going on here?" Sophia rode forward, annoyed, intending to give these undisciplined men a good scolding. But before she could put her thoughts into action, the continuous fortifications in front of her choked back her anger again. Even as the cold wind poured straight into her wide-open mouth, she didn't feel it at all.

  "What's going on..."

  Sophia rode on horseback, slowly turning her stiff neck. In front of her, more than two miles away, was a not-too-high mountain peak. The huge entrance to the underground city was very conspicuous on the half-mountain waist. A wide road spiralled down from the platform at the entrance to the valley bottom. At the bottom of the canyon, there was a row of simple shelters built with branches and mud, which seemed to be the front sentry position of the defending army.

  A wall that seemed to stretch on forever stood at the bottom of the cave entrance, extending out in both directions and blocking the view, appearing to encircle the entire mountain peak. Another wall of the same kind was near the entrance, with soldiers standing guard, vigilant and alert. As soon as the elves entered their line of sight, a dozen or so red signal flares shot up into the air, and urgent bell tolls echoed everywhere, causing the figures on the wall to multiply instantly, with countless weapons glinting in the light, dazzling the eyes.

  On the small hills on both sides of the entrance, dozens of large and small forts are scattered high and low, with dark cannon mouths protruding from the walls and battlements, reflecting a chilling light in the dim sunlight. These cannons cover every corner of the end of the valley from all directions, and the Elven army will probably enter the firing range if they advance a few more steps, no wonder the vanguard was scared to shrink back just now.

  However, the most surprising thing is that on the top of the mountain where the entrance to the underground castle is located, a grand and majestic castle stands tall. Although it's not particularly striking in terms of height, its massive volume, layered outer walls, and soldiers patrolling back and forth inside and outside the castle are enough to demonstrate its power. A giant cannon, as high as two stories, is installed on the outside of the castle, and its dark body makes people tremble with fear even from a distance. And behind the castle, there is a faint shadow of a dragon rising and falling.

  The new Mazobry Castle in front of me and the intelligence obtained from the prisoner's interrogation are completely inconsistent. Where is there any sign of lax defense? It's simply a fortress city as solid as gold!

  "How could such a large-scale fortress emerge overnight! Is it an illusion?" She was extremely surprised in her heart, and even if she used illusions to fake such a scale of fortresses, she would need astonishing magical powers. Could the New Tharrosel, which has always been known as the Magic Desert, actually have such a high-ranking person?

  A spirit mage under Sofia's indication performed a magical scan on the fortress in front of them, shaking his head to indicate that not only did the opponent not use illusions, but also estimated that they had set up anti-magic arrays around all the fortifications to make up for their own lack of magic power. This fortress is real!

  "That bastard actually dared to lie!" Sophia couldn't help but regret not tormenting the captive who dared to deceive her more, unfortunately, there was no useful magic of extracting memories in the elven spell, and humans were also strictly forbidden from learning any spells in the Elven Kingdom, which is why she was deceived by a few small soldiers, what a great shame!

  Based on the scale of the defensive fortifications in front of her, Sofia estimated that there were at least over 10,000 troops guarding this place, with more than 300 artillery pieces. This was far beyond what her own motley crew of 8,000 men without a single cannon could handle. In her opinion, having such massive military strength and yet hiding in a turtle shell made these New Taraleigh soldiers extremely cowardly. However, she also had to admit that even if the enemy was as timid as they were, she didn't have the ability to crack open this turtle shell in front of her.

  "For the time being, let's retreat and set up camp first. Also, send someone to bring back the heavy artillery that was left behind." Sophia waved her hand in resignation, letting the messenger soldier issue the order to retreat. The soldiers were overjoyed, squeezing and pushing each other as they fled outward.

  What she didn't know was that the massive fort in front of her had actually appeared overnight, or more precisely, within a single morning, and it was a thoroughly fake and inferior product.

  ****

  Behind the city wall on the mountain

  "Will this do?" Renny stood on a large rock, observing the distant elf army with binoculars. "Sophia Liriodendron is also a seasoned veteran, won't she see through our tactics?"

  "No choice, let's use this method to save the situation for now, if it really doesn't work out, we'll have no choice but to fight a guerrilla war." Fili was busy using magic to reinforce the wooden frame while also directing his clumsy subordinates, "Hey, you over there, hold it lower, the pole is almost exposed!"

  That "volunteer" temporarily recruited from the city, upon hearing this, quickly bowed his back again. Around him, many other "enthusiastic citizens" who were also forcibly recruited were doing the same work. They wore a life-size papier-maché doll on their heads, each holding a long pole with a papier-maché doll tied to the top, walking back and forth behind a two-person-high cardboard wall, pretending to be on patrol. On top of the cardboard wall, there were even more papier-maché dolls and paper cannons stuck on.

  More than a thousand irregular soldiers were trembling with fear in the simple shelters at the bottom of the canyon, and Fili's order to them was to pretend to be there, and if the enemy's main force came, they would immediately escape - if not, they would have long since disobeyed orders and retreated back into the underground city. As long as they could prevent the enemy's scouts from approaching and discovering the secret behind the seemingly solid fortress, their mission would be accomplished. Fili knew very well that before the battle began in their hometown, it was impossible to expect these semi-regular troops to exert any combat effectiveness.

  The sprite army didn't advance, nor did they risk being shot down by snipers, and instead sent a mage to scout from the air. Renny couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Although she had already arranged many experienced hunters with rifles at various high points to prepare for sniping, she still didn't have the confidence to take them down before they sounded the alarm. "The anti-magic array you set up should be fine, right? If even one of them has a problem, it'll be disastrous!"

  "Don't worry, don't worry! I'm still confident in setting up this lowest-level device." Although the anti-magic array is a bit of a hassle to use, any 4th-level or higher mage can draw it. As a 14th-level mage, Fili has some confidence in her own magical abilities. "As long as these paper-thin things don't get blown away by the wind, my anti-magic array will definitely be fine."

  "Don't worry, my big customer! With this young lady's many years of experience in making fake products, this little wind won't have any impact on her masterpiece at all!" A golden-haired, blue-eyed, petite and delicate half-elf loli jumped down from the mountain, "Folmes entrusted me to ask you, can you stop going up and down now and let him rest for a while? He said he's already gone up and down that paper castle wall more than ten times today, his wings are almost broken!"

  "Now, Long, this physical quality is really... Phil shook his head and replied to the half-elf loli, "No way, Ail, go tell Holmes that even if my wings are broken, I have to keep up appearances. Otherwise, when the time comes, everyone will be finished together. If you don't want to be skinned by the old witch, just hold on for a bit!"

  "Alright, but isn't it time for my wages?" Loli spread out her delicate small hands, "Two thousand gold coins, hand them over quickly!"

  "Isn't it too expensive? Didn't you say 200 gold coins yesterday?"

  "That's just a deposit! You didn't even give me the deposit and made this girl work for nothing all night, it's already good that I didn't ask you for a tip!"

  "The enemy is still down there... Can't we talk about it later?"

  "No way! You have to pay now!" Loli pouted and shook her head like a rattle drum, "What if the enemy comes and you die in battle, who will I ask for my wages?"

  "......Don't curse me like that! If I die in battle, will the Spirit Army still let you off?"

  Aile is a talent dug up by Ferry from a coffin shop in New Masobrea City. Although she is only 92 years old, which is still considered a loli in half-elf age, she has been good at versatile craftsmanship since childhood and has followed her relatives to engage in the very promising profession of counterfeit manufacturing and sales for over 40 years. The fake products she made are unparalleled in the industry, and her perfect and cute appearance has also successfully deceived countless male and female buyers. However, due to age and experience (in half-elf standards), as well as being an incurable money lover, she always gets caught at critical moments and got the nickname "thief of hearts" - every time she is chased by a group of cheated buyers, but manages to escape and remain carefree for so long, it can't be said that it's not thanks to the blessing of the lucky goddess Tamora.

  Later, because the paperboard fake yacht she made drowned people, she was pursued by the Qiu family in the Ferren mainland and could not make a living. She drifted across the ocean to the New Continent, opened a coffin shop with her relatives, and switched to making various spirit money and paper offerings. The products ranged from paperboard roasted ducks, paperboard villas to paperboard rainbow dragons, which were very popular among the families of the deceased and the pastors. It was during the last burial of the deceased Red Robe Master that he met her, and now that it's time to burn his butt, he thought of this fake genius first. Moreover, he brought her in overnight to implement this plan, which is almost like a fantasy.

  According to Lao Hei Long's intelligence, Sofia's troops had no other air force except for him and their magical strength was also very limited. In this case, it might be possible to implement tactical deception to delay time - facing eight thousand enemies, with only one or two thousand land-based elite soldiers who didn't know if they could fight or not, this was also an unavoidable measure.

  In this world where magic is widely used, people often have a misconception that things without magical disguise are true. This is especially evident in the military. Fei, who came from another world and had been deceived by countless fake goods, naturally knew another method of disguise. He still remembered the story about Wenzhou farmers manually crafting F22 fighter jets, so as soon as he thought of disguise and deception, he immediately thought of Ai Er, the little queen of counterfeit goods.

  Ferry's plan was to have Ayl come on site to direct the emergency production of large quantities of cardboard forts and paper mache cannons, as well as papier-maché fake soldiers, which would be set up in the surrounding hills. The idea was to temporarily deceive the enemy, then take advantage of the opportunity to counterattack or wait for reinforcements. In short, it was a case of taking things one step at a time and dragging things out for as long as possible. As for his subordinates, who were completely incapable of close combat, Ferry did not dare to place all his hopes on them making a superhuman effort in their hometown.

  New Mazobru City is one of the top cities in the New Continent, where you can find everything except for brave warriors who can fight with swords and fists. With the full support of the Council, a large number of paperboard models were produced overnight. As soon as they were finished, the Great Druid discovered the movement of the Elf Army through bird scouts. Fili had to continue working hastily, placing the paper men, paper cannons, paper walls, paper forts, and paper soldiers with tin foil in various mountain heads, barely completing the deployment before the enemy arrived, and also deploying an anti-magic array to prevent the enemy's magic detection. All that can be done now is to pray for the blessing of the Goddess of Luck, while watching how Sofia decides.

  Fortunately, this time the luck was not bad, and the old and frail "Ghost Rose" seemed to have withered her brain cells along with her skin. The Spirit Army wandered around in the distance for a while before slowly retreating, without showing any signs of seeing through their disguise. After receiving intelligence that the enemy had set up camp in a field three miles away, Phil finally put his heart back in his stomach.

  "Next, let's see what's next, Aile!" He grabbed the collar of the fake genius who was playing cards with Da Druid and Grena, "Hurry up and get ready, we'll counterattack at nightfall, can you modify it in time?"

  "This girl gets things done, absolutely trustworthy!" The half-elf loli first gave a serious face and patted her completely flat chest, then smiled and opened her hands, "However, on such a cold night, calling me to give up sleep for two consecutive nights, sacrificing my skin to brave the wind and snow to help you rush the job, I should get some overtime pay, right? Just so happens that today's luck was bad, lost a lot of money! How about this time we add 2000 gold coins?"

  "You'd better go rob someone instead, who extorts money like this!" Although he had already taken control of the entire legion's finances, Phil was absolutely unwilling to dip into his own pocket again until he confirmed that Speaker Zena would agree to reimburse all expenses.

  However, he clearly underestimated the extent of this loli's desire for money.

  "Don't be so petty, big bro~~~" The loli's sure-kill technique is activated, a sweet voice accompanied by the loli's capture hug - super sure-kill appears! (Moe degree explosion)

  "Alright, alright, I'll give it to you! Hurry up and come down, or else Rennie will see us and misunderstand..."

  Fei Li's heart bled, and he was beautifully defeated by the invincible Loli's killing technique. He reluctantly contributed his wallet, but his bad luck had not yet come to an end.

  "Dear, love, what did you just say was a misunderstanding?" Renny's gentle voice sounded nearby, but made Fili feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

  "Oh, Goddess of Misfortune Basha, spare me!"

  Celebrating getting recommended, this week's VIP chapters will be unlocked, one to two chapters per day.

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