The gloomy invader

  The gloomy invader

  The biting cold wind howled across the surface of the Traceless Sea, the sky was dark and gloomy, with towering waves surging up and down. Winter is absolutely not a suitable season for sailing, after October every year, the wind direction in the northern part of the Traceless Sea will change unpredictably. Even the most experienced captains dare not guarantee that they can safely sail their ships back to port. Ordinary sailors prefer to spend their boring time in quiet port cities, either by gambling, drinking, or finding cheap girls to solve their physiological problems, rather than risking their lives at sea.

  But in the cold and treacherous winter of 1990, a massive fleet was struggling on the waveless sea, laboriously sailing westward. Every mast of the ships was hung with dense icicles, and the north wind carried large snowflakes that hit the deck, forming a thick layer of ice.

  Sailors, drenched by the sea waves, shivered as they scurried between the ropes and sails, their hands and feet frozen purple. From time to time, someone would lose their footing in a sudden huge wave and fall into the sea with a blood-curdling scream. But the people on the boat were also fighting for their lives with all their might, no one had any spare energy to save those who had fallen overboard.

  In the month of December, the sea was covered with a dense layer of ice, and icebergs rose and fell in the waves. The unpredictable winds and currents made the situation even more perilous. These ships were clearly not built for navigating icy seas, as their large, square gun ports were wide open, allowing waves and shattered ice to pour in like waterfalls. Danger lurked around every corner. Within the fleet, there was a severe lack of coordination between sailors and ships, with accidents occurring one after another - from leaks to collisions to mutinies. The fleet had encountered almost every kind of trouble and danger that sailors might face, yet they still hadn't been completely annihilated. It could be said that the goddess of luck, Tymora, was smiling upon them.

  But despite being jinxed to the extreme, this ill-fated fleet persisted in sailing towards the distant New Continent, like a broom star that couldn't be killed, with their hearts full of expectation, hoping to transfer all their bad luck to that unfamiliar land, so as not to disappoint the goddess of misfortune Beshaba's favor for so many days.

  Let us pray for these sailors who are both lucky and unlucky.

  ****

  The largest warship in the fleet, "Eternal Island", was naturally requisitioned as the flagship. Since the commander-in-chief of this battle was a devout follower of Shevarash, the god of hatred of the elves, there was no green leaf emblem of the elven kingdom on the sail, but instead, it was replaced with the holy emblem of the Shevarash Church's broken arrow and tear pattern. On the several horizontal yards of the warship, everywhere were hung the corpses of sailors and soldiers who had been executed for various reasons. Due to the cold weather, these bodies showed no signs of decay at all, still maintaining their most terrifying expressions before death, making this black-painted warship look even more ominous and frightening.

  In the most luxurious and spacious captain's quarters on the entire ship, a slender fairy general sat steadily in a large wicker chair, gazing through the open cabin door at the crowd rushing back and forth on the deck. Although the ship was being tossed about among the rows of huge waves, she seemed to be rooted to the deck, unmoving despite the turbulent sea.

  She is Sophia Lirien, the most notorious assassin of the Xeph Vras cult, the oldest and most renowned general of the Elven Kingdom, a ruthless butcher hated by the entire world of Toriel, a super killer who commanded her troops to slaughter 30 million lives, called "Reincarnation of Rose" and "Ghost Rose" by her enemies and subordinates. However, all these are things of the past.

  The long years had left their mark on her, the once-smooth skin now resembling dry tree bark, covered in wrinkles and scars. Years of lack of exercise had turned her once-slender figure into a beer barrel, while her legs, twisted and deformed by rheumatism, were always in pain, making it impossible for her to stand for long periods. Her flowing golden hair was now completely gone, one eye forever lost on the continent of Mazca, pierced by the arrow of Chief Tecumsah.

  She is now just an old hag who has lived for over 500 years, is extremely ugly and has half of her body already buried in the ground.

  But in her only remaining green eye, not a hint of the kind of benevolence that old people often have can be seen. Instead, it is filled with murderous intent and disgust, like a bloodthirsty beast. Anyone who dares to stand in front of her can feel the chill that seeps into their bones, as if they are a small white rabbit being stared at by a lion.

  From the time the fleet set sail until now, all sailors and soldiers have kept as far away from this cabin inhabited by terrifying monsters as possible, only entering reluctantly when summoned by Sophia's bell. As Sophia has hanged all escaped sailors to demonstrate her power, such situations have escalated further, with the entire crew preparing their wills.

  Sophia Yulia Donetsk didn't care about these small movements of her subordinates, she had been in the war all her life, and had experienced countless coups and assassinations. At the same time, she was also very clear about how others evaluated her, and even took pride in it - to bear the resentment of the whole world with one's own body, what a great person can do!

  However, the mood of this withered "Ghost Rose" is not very good at present, which has nothing to do with the whispers among her subordinates. She had never expected these guys to be grateful to her either. What's bothering her is this battle itself.

  "Those bastards at headquarters are still trying to screw me over even now!"

  Since the defeat more than 20 years ago, those young whippersnappers in the military who had long been dissatisfied with her holding high positions immediately kicked her while she was down, disregarding her numerous achievements over the past two hundred years. Not only did they dismiss her on the spot, but also "advised" her to leave the capital and return to her hometown to retire under the name of "old age". She spent more than 20 years under the "close protection" of a whole battalion of gendarmes. If it weren't for the overt and covert support and protection of the Xie Fula Church, who knows what crazy things those young whippersnappers who hated this "old antique" would have done?

  Now these brain-addled youngsters have finally brought about a catastrophe of epic proportions, going to war with almost the entire world without making any preparations whatsoever. In just a few short months, the Elven Army will have to fight against the Narsel Empire, the Republic of Sel, the Kingdom of Harua, the independent city-states of the Fallen Star Sea, and the great chieftain Tekumseh of the Mazkaland continent, all while suppressing the never-ending rebellions within their own borders. Even the strongest and most valiant warriors would be overwhelmed by such a burden.

  Due to the headquarters' completely brainless and frantic deployment, while the fairy army is spread all over the world on every front line, it is also tight in troops everywhere and losing everywhere. The military will only use false victories to deceive the domestic people, until they can't hide it anymore, and then loudly trumpet patriotism and sacrifice, never willing to think about what mistakes they made and what responsibility they should take.

  Sophia's frenzy and cruelty were only towards the enemies of the palace, while the current regime's frenzy and cruelty are to cover up past mistakes, sending young people from their own country into a hopeless war meat grinder, without even thinking about making any effort for victory, just patching up the east wall and west wall.

  Now, the losses on all fronts have turned from setbacks to defeats, and the two-hundred-year-old dominance of the Elf Kingdom is in danger. Under the enormous pressure from the Church and the people, the headquarters reluctantly reused this old general who had been under house arrest for many years. In order to prevent her from grasping too much military power, the headquarters did not let her go to the main battlefield of Ferren Continent where the war was raging, nor did it allow her to return to Mazka Continent to avenge her previous defeat against Tekumse. Instead, she was sent to the unimportant New Nazcairel colony to take over the mess left behind by her useless distant relative Idriel Lirien.

  Even so, the headquarters was still deeply afraid that Sophia would make some kind of miracle in the New Continent and it would be difficult to remove her from power later. On the surface, the Elf Army Headquarters had very generously handed over more than 200 ships of various types and more than 10,000 soldiers to her, but what were these things?

  The massive fleet was almost entirely composed of captured and detained enemy ships, which were not suitable for long voyages. The sailors were also forcibly recruited from the vassal states and occupied areas along the coast of the Fallen Star Sea, with no guarantee of loyalty, let alone being unfamiliar with the ships under their feet and having no experience navigating the open sea. Along the way, it was completely a case of crossing the river by feeling for stones, taking one step at a time. If the fleet arrived in New Taysir, it would be considered lucky; if it didn't arrive, it would be considered normal.

  Among the tens of thousands of soldiers handed over to her, not a single one came from regular legions. They were either garrison troops and vassal troops drawn from all parts of the empire or prisoners of war who had been "reformed" in the Elven prisoner-of-war camps. The races of the soldiers ranged from dwarves to beastmen, but there were only a few pure-blooded elves.

  Without a reliable army, without accurate intelligence, and without sufficient weapons and supplies, those young whippersnappers back at headquarters must be waiting with bated breath to see her, an old woman, eat humble pie in this strange new Netherland, just like she did against Tecumsah. As for whether there were other hidden hands harboring the same thoughts, she was too tired to bother guessing; anyway, it was all about the same either way.

  I am Sophia, and can I be so easily defeated? You think you can make a fool of me, but I will shatter all your wishes and reclaim everything I lost on the battlefield!

  She burst out laughing coldly.

  Outside, the wind and snow were raging.