Monster - Chapter 63
Chapter 63: Pre-Battle Mobilization
Aztec Tower World, Eagle Tribe, 11:54 AM.
Little Fool sat on a rock, elbows on her knees, chin cupped in her palms. She stared intently at the churning black fog before her. A hand emerged from it, holding a tree branch, and began to sketch lines in the soft mud. Although the black fog had no human form, Little Fool had a peculiar feeling, as if a person were sitting right in front of her, her gaze fixed on the lines she was drawing, contemplating matters currently beyond Little Fool's understanding.
That person was Little Rabbit.
Sensing Little Fool's rapt attention, Lin Sandie asked with a smile, "Do you want me to teach you?"
After entering the Eagle Tribe, their group had quickly earned the people's trust. Lin Sandie did not disappoint them. Once Eagle had summoned the other Aztec warriors back from the battlefield, Lin Sandie immediately purchased large quantities of easy-to-prepare instant noodles, dried vegetables, and ham sausages from the online store. They were cheap, plentiful, and filling. The fried noodle cakes, enhanced by spicy seasoning packets, moved the spice-loving Aztecs, who hadn't had a full meal in a long time, to tears of gratitude. They were now thoroughly convinced that a god had truly descended upon the beautiful little girl.
After solving the food problem, Lin Sandie bought a large amount of equipment. As a stingy egoist, she wasn't about to spend a fortune on intricately crafted ancient armor. Instead, she bought motorcycle armor jackets, motorcycle helmets, and reinforced polycarbonate riot shields. For weapons, since purchasing sharpened blades and modern firearms was too much trouble, she bought fire axes, solid steel baseball bats, and spearheads. This gear alone, while not guaranteeing an effortless slaughter of the invaders, was certainly a hundred times better than what the Aztecs had been using.
With food and equipment sorted, Lin Sandie purchased a batch of medicine. She had noticed many wounded among the Eagle Tribe. Fighting the Spanish invaders with primitive weapons often resulted in brutal outcomes. Several Aztecs had developed sepsis from infected wounds and a lack of proper treatment, and were on the verge of death.
Such cases required surgery to remove the infected tissue, followed by large doses of antibiotics. Lin Sandie was no surgeon and couldn't perform operations, so she could only use her Guide healing ability to temporarily stabilize their conditions. Afterward, she administered macrolide antibiotics. To prevent subsequent infections in those with lighter injuries, she gave them antibiotics as well.
Fortunately, people of this era had little to no bacterial resistance, so any antibiotic would do. Lin Sandie deliberately avoided penicillin and cephalosporins, which were more likely to cause allergic reactions. If someone still had a reaction to the antibiotics she chose, there was nothing more she could do. In this situation, she was already doing her absolute best.
Lin Sandie was just an ordinary office worker. She had only learned this medical knowledge because she feared that Little Fool, being a Sentinel, might one day get injured while her own healing ability was on cooldown.
After teaching Eagle and Branch how to help treat the wounded, Lin Sandie finally had time for her own tasks.
Supplies like food, equipment, and medicine could be bought with points from the online store, but the coming battle could only be won through everyone's coordinated effort.
Right now, Lin Sandie's main concern was how to counter the enemy's cavalry charge. As for the flintlock rifles, the large surface area of the riot shields could probably withstand them. Besides, flintlocks were cumbersome to operate; firing a second shot within a minute was unlikely, and their accuracy was poor. Thus, Lin Sandie removed them from her list of high-priority threats.
After a long period of conflict, the Spanish invaders held the Aztecs in contempt, so they hadn't brought any cannons this time.
"Can I?" Hearing Little Rabbit's question, Little Fool stood up and leaned against the black fog, looking down at the strange lines drawn on the ground.
"Why not?"
"Because Little Rabbit is the smartest, smartest, smartest person in the world. I'm not as smart as you."
Lin Sandie burst out laughing. She pulled Little Fool into an embrace and said with a smile, "That's because you're still young and haven't met many people. When you grow up, you'll definitely meet people who are even smarter."
At her current age, Little Fool was likely in a phase of blind adoration. Lin Sandie didn't know how much longer she could stay by her side, but she felt that when this overly clever and sharp child hit her rebellious phase, it would be a nightmare.
Though she was still young and relatively obedient now, she was a genius in every respect. A genius at learning would surely be a genius at infuriating people during her rebellious years.
"Alright, let me tell you my plan." Lin Sandie's tone became serious. "According to Five-Person Killer, the chief of the Eagle Tribe, there are about seventy invaders. Thirty percent are on horseback, and they have about twenty flintlock rifles. The rest use swords or spears. They also have nearly a hundred Aztec servants. On our side, we have one hundred fighters, but no horses and no flintlocks."
"Their fighting is just like a gang brawl!" Little Fool, who had read books, said with disdain.
"Indeed. That's why we need to give them discipline." Even a child could see that the Aztecs fought like a mob, which showed just how far behind they were.
As she used the branch to mark lines of attack on the ground, Lin Sandie began to explain her plan to Little Fool. She was no commander, however, and her perspective was limited by her own experiences. When she got to the topic of throwing weapons, it was Little Fool, a native of this land, who corrected her.
"Using spears is too wasteful. Slung stones would be better."
Lin Sandie paused, recalling the battle scene she had witnessed that morning. "You mean that weapon where you put a rock in a rope and swing it?"
"Mhm."
"Good idea." Lin Sandie praised her, ruffling her hair.
Working together like true partners, they discussed the method for striking the invaders until Little Fool completely understood her intentions. Only then did they return to the small plaza at the center of the Eagle Tribe's village. The air was still thick with the heavily polluting aroma of instant noodles. Many Aztec warriors were sitting around, already clad in their "new equipment." If not for the paint on their faces and the turquoise ornaments in their noses and lips, this group of tribesmen would look like they were about to participate in a motocross race. The scene was as out of place as it could possibly be.
Lin Sandie watched them follow their tradition of tying feathered headbands over their smooth, hard motorcycle helmets and had to force herself to swallow a sarcastic comment. She simply had Little Fool place the "Whisperer" on the ground in the middle of the crowd.
"Her Excellency, the Goddess, is about to speak. Please be quiet." Eagle, who had been helping his comrades with their gear, saw this and immediately stood up, speaking with a reverence that made Lin Sandie blush.
The resting Aztecs instantly rose to their feet and gathered around.
Her Excellency, the Goddess… that's too embarrassing. I can't ever let these people see my real face. I'm no goddess… Still unaccustomed to being addressed this way, especially under the gaze of so many people, Lin Sandie, hidden inside the rabbit doll, felt her cotton-stuffed rabbit ears burning with shame.
Fortunately, her willpower had always been strong. After suppressing her intense embarrassment, she spoke in a calm voice, "Five-Person Killer, have the twenty comrades you selected earlier step forward. I will first tell you what you need to do."
The chief of the Eagle Tribe was a young man of about twenty. Hearing a gentle female voice call his name from the void, his dark face flushed red. He quickly composed himself and beckoned to the nineteen strong warriors he had chosen as requested.
Including Five-Person Killer, there were twenty men in total. They wore the thickest protective armor and helmets, and held long-handled axes that reached their chests. Their faces and any exposed skin were now painted with red and white patterns, giving them a grim, murderous air.
A pair of hands from the void took the long axe from Five-Person Killer. It was a relatively light but extremely sharp axe that Lin Sandie had specially purchased, which the Aztecs had then modified by fitting it with a long wooden handle. Lin Sandie continued, "This is a long axe. It's very effective against cavalry on the battlefield—that is, the white skins on horseback. You are wearing the best armor, so you will be the ones to deal with the cavalry."
The hatred for those who had destroyed their homes and plundered their wealth made every Aztec present unusually focused. They listened to the female voice coming from the void. It wasn't distant or cold. They couldn't quite describe it, but they knew they would never forget this voice for the rest of their lives, nor would they ever disobey a single word it spoke.
"Chop the rider up high, chop the horse's legs down low. First, get those cavalrymen who are always circling around to attack from behind off their horses. Then, aim for the weak points in their armor, like their necks." As she spoke, Lin Sandie returned the long axe to Five-Person Killer and went on to explain the roles of the others.
Although the slung stones weren't as deadly as flintlocks, their range and speed were far superior. Lin Sandie assigned another twenty men to be the "ranged attack" unit, specializing in slings. The rest would serve as mobile troops.
Once the plan was set, Lin Sandie had Five-Person Killer immediately send someone to deliver a challenge to the invaders, preparing for a decisive battle in the area just outside the forest on the edge of the beach.
"You are the most important, because the cavalry is a nuisance. I'm naming your unit the Heavy Armor. Only the bravest warriors with the best armor will earn the title of Heavy Armor." After arranging everything, Lin Sandie said solemnly to Five-Person Killer.
Of course, this was a blatant lie. This wasn't an army; a name was just a bonus. But she knew that men about to go into battle needed encouragement, and she was never stingy with her encouragement.
"The Goddess is with us!"
"Jie jie jie jie jie!!!"
Hearing Lin Sandie's words, Five-Person Killer and his men raised their long axes high, fanatically shouting, "The Goddess is with us!" while baring their teeth and letting out a series of strange chattering cries made by their teeth and tongues. They looked primitive and rugged, like jungle beasts roaring to intimidate their enemies.
"You try making that sound for me," Lin Sandie, feeling playful, teased Little Fool through their "private channel," poking her cheek.
"The Goddess is with us!" Little Fool shouted without a second thought, raising the rabbit doll in her arms. Her childish voice stood out clearly amidst the chorus of adults.
Just as Lin Sandie was about to say that wasn't the line, Little Fool had already joined the chorus of "Jie jie jie jie jie!" Watching her gentle little face contort as she bared her teeth and made the strange cry, Lin Sandie almost burst out laughing.
The child she was raising was truly adorable.
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