Coal Ball tilted his tiny head, his obsidian eyes blinking as if trying to comprehend Leylo's command. He walked a circle around the wagon, even sniffing the wheels with his nose, seemingly assessing this "big guy."
A moment later.
The kitten stood before the wagon and raised a single pitch-black paw, pointing it lightly toward the grain carriage.
Hum!
An almost imperceptible spatial ripple radiated from the tip of Coal Ball's paw, like a pebble dropped into a still lake. In the next instant, the heavy wagon—weighing thousands of pounds—along with the mountain of grain sacks piled upon it, vanished silently. It was as if it had never existed.
"Beautifully done!"
Leylo's eyes sparkled with intensity, and he offered lavish praise. "Now, bring it back out."
Coal Ball seemed to relish the praise. He let out a boastful "meow" and tapped his paw again in the same spot. The spatial fluctuation reappeared, and with a soft thud, the heavy wagon materialized exactly where it had been, matching the ruts in the ground perfectly.
Overjoyed, Leylo leaned down, scooped up Coal Ball, and gave his furry little head a firm kiss.
"You little rascal, you're a treasure!"
Caught up in the excitement, he pointed at the rows of grain wagons nearby. "Come on, Coal Ball, keep going! Take this one, and that one... take them all!"
Coal Ball treated it like a novel game. He trotted along on his short legs, weaving through the wagons and tapping his paw repeatedly. With every light touch, a fully loaded wagon vanished. One, two, ten, twenty...
In the blink of an eye, dozens of wagons were "swallowed" by an invisible giant. Coal Ball remained spirited, as if this level of exertion was nothing to him. His storage space seemed to have no upper limit.
Leylo's heart raced. This is essentially a portable, massive logistics corps! With Coal Ball's heaven-defying ability, the pressure of transporting supplies during future marches would be drastically reduced, and the army's mobility and stealth would skyrocket. However, this was a grave matter; Coal Ball's power could not be exposed yet. After a thought, he had Coal Ball release all the wagons back to their original state.
"Coal Ball, you are amazing!" Leylo rubbed the kitten's head and solemnly announced, "From this day forth, you are the 'Minister of Logistics' for Blackstone Territory! All future resource transportation will be under your command!"
Coal Ball squinted his eyes comfortably, letting out a satisfied purr. He seemed quite pleased with his new title.
Watching from Leylo's shoulder, Moonlight saw Coal Ball hogging the spotlight and receiving an "official appointment," which didn't sit quite right with her. With a defiant "meow," she hopped down and walked to a grain wagon. Mimicking Coal Ball, she raised a forepaw and tapped the carriage.
A silver spatial ripple undulated, and that wagon vanished as well.
"Oh?"
Leylo was surprised. He knew Moonlight possessed similar spatial storage abilities—she had hidden plenty of treasures herself—but he hadn't expected her to be able to stash a wagon this large.
Moonlight lifted her chin proudly and moved to a second wagon, vanishing it as well. But when she tried the third, she struggled. The silver ripples flickered, the wagon shook, but it ultimately remained in place. Moonlight lashed her tail in frustration, letting out a low whine of dissatisfaction. While she had spatial talent, it was clearly far from the boundless capacity Coal Ball possessed.
Seeing this, Leylo burst into laughter. He walked over and scooped up the dejected Moonlight.
"Alright, alright, Moonlight is very impressive too," Leylo soothed. "Since Coal Ball is the Minister of Logistics, then you shall be the 'Grand Marshal of Magical Beasts'! From now on, all magical beasts in our territory must follow your orders. How's that?"
Moonlight's pale gold eyes brightened. She rubbed her head against Leylo's chin and let out a soft "purr," looking a bit arrogant as she accepted the title of "Grand Marshal."
The two "high-ranking" cats glanced at each other, appearing satisfied with their respective promotions. Leylo held the "Grand Marshal" in his left arm and the "Minister of Logistics" in his right; looking at their smug little faces, his mood became exceptionally bright.
Encounter in the Marsh
The next morning, as the first light broke, the three legions left Redleaf City and pushed into the perilous Emerald Marsh.
True to its name, the marsh was a landscape of impenetrable dark green and murky brown. The scent of damp rot mixed with the musk of unknown beasts filled the air, making it nauseating. As the army marched, the clatter of iron armor and the splash of hooves echoed through the silence, startling countless tiny creatures hiding in the reeds.
Along the way, scattered marsh snakes, lurking crocodiles, and monitor lizards appeared frequently, attempting ambushes. Some mana-corrupted vines even caused trouble for the passing knights with their constricting coils and poisonous thorns. However, these minor threats were swiftly neutralized by the outriders and veterans, barely affecting the pace of the march.
By afternoon, an incident occurred as the Second Legion passed through a dense thicket of shrubs. Urgent horns sounded from the scouting party ahead, and several knights galloped back in disarray.
"My Lord! Marsh Trolls ahead! At least twenty of them!" The lead knight panted, his face bloodied by scratches from branches.
Marsh Trolls were Tier 3 monsters known for their thick hides, immense strength, and love of carrion. Twenty of them gathered together posed a significant threat, even to a well-equipped army.
Count Gawain's face darkened, and he immediately ordered, "All units, on alert!" He turned his horse toward Leylo. "Baron Leylo, I'm afraid we'll need the assistance of your Storm Griffin Knights. These trolls are clumsy, but their numbers make a charge quite troublesome."
Leylo did not refuse. "Tempest!"
With a light shout, the Storm Griffin King let out a piercing cry and took to the air. Ten Storm Griffin Knights followed, forming an attack formation in the sky, their sharp gazes locking onto the low hills occupied by the trolls.
On the ground, Count Gawain drew his sword. Under his lead, the Redleaf knights formed a tight formation and began advancing toward the high ground.
"Kill!" Gawain roared, leading the charge.
"Roar!" "Gah-ka!"
The Marsh Trolls had discovered the approaching humans. Waving crude stone clubs or massive animal bones, they lumbered down from the heights. Each step shook the ground like a moving hill.
The clash was instantaneous. Knight lances collided with stone clubs, producing muffled thuds. The front-line Redleaf knights relied on their exquisite horsemanship and sturdy shields to withstand the impact, their lances thrusting through gaps in the shields to leave bloody gashes on the trolls' thick skin.
Leylo circled above on Tempest, scanning the battle. He noticed that while the trolls were individually strong, their coordination was chaotic, leaving numerous openings.
"Attack in squads! Prioritize isolated targets!" Leylo commanded.
The Storm Griffins broke into small teams of two or three. Whenever a troll was pinned by ground knights or strayed too far in pursuit, they would dive. Sharp talons tore through thick hide, and powerful wing-buffets could knock a troll to the ground, creating openings for the infantry.
Leylo didn't stay idle either. He locked onto a troll wielding a massive leg bone, who was about to crush a Redleaf knight. Tempest accelerated into a dive.
Like a bolt of yellow-brown lightning, the griffin's steel-like talons dug deep into the troll's shoulder, while its sharp beak struck precisely into the eye socket!
"Aow!"
The troll let out a piteous scream, its weapon falling limp as its massive body crashed into the mud. Successful, Leylo didn't linger, pulling up again to find the next target.
With the precise suppression from the air, the pressure on the ground knights eased significantly. Count Gawain seized the opportunity to lead a counter-charge, throwing the troll pack into total disarray.
After about fifteen minutes of fierce fighting, nearly half the trolls were slain. The survivors let out frustrated grunts and fled into the depths of the marsh.
Gawain wiped the blood and sweat from his face. "Don't pursue fleeing enemies! Count the casualties and treat the wounded!"
Leylo and his knights landed slowly. Tempest's iron feathers were stained with dark green troll blood; the griffin shook its head in discomfort, letting out low rumbles.
The skirmish cost the coalition four knights killed and over ten wounded—an unexpected but solid victory. After a brief rest, the army continued. These trolls were localized threats; their true objective remained the Naga warbands.
The legion marched through the damp, dark marsh for three more days. When the sun finally dispersed the last of the mist, the army struck camp once more, heading straight for the territory held by the Naga warbands.