Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords

Inside Shadowfell Forest, in an unremarkable basin, despite being surrounded by trees, passing through it feels like piercing a thin film, revealing a scene teeming with figures, a bustling crowd. Roughly estimated, there are at least three to four thousand individuals, a diverse mix of races including Lizardfolk, Gnolls, Ogres, Drow Elves, and more.

All are clad in iron armor, weapons in hand.

Undoubtedly, this is a reasonably well-equipped army.

Their intentions unknown, they are temporarily encamped here, not even bothering to pitch tents, simply sitting on wooden stumps or stones on the ground.

A Gnoll scout heads towards the only tent in the center of the camp, respectfully reporting outside:

"Lord Leon, a human force of over a thousand is passing through the valley a hundred paces ahead. Should we ambush them?"

The tent's curtain is lifted, and a figure completely hidden in a black cloak emerges, pulling back the hood to reveal his face.

It is a male Drow Elf youth, the spider marking on his forehead confirming his identity.

He is a Drow priest favored by Lolth, proficient in magic.

It makes sense, as Drow society is entirely matriarchal, with males holding little more status than slaves, usually only serving as warriors or weapon masters.

Only by becoming priests can they barely dabble in the political sphere, but they still cannot compare to female Drow Elves.

"No, those are just the vanguard of the humans. Our real target is their main force behind them," Leon says, gazing into the distance with a light tone.

As a priest, he is proficient in various spells and has a wide range of interests, so he naturally knows magic to block summoning and similar spells. However, after weighing the pros and cons, he chose to disable this shielding magic, allowing the other side to call for help.

After successfully intercepting the specific information about this Elven tribe calling for reinforcements, he deployed troops here to ambush these incoming humans.

Although he is a priest, his male status naturally limits his position. Only by making significant achievements can he gain the favor of the Matron Mother.

Leon strokes the gem on his staff, a look of reminiscence on his face.

They have been trapped underground for too long. This time, they exhausted the power of ancient relics to come to the surface again, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He must make achievements.

This world is restless, everyone is desperately trying to prove themselves, and he is no exception.

"Have the scouts return for now and not go beyond the range of my concealment magic," Leon instructed, to prevent any unforeseen events.

If the hidden army here is discovered by the human vanguard, all his efforts will be in vain, so he cannot afford any carelessness.

…

"It's strange, we haven't encountered a single living soul along the way," Li Wei said, feeling odd.

Since dealing with the Centaur squad, they haven't encountered a single living wildling.

Therefore, their speed is a bit faster than he expected.

"Lord, isn't this a good thing?" Old Fugin smiled kindly. "My detection magic hasn't found anything amiss. Perhaps these wildlings, as Commander Fojello said, are unaware of our arrival."

"Perhaps," Li Wei frowned slightly, feeling it wasn't that simple.

Encountering the Centaur leader, an old acquaintance, here proved that the wildling army that went south to intercept them had successfully joined up with the Drow Elves.

Even if they weren't sure whether they were heading north, a qualified military officer would deploy some troops behind them to prevent any possible accidents.

However, reality was before them, and even Fugin's detection magic hadn't detected any ambushing troops, so Li Wei didn't say much despite his doubts.

The team continued to advance silently, the sky in Shadowfell Forest remaining constant, causing the soldiers to lose their sense of time.

This made them feel that this time was so tormenting and painful.

But their pain didn't last long.

Just as the team reached halfway through Sky's estimated time, faint light spilled in from ahead, gilding the ferns on the ground with a layer of gold. They seemed like ancient warriors who had fought their way back from the Underdark, about to return to the divine kingdom of the Goddess of Holy Light.

"Lord, we're about to leave this forest!" Sky said excitedly.

He had been worried about something going wrong until he successfully led the people out of Shadowfell Forest, but now nothing had gone wrong.

"Good job," Li Wei praised without hesitation.

He also breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to ambushing troops, he was more worried about wandering around in this forest forever.

Even if he had great martial strength, it would be useless.

"Logically, this forest should be filled with thick fog, and the giant trees used for reference should also change at any time, making it easy to get lost. Now, I don't know why, but these magic effects have disappeared, making the route easier to find," Sky said modestly.

As the group got closer to the exit, they heard faint sounds of fighting coming from ahead.

"One side is Elves, my Snowbirds saw them still holding on the city walls!"

The elderly priest, acting as a scout, provided the information he had gathered.

"Phew! We're not too late!" The Lord revealed two rows of neat white teeth.

The walls protecting these Elves hadn't fallen yet, which was good news.

Now, he, the Baron of Highcliff, could show them what it meant to attack the rear in a team fight, a tactic of attacking from both sides.

"The enemy's caster found me!" Suddenly, Fugin exclaimed. He, who was relying on magic to create Snowbirds to scout out information, saw blackness before his eyes and lost contact.

"Small problem," the Lord waved his hand, not caring much about it.

"Everyone prepare for battle!"

At his command, the slightly loose formation tightened, and the infantry of the Thorns Legion raised their shields, forming neat shield walls in front, followed by spearmen and archers in order.

This arrangement wasn't profound, but it was definitely time-tested and the most practical.

"Sky, I'm entrusting you with a heavy responsibility."

Li Wei came to Sky's side, looking directly at this middle-aged knight in golden armor.

He had blond hair, and due to his long military career, a beard had sprouted, and his face was firm.

"Lord, please speak," Sky said respectfully.

Having experienced so much, he had both awe and respect for this Lord.

This Lord of Highcliff was unreliable at times, but he had great personal charm. No wonder those Orcs were so loyal to him.

"This vanguard team is entirely under your command, and I'm leaving Panda and Fugin to you."

"Lord…"

Sky was shocked and couldn't believe it.