Chapter 228: The Influence of the Elves (Part 2)

Cornelia’s arrival brought more laughter to Donald’s household.
This seemingly delicate girl already possessed the talent of a high-level Bronze swordsman at a young age, her skills comparable even to those of her general brother, Ferdinand. What was even more remarkable was that this sword dancer didn’t have the delicate temper of other noble ladies; instead, she was kind to others. Unlike Catherine’s gentle demeanor, Cornelia was as lively as a skylark, chirping curiously about many new things in Dalaran, making people couldn’t help but like her.
The appearance of this female sword saint also caused a sensation in Dalaran. She was the most famous among adventurers, and many skilled adventurers flocked to her to learn swordsmanship, leading to chaos. Donald ordered Clinton, the head of the Adventurer’s Guild, to restrict access to only those who were at the Bronze level or above or had exceptional swordsmanship, and he arranged a venue and sent militia from the guard force to maintain order.
With so many adventurers seeking her advice and wanting to see the swordsmanship style of the adventurers from the Northlands, the female sword saint didn’t have much time to spar with Donald, who was glad for the respite. He was now even a bit afraid of Abel, who was obsessed with women warriors.
After taking his seat, Donald ordered the formal training of Dalaran’s Holy Shield Infantry Corps to begin. The commander was Uther, Dalaran’s top military officer.
First to appear were the main force of the Holy Shield Infantry Corps—the infantry regiment. One hundred sixty infantry soldiers, including their captain, marched out of the barracks in perfect unison onto the training ground.
It was the first time the Holy Shield Infantry Corps had appeared in public. Each soldier carried a large wooden shield covered in iron, a long sword at their waist, and heavy armor. The quality of this equipment was excellent—probably even better than that of the officers in the kingdom’s regular armies!
This extravagant equipment sparked discussions among the nobles in the stands and the adventurers below. The commoners, however, were simply amazed by how well-organized and strong Dalaran’s army was.
“Hah…”
“Ha…”
One hundred fifty infantry soldiers, led by their squad leaders, raised their long swords in unison and then performed various formations and combat moves.
Soon, the infantry training was over, and it was the turn of the main force of long-range archers. Sixty or so archers were equipped with leather armor and elf longbows. Three hundred meters away from them were straw targets set up by William, each shaped like a human figure with a red cloth placed in the center as the target.

The archers quickly divided into six teams. The first team stepped forward, drew their bows, and shot at the human-shaped targets, then immediately dispersed to the sides, clearing the shooting positions for the second team. After firing their long arrows, the second team also retreated. Followed by the third and fourth teams, in just a few breaths, an entire round of shots was fired—such speed astonished all the military observers present. Looking at the human-shaped targets 300 meters away, sixty sharp arrows were firmly embedded near the center, not a single one missing the mark. This was something only elite archers who had trained for two or three years could achieve. Dalaran had only been established for a little over a year—how could they have recruited such skilled archers? Could there be some secret technique for rapid training?

The archer teams retreated behind the infantry, and then it was the turn of the Hunter Squad. Equipped with curved swords and small crossbows, they were agile and skilled with their blades, making them an excellent rapid-response force—perfect as scouts or for battlefield support.

Like the archers, the hunters wore lightweight leather armor that allowed for easy movement. As the main force for long-range attacks and scouting, they didn’t need strong defense due to weight considerations on the battlefield.

Finally, the Musketeer Guard, originally serving as the lords’ bodyguards, took the stage. The warriors of the Musketeer Guard had the most striking appearance—light red coats similar to overcoats, with tight-fitting clothes underneath, making them tall and imposing, standing out wherever they went.

At that time, even the best archer units generally had an effective range of only 300 to 500 meters, not counting those exceptionally gifted marksmen. The fact that Dalaran’s archers could maintain accuracy and power at 300 meters already amazed everyone.

Yet, the Musketeer Guard’s synchronized firing, just like that of the archers, shocked all observers, from nobles to commoners. The deafening sound of the muskets, along with the human-shaped targets breaking apart 100 meters away after being hit, made people truly realize the power of this uncommon weapon. Although its range was much shorter than that of bows, its strength was enough to intimidate most close-combat armies. Many noble lords with territories already planned to buy some of these muskets. Thanks to the dwarven merchants spread throughout human lands, many people were familiar with these gadgets created by the dwarves. But what they didn’t know was that the power of those dwarf muskets was far inferior to those obtained from the Book of Truth.

The majority of the goblin muskets lacked even half the range and power of the dwarf muskets.
“Donald, your musket guards are truly impressive! Are you not interested in selling some to me?”
Donald smiled and glanced at Ferdinand.
“What, does your Holy Sword Legion also want these humble muskets?”
“Of course not. The Holy Sword Legion focuses on swords, but they can include a musket unit among their auxiliary troops, which, combined with regular forces, can yield remarkable combat effectiveness. If the price is right, it’s quite a good deal!”
After hearing Ferdinand’s explanation, Donald nodded in agreement. It was just a batch of muskets; as long as not too many spread, it wouldn’t affect Dalaran’s safety.
“What excitement! Does Donald have more?”
When Cornelia spoke, both Donald and Ferdinand exchanged a wry smile. To this young lady, such elite troops probably seemed nothing but a source of amusement.
“Don’t worry, we’ll give you a surprise soon!”
After the impressive musket guards withdrew, most people thought the drill was over. But after waiting a while with no further action, as they grew puzzled, slight movements were heard in the nearby forest.
With a series of soft sounds, dozens of figures emerged from the woods. Each of them wore green or brown robes, and their faces were far more handsome and beautiful than those of ordinary humans. Most strikingly, these people had slightly pointed ears, and someone in the crowd immediately exclaimed,
“Elves…”
Yes, this was the appearance of the elf unit Donald had prepared for today. Although it had not been explicitly stated before that there were elf tribes in Dalaran, Donald intended to make a big splash in front of everyone—only in this way would the impression be deepest.
“Ladies and gentlemen, these are the elf tribes living in Dalaran. They are kind elves led by druids who cherish nature. They are also citizens of Dalaran protected by my Merlinna family. Moreover, elves prefer peace, so I hope everyone will stay back and not disturb their lives, let alone harbor ill intentions, for their strength far exceeds your imagination! Now, let me show you the elves’ strength. Elder Ilya, please begin!”
After Donald made this public declaration, the elves began to demonstrate their strength under the elder’s command.
The main force of the Druidic Order—feral druids—stood at the front. With a roar, they gathered the power of nature and transformed into giant bears three meters tall. With a few swipes of their paws, they shattered the wooden stakes prepared in advance.

Those not far away felt it more vividly, as if the ground itself was trembling. Next, the Storm Druids and Nature Druids demonstrated the power of small hurricanes and natural spells respectively. Then came the elf archers, who were like expert marksmen among humans, as well as the elf hunters riding black cats, along with the warriors from the Ranger Camp, such as the Wood Speakers wielding wooden staffs and the Griffon Riders. Both the black panthers and griffons were permanently summoned by Donald to strengthen the elves. Their powerful and unique abilities shocked and surprised all humans. Just these few dozen elves could easily crush the army of a barony; if their numbers increased significantly, wouldn’t they be able to easily destroy many human kingdoms? However, most people understood that low birth rates were the elves’ greatest weakness. Moreover, for thousands of years, the elves had largely been allies of humans with no significant conflicts of interest, so it was unlikely that they would attack human territories. After demonstrating their strength, the elves quickly retreated back into the forests and disappeared. While people were discussing what they had seen that day, Donald, the lord of Dalaran, sighed inwardly. It was a pity that none of the elf casters like druids had succeeded in converting to human soldiers. Otherwise, he could have formed a human druid army to fight for his territory. Perhaps it really was due to differences in racial talents!