"That's the place."
Louis crouched half-hidden behind the high cliff, his gaze piercing through the thin mist, firmly locking onto the distant cliff plateau.
Behind him were dozens of knights, all official knights and elite knights, looking in the same direction.
Vines clung like spider webs between the icy rocks, with blue-green leaves glinting faintly in the morning light, clusters of buds quietly blooming, exuding a somewhat alluring beauty.
This was the Frost Leaf Vine, and it was thriving to an unusually rare extent.
"It's really... overgrown," Louis murmured softly, although there was an irrepressible excitement in his eyes.
But before he could say more, a low and eerie snoring suddenly came from within that patch of vines.
"Hoo... hoo—thud."
"What the hell is that..." Weir exclaimed in surprise.
"Look carefully," Lambert's voice was calm. "Eight whole Snow River Mad Bulls, all nestled under those vines sleeping."
Everyone instantly held their breath.
The Snow River Mad Bull, known as the "moving giant rock" among Cold Land Magical Beasts.
So massive it makes one wonder if it's a monster that crawled out from the depths of the icefield, with skin as thick as icy rocks, and extremely violent temper.
Especially in the spring, these behemoths, due to the buildup of magical energy within them and flare-ups of old ailments, enter the so-called "berserk phase."
Even five elite knights can't withstand the frontal impact of just one.
"It's normal, completely normal," Louis's eyes never left that treasured land. "It's stranger if a place like this isn't dominated by magical beasts."
Yet, strangely, even though this time was precisely when the Snow River Mad Bulls should be most aggressive, those bulls were instead completely still, resting as if under a curse, barely making a peep even when they occasionally stirred.
Vines coiled around the icy rocks under their hooves, flowers and leaves trembling softly with their breath, and a strange coolness permeated the air.
"That's the calming scent of the Frost Leaf Vine," Louis said in a low voice.
Frost Leaf Vine can slowly release a natural magical power stabilizer, specifically soothing magical beasts that have chaotic magic energy within them.
That's why, even though the bulls are in their most dangerous berserk phase, they are gathered here.
The cluster of Frost Leaf Vines here has become their natural "sanctuary."
"Attack! All at once, take them down..." a knight suggested quietly, a fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.
But before the words were fully out, Louis gave him a fleeting sideways glance, instantly suppressing all the knights' agitation.
"Do you really think they're asleep?" Louis's gaze was fixed on the plateau where the Snow River Mad Bulls lay. "Wrong! The instincts of the mad bulls are actually still operating, they're just numbed by the scent secreted by the vines, temporarily entering a light sleep.
As soon as we get one step closer, our body heat, our blood, will disrupt the magical energy fluctuations in the air. Once they dare to know, they'll go mad, and then it will cost us dearly to defeat them."
The air seemed to freeze.
Weir swallowed, instinctively glancing at the group of monsters.
The Snow River Mad Bulls were covered entirely with rock-hard hide, each one weighing fifteen tons, with just the rise and fall of their chests causing the ground beneath one's feet to tremble.
Weir gritted his teeth, "Then what should we do? Are we really going to wait for them to leave on their own?"
"No," Louis slowly shook his head, "we must take the initiative. But we must act strategically."
Then he began to unveil the plan he had in mind: "Set up Beast-Attracting Incense at the top of the cliff to force them to flee upwards, set traps with hook ropes to entangle the bulls' legs and slow them down.
Finally, stretch out a cold iron net as a blockade; once they charge down, there's no escaping, and then we can slaughter as we please.
Remember, no one moves until they leave the vines. We're not here to challenge them, but to wait for them to fall into the trap themselves."
"This... you're planning to snag them all at once," Weir exclaimed.
Louis's lips curled into a cold smile, "It's the least risky, most rewarding way. Don't forget, our goal is the Frost Leaf Vine, not to desperately fight the Snow River Mad Bulls."
Having said that, he waved his hand: "Go back and prepare the equipment. In six hours, take your positions and wait for my signal."
"Yes!!"
The knights responded in low voices, immediately dispersing and heading back to the center of the Red Tide Territory to prepare.
Louis took one last look at that plateau.
The vines remained quietly entwined around the rocks, the few behemoths seemingly asleep but could awaken at any moment.
......
The snowy wind howled, a streak of deep gray appeared on the horizon.
Louis directed the knights to set the traps.
"Over there, set up the Beast-Attracting Incense," his voice commanded lowly, "we need to lure them to take the bait."
The knights responded quietly, their eyes glistening with excitement.
On the cliff top, a thick wooden stake was firmly driven into the permafrost, and several soldiers quickly tied a pitch-black canister of Beast-Attracting Incense to it.
On the other side, knights quietly buried deer bone hook ropes beneath the snow, like lurking vipers.
It was a natural charging route, steep and broad, the only escape route for the mad bulls, and also their death passage.
And at the base of the cliff, cold steel chain nets lay coiled like a giant serpent, spreading open their deadly mouths silently.
Dozens of knights hidden on either side held their breath, gripping the chains tightly, muscles taut as if ready to pull the chain into a deadly trap at any moment.
After more than half a day, everything was ready.
"Ignite," Louis's cold command shattered the silence.
"Puff!"
The fire leapt up, and the Beast-Attracting Incense blazed vigorously.
Thick smoke instantly rose, turning into a pungent fog, its intense scent exploding in the air.
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