Feiyana and Shamiel waited among the ridges of the Luqiu Mountain Forest, awaiting the return of the Wood Elf Scouts they had dispatched to the continent across from them to survey the terrain and gather intelligence.

After the better part of half a day, the six dispatched Wood Elf Scouts finally returned!

When the six Wood Elf Scouts returned to the contingent, their clothes were still dusted with unmelted snow, and they bent slightly to brush it away.

The Wood Elf Scouts had been sent out in pairs, so the three teams took turns reporting their reconnaissance findings to Legion Commander Feiyana.

The first team of Wood Elf Scouts stepped forward to report their reconnaissance findings to Legion Commander Feiyana.

"Reporting to Legion Commander Feiyana and Elf High Priest Shamiel!"

"Following the Oracle from our great Elf God, I headed due west after crossing the land bridge connecting the two continents." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"As I journeyed west, I reached a snow-covered forest and, just as the Oracle foretold, I discovered the Fire Elves."

"However, I was afraid of being discovered and alerting them, so I only observed from the outskirts of the forest."

The first Wood Elf Scout to step forward and report wore a reminiscent expression.

"But..."

"But, while I was observing from the forest’s edge, I noticed that most of this group of Fire Elves were clustered together!"

"Their outer defenses were weak. It seemed as if something major had happened."

"This doesn’t seem to match the accounts from our ancestral lore."

As he said this, the first reporting Wood Elf Scout seemed apprehensive and glanced up at Elf Legion Commander Feiyana.

"Hn."

Elf Legion Commander Feiyana showed no reaction, merely grunting to acknowledge she had heard his report,

and then she dismissed him.

The second Wood Elf Scout stepped forward to report his observations.

"As per the Oracle from our great Elf God, I headed due north after crossing the land bridge between the continents, eventually reaching a mountain range."

"Unlike what the previous Wood Elf Scout found, this group of Dwarves seems to have been hit much harder by the severe cold than the Fire Elves!"

"Just in the snow on the outskirts of the mountains, I found the bodies of Dwarves who had frozen to death."

"However, most of the Dwarven corpses were incomplete—mere fragments. It looked as if they had been dragged from the snow and devoured by some creature."

"It could be the work of wild animals, or perhaps some kind of Beastman or Half-beastman."

This Wood Elf Scout had participated in previous wars between the Divine Realm and foreign Clans, so he was familiar with Half-beastmen.

"Furthermore, during a brief survey of the mountain outskirts, I found that the surrounding trees had been ravaged. The bark and new shoots were completely stripped, and there were marks left by some kind of tool."

"It appears to be the work of the Dwarves living in the mountains, forced to eat bark and shoots due to a food shortage."

"If we are to follow the plan set by our great Elf God, this group of Dwarves will require aid as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, if we delay, it is highly likely that more Dwarves will perish."

"That is all. Report complete."

The second Wood Elf Scout’s expression was more confident,

but Legion Commander Feiyana said nothing, merely nodding before dismissing him as well.

The third Wood Elf Scout stepped forward to report his findings.

"According to the great Elf God’s Oracle, that continent has three main powers, occupying the western, northern, and eastern regions."

"The Fire Elves in the west and the Dwarves in the north were scouted by the first two teams, so my partner and I headed to the eastern part of the continent."

"According to the Oracle from our great Elf God, the eastern part of this continent is primarily where the Kobolds and Jackal-wolfmen congregate."

"Therefore, for our own safety, we did not venture deep into that region."

"Even so, the information we gathered just from the periphery was abundant."

"We discovered that the terrain in the east is far more complex than in the west or the north."

"The surface in the east is covered in low shrubs and seems unremarkable, but underneath lies a complex terrain formed by a network of subterranean caves."

"While I was in the area, my foot slipped and I fell right through. That’s when I discovered a wide-open cavern hidden beneath the snow."

"After falling into the abandoned cave, we found traces of previous Kobold activity inside."

"Judging by their age, the tracks were about a month old."

"Because it was a deep subterranean cave, we could clearly feel a significant temperature difference compared to the surface."

"Therefore, we made a reasonable judgment: the number of Kobolds living in these caves is likely large, and their strength has probably been well-preserved."

"As for the Jackal-wolfmen, we found almost no trace of them. They are likely located even farther to the east."

"However, in the lands farther east, we found no terrain with high mountains or dense forests."

"Thus, I can reasonably surmise that the Jackal-wolfmen are also likely living in underground caves to escape the cold."

"This means the entire eastern region of the continent probably has a vast, interconnected cave system!"

"If we were to attack the eastern region, the losses we would incur would likely be catastrophic."

After he finished speaking,

the Wood Elf Scout from the third team returned to the ranks, just as the previous two had done.

Once Legion Commander Feiyana had received the reports from all three Wood Elf Scout teams, she began to compare the intelligence they had gathered with the Oracle bestowed by the great Elf God, seeking to determine the best course of action.

After all, according to the Oracle issued by the great Elf God,

the purpose of this operation was not War,

but to subdue the discovered Fire Elves and Dwarves and bring them all into their Divine Realm.

As Time ticked by,

all the Wood Elves awaited Legion Commander Feiyana’s decision.

In truth, not much time passed before Legion Commander Feiyana reached a verdict.

"We will first proceed to the Dwarves’ territory to initiate contact and offer aid."

"Simultaneously, the Elf Corps will be responsible for security. You will display our Power and serve as a military deterrent."

"If any complications arise, we will immediately abort the mission to subdue the Dwarves."

"If the Dwarves are unwilling to accept our goodwill, then we will take them by force!"

"We will take this group of Dwarves, the very ones our great Elf God specifically requested, and remove them from this continent!"

Elf Legion Commander Feiyana’s words were powerful and resolute, each one landing with indisputable weight.