The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

After reaching an agreement, Elder Howard and Elder Kent immediately issued new orders to the members of the Night Blades hidden within the Green Ivy Group. At that moment, all members of the Green Ivy Group were urgently working to construct defense infrastructure around the castle.
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When the hidden spy from the Night Blades received the orders from the two elders, he needed to find an excuse to slip away to a secluded spot to check the specifics of the instructions.

"My body isn't feeling well; I need to rest for a bit," the Night Blades spy feigned discomfort as he spoke to his captain.

The captain's expression revealed a hint of conflict. After all, James, the president of the Green Ivy Group, had already issued directives to ensure that all defense measures were completed as quickly as possible. Allowing anyone to take a break would inevitably slow down the construction of their defense infrastructure.

"Go ahead and rest, but you must return as soon as you feel better. We have a lot of defense infrastructure to build today," the captain replied, though clearly troubled, he still permitted his team member to take a break.

Once granted permission, the Night Blades spy quickly left. After arriving at a secluded area and ensuring that the surroundings were clear, he began to review the new orders sent to him by the two elders.

"Are they really asking me to find a way to stop them from constructing the defense infrastructure? This is an impossible task! My strength is so limited; if I try to do this, I'll surely be discovered by others in no time," the Night Blades spy fumed at the new orders. He felt utterly incapable of fulfilling the command.

However, he could not refuse the orders of the two Night Blades elders, so ultimately, he had no choice but to relay this information to the other members of the Night Blades.

In fact, the Night Blades already had hidden bases around the castle. They had long been aware of Irving's plans. The reason they had not taken immediate action was that they believed launching a direct assault on Irving and his group's shelter was a terrible strategy.

Given that there were no issues with the defenses of Irving's shelter, a strong offensive would have no chance of success. Members of the Night Blades hiding in their secret base around the castle soon received messages from the spy within the castle.

After learning about the new orders, the members of the Night Blades were left feeling quite troubled.

"Is there really a chance we could succeed if we take action now?" one of the stronger Night Blades captains spoke up, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

The expressions on the faces of the other Night Blades members were equally grim, but none of them answered his question.

After a moment of silence, one of the Night Blades members stepped forward.

"If we proceed with this operation, we will undoubtedly face significant risks. And there's a chance our efforts may not even succeed. However, we must follow the orders given to us," he stated.

As he spoke, all the members in the hidden base turned their attention to him. Yet, their gazes were clearly varied. Some were filled with anger, others showed confusion, while a small portion wore looks of extreme pessimism.

"I know you all believe this task is impossible. You think the two elders want to use this opportunity to send us to our deaths. But I want to say that we might not need to bear such great risks," he continued.

His words caused noticeable shifts in the expressions of the other Night Blades members. Confusion and curiosity mingled on their faces.

"How is that possible? If we take any action, we will inevitably face significant risks. You don't think the people in the castle won't notice us, do you?" a member of the Night Blades stood up to challenge him.

"The people in the castle will indeed notice us. But that is only if we enter the castle to delay their construction of the defense infrastructure. As long as we don't step inside, we won't face overwhelming risks," he replied.

After he finished speaking, some of the more astute Night Blades members began to formulate potential solutions.

"Are you suggesting we can prevent them from constructing the defense infrastructure from a safe distance? What exactly do you have in mind?" one of the Night Blades captains directly inquired, rising to his feet.

A hint of satisfaction crossed the face of the Night Blades member who had proposed the idea.

"My plan is actually quite simple. We just need to intercept the rare materials being transported to the castle. Without these materials, they won't be able to complete the defense infrastructure.

Even if they try to use ordinary materials to build the defense infrastructure, we could still claim we completed the task given to us by the two elders, because defense infrastructure constructed with common materials will have significantly reduced combat capabilities."

After hearing this proposal, all the Night Blades members found it to be quite reasonable.

So, they immediately set out to implement the most stable course of action that could yield significant results. Although the members of the Night Blades were not particularly strong in combat, they possessed extensive knowledge of the area surrounding their base. This meant they could swiftly block all routes leading to the castle.

The Night Blades did not act recklessly as they had before. After experiencing a series of failures, all members understood the necessity of remaining cautious during their operations. Thus, they only set up a series of traps along the essential pathways to the castle.

These traps, while not overly complex, were effective in slowing down the progress of James and his associates. Most of the members of the Green Ivy Group that James brought with him were not particularly powerful. To deal with a single trap, they would have to mobilize a significant number of guild members.

However, the more guild members they deployed, the further the construction speed of the defense infrastructure would decline.

Initially, those tasked with building the defense infrastructure thought they were only encountering minor setbacks. But as time went on, they quickly realized that numerous traps had suddenly appeared along the key routes surrounding the castle. These traps successfully obstructed the delivery of construction materials to the castle.

Members of the Green Ivy Group promptly relayed this information to James. Upon hearing the news, James's expression darkened.

"How could this happen? Didn't we thoroughly check the area around the castle beforehand? There shouldn't be any enemies in the vicinity," James responded incredulously.

He was skeptical of what his subordinates had reported. Consequently, he decided to go check the surroundings of the castle himself.

Before James left, Aron specifically sought him out.

"I've also learned about the troubles we're facing! I think I need to accompany you on this," Aron insisted, believing he could assist James in this matter.

However, James impatiently shook his head.

"This has nothing to do with you. Irving assigned me the responsibility of constructing the defense infrastructure, so I must take charge of everything here. You just need to continue working on the defense infrastructure with your team," James replied before quickly departing.

Watching James's retreating figure, Aron slowly shook his head.

"It seems they still don't really trust me! Gaining their trust is going to take a lot more time," he thought to himself, acutely aware of his current situation. Although he had reconciled with Irving not long ago, Irving still had little trust in him, which led to others also being wary.

It was already quite a rare opportunity for Aron to be here helping Irving construct the defense infrastructure. He was torn about whether to actively follow James. Just as Aron was hesitating, Anna's voice suddenly appeared behind him.

"What are you standing around for? He's not going to let you join him. I don't think you need to go with him anyway. If Night Blades really show up around the castle, James will definitely inform us as soon as possible. If the trouble around the castle isn't caused by Night Blades, we don't need to worry too much," Anna said.

Anna, like Aron, was also eager to gain the trust of others. However, her personality was quite different from his. Anna was not someone who rushed to achieve results. As a result, she was always able to remain calm and cautious in the face of crises.

Aron sighed and nodded. "You're right; we can only adopt this strategy for now."

After saying this, Aron followed Anna back to the site of the defense infrastructure construction. The members of the Angel Guild were working at the fastest pace possible to complete the defense infrastructure. Although Aron and Anna's simultaneous departure had caused them some concern, they wouldn't be overly worried until they actually encountered a crisis.

Once Aron and Anna returned, the members of the Angel Guild felt completely reassured.

"We'll finish this defense infrastructure in no time! Then we can take a short break for fifteen minutes. After that, we'll head to the other side of the castle where there's another defense infrastructure that needs our attention," one of them announced.

Although Aron was an impatient person, he was still diligent and responsible when it came to work. Under Aron's leadership, the members of the Angel Guild were able to construct the defense infrastructure much faster than the Green Ivy Group.

Meanwhile, James finally stumbled upon a trap located on one of the roads surrounding the castle. The trap in front of him was filled with poisonous thorns and dark magical formations. While the trap itself didn't pose a significant threat to James, he still wore a grim expression upon seeing it. He knew this meant the Night Blades had been active around the castle.