The farms - K310

That day, following my usual and proven numerical research method, I started on server 300 and began to gradually ascend, monitoring every map and every wasteland until I came across something that caught my attention. Exploration requires patience, a trained eye, and a good dose of composure. Finally arriving on server K310, I immediately recognized the inhabitants of that territory: I knew them very well, having studied them on several occasions in the past. They were the fearsome BTa, a true local powerhouse, composed practically entirely of whales, those immense and overwhelmingly powerful players capable of wiping out entire alliances almost without noticing. It wasn't the first time I'd ventured to spy on their server, and I knew perfectly well that, in addition to them, there were minor alliances located there with potentially interesting castles to target and fight.

Of course, I wasn't the only one wandering around that land in the hope of identifying some vulnerable targets. Sharpening my gaze, I glimpsed a cluster of completely de-bubbled castles right near King's Landing, but with the unmistakable silhouette of an enemy scout nearby, monitoring them. That was an unmistakable message, a clear signal that left no room for interpretation: someone had already passed by before me, had sensed a deal, and was planning their move. Consequently, I instantly knew I'd arrived too late, beaten to the punch by another hunter with the exact same goals as me.

But then, as disappointment threatened to set in, my mind rewinded and I remembered a small cluster of farms located south of King's Landing, relegated somewhat to the sidelines of the chaos of the capital. And there, I saw it: a farm strangely devoid of a bubble. Of a total of seven nearby structures, one was completely exposed, bare, and defenseless. How was this possible? How come one of them had been left unprotected? Was it completely empty, abandoned? Typically, farms don't hold much interest for hunters: they lack structured defenses, possess no attack troops, and contain only millions upon millions of resources. Yet, despite my initial hesitation, I decided to take a closer look anyway. I didn't feel like abandoning the camp without checking it out for myself, so I quickly prepared a scout. That castle might well be an empty and useless shell, but something in my hunter's instincts told me that the reality could be quite different from what it appeared at first glance.

When I finally had the scout ready, I sent it toward that solitary farm and was literally speechless, pleasantly surprised by what the reports told me: a full fourteen million troops amassed inside! And, even more interestingly, there were so many T4s ready to defend the perimeter. I honestly couldn't understand why so much stuff was concentrated in a simple secondary farm. Sure, it's true that T4s can carry vastly more resources during harvests, but at the same time, their maintenance and food consumption are horrendous. I didn't waste time questioning that strange management logic: someone else, at that precise moment, could have already observed that server from the other side of King's Landing and, with the same intuition as me, could have discovered that same farm at any moment, stealing my prey from under my nose.

I immediately jumped onto the server and prepared with lightning speed. I knew full well that it wasn't a safe place to stay for long, especially with the BTa patrolling the area, ready to intervene at the slightest disturbance. As a precaution, I immediately hid all the excess troops, and this time decided to set my trusty infantry bleed, led by Rhea, as the attack formation. I had recently spent a lot of time testing the composition both with and without Jon's assistance; I'd noticed that lately I was feeling much better with Rhea on the offensive, while on defense I still clearly preferred Jon due to his solidity. Most likely, it was just a problem with my current stats and bonus balance, but I decided to trust Rhea and see how she handled the initial impact. My main desire, the absolute priority of that raid, was to capture the enemy lord with the first single blow, well aware that all subsequent assaults would be immensely easier, cleaner, and free of annoying troop losses.

So I went on the attack with my new formation and, with a certain amount of healthy and with a rush of adrenaline and excitement, I watched them hurtle toward the enemy castle and engage in battle. Hooray! After a few seconds of trepidation, the small, beautiful icon of the successfully captured lord appeared below. What an immense marvel, I thought to myself, breathing a long sigh of relief. Perhaps I had really made the right choice, focusing everything on Rhea and her offensive skills.

Analyzing the report, I realized that the battle had been absolutely devastating for that poor farm: there was no logical formation set up on the wall, and the defending commanders, despite all appearing strangely awakened, were completely disjointed, deployed haphazardly, and lacking any strategic coordination. The front line of those deployed troops was composed of cavalry, but, aside from Robb and Winton, there were absolutely no other cavalry commanders to ensure its stability. The second line was instead entrusted to the infantry, and even then, only Chris was on the wall (Julien was there, too, but that commander could do anything in life except be the slightest bit useful in a serious battle formation). The natural and inevitable consequence of such an unbalanced and improvised deployment was a complete defeat for them, unable even to inflict a scratch or inflict significant casualties among my ranks.

However, I didn't want to make the mistake of resting on my laurels, well aware that the surrounding territory was teeming with dangers and that the place was far from safe for a prolonged stop. I quickly recalled the troops to my castle with a curt command. Immediately afterward, I carefully healed them and immediately sent them back out to clean up and wipe out the last remaining defenders scattered around the farm. However, I looked around much more carefully than before: launching a second attack in quick succession on a hostile server could easily attract unwelcome attention and raise a general alarm among the BTa whales.

The last remaining troops were wiped out in the blink of an eye, and to my great joy, the final scoreboard read the best statistic a hunter could wish for: zero casualties for my army. On the other hand, those two battles had given me an incredible amount of resources, which the farm was literally in abundance. However, as a skilled and focused hunter, I wasn't the least bit interested in that rich material loot: I usually only collect the bare minimum necessary for medical care because, alas, the harsh reality of server jumps always mercilessly erases any accumulated excess, rendering any unnecessary transportation effort pointless.

Once my troops returned to the safety of my castle walls, I paused for a moment to look around. There had been no sudden changes or suspicious movements around me, but I knew from experience that obvious signs like those two concentrated attacks would sooner or later be noticed by someone higher up. At that precise moment, however, the gnawing curiosity and the predator's mania once again took over my mind: "What if the other nearby farms were to lose their bubble as well?" I asked myself with a knowing smile.

I therefore decided to lurk on that server a little longer, hoping for a stroke of luck. I waited patiently for several hours, motionless in my hiding place, but the other farms remained sadly and firmly protected by their bubbles, impervious to all my hopes. I finally lost all hope when, much later, I saw the protective bubble reinstated even on the farm I had plundered. The owners or their alliance comrades had certainly discovered the intrusion, assessed the damage, and proceeded to renew all the emergency protections on every single building left unprotected. I admit I was a little disappointed: for today, the hunt on the K310 server could be considered officially and definitively over. It was time to pack my bags and carefully plan the next leap into the unknown.

https://youtu.be/Ltck4_042f0