Hey, that's basically where I am.
I've got Verona opened up but unvisited. I've cleaned out everything on Debir and Bolo, and Scarlet Wind only has 1 enemy (in the cave) left, and he's next on my hitlist (tried fighting him once but had to quit partway for time reasons; he won't stand a chance on round 2).
Most stuff on Rusty Anchor is still marked "Lethal", "Invincible", or "Dropped Soap in a Prison Shower". Admittedly I haven't checked yet whether I can defeat them anyway, and a few that I did fight by accident (dang they're fast) actually went down surprisingly fast, so I'm pleased by that. Still, I'm hoping to find a shop on Verona with some really good units, or at least some reinforcements to top off my current troops. I imagine a completely full stack of knights or paladins would be really powerful. Even at only 8 each, they both pack a decent punch.
I think some of the bonuses I've recently gotten to Attack and Defense (items and skills) have been making a significant difference. I also picked up Mr. Whiny Scarface and he's holding some items for me, which helps a lot. But I still have trouble keeping my units alive because of the sheer volume of damage some enemies can dish out while their stacks are still high.
I wish the dragon's wall skill was worth something, but spending 2 turns asleep to build a barrier that will die in one hit isn't as effective as other options, including spawning more summons. Maybe as an emergency measure it would work (delay enemy 1 turn, or maybe even redirect them).