Chapter 108: The Half-Elf Escaped

Taking advantage of a few sword strikes that forced Sun Licheng back, Cypus drew a scroll from his breast pocket. The scroll, crafted from ancient parchment, exuded an archaic aura, and a faint, shimmering light seemed to flow across its surface.

Seeing Cypus pull out a scroll, Sun Licheng was instantly gripped by urgency. If this was an offensive spell, he would be hit immediately. He knew all too well that the magical forces of this world were incredibly powerful; even with his immortal body, he had no way to withstand a direct spell.

With that thought, Sun Licheng's naked green body suddenly flared with a dazzling white light.

"Full Charge!"

With a thunderous roar, Sun Licheng unleashed his Full Charge skill.

Cypus never expected Sun Licheng to possess such a technique. By the time he realized he needed to dodge, it was already too late; the flash of his opponent's blade completely enveloped him.

Sun Licheng possessed immense strength to begin with, and bolstered by the Full Charge skill, he could overturn a steam combat golem weighing several tons, let alone a mere half-elf.

With a deafening crash that shook the entire wooden cabin, the sturdy timber wall shattered, leaving a gaping hole as Cypus was hurled through it, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

True to his reputation as an elite among the half-elves, Cypus regained consciousness from the shock while still in mid-air. Decisively biting the tip of his tongue, he used the flowing blood to trigger a secret elven art, awakening his full potential and regaining control of his body.

The moment Cypus hit the ground, he rolled nimbly to the side. Just then, several crossbow bolts slammed viciously into the spot where he had just landed—Mister Handy had arrived.

Hearing the whistle of more projectiles cutting through the air, the half-elf was gripped by panic. He saw a mechanical golem with a bulbous head hovering in the air, the four heavy crossbows mounted on its tentacles relentlessly firing bolts at him.

Of course, Cypus did not fear mere crossbow bolts, but the critical issue was that this machine could fire in rapid succession. Even at his peak, let alone now when he was severely injured, he could not withstand such an onslaught.

When Cypus had arrived at the Zhonghua Tribe today, he had been brimming with confidence. Now, all will to fight had evaporated. Gritting his teeth, he activated his protective talisman and, braving the volley of bolts, dashed into the adjacent woods.

By this time, the warriors of the Zhonghua Tribe had rushed to the scene. Though their attire was in disarray—some even completely naked—they were all armed. Soon, amidst a chaotic din of gunfire, the goblin warriors began to raise their rifles and shoot.

The Zhonghua Type-1 rifles were incredibly powerful, their rounds shredding the trees in the forest and sending branches flying in all directions.

By the time Mister Handy led the crowd into the woods, they found only traces of blood on the branches; the half-elf divine envoy was nowhere to be seen.

Waiting outside the forest for news, Sun Licheng's face was as dark as ink. He had never expected an assassin to infiltrate his heavily guarded tribe. Worse still, one of his Hearts of Freedom had been stolen. It was easy to foresee that the secrets of the Zhonghua Tribe had now been exposed.

"Send word to Azure Dragon. Tell them to capture that divine envoy at all costs."

Sun Licheng tightly gripped the magic scroll left by Cypus, issuing the command to Dogmeat with a murderous expression. Dogmeat barked twice and dashed away.

The chaos within the Zhonghua Tribe's camp also caused panic among the goblins in the trading zone outside the outpost. Many external tribes sent representatives to gather information. Stone could only lead his subordinates to constantly reassure the crowd, claiming that a magical beast had invaded the camp and killed a few members. To prevent panic, he added that the beast had already been driven away, urging everyone to return to their quarters and rest, promising that the market would open as scheduled the next day.

In a valley ten kilometers away from the Zhonghua Tribe, space suddenly fluctuated. A sphere of light materialized, and as it faded, the disheveled figure of the half-elf Cypus appeared.

He looked up to orient himself, then, clutching his left arm, staggered toward a large tree where his supplies were buried.

"I was far too careless this time!"

Cypus cursed himself inwardly as he walked.

Not only had he underestimated Sun Licheng's strength, but he had also misjudged the power of the entire Zhonghua Tribe. He never expected the projectile weapons they used to be so devastating.

As someone who constantly walked the line between life and death, Cypus had never spared any expense on his gear. The night-suit he wore was a powerful treasure, crafted by master elven artisans from the hide of a rare magical beast. It was fully capable of turning away the swing of a minotaur's battleaxe. Yet just moments ago, it had been pierced through by a tiny lead bullet!

Had it not been for the Guardian Necklace around his neck, he would have been severely wounded even if he had been lucky enough to survive. Looking at the necklace, which was now nearly depleted of energy from overuse, the half-elf sighed deeply. It seemed this artifact would need to sit for a while to recharge.

Although the necklace had blocked the fatal blow, another lead bullet had pierced straight through a tree, wounding his left arm.

"Fortunately, I used the other scroll without hesitation. Otherwise, I would definitely have been captured by now," Cypus thought with lingering dread as he pulled his hidden pack out of the hollow of the tree.

"Argh... Sun Licheng, I will make you pay for this!"

The movement of changing his clothes aggravated his wound, prompting the half-elf to curse bitterly in his mind.

Before his curses could finish, a sharp, piercing bird call echoed in the distance. The early warning magic array he had set up had been triggered.

Cypus's heart tightened. Hurriedly slinging the backpack over his shoulders, he activated a skill. With a puff of black smoke, he vanished.

A moment later, two towering Dances of Death materialized by the large tree, weapons in hand. The trail they were pursuing ended here. Although the combat golems were reluctant to give up, they could find no further clues of value.

By dawn, all the pursuers had returned, bringing Sun Licheng bad news: the half-elf divine envoy had escaped.

"Pass down my orders: convene a meeting immediately. We are raising the tribe's combat readiness to the highest level."

Sun Licheng slammed the magic scroll onto the table with a loud slap, issuing the command to Mister Handy.

Soon, the goblins in the trading market noticed a massive shift within the Zhonghua Tribe. All newly delivered slaves were organized at breakneck speed and began basic military training.

At the same time, the Zhonghua Tribe sent out requests to all neighboring tribes to purchase bronze materials, offering high prices with no limit on quantity.

In this manner, the Zhonghua Tribe plunged into full war preparations.

Yet as the days passed, the outside world remained calm. Aside from the trading market becoming even more bustling, it seemed the half-elf had vanished without a trace.

"Sigh, if only we had an intelligence network," Sun Licheng lamented in his heart, facing this eerie tranquility.

Unfortunately, establishing an intelligence network within the Moon Alliance was merely wishful thinking on his part. Not only did he lack personnel skilled in espionage, but the only true goblin he had was Stone. As for sending the newly freed goblins—who had just transitioned from slaves to tribe members—to gather information from other tribes, Sun Licheng knew he did not have the influence to make other tribes treat these former slaves as ordinary goblins.

With no other choice, Sun Licheng ordered Azure Dragon to deploy more mechanical golems from the underground fortress and prioritize repairing damaged ones, even if it meant using inferior materials.

He had a persistent premonition that a massive danger was looming right before them.