Chapter 125: Meeting the Eagle Again

Guided by Vol, the allied forces of goblins and snotlings swiftly withdrew from the valley, turning northward with the aim of reaching the very place where Vol and Sun Licheng had first met.

The war between Sun Licheng and Grenison began once again in the skies.

At that moment, Dogmeat, who was out scouting, frantically piloted his flapping-wing aircraft in a desperate flight. Behind him soared four massive Eberzoff eagles.

Though the flapping-wing plane was equipped with defensive weapons, Dogmeat dared not engage these colossal beasts in close combat. One peck from their formidable beaks would spell doom for both machine and pilot. His only choice was to flee northward at full speed.

“What are those things?”

Relying on his sharp electronic eyes, a sentry mechanical puppet urgently called Sun Licheng over.

Seeing those familiar enormous silhouettes in the sky, Sun Licheng’s eyes widened in alarm.

He knew these raptors all too well. Not long after arriving in this world, he had suffered greatly at their talons, and the memory still haunted him. Now, four of them appeared at once—how could he not be terrified?

“Mecha One, shoot those giant eagles down immediately!”

Sun Licheng promptly ordered the mechanical puppet beside him.

Soon, over a dozen specialized mechanical puppets armed with magic crystal cannons advanced. For this war, Sun Licheng no longer concealed his strength, unleashing all weapons at his disposal. Though these weapons of the Snotling Empire were somewhat aged, their power remained formidable.

Once the artillery was in position, under Mecha One’s command, the puppets swiftly swiveled their barrels skyward, aiming at the giant eagles.

At the same time, the eagles spotted the activity below and, seeing many snotlings, their eyes gleamed with predatory light. They let out a piercing scream and hurtled toward the forward fortress.

Despite the abundance of ironclad defenses on the ground, the eagles paid them no heed. As always, they intended to strike the crawling creatures with brutal force.

But halfway through their charge, more than ten beams of red light suddenly flashed from the ground. Moving with lightning speed, the beams struck the lead eagle in an instant.

The protective stone skin the eagles had gained through Grenison’s heroic power shattered immediately. The beams continued with relentless force, piercing through the eagle’s body. The wounded beast screeched in agony and fell.

The other eagles were aghast. Only then did they realize the peril beneath them. Flapping their wings wildly, they dodged left and right to evade the ground fire. After another eagle was wounded, they fled in disarray toward the south.

Though the eagles had been driven off, Sun Licheng felt no joy. The sudden appearance of so many Eberzoff eagles revealed just how formidable the enemy was.

That afternoon, Master Tinkerer came to report that Azure Dragon had returned. Overjoyed, Sun Licheng hurried to greet him.

To grasp the latest developments, Sun Licheng sent Azure Dragon and Little Cabbage to the Moon God Tribe’s camp to gather intelligence. Though Aydel was displeased that Sun Licheng was sending people at such a tense time—especially since the last attack on the Flowerplant Tribe camp had cost some lives in the Moon God Tribe—out of old ties, he still shared some of what he knew with Little Cabbage.

Seeing Little Cabbage’s ashen face, Sun Licheng’s heart sank.

“What? You say there’s an army of thirty thousand goblins? Aren’t goblins and snotlings mortal enemies? How could they possibly be involved?”

Sun Licheng was stunned by the report.

“Yes, a full thirty thousand. And Aydel said the Moon Alliance has reorganized a force exceeding seven thousand, joining to form a massive army,” Little Cabbage added swiftly.

“Boss, don’t underestimate these goblins. Their regular legions are nothing like the scrap troops stationed on the northern frontier. These are all elite units, fully equipped. The Eastern Legion arriving now is the cream of the crop among elites.”

Fearing Sun Licheng might not grasp the gravity of the situation, Little Cabbage pressed on.

Since the Goblin Kingdom was no longer a secret to the Moon Alliance, Little Cabbage could finally share useful information.

“Heh. To be able to mobilize so many troops from the Goblin Kingdom, it seems my suspicion was right—the Silvermoon Goddess and the Springwater Maiden are the same deity. The snotlings and goblins have been at civil war for thousands of years, all stirred up by that woman. Now, for the Heart of the God, she’s discarded even the last shred of modesty—she’s truly desperate.”

Hearing this, Sun Licheng immediately sensed the key point and cursed the greedy goddess in his heart.

But knowing the enemy’s identity changed nothing—the enemy was already at the doorstep. After some thought, Sun Licheng summoned all remaining snotlings for a meeting.

His current followers were all former goblin prisoners of war. Seeing their old masters approaching could easily breed doubts.

Sure enough, upon learning that the goblin Eastern Legion had arrived, some cowered, their eyes filled with fear.

Seeking an amicable resolution, Sun Licheng allowed those unwilling to continue serving the Flowerplant Tribe to retreat with Little Cabbage to the rear. He promised that if they wished to leave during a lull in the fighting, they would be allowed to escape.

Once the wavering ones had departed, Sun Licheng looked at the remaining forty-plus snotlings and sighed: “In the past, the ancestors’ armies were tempered through countless trials to achieve national revival. My own troops have been forged in the fires of war—I hope, like the armies of Earth, we can create miracles.”

After Little Cabbage left, a large batch of mechanical puppets arrived as reinforcements by Master Tinkerer’s orders. With their arrival, the total number of battle puppets defending the forward fortress exceeded a thousand.

Bolstered by this mechanical legion, Sun Licheng’s confidence surged. He resolved to give the approaching goblin and snotling armies a fight they would never forget.

“All mechanical puppets, you have slumbered for ten thousand years. Today, you shall face the traitorous goblins once more. Though we are outnumbered, I believe that united, we will shatter the enemy’s plots! Comrades, for freedom, for the glory of the mechanical puppet legion, let us fight to the death!”

Sun Licheng shouted before the puppets. Steel clanged in response throughout the fortress, sounding as if to pierce the clouds.

Three days later, thanks to everyone’s efforts, the forward camp’s fortress designed by Master Tinkerer was completed.

The fortress walls were built with wooden frameworks, packed earth, and enveloped in a layer of military-grade steel plates from the Snotling Empire. Defensive magic arrays were inscribed upon them, rendering the defenses astonishingly strong.

With Eberzoff eagles patrolling the skies, Dogmeat no longer dared to fly. Fortunately, his small, nimble body allowed him to scout on the ground. He soon returned, and after hearing his report, Sun Licheng’s face darkened—the enemy’s great army had arrived.

Soon, numerous Flowerplant Tribe snotling warriors and mechanical puppets took their places on the walls as planned, setting up cannons, muskets, and magic crystal artillery, all prepared and facing south in formation.

Stomping on the steel plates beneath his feet, Sun Licheng felt much calmer. Thanks to Master Tinkerer, an expert who had started construction even before contact with the Moon Alliance, the fortress was built to the standards of the Snotling Empire’s fortifications. If it had been a simple wooden camp, it would never withstand an assault by tens of thousands of enemies.

Still lost in thought, Sun Licheng was suddenly roused by the blare of horns echoing through the forest. Following the sound, a large force of goblin wolf cavalry clad in armor appeared.