Chapter 73: The Invisible Enemy

At noon the next day, the craftsman whom Sun Licheng had longed for day and night finally arrived. Due to the urgency of the situation, the craftsman left the main group ahead of time. Xiao Baicai and the other goblins, escorted by Dog Meat, pushed the supply carts along at a slow pace, and it would still take them several days to reach the site. Originally, Sun Licheng wanted to leave Xiao Baicai and the others at the forward base, but considering the goblins’ pitiful combat abilities, he abandoned the idea.

Sun Licheng still had too few people under his command; he simply lacked the strength to guard multiple locations. Helplessly, he sealed off the forward base and relocated all personnel to the tribe’s new encampment. The need to bolster his own armed force felt ever more pressing.

After the craftsman conducted a round of reconnaissance and found no spies watching them around the valley, Sun Licheng summoned all the slaves. As expected, the slaves were unsettled upon seeing such a huge iron contraption, but the Wolf King’s two furious howls quickly subdued the commotion.

Without wasting words, Sun Licheng drew a hexagram on the ground, installed the charged magic crystal brought by the craftsman, and sang “Two Tigers.” A flash of misty light solved the communication barrier among them.

Following procedure, all slaves were required to swear allegiance to Sun Licheng in the name of the God of Oaths. Under the threat of force, the slaves obeyed his command.

“Wait a moment—Stone, is that your real name? I mean, your true name.”

After the goblin slave completed his oath, Sun Licheng approached him and asked, seeing the confusion on the goblin’s face.

Hearing this, the goblin’s expression showed humiliation, but he quickly suppressed his anger, replying politely, “Yes, master, my name is Stone. I can swear in the name of the God of Oaths that Stone is my true name.”

“Very well, then swear it now in the name of the God of Oaths,” Sun Licheng said impassively.

The goblin slave hadn’t expected Sun Licheng to press so hard, but seeing Sun Licheng’s hand tightly gripping the knife handle, he could only nod resignedly and make the oath as instructed.

Despite the goblin’s mournful look, Sun Licheng felt at ease. Not only was he weak, but he also harbored many secrets; he could not afford any mishaps and had to be extra cautious. Though these people had poor fighting abilities, if they were spies for others, they could pose a significant danger.

Once all the slaves had finished their oaths, Sun Licheng prepared a lavish lunch to reward everyone, immediately lifting their spirits and prompting renewed pledges of loyalty to the tribe.

After lunch, Sun Licheng tasked the Wolf King with helping the slaves defend the camp, while he and the craftsman entered the valley. Though it was already afternoon, the sunlight seemed unable to pierce the clouds overhead, leaving the valley dim. A gust of wind whipped through, making the treetops of dead trees whistle shrilly, sending a chill through one’s heart.

Sun Licheng tugged at his fur coat, stamped his feet, braced himself, and led the craftsman into the camp within the valley.

On the camp’s road lay many goblin corpses, and the scattered supplies spoke of the tribe’s panic during their evacuation. Many doors stood open, looking like monstrous jaws from outside. Sun Licheng cautiously drew his long knife and signaled to the craftsman, who promptly flew into a wooden house.

Soon, the craftsman emerged holding several items, dropping them at Sun Licheng’s feet before heading off to the next cabin. Before long, a pile of weapons, equipment, and valuable objects accumulated before Sun Licheng.

“It seems Adolf was right—this tribe was indeed quite wealthy,” Sun Licheng remarked, inspecting several metal weapons, including a well-crafted iron blade.

In the Alliance of the Moon, metal weapons possessed tremendous purchasing power, yet here he had already found several. Judging by the camp’s size and the quantity of equipment, Sun Licheng estimated the tribe had at least two thousand members, far surpassing the Moon God Tribe in strength. And yet, this powerful tribe had been forced to abandon their homes in a short time, attesting to the terror of their enemy.

“But why haven’t I seen any sign of the enemy?” Sun Licheng wondered, scanning his surroundings.

“Boss, I’ve detected some dangers lurking in the shadows,” the craftsman whispered as he flew to Sun Licheng’s side.

Sun Licheng’s heart skipped a beat, his expression changing dramatically. He hastily asked, “What kind of enemies? Where are they? Why can’t I sense them?”

The craftsman pointed a tentacle at the roof of a house, saying, “The enemies are on the rooftop—clusters of energy hostile to us. I cannot see them, but my energy sensor can feel their presence.”

These words made Sun Licheng’s hair stand on end. He remembered this was a world of magic, where gods and ghosts truly existed.

He quickly steadied himself and asked, “What is your energy sensor? What exactly is energy?”

Through the craftsman’s explanation, Sun Licheng learned that each mechanical puppet had a device inside capable of sensing external life force—that is, the energy of life. Many creatures in this world had no physical form, especially undead, who often lacked bodies entirely. Relying solely on eyesight would be fatal in battle.

To Sun Licheng’s regret, the craftsman’s energy sensor could only vaguely detect external material energy, without discerning its magnitude or distance.

After listening, Sun Licheng rubbed his forehead, thinking, “This is like a primitive early-warning radar. If only it were more precise.”

Knowing their enemies were intangible energy beings, Sun Licheng remained tense for some time. Yet, as time passed and no attack came from the energy clusters, his anxiety eased, and he pressed on with the craftsman.

With the craftsman’s warning, Sun Licheng refrained from letting him rummage through houses, instead passing through the camp obediently.

According to the craftsman’s report, the deeper they went, the more energy clusters they encountered, until at last they reached the entrance to the mercury mine.

At the mouth of the mine, Sun Licheng saw it was well preserved, though some wooden supports had collapsed from insect damage, cluttering the entrance. Nearby lay several goblin corpses, and, strangely, two had turned into pallid skeletons scattered across the ground.

Sun Licheng was puzzled. According to the guide, the tribe had only been forced to relocate a year ago—how could the corpses have decayed so severely in such a short time?

Even more astonishing, beside the skeletons lay a round shield. Sun Licheng picked it up and examined it, noting its design was unlike that of goblins. Painted upon it was a dark, sinister skull.

“Where did these things come from?” Sun Licheng wondered deeply, a strong sense of unease welling up within him.