Chapter 84: The Call of the Ancients

On the fifth day, Sun Licheng put aside his work, for he had an unavoidable guest to receive.

Confronted with a battle automaton that resembled an asura, even someone as well-traveled as Sun Licheng could not help but marvel. The creature before him was truly striking. With its eight arms and the eight weapons strapped across its back, he could easily imagine the sheer power it would unleash if it began to spin—surely, it would become a whirlwind of flesh and steel.

Then there was its armor: that deep, lustrous black was clearly of the highest quality. Compared to this, anything his side possessed would amount to the distinction between the destitute and the privileged elite.

"Master Sun Licheng, my master requests your presence."

Sun Licheng, still examining the asura with curiosity, was taken aback when it spoke.

"Your master?"

He was puzzled.

"Yes, my master—the commander of the Goblin Empire’s fortress. He asks that you come with me."

The asura’s answer left Sun Licheng thoroughly astonished. Had it not been ten thousand years? How could the Goblin Empire have returned from the grave?

He looked inquiringly at Mr. Dexterous, who had brought the asura.

"Unit 35853986 speaks the truth," Mr. Dexterous replied. "The commander truly exists, and the communication codes it bears are correct. Please, you must go with it—this concerns the honor of the Empire."

Beside him, Dogmeat barked twice, as if urging Sun Licheng to follow as well.

After a moment’s thought, Sun Licheng decided he should indeed meet this ancient commander; perhaps he could gain some valuable assistance. He agreed to go with the asura and began making arrangements for the tribe.

Since both Mr. Dexterous and Dogmeat would accompany him, the tribe would be left under the temporary stewardship of Little Cabbage, assisted by Little Medusa and the Wolf King. For security, Sun Licheng distributed the Flower-Type One rifles to the warriors and had them conduct live-fire drills.

To avoid exposing the tribe’s true strength, he told Little Cabbage to keep the rifles hidden, to be used only in the gravest danger.

Little Medusa had wanted to go along as well, but Sun Licheng, after much persuasion, convinced her to remain behind. It was no joke—the lands of the Goblin Empire were fraught with danger, far too perilous for a young girl.

Once everything was settled, Sun Licheng boarded his armed mech, packed the necessary materials and repair tools, and, together with Unit 35853986, set out on their journey.

On the way, Sun Licheng learned from Mr. Dexterous that 35853986 had another name: the Dance of Death.

“No wonder its movements are so strange—it’s a woman,” Sun Licheng remarked to himself.

Apart from essential breaks, they traveled without rest. After six days of relentless travel, they at last reached the valley fortress.

Sun Licheng informed Dance of Death of his intentions, then piloted his mech into the hangar—he had no intention of taking the machine into the tunnels. Against the monstrous terrors lurking there, armored mechs could offer no true safety.

Having taken care of his affairs, Sun Licheng and his companions followed Dance of Death to the foot of a hillside.

He watched as she deftly opened a concealed passage, and only then did he realize: the remnants of the Goblin Empire had never truly vanished. He remembered the automaton warriors at the flying corps base, recalled the goblin general and his son, and his heart was heavy.

“The common folk fight and die, while those above hide in their fortresses. The gulf between rulers and the ruled exists everywhere,” Sun Licheng reflected bitterly.

For the first time, he entered the tunnels through the main gate, exploring curiously for a while. But soon enough, he regained his sense of familiarity.

Thanks to Mr. Dexterous’s 3D animations, Sun Licheng knew powerful beasts lurked in this direction. Yet as they traveled, the scattered corpses of magical beasts told him those threats had already been neutralized.

He noticed all the beasts’ heads had been split open, the magic crystals within no doubt harvested. Though the crystals were gone, the meat would have been valuable—what a pity that, by now, the bodies had begun to rot.

After about half an hour, they reached a passage Sun Licheng had never seen before and stopped before a stone wall.

Dance of Death extended a hand, and from her palm emerged a thin tendril, which she inserted into a small opening in the stone before rotating it.

With the grind of gears, the stone wall parted, revealing a hidden iron door.

Beyond the door lay a bright corridor. Though many of the luminous stones overhead were broken, the place had clearly been maintained—unlike the research facility, there were no widespread electrical failures.

They followed the passage for a while and entered a vast chamber—clearly a battle automaton depot. Sun Licheng looked up: the room rose ten stories, nearly a hundred meters high, with each level lined with densely-packed iron cages. Most of the cages stood open and empty, but through the glass of those still sealed, Sun Licheng glimpsed formidable battle automatons, some under repair.

“Incredible!” Sun Licheng exclaimed, craning his neck to take in the immense warehouse.

“It is indeed astonishing, chief,” Mr. Dexterous replied quietly, floating to his side. “I counted earlier—there are at least ten thousand automaton storage bays here. Sadly, almost all are empty. Less than two hundred battle automatons remain.”

Sun Licheng nodded. No matter how vast the reserves, after ten thousand years, little would remain.

They crossed a central iron bridge through the depot and entered another straight corridor. On both sides, countless small doors lined the passage. Some were open, and Sun Licheng peeked inside to find soldiers’ quarters. But all were eerily silent—the soldiers long since vanished.

After a time, Dance of Death brought them to an iron door, turned to Sun Licheng, and said, “The commander is inside. Please enter.” With that, she triggered the mechanism and the door swung open.

Sun Licheng hesitated briefly, then stepped inside, while Mr. Dexterous and Dogmeat were stopped at the threshold.

The chamber was vast, covering five or six hundred square meters, and empty of people. In the center stood a fountain-like pedestal, atop which rested an iron sphere composed of interlocking pentagons. A golden aura surrounded the sphere, and as it spun within the light, it occasionally flashed, making the halo seem studded with countless stars.

Sun Licheng wondered, “Where is the commander?”

At that moment, an electronic voice sounded: “Welcome, my child, to the control center of the Goblin Empire’s underground fortress. I am Commander Wright.”