Chapter Thirty-Eight: Southward!

In the Divine Realm, within the temple of the God of Conspiracy, the deity narrowed his eyes, spinning a glass of wine between two fingers of his right hand. Opposite him, the archangel Jill knelt, trembling all over.

"You mean to say the Water God's followers obstructed you?"

The God of Conspiracy spoke in a slow and calm voice, but to Jill, it felt as cold as ice seeping into her bones.

She hastily lowered her head even further and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, and it was the Water God's chief archangel. His intentions were clear—he came specifically to prevent me from approaching that goblin. He even more or less escorted me back."

"Oh... interesting. What are your thoughts?" The God of Conspiracy tapped his wine glass with his middle finger, pondering before he spoke.

"Well... well... your servant believes the Water God's chief archangel clearly knows that the goblin is the one causing trouble in the forbidden land, yet his attitude is uncompromising. It's obvious the Water God, or perhaps the entire Sea Pantheon, is behind this. The archangel said that direct divine power or sending angels against the goblin is prohibited. So I think their bottom line is that they don't want unconventional methods used to solve the problem. Of course, this is just my speculation," Jill hurried to reply.

"Heh, is the Sea Pantheon growing restless? You may leave—I’ll spare you this time. If you fail your task again, you know the consequences..." The God of Conspiracy’s lips curled into a cold smile as he waved Jill away. She quickly crawled out of the temple.

"Interesting, more and more interesting. Now that these players have stepped onto the stage, it's just what I wanted. Let them stir up trouble—I'll add more fuel to the fire, let the blaze grow even greater. Ha ha..." The God of Conspiracy drained his wine in one gulp and burst into laughter.

In the Temple of the God of Light, the deity sat upright upon his throne, fingers tapping incessantly on the armrest. The report from the God of Conspiracy had arrived, and the responses from the other gods amused him.

"Heh, after thousands of years, everyone’s growing impatient? A single goblin has drawn out the Sea Pantheon. I want to see what you all are after. Hmph, in the end, I’ll make you understand—I am the true master of the Divine Realm. Even the oldest gods must obey!"

...

Unaware that he had already turned the world upside down, Sun Licheng watched as the last mammoth left the valley.

His fortress in the valley had been completed, and the mammoth herd had reached their time of migration. In the end, after loading each mammoth with a basket of pearl-leaf salad, the mighty beasts departed. They had agreed the herd could return in the future, and Sun Licheng even crafted a mechanism to let the elephants open the gate themselves.

With his fortress built, Sun Licheng now had a solid base. His next step was to head south, where he hoped to find information about the fragments of the divine soul.

"Home! Home!" Sun Licheng pumped his fist and shouted towards the sky.

Sun Licheng kept in mind the Earth God's warning before departure, giving the underground tunnel great importance. Not only did he disguise the tunnel entrance, he also brought his two new subordinates along to investigate thoroughly.

"Master, I believe this was once the underground fortress of the Goblin Empire," Mr. Dexterity said calmly, tapping the stone wall with his mechanical hand.

"Do you know where it leads?" Sun Licheng’s tone was filled with hope.

Mr. Dexterity shook his head. "I don’t have any data about its interior. Moreover, I’ve noticed it’s changed greatly—not only have many passages been sealed off, but there are also many strange new tunnels, likely opened by some force."

"I see, it’s much like the Flying Corps base—many monsters sent by the gods. We shouldn’t risk exploring for now." Seeing the situation was too dangerous, Sun Licheng decisively ended the adventure. After all, his primary task was to find the fragment of the Earth God’s divine soul.

Before leaving, they scavenged animal carcasses inside the tunnel—some as provisions, others in search of magic crystals. Unfortunately, magical beasts were rare; after much effort, they found only two small magic crystals, barely enough to use in Dogmeat’s magic crystal cannon.

"Mr. Dexterity, I’ll leave this place to you. Remember, be careful when exploring the underground fortress." Ready for departure, Sun Licheng gave his final instructions at the fortress gate.

"Don’t worry, Master." Mr. Dexterity, cradling three little rabbits, his eyes flashing red, gave his assurance.

...

Under a cloudless sky, Sun Licheng and Dogmeat arrived at a forest. He glanced at the sun and saw it was past noon, so he took out his water pouch and drank.

They had traveled for four days since leaving the fortress, far from their starting point, but had yet to find anything truly valuable.

"This place isn’t fit even for birds. Dogmeat, keep watch."

After drinking, Sun Licheng decided to rest and gave Dogmeat his orders.

Dogmeat was truly useful—not only agile and capable in combat, but needing neither food nor drink. It was the perfect companion for travel, as well as for murder and arson.

Along the way, thanks to Dogmeat, Sun Licheng hunted plenty of game—even those large black fish. Previously, the black fish dominated the waters, and their speed was most troubling, but with Dogmeat’s greater speed, the situation changed dramatically.

Sun Licheng would let Dogmeat carry chunks of bloody meat along the riverbank, attracting the black fish. Once one rushed ashore, Sun Licheng—lying in ambush—would fire a goblin empire crossbow bolt, dealing a heavy blow. Then, he and Dogmeat would work together to drag the fish to safety using a rope tied to the arrow.

Black fish were formidable and full of treasures—their meat and brains savory, their skin tough, bones white, and even their fins could be made into arrows. Sun Licheng most appreciated that one black fish could feed him for three days, which was significant given his large appetite. Hunting one saved much time for travel. Sadly, black fish weren’t magical beasts and yielded no magic crystals.

Growing weary, Sun Licheng sat beneath a tree and pulled out a piece of roasted fish from his pocket, munching away. He had plenty, all kept in the cart Dogmeat hauled.

Suddenly, Dogmeat’s ears shot up, its red electronic eyes scanning the nearby trees with a fierce glare, signaling a warning to Sun Licheng.

"Damn," Sun Licheng muttered, instantly drawing his sword and ducking behind a small hill with Dogmeat.

No sooner had they hidden than three humanoid creatures, around one point three or four meters tall and clad in animal skins, burst from the woods.

Sun Licheng was stunned—three goblins!

The goblins were in dire straits, each bearing wounds, fresh blood dripping from their steps onto the ground.

They seemed to be fleeing, heads down and running straight ahead after leaving the woods.

Not far behind, another group of goblins—about a dozen, also clad in animal skins—charged out in pursuit, clearly foes of the first three, shouting as they chased them.

A chase unfolded before Sun Licheng’s eyes.

Suddenly, one of the fleeing goblins tripped over a stone and tumbled to the ground. The pursuers, excited at the sight, shouted louder and ran faster.

The other two goblins halted, raised their weapons, and stood protectively over their fallen companion.

Witnessing this brave scene, Sun Licheng rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "Should I save them? Or... should I save them? Or... should I save them?"