Chapter Sixty-Three: The Sacred Hymn is Unraveled

After spending two days in the Silver Moon Tribe, Sun Licheng decided it was time to return to the Forward Camp. He had gained quite a bit from this war, and Gou Rou had filmed a great deal of footage—including the goblin hero casting spells from start to finish. With these materials, Mr. Skillful would surely be able to develop many new insights.

After some thought, Sun Licheng decided to bring Little Cabbage along. He had developed a keen interest in this slave girl and felt she must remain by his side. Before their departure, he summoned Little Cabbage, briefly explained the situation at the camp, and instructed her to make preparations.

Early the next morning, Sun Licheng bid farewell to Christina and the others. He set out with Little Cabbage in a carriage drawn by the Wolf King.

The weather had been fine lately, with the sun warming their backs. Little Cabbage, now used to the carriage, became lively and sang goblin ballads along the way. Although Sun Licheng couldn't understand the lyrics, the melody was beautiful, and with his eyes closed, he could ignore her unattractive features and simply enjoy the performance.

When they arrived at the Forward Camp, Sun Licheng saw that it had been completed according to Mr. Skillful's designs. The thick wooden palisade walls were towering, filled with packed earth, and several ballistae dominated the area in front of the gates.

Even though Sun Licheng had told Little Cabbage that this was a military fortress, seeing it with her own eyes left her deeply shocked. Compared to this camp, the Silver Moon Tribe’s settlement—proudly called the oldest in the Moon Alliance—looked no better than a refugee camp. The standardized construction and formidable defenses completely overturned her understanding of the northern snowfields.

“Boss, are you really here alone? Building such a stronghold must require the resources of a great tribe,” Little Cabbage asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

“There are secrets here unknown to the goblins. Before entering, I hope you’ll guard these secrets as you would those of your own kind. Can you do that?” Sun Licheng replied, his gaze fixed intently on her, exerting a palpable pressure.

Little Cabbage quickly nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll swear to the God of Oaths right now that I’ll never reveal anything about this place.” With that, she raised her hands and made her vow to the heavens.

Only after she had sworn did Sun Licheng lead everyone into the Forward Camp, where Mr. Skillful awaited them, already prepared. Perhaps due to the many shocks she had already experienced, Little Cabbage adapted quickly after half a day and soon began to enjoy life in the camp.

After all, she was still a young woman. In the goblin tribe, all goblin slaves received strange looks and frequent beatings, but here, even though she knew Sun Licheng found her unattractive, he treated her with great tolerance. The novelty and usefulness of the various gadgets here quickly won her over.

That evening, after sending Little Cabbage off to cook, Mr. Skillful began his report. “Boss, as planned, the construction of the Forward Camp is complete. According to your latest instructions, I’ve also built a small barracks and a hidden passage leading outside the camp,” he said, pointing to a 3D model of the camp projected in red on the light screen.

“Good. How goes the progress on deciphering the sacred hymn?” Sun Licheng nodded in satisfaction and inquired further.

“The Silver Moon Hymn has been fully decoded, but the war dance is still under analysis,” Mr. Skillful replied. “The hymn appears sacred, but is really just a manipulation of the rules. Comparing it with the magic arrays left by Their Majesties, I found that it is, in fact, a kind of magical formation. More surprisingly, the being invoked in the array is the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy, not the Silver Moon Goddess at all.”

Sun Licheng was stunned by this revelation.

Before he could fully digest the information, Mr. Skillful continued, “Though the war dance hasn’t been fully broken, from what we’ve learned, this power also doesn’t belong to the Silver Moon Goddess. It seems to be a blessing from some deity in charge of strength. However, the exact mechanism for harnessing this power remains unclear.”

“So, according to you, the two main spells used by the Moon Alliance aren’t even granted by their own goddess?” Sun Licheng still found this hard to believe.

“At least, that's what our research shows so far,” Mr. Skillful answered with certainty.

Sun Licheng trusted Mr. Skillful’s abilities without question. He couldn’t help but wonder: Was the Silver Moon Goddess not as powerful as people believed? Why was she so popular here, then? And how was she able to borrow the powers of other gods?

“If only Their Majesties were here, I could ask them directly,” Sun Licheng muttered, frustrated at his inability to find an answer.

He shook off his thoughts and decided to focus elsewhere. “Gou Rou captured footage of a goblin hero using magic. Go study it—see if you can decipher it,” he instructed, calling Gou Rou over and giving Mr. Skillful a new task.

At that moment, Little Cabbage entered to announce that dinner was ready.

For the next three days, Sun Licheng continued refining the Forward Camp with Mr. Skillful while also helping Little Cabbage change her attire. Even though she was far from beautiful, Sun Licheng felt it was only proper to act with gentlemanly courtesy.

Little Cabbage was clearly enthusiastic about all these new things. To Sun Licheng’s surprise, she was exceedingly clever; she adapted rapidly to new tools, clothing, and living quarters—almost as if she had used them before. This small detail made Sun Licheng suspect that her background was far from ordinary.

On the seventh day, Sun Licheng received new guests: Christina arrived with three tribal warriors. This time, the young woman rode a reindeer, her new clothing made of especially soft and supple furs—much finer than before.

“It seems the Silver Moon Tribe has prospered,” Sun Licheng mused inwardly.

To keep the Forward Camp hidden, Sun Licheng had built a simple outpost near the site of the great goblin battle, and it was here he received Christina and her companions.

“Christina, what brings you here? That’s a fine reindeer,” Sun Licheng remarked, stroking the animal’s soft fur.

Thanks to his Animal Friend ability, Sun Licheng’s touch made the reindeer quite comfortable. It turned its head and licked his face thoroughly with its huge tongue, covering him in saliva and sending Christina into peals of laughter.

“The tribe exchanged salt and weapons for this reindeer. Lately, we’ve recruited many new warriors, married off many women, and purchased lots of slaves. All thanks to your help, Brother Sun,” Christina explained once her laughter subsided.

“I see,” Sun Licheng nodded in understanding.

“Oh, and the messengers we sent out have all returned with plenty of useful information for you. Grandmother and Father hope you’ll come back to the Silver Moon Tribe,” she added over dinner, after she was full and content.

Sun Licheng was very pleased with this result. The war had indeed brought new opportunities to his mission and opened doors throughout the Moon Alliance. He thought for a moment and agreed to return to the Silver Moon Tribe. This time, he planned to take only the Wolf King and Gou Rou, leaving Little Cabbage with Mr. Skillful. Though he didn’t wish to oppress her, he hoped Mr. Skillful might uncover some clues about her origins.

Upon his return, Sun Licheng found the Silver Moon Tribe much changed. The population had grown, with many unfamiliar faces. In the square before the tribe, heaps of bronze weapons and tools were being inspected by people from other tribes, while on the other side, Luther was arrogantly selecting slaves, with baskets of salt at his feet.

“It really does look prosperous,” Sun Licheng remarked.

“Of course—the tribe is thriving!” the girl clinging to his arm replied proudly.

Inside the council hall, Sun Licheng saw that it, too, had been redecorated. The old clay pot over the fire had been replaced by a bronze cauldron, and the meat within gave off a tantalizing aroma.

“Sun Licheng, you’re here! Have a seat. Isidor, tell him about our recent developments,” the elder chieftain, Eve, greeted him warmly, signaling for a servant to bring him tea. Ever since Sun Licheng introduced the tribe to tea made from tree leaves, it had become quite popular.

As he sipped, Isidor began to report the latest news. Sun Licheng listened but found nothing especially noteworthy, so he turned his attention to Isidor himself.

The man had clearly gained weight and now wore new, higher-quality furs. However, he looked rather weary. Remembering the beautiful new women in the tribe, Sun Licheng couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, thinking, “Careful, my friend—don’t overdo it.”

At that moment, hearty laughter echoed from outside the hall. The leader of the Moon Goddess Tribe, Adael, strode in with several attendants. After exchanging greetings with the Silver Moon Tribe, Adael noticed Sun Licheng.

“Ha! Brother, I’ve got news about that matter you mentioned,” Adael said, plopping down beside Sun Licheng and clapping him on the shoulder.

“Oh? What’s the situation?” Sun Licheng asked, intrigued.

“A small tribe reports a strange cave nearby—lately, they’ve been hearing mysterious noises from within and are now too frightened to go near. Are you interested?” Adael replied, eyes gleaming with anticipation.