Chapter 117. Arrival at the Secret Realm, the Mysterious Ritual
Half a month later, William’s forces finally reached the edge of the Goblin Secret Realm in the Western Frontier.
The endless mountain range was shrouded in a layer of pale violet mist. The energy fluctuations at the Secret Realm Entrance were in complete disarray, and strange howls could faintly be heard from within.
A large number of legions that had originally been stationed inside the secret realm were now camped around it.
On the way here, he had already received a ssage from Kroll II. In it, his royal father had especially emphasized one matter.
The goblins inside the secret realm had undergone a bizarre mutation. Large numbers of white-skinned individuals had appeared, and nearly all of them possessed Sky-Rank Combat Power. He was ordered to wait until the entire Gold Legion had assembled before entering, and under no circumstances was he to act rashly.
William gazed at the secret realm veiled in mist, his brows drawing slightly together.
Darwin, beneath him, flicked his massive tail, its scales glinting gold under the sunlight, and said in a muffled voice, “William, how about I charge in first? I’ll flip all those green little scraps out of there. Waiting like this is too boring.”
As he spoke, he excitedly slapped the ground with his tail, sending dust flying everywhere.
William shook his head and patted Darwin’s neck.
“No. This ti, we’re not just going in to eliminate the threat. We also need to keep the goblins contained within a specific area as much as possible.”
“If you rush in alone and start slaughtering them, they’ll only be frightened into hiding in the caves and dense forests deeper inside the secret realm. If that happens, investigating them will beco even more troubleso.”
Darwin curled his lips, clearly unwilling, but he still lowered himself obediently.
“Fine, I’ll listen to you. But if they co running out to provoke later, then I won’t hold back.”
William smiled, then turned his gaze toward the forces behind him. The two Knight Orders stood in neat formation, their armor glittering in the sun.
The soldiers of the Gold Legion stood in stern silence, golden Dou Qi flickering faintly across their bodies and radiating a frightening pressure.
In the distance, more small squads of Gold Legion soldiers were still arriving one after another, trailing clouds of dust behind them.
“Wait a little longer,” William said softly. “Once the last group arrives, we’ll go in.”
At that mont, Zoe descended before William by ans of wind magic and bowed. “Your Highness, Duke Marcus, who is in charge of guarding the Secret Realm Entrance, requests an audience. Will you see him?”
William nodded. “Bring him here.”
Zoe accepted the order and withdrew. Before long, she returned, leading over an elderly man clad in silver-white armor, his face stern and resolute.
Duke Marcus was an old noble of the Western Frontier. Back when he had followed Duke Carden, he had won illustrious military rit, yet now his face was lined with unmistakable worry.
Almost at the sa ti, William turned to look at the black-robed young man behind him, who had remained silent the entire while.
“Go into the depths of the secret realm and scout out the actual situation inside. Find out, in particular, the distribution and movent patterns of those White-Skinned Goblins. Go quickly and return quickly.”
The black-robed young man gave a slight bow. Without another word, a faint ripple of shadow spread around him. His figure retreated soundlessly as though it were lting into the mist, and after a few flickers, he vanished into the haze at the Secret Realm Entrance.
Duke Marcus stepped forward and bowed. “Your Highness, you have finally arrived.”
“There has been sothing terribly wrong with this secret realm lately. The energy inside is in utter turmoil, and those White-Skinned Goblins rush out every few days. Our Knight Orders have suffered grievous losses…”
William raised a hand, signaling him to calm down.
“I have already received Father King’s ssage. We’ll discuss the specifics after the scouting report cos back.”
“For now, tell this first. Has the secret realm shown any other abnormalities lately? Energy Tides, Spatial Rifts, or anything of that sort?”
Marcus frowned as he thought back. “There have indeed been abnormalities. Half a month ago, one night, His Majesty’s Shadow Guard entered the secret realm. After that, those goblins beca even more ferocious, and…”
“They seed to grow smarter as well. They began setting traps to surround and kill isolated soldiers.”
William’s gaze sharpened slightly. Half a month ago? Could it be those two Legends…?
Just then, a faint energy fluctuation ca from the mist in the distance. The black-robed young man reappeared and landed beside William.
“Your Highness, there are at least a hundred White-Skinned Goblins gathered in a basin deep within the secret realm. There are strong traces of residual Dark Energy there. It seems…”
“Sothing is catalyzing their evolution. There are also many corpses of the kingdom’s soldiers along the edge of the basin.”
“Catalyzing their evolution?” William’s heart sank. Could it be that those two corpses had not been dead after all?
He turned to Marcus.
“Duke, once the main force of the Gold Legion arrives, I will personally go deep into the basin and find out what is happening.”
A trace of hesitation flashed across Duke Marcus’s face, but he imdiately stepped forward.
“Your Highness, the secret realm is perilous, and those White-Skinned Goblins possess astonishing combat strength. How about I bring the legions under my command and accompany you inside? At the very least, we could support one another.”
William waved a hand, his tone calm but carrying unquestionable authority.
“There is no need. Stay outside and guard the entrance. Make sure no fish slip through the net and escape the secret realm. You have only recently been promoted to Duke, and there are still no Legendary Combatants under your command capable of standing on their own. Going in would only be sending them to their deaths.”
Duke Marcus secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though he still maintained an earnest expression on the surface.
“Your Highness is right. I will guard the entrance well and ensure that no mishap occurs.”
He understood very clearly that those words just now had been a display of loyalty.
With his current strength, going into the secret realm would indeed be courting death. But at certain tis, the right words of loyalty still had to be spoken.
Otherwise, how would he ever have risen to the rank of Duke?
William nodded. “Withdraw.”
Duke Marcus bowed, then turned and stepped aside, directing the knights under his command back to the Secret Realm Entrance to reinforce the defenses.
William glanced at Duke Marcus’s retreating figure, shook his head, and then gave an order to the Gold Legion and the Knight Orders behind him.
“Continue forward.”
“Yes, sir.”
The neat reply echoed through the mountain valley as the golden flood and silver knight formations steadily advanced toward the Secret Realm Entrance.
At that mont, a Shadow Guard appeared soundlessly at William’s side and reported in a low voice,
“Your Highness, His Majesty has sent an order. The Giant White Goblins in the basin deep within the secret realm are gathering together and conducting so kind of ritual. Its aura is strange and sinister.”
“His Majesty orders Your Highness to destroy that ritual as quickly as possible.”
William’s eyes turned cold. For his royal father to send a Shadow Guard personally to deliver the ssage, that ritual was clearly a major threat. It absolutely could not be allowed to reach completion. He turned to Zoe.
“How much longer until the rest of the Gold Legion arrives?”
Zoe answered at once, “Your Highness, at the earliest, three more days. The Fourth, Eighth, and Tenth Battalions are still on their way back and remain so distance from here.”
“We’re not waiting.”
William’s voice was utterly decisive.
“No matter what the purpose of that ritual is, since we’ve co upon it, there is no reason to let them succeed.”
He patted Darwin’s neck beside him.
“This ti, I’ll let you stretch yourself properly.”
Darwin let out an excited low growl. His enormous tail swayed happily behind him, and his scales shone even more brightly from excitent.
William then said to Zoe, “Go inform Duke Marcus to lead five legions into the secret realm at once. Their task is to hunt down the low-level goblins.”
Zoe accepted the order. “Yes, Your Highness.”
A short while later, Zoe returned with Marcus’s reply—he had already assembled his forces and could enter at any ti.
William no longer hesitated. He raised a hand in command.
“Move out. The Gold Legion will take the front. The Knight Orders will support both flanks. Darwin and I will hold the center and drive straight toward the site of the ritual.”
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