Starting as a Prince, I Don’t Even Know How I Could Lose Chapter 119 : Chapter 119

Chapter 119. Thorough Cleansing, Marcus Prepares to Conduct Research

Over the next few days, William led the Gold Legion in a carpet-like purge of the Goblin Secret Realm.

They went deep into every cave and searched every dense forest. Golden Dou Qi nearly dyed the land of the secret realm red.

Yet strangely enough, no matter how thoroughly they slaughtered them, it would not be long before new goblins erged from so unknown corner. Their numbers were no longer as great as before, but they were like weeds that could never be cut clean.

William stood in a goblin camp that had just been burned to the ground, his brows tightly furrowed.

Where exactly were these goblins coming from in such an endless stream?

No matter how strong their reproductive ability was, it should not have been this fast.

Only after he led his n in destroying a giant nest hidden behind a mountain wall did the answer finally co to light.

Deep within the nest, a nauseating stench filled the air. In the dim cave, dozens of Female Creatures curled up in the corners, bound in chains.

There were magical beasts from the secret realm, wild animals, and even several missing human female adventurers. Their expressions were numb, and their bodies were covered in wounds.

At the other end of the nest, several goblins surrounded newly born young, letting out shrill hisses.

William’s face darkened instantly.

“So that’s how it is.” He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “They’ve been capturing every female creature in the secret realm and forcing them to reproduce.”

No wonder they could not be wiped out. As long as female creatures still existed, the goblins could continue producing new offspring.

The captured creatures had beco tools for their breeding, trapped in a fate even worse than death.

“Kill every imprisoned creature.”

William’s voice was as cold as ice.

“As for the goblins in the nest, leave none alive. Also, expand the search range. We must find every hidden nest.”

Zoe looked at those female adventurers. The numbness in their eyes and the wounds on their bodies made her stomach churn. She forced down the revulsion in her heart and stood behind William.

William understood very well that if the breeding foundation of the goblins was not eradicated completely, this place would never know peace.

He imdiately sent word to his royal father, Kroll II, requesting that the Royal Second Monster Legion, which had already been withdrawn from the secret realm, be redeployed.

This legion relied on Giant Wolf Riders as the core of its strength, and those giant wolves possessed extraordinarily sharp senses of sll, making them the best at tracking hidden traces.

After receiving the ssage, Kroll II approved it at once.

A week later, the Royal Second Monster Legion arrived as scheduled. Under the guidance of the Giant Wolf Riders, the giant wolves scraped uneasily at the soil beneath their feet, white mist constantly snorting from their nostrils. It was obvious that they had already picked up the scent of blood from the depths of the secret realm.

William no longer hesitated and ordered, “The Gold Legion will coordinate with the Royal Second Monster Legion. The Giant Wolf Riders will lead the way. Conduct a carpet search of every concealed area, and make sure every goblin nest hidden underground or deep in caves is destroyed.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The order was given, and the giant wolves let out low howls under the riders’ command before scattering in all directions, their noses pressed to the ground as they searched with care.

Their movents were swift and precise. Before long, one giant wolf stopped in front of what looked like an ordinary patch of bushes and began barking wildly at the ground.

The soldiers of the Gold Legion imdiately stepped forward and hacked through the soil beneath the bushes with their battle axes. Sure enough, a pitch-black opening was revealed, and faint goblin shrieks could be heard from within.

“This is the place.” At the captain’s command, the soldiers filed inside, and before long, the sounds of intense fighting and miserable screams echoed from deep within the cave.

Similar scenes unfolded throughout the secret realm.

The giant wolves were like living detectors. Not even the faintest trace could escape their noses. Nests hidden in cliffside cracks, beneath the roots of ancient trees, and beside underground rivers were uncovered one after another.

William rode atop Darwin and inspected the cleansing operation. As he watched nest after nest being destroyed and saw those Female Creatures, the tension in his brow finally eased a little.

With the support of the Royal Second Monster Legion, this cleansing operation could finally strike at the root of the problem.

As the sun set, the last hidden nest was breached.

When the last goblin young was taken away, the secret realm finally beca completely quiet, leaving only the rustling of wind through the leaves.

William looked over this devastated yet no longer threatening secret realm, his gaze sweeping across the broken blades and scorched traces covering the ground.

“Pass down my order. The Royal Survey Team that arrived earlier and has been waiting on the periter is to enter at once and carefully survey the distribution of resources and Energy Nodes throughout the entire area. Pay special attention to the remaining Rune Array traces at the center of the basin. Not a single detail may be overlooked.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Zoe bowed to accept the order, then quickly turned and left. Before long, she led a team of personnel dressed in gray robes and carrying all kinds of surveying tools into the secret realm.

These surveyors had clearly co prepared. The mont they entered, they spread out. So took out crystal balls to detect mana fluctuations.

Others used specially made shovels to collect soil samples, while so crouched in the center of the basin, carefully sketching the residual rune patterns on the ground.

William sat atop Darwin’s back and quietly watched them at work.

Cleansing the goblins had only been the first step. The resources hidden within this secret realm, as well as the source of energy that had triggered the goblins’ mutation, were the things he truly wanted to uncover.

If these resources could be put to use by Kroll, then perhaps the royal family’s resource shortage could be eased.

One of the surveyors suddenly cried out in surprise and raised the magnifying glass in his hand. “My lord, the soil here contains rich Life Energy, and also... a faint trace of dark energy.”

William’s gaze shifted slightly, and he urged Darwin closer.

He bent down to look at the patch of soil. As his fingertips brushed over the ground, he could indeed sense two completely different energies faintly intertwining there.

“Record it and take it back to the Royal Capital for the Archmages to analyze,” William instructed.

What surprised William sowhat was that Duke Marcus had shown enormous interest in the residual energy within the secret realm.

Over the past several days, he had co to William almost every day, sotis to ask about the progress of the survey, other tis to request participation in the study of the energy samples. His eyes were full of eager curiosity.

At first, William had been sowhat suspicious—Marcus had always focused on military affairs and rarely involved himself in magic or energy research.

But on second thought, the man was, after all, the one responsible for the defense of the Western Frontier. Letting him learn more about the secrets of the secret realm might not be a bad thing for its future garrisoning and security.

Besides, Marcus had only recently been promoted to Duke and needed to demonstrate his capabilities in order to solidify his position. Allowing him to take part in this matter would also make him more diligent in guarding this region.

“Since the Duke is interested, then let your n assist the Royal Survey Team.”

In the end, William gave his approval.

“But all samples and research records must be sent to the Royal Capital at the first opportunity. None may be kept in private.”

A trace of delight flashed through Duke Marcus’s eyes, and he hurriedly bowed. “Please rest assured, Your Highness. I understand the limits. I will do my utmost to cooperate and would never dare overstep in the slightest.”

After receiving permission, Marcus truly threw a great deal of energy into it. Not only did he send soldiers under his command who had so basic knowledge of magic to assist the survey, he also personally stood guard at the edge of the basin, watching the team collect energy data. From ti to ti, he exchanged a few quiet words with the person in charge of the Royal Survey Team, his expression intent.

William saw all of this and said nothing.

He instructed Zoe to secretly keep an eye on Marcus’s movents. As long as the man did not cross the line, one more person paying attention to the secret realm’s energy might help uncover its key secrets more quickly.

Several days later, the first batch of preliminary survey reports was delivered into William’s hands.

The report recorded in detail the energy distribution throughout the secret realm, and it specifically pointed out that the Rune Array residue at the center of the basin retained a kind of fluctuation that had never been seen before.

It belonged to none of the known elents, nor did it resemble pure shadow or Life Energy. It was more like the product of several different forces being forcibly fused together.

William rubbed the report between his fingers, and the doubts in his heart only deepened. Where exactly had this strange energy co from?

Was it a characteristic of the secret realm itself, or the result of deliberate manipulation?

Not far away, Duke Marcus was holding an Energy Fluctuation Chart, his brows tightly furrowed, as though he were deep in thought about sothing.