Chapter 120. Leaving the Secret Realm, Scheming Against the Kroll Kingdom
William remained in the Goblin Secret Realm for a full three months.
During that ti, with the help of the mana within the secret realm and the High-Grade Potions he had brought with him, he successfully broke through to Peak Silver Rank. The flow of mana within his body grew increasingly dense and powerful.
The Knight Orders under his command had also benefited greatly from their cultivation within the secret realm. The dense energy environnt there allowed many knights to break through their bottlenecks and advance to Gold-Rank Combat Power, greatly strengthening their overall force.
On this day, Zoe knocked on the door of the temporary camp quarters.
“Co in,” William’s voice ca from inside.
Zoe pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully.
“Your Highness, the exploitable resources within the secret realm have all been inventoried. His Majesty has already sent a dedicated Extraction Team, and orderly extraction is now underway.”
William nodded, shifting his gaze away from the Magic Skill Atlas in his hands.
“I understand. And what is the current state of those goblin young that were taken back?”
“Reporting to Your Highness,” Zoe answered, “those young have already grown to the size of ordinary goblins.”
“Perhaps because they left the secret realm’s special environnt, their strength is generally low. Most of them have not even reached the Black Iron standard, but their temperants have beco even more cunning.”
William lightly tapped his fingertips against the experint report, his brows drawing together slightly.
“It seems the energy of this secret realm truly is the key to triggering the goblins’ mutation. But energy alone is not enough. They must rely on so kind of dium to break beyond the limits of ordinary magical creatures…”
“Could it really be connected to those two legendary corpses?”
He lifted his eyes to Zoe, and his tone grew a little heavier.
“Continue observing the goblins’ growth data closely. Not even the slightest change can be overlooked.”
“Also, have Duke Marcus increase the intensity of the experints. He must determine the connection between the energy and the dium.”
After a brief pause, he added, “Zoe, pass down the order. The Knight Orders and the Gold Legion will withdraw from the secret realm at dawn tomorrow and return to the Royal Capital in full formation.”
Zoe bowed to accept the order. After saluting once more, she turned and left, the sound of her boots striking the ground gradually fading into the distance.
At first light the next morning, orderly footsteps were already sounding at the Secret Realm Entrance.
The soldiers of the two Knight Orders and the Gold Legion had finished assembling. Their armor glead coldly in the morning mist, while the fluctuations of Dou Qi surged through the ranks like an undercurrent.
William stood on a rise, his gaze sweeping over the forces prepared to depart.
Under his watch, the golden flood of the legion and the silver formations of the knights moved like rivers drawn forward by an unseen force, slowly passing through the Gate of Light. Their footsteps echoed through the valley for a long ti before gradually fading away.
Behind him, Duke Marcus stood with his hands lowered, his expression respectful.
Only after the last soldier disappeared from sight did William turn around. His gaze fell on Marcus, and his voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable weight.
“Duke Marcus, Father King will send people later to station themselves in the secret realm and take over its daily defenses.”
“You need only focus on the experints at hand. Whatever you discover, you are not permitted to conceal anything. Do you understand?”
Duke Marcus quickly bowed. “This subordinate understands. I will not fail Your Highness’s trust.”
William gave him a long look, a gaze that seed able to pierce through the morning mist and reach straight into a person’s heart.
He said nothing more. Turning, he leaped onto Darwin’s back, and the enormous figure quickly crossed the boundary of the secret realm and vanished through the Gate of Light.
As the morning mist gradually dispersed, sunlight illuminated the now-empty Secret Realm Entrance.
Duke Marcus straightened and looked in the direction William had departed, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. Then he turned and walked toward the depths of the basin.
There were still unfinished experints waiting for him there.
William rode Darwin out across the boundary of the secret realm, and in that instant, he felt his entire body grow lighter. The thin mana in the air imdiately brought him a sense of stagnation.
Having grown accustod to the nearly viscous energy environnt inside the secret realm, he now felt a discomfort almost like difficulty breathing.
He steadied himself and raised a hand. “Full speed ahead. Return to the Royal Capital.”
The armor of the Gold Legion reflected sheets of golden light under the sun, while the two Knight Orders spread out on either side like sharp blades protecting the core as they advanced in great force toward the heartland of the kingdom.
At this mont, inside a mysterious hall shrouded in magic, four enormous Communication Crystals were radiating a dim blue light, illuminating four faces hidden within the shadows.
“Well? How effective has the resource blockade against the Kroll Kingdom been recently?”
One aged voice rang out, carrying unquestionable authority.
Another, sowhat impatient voice followed imdiately after.
“Not well. Intelligence reports say the people of Kroll are going all out to exploit that Goblin Secret Realm. In the short term, they likely will not be lacking in resources.”
Feir IV of the Kadiya Kingdom let out a cold snort, his image wavering slightly within the crystal.
“Everyone, we cannot wait any longer. William Kroll is still four years, eight months, and twenty-two days away from coming of age.”
“If we wait that long, forget a second Gold Legion appearing—they might even produce several more Legendary Combatants. And what if… they produce several Domain-Level Powerhouses as well?”
A brief silence fell over the hall. Only the hum of the crystals vibrated in the air.
Feir IV’s voice grew even darker.
“We must act before the Kroll Kingdom fully matures. Otherwise, sooner or later, every one of our nations will be devoured piece by piece by that boy.”
One of the other figures in the shadows swallowed, then spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded as though it had been ground over with sandpaper. “You an… start the war ahead of ti?”
“War?”
Feir IV’s laughter carried a calculating chill, making him seem especially sinister in the crystal’s light.
“No, no. My daughter still isn’t pregnant. To resort to arms now would be far too unwise.”
“What I an is that we should find a way to coerce the Kroll Kingdom into taking the initiative and sending out its Gold Legion and Legendary Combatants to wipe out those three Foreign Race Kingdoms.”
Odyssey V of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom slowly shook his head instead, his image rippling faintly in the crystal.
“That will likely be difficult. Kroll II is far too shrewd. How could he fail to see the sche behind it?”
“Besides, those Foreign Race Kingdoms have managed to survive between the human nations until now by relying on far more than brute force.”
“The number of Domain-Level Powerhouses they possess exceeds that of any one of our kingdoms. If the five of us had not been secretly working together to keep them in check, they likely would have torn open our defenses long ago.”
He paused, and his tone grew more solemn.
“You want Kroll to beco the main force and chew through that hard bone? Kroll II will not make that kind of losing bargain.”
Feir IV lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest, his expression within the crystal dim and unreadable.
“That is why we must ‘coerce’ them. For example… let those Foreign Race Kingdoms make the first move. Those foreign races have been coveting William’s body for a long ti…”
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