Chapter 163 All-Out War!
On this day, the weather was fine.
In the morning, there was a light drizzle that made the roads a bit muddy, but soon it cleared up with a bright blue sky. Approaching February, it was time for sowing. With the efforts of thousands of slaves, Soren finally dug a trench connecting to the river and, with the help of magic that turned mud into stone, built a simple dam. The contribution of the spellcaster was, of course, undeniable; the mud-to-stone transformation was a joint effort by Gloria and Vivian, completed in just two days.
This dam transformed the soil into solid stone blocks, estimated to be far more effective than concrete.
The sprawling network of ditches covered nearly five thousand acres of cultivated land, the first step in Soren’s reclamation plan. The abundant slaves allowed him to exploit labor without worry, estimating that at least ten thousand acres needed to be reclaimed this year. Ten thousand acres of land would easily ensure Modo’s self-sufficiency; once self-sufficiency was achieved, Soren would have little to worry about.
Food, land, and population.
These three elements are more valuable than gold in chaotic times and are the keys to gaining a foothold in the realm of deities.
…………
Boom!
A muffled sound suddenly came from Soren’s residence, followed by Soren standing up with an excited expression. However, unlike before, two fireballs, approximately the size of fists, floated in his palms. The flames formed in a highly concentrated state, jumping and shimmering in vibrant colors as they hovered in his hands.
——[Mayoufu Meteor]!
After spending so much time, Soren finally memorized this third-tier spell.
Boom!
Soren took a deep breath, looked around, then leaped into the air, reaching nearly twelve meters in height. He then swung his hand forward sharply. A fist-sized fireball shot out like a cannonball—it felt as though it was a solid object rather than the energy form of the fireball spell. The fist-sized fireball soared at an astonishing speed, hitting the target ahead, which exploded into a shower of splintered wood. All that remained was a bare wooden handle.
Boom boom boom!
In just one second, five targets exploded in front of Soren. These practice targets were mostly shattered to pieces, with a couple even being penetrated through the center—showcasing incredible lethality! Even Soren’s full-strength shot with an elf longbow +2 couldn’t penetrate these nearly ten-centimeter thick wooden targets.
Thud.
Soren knelt down for a moment, the two fireballs in his palms dimmed considerably. In less than a second, he had executed five attacks with his astonishing agility.
——“Mayoufu Meteor [Spell Maximization]!”
Using the spell maximization specialty, Mayoufu Meteor’s lethality exceeded Soren’s expectations. He could only deal out this level of damage with a full-power strike, but this spell only required him to throw it. At Soren’s current spellcasting level, one Mayoufu Meteor [Spell Maximization] could execute 11 attacks. Given his current speed, disregarding accuracy, he could complete this in two or three seconds, hitting out more than ten Mayoufu Meteors quickly!
Boom!
All the targets were destroyed. Soren had to turn to the nearby wall.
He sent a Mayoufu Meteor crashing into it, creating a deep dent about five centimeters deep, with a small explosion effect—it had damage similar to an arcane missile. This meant that Soren’s single Mayoufu Meteor dealt over thirty points of damage, while his full-strength strike without activating sword intent only produced around forty points of lethality.
Of course.
As a third-tier god-slaying spell, Mayoufu Meteor’s effects don’t stop there.
The meteors it sends out equate to +5-level extraordinary weapons, which can simply be converted to +5 penetration level, making it so that most supernatural beings cannot fully resist the damage it causes.
Boom!
With five continuous meteors launched, the wall was blown open, and the entire side gradually cracked, ultimately collapsing with a loud noise.
“Your Grace!”
Soon, voices from the pirate patrol squad could be heard, as a group of patrollers who heard the commotion rushed over.
Soren paused and glanced at them, waving his hand, “It’s nothing!”
“You all go get some armor from the warehouse, bring over leather armor, chainmail, plate armor, and half-plate armor.”
His subordinates quickly complied.
A few minutes later, they brought over a pile of armor.
Soren crafted temporary wooden frames with his sword and immediately had the leather armor put on them. With both spell slots for Mayoufu Meteor [Spell Maximization] memorized, Soren once again chanted the spell, and two fist-sized fireballs reappeared in his palms. He first threw one at the frame wearing leather armor, which was instantly blown apart with a muffled explosion; the front was rendered unrecognizable.
The second experiment was with chainmail.
Soren threw a meteor, and with a dull explosion, a ten-centimeter-wide hole appeared in the center of the chainmail.
Then with plate armor, which fared even worse, it was completely destroyed.
However, when testing the half-plate armor, the effect varied significantly, as half-plate was made from more intact iron plates and could be understood as a simpler kind of full armor. Mayoufu Meteor only created a dent, not outright destroying the equipment. Given Soren’s current spell intensity, the limit he could dominate under [Spell Maximization] fell here. Half-plate could barely withstand the meteor’s damage, while full plate armor would perform even better; other armors were basically as flimsy as paper under a +5 extraordinary weapon’s penetration effect.
“This effect is comparable to a high-explosive grenade!”
Soren waved his hand in satisfaction, explosively creating a dent in the ground, then commanded, “Clean this up.”
The lethality was quite astounding!
It was worth the long time Soren spent memorizing it; the only drawback was that one spell only had 11 meteor projectiles, and the hit rate needed to be controlled himself.
The meteors flew quickly, but whether they would hit the target depended on his aim.
This spell could not be controlled mentally!
To put it in data terms, it required his hit check—this was an area where Soren undoubtedly had an advantage, as no pure wizard would have a higher hit rate than he did.
…………
—————————————-
After a simple tidying up.
Soren got up to head to the port for inspection. With the support of the Temple of Wealth and Modo Harbor’s natural port advantage, it had been preliminarily completed, and docking a batch of ships was no problem. The next step was to further expand the port. On the other side, the land sold to the Church of Wealth had been developed into buildings, but the center still only had a foundation because it was where the Church planned to build the temple.
These enthusiasts for opulent gold insisted on using large blocks of marble to construct the temple.
Anyone with a bit of construction knowledge would know how much labor and money was needed to build entirely from pure white marble.
There wasn’t much marble nearby, nor had a marble quarry been found. Thus, the materials for building the temple might need to be transported from other places. The somewhat obsessive priests of wealth believed that only pure white marble could match the temple of Lady Wealth, so they even employed fleets to transport it from other regions; it was a waste of scandalous proportions.
Crossing the ocean just to transport a bit of marble to build the temple—one had to say they were incredibly ostentatious!
Soren had no right to comment on how others did things.
After all, the land had been sold to them; if they wanted to use marble to build the temple, they could transport it at their own pace.
Soren was a bit worried that if the Church of Wealth developed too quickly at the port.
The golden priest still adorned with jewels and fineries was actually quite beautiful and very adept in dealings, but her extravagant gold attire felt quite out of place—especially with so many unscrupulous pirates around here. When she saw Soren, she seemed poised to engage in conversation. But just then, a somewhat battered warship approached the port, with its flag torn at the corner—flying Soren’s black flag!
There’s trouble.
Soren’s pupils contracted as he rushed over.
The warship quickly docked at the port. From a distance, many bloodstains and bodies could be seen gathered on the deck.
All of them were pirates under Soren’s command, some of whom he had good memories of as elite troops, now lying dead on the deck. The ship was covered in signs of sword and blade attacks, indicating it had undergone fierce battles; even the mast showed signs of being hit by cannon fire, and some areas of the ship’s hold leaked slightly—the entire warship had suffered severe damage.
“Your Grace Throat Cutter!”
A bloodied Scarface limped out with the support of an elite pirate. His left arm was already gone, tightly wrapped in bandages; this injury could not be stopped from bleeding, being cauterized by fire in order to seal the artery. This nearly 1.9-meter-tall northern man pushed away the hand supporting him, staggered over to Soren, then knelt down with a thud, filled with grief and indignation, “I’m incompetent!”
“Snake Island has been captured by Asrold! Our brothers suffered heavy casualties, and we barely managed to escape!”
“But Snake Island has been burned to the ground!”
Crack!!!
The wood beneath Soren’s feet cracked and splintered, his face turning a shade of iron gray; a strong murderous aura made everyone feel uneasy.
“How is that possible!!!?”
Soren growled from his teeth, his anger boiling, “All of Asrold’s elite are stationed on the Eastern Sea Route; how could they possibly sneak around and capture Snake Island?”
Scarface lowered his head deeply, feeling ashamed, “It was the Rosad Merchant Association! We never expected Asrold to secretly collude with the Rosad Duchy! They launched a surprise attack on Snake Island, catching us off guard!”
Rosad Duchy?
Soren gradually calmed down, speaking in a deep voice, “Rosad Merchant Association? Rosad Duchy? Duchess of Red Dragon?”
“Asrold teamed up with them?”
“What about the Ocean Temple?”
“This crucial news! Did the Ocean Temple not respond at all? Were they unable to offer assistance when Snake Island was attacked?”
Scarface’s expression was somewhat despondent as he slowly said, “We sent out a call for help, but Snake Island fell too quickly. There’s been no news from the Ocean Temple, and we don’t know if they are even aware of this matter.”
Naga Priestess!
Soren’s gaze sharpened at the mention.
He stomped hard on the ground, shattering a piece of it.
How could they not know at all?
Taro Port was not far from Snake Island, where Soren had stockpiled a large amount of supplies and stationed heavily armed guards. To capture Snake Island was no easy feat—how could the Ocean Temple not have any news?
Soren took a deep breath.
The oppressive atmosphere made those nearby dare not breathe; after a moment, he helped Scarface up. He spoke solemnly, “Can you still fight?”
Scarface, who had previously thought he was doomed, suddenly lifted his head, his face showing determination, “Yes!!!”
Snake Island had fallen.
He had thought he would certainly d*e because that was one of Soren’s most important bases, stockpiled with plenty of supplies.
As the pirate leader of the shipwreck bay route, his responsibility was undoubtedly the greatest.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Your Grace Throat Cutter executed him on the spot.
“Gold Priestess.”
Soren turned to the wealth priestess beside him, slightly bowing, “I trouble you.”
The golden priestess’ expression was also serious. She nodded lightly, “It’s a small matter. Regeneration isn’t a troublesome divine technique. He’ll be able to fight again soon.”
“Mm.” Soren nodded slightly, then solemnly commanded his subordinate beside him, “Gather everyone to the council hall!”
A tense atmosphere spread over Modo Harbor.
The previously playful pirates all became serious, gathering with solemn expressions. Pirate leaders hurried to the council hall, each showing a degree of gravity, as if a storm was about to break.
Half-Elf First Mate – Casa.
Red-Haired Pirate Woman Adele Isabella.
Drow Warrior Leader Andrei Darkblade.
Scarface.
Cyclops Pirate.
Tiger Shark.
Sir.
Butler.
…………
One by one, the various pirate leaders under Soren gathered in the council hall. The newly two-handed Scarface’s expression was fierce as he diligently wiped his battle kn*fe.
Soren stood in the center of the hall, looking around at the assembled pirate leaders. He spoke solemnly, “Snake Island has fallen!”
The hall fell silent.
The other pirate leaders had evidently heard this news before coming.
There was neither fear nor dread in their eyes. Instead, there was a bloodthirsty excitement; the silence of recent times had left them eager for bloodshed and slaughter.
After all, they were once ruthless and bloodthirsty pirates!
As those who witnessed the establishment of Modo City firsthand, these pirate leaders had confidence in Soren, so their first reaction upon hearing the news was that they would no longer be confined to their lairs, managing construction. With Snake Island’s fall, Your Grace Throat Cutter would undoubtedly be enraged, and war with Pirate King Asrold was hardly in question!
Soren’s expression was cold as he scanned the hall; he spoke grimly, “Gather the troops!”
“Adele Isabella! You go gather the pirate fleet from Shipwreck Bay!……Cyclops!……You head to Taro Port to gather the manpower and request support from the Ocean Temple!……Casa (Half-Elf First Mate)!……You lead the Dragonhead flagship to cut off the Eastern Sea Route!……No Asrold’s ships must approach the Southern Coast!……Andrei Darkblade! You send someone to notify the High Priestess of the Drow! This time they must deploy forces to fight!……The rest gather your men and set out with me!……”
“This time, we shall engage Asrold—All! Out! War!!!”
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(PS: That’s all for today. A 4500-word chapter. Tomorrow should be two more updates.) (To be continued ~^~)
