Chapter 52: Counterattack!
Overseas Islands. Modo City.
Today’s Modo City is a bit lively, as many residents have gathered near the central plaza, curiously watching what is happening in the center of the square. In the middle of the plaza is a group of Grey Dwarves huddled together; they look ragged, dressed mostly in animal skins, with disheveled hair and long beards, resembling wild men. Surrounding the square are a group of Drow instructors, who are coldly staring at them, while not far away, priests from the temple seem to be discussing how to accommodate these Grey Dwarves.
Suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar environment, these Grey Dwarves appear somewhat anxious.
There aren’t many of them, only about two to three hundred, and they are currently being watched by a group of Modo City residents. Although they’ve seen Drow from the Underdark, the Grey Dwarves still wear tense expressions. The residents of Modo City have seen a lot, but their curious nature doesn’t change much; many have never seen Grey Dwarves before. Perhaps due to the confidence of being citizens of Modo City, they are not afraid of this supposedly wicked race and instead watch with curious faces.
In legendary tales, Drow are far more sinister than Grey Dwarves.
You see, Modo City is quite honest, having been tamed well under Lord Soren, and interacts pretty well with other races, right?
It is said that one of the Drow instructors has fallen in love with a pure Half-Elf girl, and their relationship has even received the blessing of the Grand Temple’s bishop.
This is Modo City.
It is quite different from any other city in the Material Plane!
“Alright!”
The cold-faced Drow instructor stepped before the Grey Dwarves and said in a deep voice, “The High Priest has arranged your accommodations!”
“From now on, you will be residents of Modo City.”
“You will be placed to live in the blacksmith shop next to the military camp. If you make enough contributions in the future, you can also purchase your own business in Modo City.”
After casually explaining a few things, the Drow instructor ordered the Grey Dwarves to set off.
Being an outsider, the Grey Dwarves require some time for the residents of Modo City to accept them. Therefore, they will temporarily stay near the military camp for easier monitoring and for them to learn the rules of Modo City. The Grey Dwarves’ nature isn’t particularly good, but the laws of Modo City can tame them. At this moment, the thinking Drow instructor considers how to find a chance to give these Grey Dwarves a warning, letting them know that they must act honestly to live in Modo City.
On the other side.
The High Priest’s figure sits upon the throne at the front of the temple, surrounded by several high-level priests and bishops. She glanced around and said slowly, “This is my Lord’s arrangement.”
“These Grey Dwarves are the labor force needed for Modo City’s future development. You will be responsible for monitoring them, and there is still another group of Grey Dwarves that has not been brought back.”
“In the future, the number of Grey Dwarves in Modo City will be around one thousand.”
“You need to pay extra attention here; do not let them have any conflicts with the residents of Modo City.”
Meanwhile.
In the shadow plane laboratory of Modo City, Gloria quickly received the news.
She immediately approached the Fallen Witch who was researching and said, “Mother, Soren has sent people to bring back the Grey Dwarves. When do you think we can start having these Grey Dwarves forge materials for us?”
A floating tower requires a large number of metal ingots.
These small tasks cannot be always handled by two legendary witches personally. Modo City itself does not have many excellent blacksmiths, and training them also consumes a lot of energy.
Grey Dwarves are born blacksmithing masters.
Having these Grey Dwarves’ help means that not only will the progress of the floating tower speed up, but even the output of the Golem Factory will increase.
Modo City already has over a thousand Golem Puppets.
……
Spearwind Hills.
After a night of indulgence, Soren felt fairly refreshed. After delegating some matters to Adele Isabella, he prepared to return to Modo City. He didn’t have much attachment to the two stunning noble maids. To a true god high above, these things were merely occasional pleasures to relax, and there were always many matters to handle as a deity.
Time has now entered March.
The Goddess of Magic has yet to fall, but her whereabouts are unknown to anyone. Even Soren cannot actively seek her out.
A significant event will occur this month.
That is the Demon Lord of the Bottomless Abyss — Dagon, one of the ancient Obsidian Demons. After two previous attacks by other demons that did not achieve success, he has begun to infiltrate the oceanic realm of the Material Plane.
This time, the operation will affect the entire overseas region.
Soren had previously participated in this war and even received a task from the Ocean Church.
Since the battle is occurring in the oceanic areas, the impact on land is not severe. Thus, most deities are merely observing. However, the overseas territories are Soren’s domain, and if Dagon is allowed to cause destruction, the ocean trade of Modo City will definitely be affected. This time, he needs to lay out some plans in advance to reduce Modo City’s investment in ocean trade. Once the Ocean Goddess and Dagon determine a victor, he will reconsider reconfiguring various overseas shipping routes.
The war will likely erupt in about half a month.
The Son of Dagon will reappear, and probably not just one, as this ancient Demon Lord has many offspring.
The Naga Tribe will be the race most severely impacted.
The previous two demon incursions had little effect on them, but no one can remain unscathed in the Saint’s Cataclysm. This time, the Naga Tribe will have to bear the brunt themselves.
……
City of Wealth.
In a hidden tavern, Chouhou stared at the subordinates before him and slowly said, “Are you sure this intelligence was taken from the Shadow Thieves?”
Before him sat a middle-aged man with a cold expression and a capable appearance, who, upon hearing the question, replied solemnly, “Confirmed.”
“My subordinates have already sent someone to investigate.”
“We have indeed discovered many members of the Shadow Thieves. However, their internal defenses are tight; we are not yet able to infiltrate.”
Chouhou’s face revealed a hint of excitement upon hearing this, and he slowly said, “Finally found these sneaky fellows.”
“Leave someone behind to dominate the temple.”
“Have them send over assassins! Perhaps this time we can trace our way back to the Shadow Thieves’ lair.”
The middle-aged man nodded and said, “Understood. I’ll take care of it right away.”
Once the man left, Chouhou’s expression gradually calmed down. He murmured, “If we can eliminate the Shadow Thieves’ branch this time, I’ll have accomplished something significant.”
“Perhaps my lord Soren will grant me some rewards!”
Thinking of this, Chouhou’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm; as someone nearing the legendary domain, there isn’t much he desires.
He hopes to take a step closer, ideally being granted divinity and divine power.
Because Chouhou wishes that if he dies in battle one day, he could attain the status of an Otherworldly Divine Servant in Soren’s divine kingdom.
……
One day later.
Soren returned to Modo City, where the High Priest had already brought back a portion of the Grey Dwarves, which is undoubtedly good news. This signifies that Modo City has begun to establish its capacity to produce military equipment.
At the Lord’s Mansion.
Upon returning to Modo City, Soren immediately met with Gloria.
However, he was slightly surprised that Gloria, who typically spent most of her time in the shadow plane laboratory, was leisurely handling Modo City’s affairs in the hall, a cup of tea from the Eastern Kingdom beside her.
“Ah.”
Soren glanced at the Northern Witch. Then, as he approached her from behind to pull her into an embrace, he slowly said, “How is the progress on the floating tower? How come you have time to sit here and drink tea today?”
Gloria turned to look at Soren, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she softly replied, “Guess.”
The beauty wrapped in his arms.
As soon as Soren hugged Gloria, he immediately felt something was off. He exclaimed, “What! … This! … No wonder! … No wonder! …”
Something felt different.
Although it seemed there was not a single difference, Soren quickly noticed something different upon close contact.
This is not Gloria!
Or rather, this is not Gloria’s true form.
“Projection Technique!?”
Soren looked up in surprise at the blushing face of Gloria before him. He directly reached under her long skirt, feeling around. The more he touched, the more surprised he became, mumbling, “Incredible!”
“This feels so real!”
Gloria’s breathing became slightly hurried, her stunning face turning a deep shade of crimson as she quietly said, “The Projection Technique itself is similar to the Mirror Image spell. Therefore, the created avatar is physical.”
Soren’s fingers shifted, having moved from the hem of her skirt to her soft, full curves, casually teasing them, and he saw Gloria let out delicate gasps.
At this moment, he wore a face full of disbelief, quietly saying, “Even this kind of feeling can be simulated? It seems I’ve somewhat underestimated the effectiveness of the Projection Technique!”
This is simply a divine avatar!
The effects of the Projection Technique are vastly superior to those of the Projection Spell; they are fundamentally not even on the same level.
“How much spell capacity has been retained?”
Soren did not withdraw his hands but instead continued to play with her soft forms, asking, “The magical equipment worn on you shouldn’t be able to be simulated, right?”
Gloria’s breathing grew more hurried, gently shaking her head as she said, “Magical items cannot be.”
“But I’ve retained 80% of my casting ability. The avatar I created can cast spells up to the eighth ring.”
“However.”
“The spells I can cast are limited to those my true form has memorized.”
That’s already quite impressive.
After listening to Gloria, Soren fell into deep thought, as if considering what other clever uses the Projection Technique might have.
……
Meanwhile.
In the shadow plane laboratory.
Gloria was engaged with the Fallen Witch in large-scale floating ring production techniques when suddenly, her breathing became disordered, and even her spell control wavered slightly.
All present were legendary witches, and the Fallen Witch — Corinna sensed the anomaly instantly, saying, “What’s wrong?”
“Why does your face look a bit red?”
Gloria shot a guilty glance at her mother and then said, “Soren returned. I was just talking to him, and I’m a bit mentally unfocused.”
Corinna seemed to think of something and looked meaningfully at her daughter before softly saying, “Do not lose focus.”
“If this large floating ring fails in production, it may cause significant delays.”
“You young ones want to try new tricks, but perhaps it’s best to wait until tonight during your break!”
Gloria’s face turned red upon hearing this.
She opened her mouth to attempt an explanation but found that this was something that could not be explained at all; the more she explained, the worse it got, so she directly dispelled the spell effects of the Projection Technique.
……
At the Lord’s Mansion.
Soren had just been pondering the differences in the avatar created by the Projection Technique. After touching for a considerable amount of time, he found that nearly every aspect was identical; there was no change in size or curve. But just as he extended two fingers to explore whether there was any internal change, the Gloria in his arms suddenly dissipated with the wind, transforming into magical energy that vanished before his eyes.
The effects of the Projection Technique were dispelled.
It is unclear whether Gloria actively canceled the spell effect or if the duration of the spell had simply expired.
Soren was not very concerned.
After all, such matters can be researched slowly. Multi-tasking is difficult for mortals, but for Soren, it is quite easy.
He already possesses a Demon Avatar.
If he successfully masters the ‘Projection Technique,’ then he can control three avatars simultaneously.
The Demon Avatar possesses about 70% of his strength, while the Projection Technique can at most retain 80% of his abilities. As long as Soren’s mind can keep up, with the strength of his true form, his combat prowess would be formidable!
One person could take on many opponents!
……
“My Lord!”
A middle-aged priest in a high bishop robe walked in, respectfully bowing to Soren before saying, “The Stealth Assassins have found traces of the Shadow Thieves organization.”
“If we can follow the clues, we might be able to find their lair.”
Soren’s spirit instantly surged upon hearing this, and he replied, “Very good.”
“Immediately send more personnel there.”
“Have the temple assemble a batch of high-level priests to assist them! Notify me immediately if there are any leads related to the Lord of Shadows.”
The middle-aged priest bowed and left.
Soren stood in place, contemplating for a moment, and then sent out two magical messages: “I have discovered clues related to the Lord of Shadows.”
“Prepare for battle.”
The two magical messages were sent, one to the Princess and the other naturally to the Ascendant — Eugene.
Only these two are qualified to confront the Lord of Shadows!
……
(Note: Still a combined chapter. The clever use of the Projection Technique was originally placed in the side story, but that is no longer the case. Just a heads up; I will write more about it slowly when I have time.) (To Be Continued ~^~)
