Chapter 27: The Goddess
Five kilometers east of Segona City.
This was a stretch of high, barren land where scouts with good eyesight could already see the situation in Segona City.
The barren ground had been trampled flat, the green grass crushed and caked with mud. Nearly one hundred thousand dwarf soldiers were encamped here, and at other positions around Segona City, six other dwarf armies were stationed, totaling over 250,000 soldiers.
The dwarf forces had semi-encircled Segona City. The only gap left was toward the direction of the Flame Sand Kingdom. Grand Commander Niboso was no pushover; if the dwarves completely surrounded Segona City, Niboso would definitely take the initiative to ally with Su Xiao and launch a pincer attack on the dwarves forming the rear encirclement.
The overall commander directing these 250,000 dwarf soldiers was Spring Iron Sheep, an old acquaintance. The battle at Rongsha Fortress had allowed Spring Iron Sheep, Niboso, and Su Xiao to become "acquainted" with each other.
Spring Iron Sheep stood on a high slope, gazing into the distance at Segona City. Worry was evident in his eyes. There had been too much bad news lately. The only good news was that Layton Redbeard was also inside Segona City. Even if the worst outcome occurred, Redbeard could buy some time. Spring Iron Sheep could only pin his hopes on that.
Segona City couldn't be attacked right now. Not to mention the prisoners inside, war always claimed lives. But if a certain person inside the city died, the plans the Secret Dew Kingdom had been preparing for years would come to nothing.
Unable to attack, and with the envoys sent to negotiate disappearing without a trace, Spring Iron Sheep felt a growing anxiety.
"Send another envoy into the city. If Kukulin Bai Ye refuses to negotiate before tonight, pull 200,000 soldiers from the other legions and attack Segona City."
Spring Iron Sheep took one last look at Segona City. He was already preparing for the worst outcome. No matter what, this fortress city could not be lost. It was the 'Gate of Secret Dew'.
...
Inside Segona City, groups of soldiers patrolled the streets. The surrounding city walls were lined with their own troops, and the hastily constructed log city gates were tightly shut.
On a large open area near the front of the city, 20,000 soldiers had cordoned off the area. They surrounded several thousand dwarf civilians, their faces filled with panic.
The encirclement of 20,000 soldiers had six exits, each one strictly checked. The soldiers, who had just finished a battle, still had bloodshot pupils. This prevented the civilians from even daring to scream; they only dared to move forward in an orderly fashion under the soldiers' commands.
Within the crowd, a dwarf who was relatively thin and had his beard shaved very clean looked around. Using the crowd for cover, blood seeped from the palm of his naturally hanging right hand. The sharp tip of a blade pierced his skin, and with a click, a rapier stained with blood protruded from his palm.
"I'll buy you some time."
The thin dwarf seemed to be speaking to someone. His muscles bulged slightly, and he whispered, "Sorry."
The moment the words left his mouth, the thin dwarf swung his arm. The old man in front of him stiffened, a line of blood appearing on his neck.
Puff, puff, puff...
The sharp weapon severed flesh, blood and limbs flying everywhere. In an instant, all the other dwarves near the thin dwarf fell, including the elderly, women, and children.
Blood converged towards the thin dwarf, all of it absorbed into his body. His muscles bulged further, his height increasing to about 1.9 meters. The straight blade protruding from his palm also grew much longer.
The nearby civilians, their faces splattered with blood, were stunned for a moment. One dwarf woman wiped the still-warm blood from her face. Seeing the vivid red color on her hand, she screamed and began to rush outward.
Seeing this, the soldiers on the perimeter slammed their shields against the ground. With a bang, a shockwave pushed back the panicked dwarf civilians who were trying to flee.
To kill innocent civilians without hesitation and sacrifice his own life just to protect someone—this showed how important the person hidden among the civilians was to the Secret Dew Kingdom.
The chaos subsided in a very short time. After killing over a dozen soldiers, the thin dwarf was surrounded and killed.
"You there, yes, you. Get on the ground. You, you, and you, come with me to check them. The rest of you, secure the perimeter."
A Decurion, holding a bloodstained sword, walked towards a few civilians.
"May you, never cease to live."
A voice came from among those few civilians. The advancing Decurion felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down at his chest. He was... sprouting.
Large branches grew wildly, forming a giant monster woven from tree limbs. It charged forward a few steps, grabbed one of the civilians, and assumed a throwing posture.
Bang!
A shockwave spread. The figure was hurled into the air, flying in a parabolic arc towards the outside of the city.
"Don't even think about it."
A female Chiliarch clasped her hands together. Her pupils were as red as two rubies.
The figure flying high in the air slowed down, as if hitting a thin film. A harsh, grating sound appeared.
"Fenke!"
The female officer shouted. A short man rushed out from behind her. He was a Centurion. He raised one arm and began to aim at the figure in mid-air.
Bang!
A percussive sound came from above. The figure fell like a high-speed meteor, crashing into the ground with a thunderous boom.
Armor clashed. The soldiers' boots, studded with metal plates, stomped the ground. The sound merged into a continuous roar as countless soldiers rushed towards the impact point.
Seeing this, the female officer and the short man, Fenke, exchanged a glance. Excitement flickered in their eyes. They had made a great contribution this time.
A few minutes later, on the top floor of a three-story stone building, the female officer and Fenke both knelt on one knee, heads bowed, not daring to look at the man sitting by the dining table.
"You two..."
"Sir, I am Wen Aiyou'er, the Chiliarch you appointed, from 'Laguisha Castle'. He is Fenke, the Centurion you appointed."
Wen Aiyou'er kept her head down. From her line of sight, the highest she could see was a hand wrapped in a black vambrace.
"Mm, I remember you."
Hearing this, Wen Aiyou'er's eyes lit up.
"You're the female soldier who carried her own tent on the march."
"I am honored that the Commander remembers me."
"You are a Legion Commander now."
"!"
Wen Aiyou'er's body trembled. She had thought she might get a promotion, but she never expected to jump straight to the position of Legion Commander. Her expected promotion was to Brigade Commander.
Chiliarch, Brigade Commander, Legion Commander—though only one rank apart, there was a huge difference between Brigade Commander and Legion Commander. A Brigade Commander was an officer in the local army, while a Legion Commander was an officer in the Sand Capital army.
"Thank you, Commander."
"You may leave..."
Su Xiao stopped mid-sentence. There had been a lot going on lately, and he had forgotten to promote another subordinate.
"Fenke, from now on, you will work under Caesar the Quartermaster."
"Thank you, Sir."
Fenke couldn't help but grin. Although he hadn't been promoted, working under the Quartermaster was, in some ways, even better than a promotion.
Wen Aiyou'er loved power, and Fenke loved wealth. Su Xiao didn't know these two very well, but Vice Commander Oss did, and that was enough.
Wen Aiyou'er and Fenke stood respectfully to the side. Su Xiao looked at a figure across the dining table.
"Pleasure to meet you, the Goddess of Secret Dew. My subordinates can be a bit rough. I hope you'll forgive them."
Su Xiao placed a plate of camel meat in front of the Goddess. She was wearing a light black robe with a hood. Under the hood, a pair of cyan-green eyes could be seen.
The Goddess slowly lowered her hood, letting her long hair fall loose. Her fair skin and beautiful features fit people's fantasies of a goddess perfectly.
"I foresaw it. Your death."
The Goddess spoke softly, looking at Su Xiao with a hint of pity. But at that moment, a figure rushed forward.
Slap!
After a resounding slap, the Goddess was stunned. Wen Aiyou'er shook her hand, her gaze suggesting she was ready for a backhand slap.
Perhaps never having experienced such treatment before, the Goddess stood there dumbfounded, as if beaten silly.
"Secret Dew scum, if you keep acting arrogant, I'll slap you again."
Wen Aiyou'er pointed a finger at the Goddess's nose. At that moment, the Goddess was genuinely a little scared. The women of the Flame Sand Kingdom were so crude.
"Dismissed."
"Yes."
Wen Aiyou'er stepped back, lightly kicking Fenke beside her, signaling him to leave. Fenke was smart and quickly walked out of the stone building.
"I ask, you answer," Su Xiao said, glancing at Wen Aiyou'er out of the corner of his eye before continuing, "Wen Aiyou'er, this is the Goddess of Secret Dew. Don't hit her face."
Wen Aiyou'er understood immediately and quickly asked, "What about other parts?"
"Whatever you like."
"As you command, Commander."
Wen Aiyou'er pulled over a chair, sat down beside the Goddess, and even put her arm around the Goddess's shoulder, exuding a strong tomboyish aura.