Chapter 415: Chapter 330: New Discovery

"These bones could be used as an anchor to summon them again, but only a High Tier Necromancer can do that." Mr. Elton’s two ghost fire eyes glared as he scanned the bone fragments before him. "Forget it. Perhaps this is our fate. The Seventh Field Army died fighting the Forest Evil God... a worthy end."

"What happened?" Shire looked back toward the distant tower. In the morning light, he could see that half of the tallest and largest stone step-pyramid in the Feathered Serpent Kingdom had completely collapsed. The massive cave where the Feathered Serpent God had once hidden was now buried under rubble. Atop the tower, only the red-backed Black Dragon Battle Banner, thrust crookedly into a fissure in the stone, still stood.

"We were cautiously exploring the cave, but the deeper we went, the stronger the sense of danger became," Mr. Elton said in a grave tone after a moment’s recollection. "It was pitch-black deep inside. Never in all my time in the Nightmare Forest had I sensed such intense danger. Just as we decided to stop and retreat to guard the entrance, a SCRAPING sound echoed from the depths of the cave."

After speaking, Mr. Elton gazed at the distant sky for a few seconds before continuing, "I realize now that was the sound of scales scraping against the ground."

"You mean the Feathered Serpent God charged straight out of the cave?"

"Yes. Its speed caught us completely off guard. Our only choice was to use our weapons to lodge ourselves onto its body. And this... was the result." Mr. Elton sighed, feeling a pang of loneliness at the "deaths" of his comrades.

They had finally returned to the City of Ten Thousand Races. Although the city was so dilapidated it was on the verge of vanishing from the world, there was still hope, and the goblins had promised to rebuild it. Yet, in the end, their comrades had been reduced to a pile of bone fragments. The three remaining members of the Seventh Field Army were filled with sorrow.

"I understand," Shire said, reaching out to pat the Skeleton Warrior’s scapula. "I’ll carefully gather these bone fragments and store them safely. Maybe one day we’ll have the chance to meet a High Tier Necromancer. We can try again then."

As he spoke, he turned and waved to his subordinates nearby. They were gathering the bones of the fallen goblins—the two Clones of the Feathered Serpent God had rampaged across the ground, and even without their lightning breath, their massive bodies had been enough to crush the goblins to death. "Of course, we’ll have to ask your comrades what they want then," Shire continued. "If they want to watch the City of Ten Thousand Races rise again with their own eyes, I will do everything in my power to beseech a Necromancer for help."

"Them?" Mr. Elton’s mandible clacked open and shut a few times, producing a magical, CLATTERING laugh. "They’d probably just want to lie in their coffins and be paraded through the streets."

"That punk Ed still owes me for drinks," a nearby Skeleton Warrior grumbled. He was only intact from the sternum up, and one of his arms was completely gone.

"I’ll have my men put you back in your ’beds’," Shire said with a smile. The Skeleton Warriors’ beds were glass coffins, though they disliked the term. "Rest assured, the supply of Magic Potions won’t stop."

With that, he called over a few goblins to carefully handle Mr. Elton and his two comrades, and to gather the bone fragments on the ground.

The near-annihilation of the Skeleton Warriors was a devastating blow for Shire. For the foreseeable future, he would have to rely solely on Little Claw for brewing potions. Furthermore, Mr. Elton and his comrades had also been responsible for training the goblins; now, the little guys would have to manage with routine drills on their own.

’A High Tier Necromancer,’ Shire mused, stroking his chin as he walked slowly toward the collapsed stone tower. ’I remember Little Claw’s master was a Necromancer... I just don’t know where they’re buried.’

Shire felt a pang of guilt as he recalled his promise to help find Little Claw’s master. He had nearly brought the entire southern region of the Nightmare Forest under his control, yet he still hadn’t found a single clue.

’I’ll have to think of another way. If all else fails, I’ll have Uncle Musa ask Vivian. Those Mages might have some private connections.’ He recalled what Uncle Musa had relayed about the conflict between Vivian’s two mentors; perhaps he could get in touch with a High Tier Necromancer through them.

After walking for some time, he finally arrived before the collapsed stone tower. Only half of it remained standing, and a strange smell was wafting out from the crevices in the rubble.

’This Feathered Serpent God’s lair... the smell is really something else,’ Shire muttered, fanning the air in front of his nose until the stench abated slightly. ’I wonder what kind of loot is inside.’

The thought of the Snake Sheddings that allowed the goblins to fly and swim through the earth made Shire envious. It was just a shame that the Snake Shedding Garments lost their effect once a goblin left the Feathered Serpent’s psychic "range."

’Those Snake Sheddings belonged to an Evil God, after all... I wonder if the Magic Artisan, Marshall, could make something interesting out of them.’ He reached out, bracing himself against a few pieces of rubble, and leaned his upper body into a fissure. But it was no use; the passage was completely buried, and he couldn’t get in at all.

’Hmm. The only way to get inside for a look is to move all this rubble.’ Shire patted the debris and frowned. ’That’s going to be a problem. There are too many rocks.’

Just then, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him, as if something was calling out to him.

The call was incredibly faint. If he hadn’t just leaned into the fissure, Shire wouldn’t have felt it at all. But now he was certain: something lay deep within the crevice.

’This feeling is... familiar. I think I’ve felt it before.’ He frowned, staring at the fissure as he wracked his brain, recalling the various events that had occurred since he came to this world.

Finally, Shire’s eyes lit up with realization. ’It’s like... I had the same feeling in the Bear Goblins’ cave.’

Back in the Bear Goblins’ cave, he had stumbled upon a gray hemisphere. The information prompted by the system panel told him it was a Key Fragment for the Celestial Tower Key.

He never expected to have the same feeling again. ’That means... there’s another piece here. A Key Fragment.’

He remembered what Agatha had said—the Heaven-Reaching Tower was where all Magic Books were stored. There might be a way to lift the Transformation Curse there.

’But, I remember there was a phrase on the Key Fragment,’ Shire mused. He thought of the "Divine Level Item" he had wrapped in several layers of animal hide and carefully stored at the bottom of a chest in the Fortress, and couldn’t help but feel that things were getting complicated. ’Wasn’t it "Do not let the Gods discover the path to surpass Them?"’

’That was written on just one Key Fragment. If I find another one, will it attract the attention of the Gods?’

A single Evil God had nearly wiped out his entire race. It was only with Lust’s help that he had managed to drive away the Feathered Serpent. If he attracted the gaze of the Four Gods, who were even more powerful than a Demon Lord, his people would likely be turned to dust in the blink of an eye.

’Should I dig it out?’ Shire wondered, gently patting the rubble as he weighed his options. ’Even if I don’t, survival is already hard enough for the goblins. Between the Demon Lord and the Forest Evil God, we have plenty of trouble as it is.’

’If I dig it out, I’ll be one step closer to the Heaven-Reaching Tower. If I hide it well enough, maybe it won’t be discovered.’

’No, that’s wrong. I’ve already applied two layers of the [Blessings of the Gods] to my race.’ The thought made Shire slap his own cheek. ’The Four Gods Church is bound to find out sooner or later.’

’But, on the other hand, those guys are about to be embroiled in a divine war. They probably won’t have time to pay any mind to the Nightmare Forest.’

At this thought, Shire’s eyes lit up.

’I’ll dig. While they’re out there fighting to the death, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to get bigger and stronger.’

At the same time, in Yangjiao Town’s Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop, a Paladin wearing the Holy Order Armor of the War God Church walked in and asked,

"Excuse me, do you have a ’buy ten, get one free’ deal on Healing Potions?"

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