Chapter 455: Chapter 351: Four Longswords (2)

Red Eyes crouched down, picked up his severed hand, and held it to the stump, trying to align the cut. He had to get it right this time.

"Rotate it inward a bit more," Diana said as she sheathed her Black Sword.

Shire shook his head, translated for Red Eyes, then leaned in to watch his subordinate reattach his arm. "Yeah, that looks aligned."

"If it’s not aligned, I can help again." Diana rested her hand on the hilt of "Fourth Uncle," then frowned. "Quiet. One more word out of you and I’ll soak you in acid."

"Huh?" Shire faltered, then glanced at the sword she was touching.

"It was mocking my Swordsmanship, saying I shouldn’t have needed a second swing for something so simple."

"Then did the other three Longswords have anything to say?" Shire’s gaze swept over the other three Longswords she carried.

"They," she hesitated, "were all silent."

"Makes sense. When you’re with a chatterbox from Zu’an, no one else can get a word in," Shire said with a laugh and a shrug.

Just as they were talking, a member of the Holy Order Army approached. "Grand Commander, the headcount is complete. Everyone is accounted for, including our fallen comrades, but..."

"What is it?"

"The Vice Commander is nowhere to be found."

"The Vice Commander?" Shire thought for a moment. "Does he have neat, short hair, and does he look..."

He described the man’s appearance, and Diana and the Paladin exchanged a look before nodding in unison.

"He ran out of the Feathered Serpent Evil God’s cavern all by himself," Shire explained, spreading his hands. "Then he heard me say there was no Feathered Serpent Evil God, that it was all the goblins’ doing. I guess he just snapped. He started screaming and charged the Elephant Lord, who swatted him into the sky with its trunk. I have no idea where he landed."

"Where did he land?" Diana pressed, her brow furrowed.

"Couldn’t find him. I sent my subordinates to search in that direction, but there was no sign of him. Either he escaped, or..." Shire glanced into the distance. "He died on impact and was dragged away by wild animals."

"I see..." Diana narrowed her eyes, her expression growing serious for the first time. "Are you certain he wasn’t found?"

"He wasn’t found," Shire confirmed with a nod. "Why? Is he important?"

Diana didn’t answer, instead slowly closing her eyes. A few seconds later, she let out a deep sigh. "It’s nothing."

"But Grand Commander..." the Paladin beside her began to say, but Diana cut him off with a raised hand.

"I will explain this to the Lord Bishop myself when I return. I will bear all responsibility," Diana said calmly. "Go see to the others."

’Is something wrong?’ Shire thought, glancing at the slowly departing Paladin. The man clearly had more to say, looking back at Diana every few steps, but the Grand Commander’s face remained placid as she silenced her subordinate with a look.

"This doesn’t concern you goblins. It’s an internal matter for the Church," Diana said without offering any explanation, her expression normal. "Right, I need to borrow that cargo ship. Returning to Yangjiao Town by road is too far; my Paladins won’t be able to hold out that long. And their equipment..."

"I understand. I’ll speak with the captain. As for the equipment..." The corner of Shire’s mouth twitched. "That is the spoils of our victory. We will, of course, be keeping it."

Diana pursed her lips, then her expression shifted as if she’d thought of something. "Very well. Keeping the spoils is indeed the victor’s right. Of course, should you find in the future that the equipment isn’t a good fit, you can find a way to contact the Church. We would be willing to exchange some Silver Coins for it."

’Heh.’ Shire immediately understood the Grand Commander’s meaning. She was obviously implying the goblins couldn’t wear the Armor, so they might as well return it to the Holy Order Army in exchange for a paltry sum of Silver Coins.

’Silver Coins? The kind of Silver Coins that can barely buy a plate of smoked fish and rice? To trade for Dwarven Steel Armor inscribed with various Runes?’

’The beads on your abacus are practically bouncing off my face.’

"We’ll see," he said, then glanced over at the cargo ship’s sailors clustered with Captain Byron. "There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you, Grand Commander."

Diana didn’t speak, merely giving him a look that told him to ask his question.

"You said before that the Big-beaked Bird Pirate Ship was the first vessel to break through the Boundary Wall?" Shire paused for a few seconds. "I want to know, had anyone broken through the Boundary Wall before them?"

"You’re actually asking about the Boundary Wall?" Diana hesitated. "You’re really not like an ordinary goblin."

"Just curious."

"Then do you know what the Boundary Wall is?"

"That, I know," Shire nodded. "Someone told me."

"It was the Naga, wasn’t it?" Diana scanned the area, but Pazani was nowhere to be seen. "As an ancient, wise Race, it’s no surprise they know a great deal."

Shire offered no further explanation, simply waiting for her to answer.

"I don’t know if anyone crossed the Boundary Wall before then. Such an event is exceedingly rare—rarer than finding a white goblin among Green Goblins," Diana said, ignoring Shire’s awkward expression. "The only recorded instance of someone crossing the Boundary Wall and returning was the crew of the *Flying Fat Lady*. You probably haven’t heard of it; just know that it was also a ship."

"The *Big-beaked Bird*, a Pirate Ship, also successfully returned to this world before them. It’s just..." She paused for two seconds, as if gathering her thoughts. "Unlike the other ship, there wasn’t a single living soul aboard Captain Shamrah’s vessel."

"Then how did they cross?" Shire asked.

"I don’t know," Diana shook her head. "This is just what the swords told me. But it seems their memories were damaged; there’s a lot they can’t remember."

"Their memories were damaged?" Shire frowned. That answer was unexpected.

"Yes," Diana nodded, then seemed to recall something. "There is one thing they say quite often."

She stared into Shire’s eyes and said, enunciating each word, "Never, ever try to cross the Boundary Wall."

’Don’t cross the Boundary Wall?’ Shire murmured, recalling how Agatha had also said the ancestors of the Twelve Bloodlines were unwilling to leave behind their method of crossing. ’Could there be something beyond the Boundary Wall that must be kept secret from the world?’

The thought of the Star Realm creatures Agatha mentioned—beings like Rubus that the Twelve Bloodlines could summon—made him wonder. ’Don’t tell me the other side of the Boundary Wall is a zoo?’

Right now, Rubus was surrounded by numerous female Star Realm Dogs, some of whose bellies were already visibly swollen. Their appetite for animal entrails had also grown immensely.

Meanwhile, Rubus was still diligently working on the other female dogs, so much so that his combat effectiveness had plummeted. To protect his one and only source for breeding, Shire had been forced to leave Rubus out of battles.

"Alright, I get it. You can all leave once you’re finished," Shire said with a nod, having gotten the information he wanted.

Over by the ship, it seemed Captain Byron and his crew had also reached a decision. The captain was now walking toward Shire, a joyful expression on his face.

’Looks like more good news.’

...

「In the Nightmare Forest.」

A figure emerged from the undergrowth, a haunch of some unidentifiable animal meat clenched in his teeth. He glanced into the distance, his face dark and sinister.

’How much farther until I’m out of this forest?’

The man’s hair was a mess, and fresh stubble dotted his face, giving him a haggard look. His Armor was damaged, and only the Six-Winged Longsword emblem on his chest was still barely visible.

"Just you wait. I won’t let any of you have it easy. I, Lingard, swear it."

He spat the Bone from his mouth, his eyes turning exceptionally venomous.

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