Chương 150: One Day, a Million Mighty Troops Shall Trample the City of Sages

The goblins snapped into motion instantly—donning armor, taking up muskets, and sprinting up onto the battlements to aim outside. Li Qinwu stared unblinkingly at the airship. He had never expected to see such a creation in a magic-dominated world; the stylistic jump felt abruptly surreal. The airship possessed few protruding structures, featuring a sleek, smooth hull devoid of gondolas or obvious weapon mounts.

The entire body resembled an elongated teardrop, driven solely by four massive propulsion propellers powered by an unknown energy source. Fearing this vessel might drop payload bombs like a Kirov Airship, Li Qinwu ordered his soldiers to scatter immediately—spreading them extremely far apart, maintaining a distance of over 20 meters between each goblin. Hiding inside the main gatehouse on the castle wall, Li Qinwu kept his eyes locked on the airship.

At such a towering altitude, muskets were utterly useless; if the incoming vessel proved hostile, his only recourse would be ordering a full, scattered retreat. Fortunately, the airship bore no immediate malice. It hovered in the sky roughly 2 kilometers outside the castle before slowly descending. The landing process dragged on for over ten minutes. Though Li Qinwu knew little about airships, any vessel taking this long to dock clearly lacked advanced technical finesse.

Upon landing, a side hatch swung open, and a crowd of figures stepped onto the ground. The group halted roughly one kilometer from the castle. Li Qinwu's eyes lit up—most wore mage robes, accompanying over thirty bound goblins. The hostage exchange team had finally arrived. Sure enough, a single figure soon split off from the main mage contingent, marching straight toward the base of the wall. It was Jin Lanbo. Jin Lanbo bowed deeply toward Li Qinwu atop the rampart.

"Your Noble Majesty of the Alliance, Jin Lanbo has fulfilled his mission and successfully persuaded the Mage Guild to exchange hostages. Your Majesty, the opposing side consists of only ten mages. I suggest you bring no more than ten escorts to avoid unnecessary complications." Li Qinwu nodded, stepping down from the wall alongside Gob-Spear, Gob-Bow, Kanda, and several other Level 5 elite troops. Reaching Jin Lanbo's side, Li Qinwu spoke in a low tone: "You did well.

Afterward, I will fund the expansion of your Merchant Association within Alliance territory." Joy flashed across Jin Lanbo's face as he reflexively rubbed his palms together.

"Your Majesty, serving you is my absolute honor." You're only serving your own profits, Li Qinwu thought inwardly, gesturing for him to lead the way. When they drew within 300 meters of the mages, Li Qinwu pointed toward a massive boulder and instructed Gob-Bow: "Set up your rifle here. If anything goes sideways, snipe their leader immediately." Gob-Bow voiced his assent and set up a sniper position on the spot. Seeing this, Jin Lanbo quickly tried to mediate.

"Your Majesty, our Merchant Association serves as the neutral guarantor for this hostage trade. There is no need to worry about them making a move against you." Aware that the merchant was merely terrified of an accidental brawl, Li Qinwu replied coldly: "Rest assured. As long as they don't strike first, we won't initiate." Ignoring the anxious merchant, Li Qinwu strode directly toward the mages. The distance between the two parties shrank rapidly until less than 10 meters separated them.

The goblins rested their fingers lightly against their triggers, each carrying two hand-cannons—if hostilities erupted, twenty barrels of lead shot would be enough to sweep away any threat. On the opposing side, the mages gripped their staves tightly, magic runes glowing warmly as fireball spells were held in instant-cast readiness. Li Qinwu stared at the lead mage opposite him, while Fortier scrutinized the massive goblin with keen interest.

"So you are the Goblin King—""Show me my people." Li Qinwu wasn't about to waste breath on small talk. They were enemies; in any other context, they'd be swinging blades already. Who had time for senseless babble? Fortier let out a sigh.

"Sigh... what an impolite goblin." With a wave of his hand, a mage ripped the black hoods off the goblins, revealing their faces.

"Here. All your people are accounted for. Where is mine?" Li Qinwu cast a glance, and Kanda shoved a tightly bound old man forward, yanking off his hood. Exposed to the sunlight once more, Fendis took one look at his fellow mages and erupted in joy.

"Aha! You've finally come! Quick! Get me out of here! I can't endure another minute of the vile stench on these goblins!" Fortier cast a reassuring look toward Fendis before turning back to Li Qinwu.

"I shall release half of the goblins first. Hand your prisoner over to Mr. Jin Lanbo, and then we will withdraw. The remaining half will be left right here for you to pick up at your leisure. What say you?" Jin Lanbo hastily chimed in.

"Yes, yes, exactly like that! Harmony brings wealth—in the name of the God of Trade, no blood shall be spilled today, and everyone gets what they desire!" Both men waited for Li Qinwu to speak and finalize this straightforward exchange. Yet Li Qinwu remained dead silent, his gaze locked ruthlessly onto a legless goblin positioned toward the rear of the mage formation. Gob-Run lay completely lifeless, slung over another goblin's back like a piece of cargo.

Beyond the loss of both legs, his body was covered in jagged blade wounds, and both of his ears had been cleanly severed—a clear testament to agonizing, inhuman torture. Li Qinwu slowly unslung the broadsword from his back. That single movement instantly stretched the tension to a breaking point. Every mage raised their staff, aiming straight at Li Qinwu as magical runes flared with intense light. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The goblins raised their hand-cannons in response, fingers pressing firmly against the triggers. Li Qinwu's entire frame bristled with bulging muscle, his expression ice-cold as he pointed his heavy blade directly at Gob-Run.

"Tell me, mage... where are my Cavalry Commander's legs?" The freezing malice in his voice sent a sudden chill through Fortier's heart. Taking a subtle step back, he offered a glib excuse: "His legs were already gone when we captured him. It was merely a standard casualty of war." Veins bulged violently across Li Qinwu's face in pure fury.

"Fuck your entire mother!! Trying to pull shit on me?! Are his missing ears and slash wounds 'standard battle accidents' too?!" Fortier's face twitched. Damn it... that legless goblin must be someone important. This is bad. He took another step back.

"And what do you intend to do about it?" Li Qinwu's rage erupted, radiating an overwhelming, suffocating pressure outward from his frame. The opposing mages gasped in horror—how could a mere goblin possess such terrifying, oppressive presence? The atmosphere deteriorated instantly, hovering on the absolute brink of a bloodbath. At this critical juncture, Jin Lanbo actually scrambled into the space between them, placing himself between the two ready-to-fire factions.

Drenched in sweat and trembling violently, the merchant was terrified out of his mind, yet he stood his ground—solely for the sake of his future. If a fight broke out and the mages died, he couldn't answer to the Mage Guild as a neutral party; if the goblins died, his lucrative future in the Monster Forest market would vanish into thin air.

"Ev... Everyone! Wh... Whatever it is, we can talk it out! Don't draw weapons... don't ruin the harmony!" The commotion finally stirred the fading consciousness of Gob-Run. Lifting his head, his dim eyes caught sight of Li Qinwu. Tears burst from his eyes as boundless humiliation and agony surged up. He screamed in a raspy, heartbreaking wail: "AHOOOO!! BOSS!! THEY TORTURED ME!! THEY SAWED OFF MY LEGS, AND... AND THEY CUT OFF MY... AWOOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!!"

Hearing Gob-Run's harrowing cries, Li Qinwu's fury exploded twofold. Gripping his broadsword with both hands, he was a hair's breadth away from charging into the mages to slaughter them all. Fortier retreated several paces in panic, raising his staff to launch an attack, while Jin Lanbo cursed inwardly and hit the dirt flat, praying the impending crossfire wouldn't turn him into collateral damage.

Yet just as both sides were on the verge of pulling triggers, Li Qinwu's suffocating pressure suddenly snapped back like a retracted blade, the terrifying killing intent vanishing without a trace. The two factions stared at each other in bewildered silence, unsure of what Li Qinwu was planning, yet every single person breathed a quiet sigh of relief. At this point-blank range, a firefight meant heavy casualties for both sides—nobody wanted to die here. Li Qinwu turned around to face Fendis behind him.

The old man was still reeling from the terrifying standoff, but upon noticing Li Qinwu's gaze, he instinctively glared back. Li Qinwu let out a grim smile, then violently swung his broadsword straight across Fendis's thighs! Fendis froze. Looking down, he saw the hem of his robe hit the dirt, followed by thin red lines appearing across his thighs. His upper torso began sliding slowly off his lower limbs, tipping toward the ground.

Only then did the searing agony hit him, and Fendis let out a blood-curdling, agonizing shriek! The mages gasped in horror, raising their staves once more as several stepped forward in shock. The goblins glared viciously right back, stepping up with hand-cannons raised.

"CALM DOWN! EVERYONE CALM DOWN!!" Jin Lanbo screamed from his spot on the dirt. Fortier was equally shocked, but instantly pieced together why Li Qinwu had done this. Casting a complex look at the goblin king, he too shouted for his men to stand down. After severing Fendis's legs, Li Qinwu grabbed the old man by the throat, hoisting him into the air. Drawing a hunting knife from his waist, he cleanly sliced off both of Fendis's ears with two swift strokes.

Condensing a fireball in his palm, he cauterized all four raw wounds to prevent magical healing from regenerating the limbs, before finally landing a brutal fist straight into Fendis's crotch, completely crushing it. Fendis passed out instantly. Li Qinwu tossed him toward the mages like a piece of discarded trash.

"There. Now it's fair. We can exchange now." Li Qinwu flicked the blood off his broadsword, his eyes locked dead onto the lead mage. Looking at the ruined ragdoll that was once Fendis, Fortier instinctively winced, feeling a wave of phantom pain down below. Gazing into Li Qinwu's eyes, he saw nothing but unhinged, cold-blooded killing intent. He recalled the "Goblin King" Pinier had spoken of—it had to be this monster.

"Goblin King... the Guild will remember this." Li Qinwu's mouth split open into a wide, predatory grin, revealing sharp, wolf-like fangs.

"Mage... the Alliance will remember this too." After a long, tense standoff, Fortier waved his hand. The mages picked up the dying Fendis, slowly retreating in a defensive formation. Once the mages had pulled back, Li Qinwu ordered his goblins forward to undo the bindings on the returned prisoners. He walked over to Gob-Run himself, taking him off the other soldier's back and placing him on the ground. Li Qinwu was naturally towering; the legless Gob-Run stood only as high as his waist. Gob-Run wept hysterically.

"Boss!!! My legs are gone!! My... is gone too!! AWOOO-HOO-HOO!!" Li Qinwu reached out toward Gob-Run's face—and delivered a thunderous SLAP! straight across his cheek. Gob-Run blinked in total shock, unable to comprehend why he had been struck. Li Qinwu raised his hand again— SLAP! Another heavy strike sent Gob-Run tumbling onto the dirt. Clutching his swollen face, Gob-Run stared up at Li Qinwu in utter confusion, his heart bursting with intense grievance.

Li Qinwu glared into Gob-Run's eyes, roaring at the top of his lungs: "I have NEVER seen a Punishment Army officer cry!! Gob-Run!! YOU!! You made me see it today!!" Gob-Run froze on the spot, his inner grievance suddenly overtaken by a crushing wave of deep shame. Li Qinwu roared: "How long are you going to lay there like a pathetic dog?! ATTENTION!!" Panicking, Gob-Run instinctively scrambled to stand, but lacking legs, he stumbled uselessly on the ground for several seconds. SLAP!

Another strike knocked him flat again.

"Is that how I taught you to stand at attention?! AGAIN! ATTENTION!!" Gob-Run scrambled back up, only for Li Qinwu to knock him down with another harsh slap.

"Bastard! Is your spine made of jelly?! Why can't you stand straight?!" SLAP!

"Bastard! Chest out, chin up! Even a raw recruit wouldn't mess this up! Why is a Commander making such a pathetic mistake?!" SLAP!

"Eyes straight ahead! Do I need to teach you that too?!" Slap after thunderous slap knocked Gob-Run down, and time after time, Gob-Run scrambled back up. The surrounding soldiers hadn't understood what the Boss was doing at first. But as they watched Gob-Run drag his broken frame up again and again, his legless stance growing firmer, the weakness and despair in his eyes were battered away, replaced by burning rage and hatred.

They finally realized what was happening, instinctively snapping their own bodies into rigid posture, their hearts swelling with intense, overwhelming emotion. Jin Lanbo couldn't understand the goblin tongue, but certain feelings required no translation. He watched as every time the legless goblin climbed up from the dirt, a layer of pathetic weakness peeled away from his eyes. He realized the Goblin King was saving this broken creature—rescuing a soul that was hovering on the absolute brink of total collapse.

What incredible leadership... the merchant marvelled inwardly. Unconsciously, he abandoned his petty schemes, resolving to pursue a genuine, long-term partnership with this faction. SLAP! Gob-Run scrambled up from the dirt once more, locking himself into a flawless, textbook military stance. Li Qinwu looked into Gob-Run's eyes—behind the fading tears burned two coals of absolute, unfiltered hatred. Li Qinwu looked down into those fiery eyes.

"Gob-Run!!"

"HERE, SIR!!!" Gob-Run roared back in fury, his voice deafening—he shouted with such raw force that a fine mist of blood sprayed from his mouth.

"TELL ME! Can you still serve as my Cavalry Commander?!" A surging, unstoppable wave of power ignited inside Gob-Run's chest.

"I CAN!!!"

"GOOD!" Li Qinwu pointed toward the distant line of mages stepping onto the airship.

"Tell your enemies... WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!" Gob-Run dragged his upper body around, facing the distant airship. His face contorted violently with pure rage, his skin flushed deep red, blood smeared across his lips. He hurled his oath of vengeance straight toward the mages boarding the vessel:"MY NAME IS GOB-RUN!! CAVALRY COMMANDER OF THE BOSS!! ONE DAY... I WILL LEAD MY CAVALRY STRAIGHT TO THE CITY OF SAGES!! I WILL BLOW DOWN EVERY WALL!! BURN DOWN EVERY BUILDING!! SLAUGHTER EVERY SINGLE MAGE!!

I WILL SMASH EVERY STATUE!! OVERTURN EVERY MAGIC TOWER!! BURN EVERY SINGLE BOOK TO ASHES!! I WILL ERASE THE CITY OF SAGES FROM HISTORY ENTIRELY!! NO ONE WILL DARE UTTER ITS NAME, NO ONE WILL REMEMBER YOU!! I WILL MAKE THE WORLD FORGET THE MAGE GUILD, ERASING EVERY LAST TRACE OF YOUR EXISTENCE FROM THIS EARTH!!!" Just as he was about to step inside the airship, Fortier felt a sudden, icy shudder run down his spine. He reflexively glanced back, spotting two silhouettes in the distance—one tall, one short.

They appeared to be shouting something, but the distance was far too great to make out any words. Shrugging off the feeling, Fortier boarded the airship.