Chapter 84: Frontline Situation and Shadow Steel Golems

The sudden lightning startled everyone, and the surrounding soldiers drew their weapons one after another, watching the two people before them with caution.

"Put down your weapons! Surrender!"

Facing the warning, Naimi Xisi waved his hand and said to the wide‑mouthed Sgena beside him, "Sometimes trouble makes me uneasy, and I'll solve it with violence."

He cleared his throat and told the soldiers, "I suggest you put down your weapons. I don't wish to cause a big disturbance. That gentleman brought his own downfall by daring to insult a Mage; he should face the corresponding consequences. Your city lord is arriving soon, so waiting patiently is your best option."

Mind Power has already sent a Summoning to its apostles; Ke Litte and Luo Silien are rushing here.

The soldiers exchanged glances; the Mage's calm left them uncertain as well. They had also witnessed the officer's earlier behavior, and it was only a matter of time. If the city lord didn't arrive soon, they would naturally make that arrogant pretty boy pay.

Soon, hurried footsteps approached the gate, and a blond girl in an ornate white dress rushed out. When she saw Naimi Xisi, her eyes lit up, and she then coldly rebuked the surrounding soldiers.

"Who allowed you to treat my honored guest like this?! I'll report today's incident to General Ke Long! Quickly carry this fool away for me!"

Ke Litte's words made everyone exchange glances; they hadn't expected that the seemingly under‑age boy was truly the city lord's honored guest. In their lewd thoughts they guessed the boy wouldn't be a lover Ke Litte had brought.

Seeing the soldiers remain unmoved, Ke Litte's expression grew colder, and she said word for word, "Do I still have to ask you? I guarantee, if you stay here one more second, I'll report to General Ke Long and have you all transferred to the front line!"

A few soldiers hesitated, then stepped forward to carry away the officer whose fate was unknown, while the remaining men exchanged glances, apparently whispering covertly.

Ke Litte's expression softened slightly; she walked up to the two, and when she saw Sgena she froze for a moment. She had never seen the human form of the Black Dragon, and guessed whether the other was a newly acquired Dependent of the master.

"This isn't a place for conversation, Mr. Naimi Xisi, please follow me," Ke Litte signaled with her eyes and said with a smile.

Naimi Xisi squinted and nodded; the situation seemed worse than he had thought. The city lord's authority was so weak that even the soldiers were barely controllable—could it be that Ke Litte was about to be dismissed?

Juan Ce Long sighed, "These Dependents are truly a handful."

The group entered the reception hall; Luo Silien had been waiting inside for some time. Upon seeing Naimi Xisi, he hurried forward and bowed, "Greetings, Master."

Naimi Xisi nodded and got straight to the point, "What exactly happened? Why has Degeng City changed so drastically? And those soldiers—where did they come from?"

Luo Silien and Ke Litte exchanged looks, then the half‑elf Mage sighed, "Master, after your year of slumber, the Yinbu Tu Kingdom and the Sesk Commercial Alliance erupted into war."

"Degeng is a border city; after the kingdom's army arrived, it took over all affairs of the city. It has become a military control zone, and even Ke Litte's orders often cannot command the troops that belong to the military."

Naimi Xisi was speechless; after finally securing a city and before he could enjoy it, a lord appeared above his head, and crucially he could do nothing. Should he drive the army away and face the Sesk's massive forces himself? What a joke.

He was about to speak when the main gate was suddenly thrown open. A brisk, middle‑aged man strode in, dressed in a full military uniform, six gems set into his left shoulder, black hair, emerald‑like eyes, a firm nose—an imposing, handsome man who exuded authority without anger.

As soon as he entered, he looked at Naimi Xisi, surprised by the youngster's age and handsome face, then asked expressionlessly, "Is this the one who injured my officer?"

Ke Litte hurried to explain, "General Ke Long, Mr. Naimi Xisi is a high‑level Mage I hired at great cost, and…" Hearing Naimi Xisi's mental transmission, Ke Litte paused, then continued,

"…and he is also a powerful priest devoted to the Knowledge God Ougma!"

Ke Litte's words made General Ke Long pause; a high‑level Mage's status was already impressive, but compared to a true‑god high‑level priest, it meant little. Yet why would a priest of Ougma meddle in mortal wars? On the Feren Continent, most churches do not intervene in the wars and rise‑falls of the great kingdoms, except for a few special deities demanded by the clergy, such as the God of War, the God of Tyranny, and so on.

That, of course, stems from the wishes of the great ones; the gods belong to the gods, mortals to mortals. Even the strongest priest has no right to command any minor kingdom's king.

But Naimi Xisi's peculiarity lies in the fact that he is not a priest who worships Ougma, but a role forced upon him, so he does not follow those cumbersome doctrines.

Seeing General Ke Long's attitude improve, Ke Litte continued to reproach, "For someone of such noble standing, Mr. Naimi Xisi was verbally insulted by that officer! That not only disrespects Mr. Naimi Xisi himself, but also the Knowledge God Ougma!"

Ke Litte's rambling made General Ke Long furrow his brows; he quickly glared at her and said, "Stop spouting nonsense! The Yinbu Tu Kingdom respects any true god's existence. As for that officer, when he awakens I'll have him personally apologize to His Excellency Naimi Xisi."

Then he turned to Naimi Xisi, extended his hand and said, "Welcome to Degeng City, Excellency Naimi Xisi. The Knowledge God Ougma has always been one of the true gods I admire." Naimi Xisi likewise extended his hand, smiled, and said, "I came at the invitation of Count Rosa; she is somewhat concerned about Degeng City's safety."

General Ke Long pondered for a moment; the priest was clearly very interested in meddling with Degeng City's affairs, so he tentatively asked, "I wonder if you'd be interested in joining the military as a hired consultant?"

Naimi Xisi tilted his head, squinted at him, and let Mind Power probe deeper into his mind; although the will created great resistance, he still managed to read everything.

A level‑14 Warrior—no, a level‑14 War Shifter, this general from the capital possessed terrifying power.

His mind was now contemplating whether he wanted to join, and if Magic Knowledge would be the reward?

Naimi Xisi was very interested in the information he gleaned. With his current strength, he might not sway a whole war, but it was certainly enough for self‑preservation. The Butu royal lineage had been passed down for a thousand years, surely possessing many precious Spell Models; having just advanced to the Five-ring Spell, he urgently needed various Five-ring Spells to bolster his power.

"It is my honor," Naimi Xisi said with a smile.

The priest's straightforwardness surprised General Ke Long. He nodded satisfactorily and said, "The Yinbu Tu Kingdom thanks you for your assistance; any contribution to the army will be converted into merit, and you may exchange that merit for anything in the reward store."

"Coincidentally, the intelligence office is discussing the frontline situation; why not join us and listen?" Ke Long suggested.

Naimi Xisi readily agreed, and the group entered the intelligence office. Inside, the room buzzed with voices; many senior officers whose shoulders bore four or even five gems were discussing among themselves.

"We must retreat from the front line!" a hoarse, elderly man hammered the table and shouted.

Another handsome, youthful officer flung the pen in his hand against the wall and shouted angrily, "We barely built this line with our soldiers, and you'd just abandon it? Albert, you're a coward!"

The elder's neighboring middle‑aged male officer, hearing this, was also inflamed; he sprang up, pressed his face to the young officer's, and roared, "Coward?! You brat, when old Albert went to the battlefield you didn't even know where you were sucking your mother's pacifier!"

The young man sneered, stood upright, and said, "At least I, An Desen, won't let the warriors' blood be wasted like that!"

The elder shook his head, mocking as if looking at a mischievous child, "Then tell me, great and lofty An Desen, how would you deal with those sudden iron contraptions that appeared on the battlefield!"

"Do I need to remind you? Those damned mages spent a fortune to forge Shadow Steel Golems! One such golem can take on a several‑hundred‑person unit, and they have five of them!"

"Not to mention the endless Undead troops that rushed from Sai Er; they're cheap trash, yet we pay with living people!"

An Desen choked, his frustration bubbling, he ripped the button off his uniform and flopped back into his chair.

General Ke Long, who had been standing at the doorway for a while, coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention; the scene fell silent instantly.

He pointed at Naimi Xisi and introduced him to the crowd, "This is our newly added military adviser, Excellency Naimi Xisi. He himself is a very powerful priest‑Mage, so from now on we'll give his opinions special consideration."

The young man's eyes brightened, and he hurriedly looked at Naimi Xisi, asking eagerly, "Excellency Naimi Xisi, may I ask whether you are familiar with Shadow Steel Golems?"

Juan Ce Long raised an eyebrow. Does he understand? Golems are the most frequently appearing items in Juan Ce Long's memory inheritance; he has mastered almost all golem‑making methods, but unfortunately, because the minimum requirement to craft a golem is a level‑14 Spellcaster, he…

"Of course," Naimi Xisi said with a slight nod.

The young man, seeing this, hurriedly followed up, "I want to know, is there any way to destroy Shadow Steel Golems? The Sesk Alliance suddenly deployed five golems on the front line, and our entire army was nearly crippled by them."

In response to the youth's question, Naimi Xisi shook his head and replied, his eyes full of disappointment,

"Golems are a very powerful construct, truly a great mage‑crafted machine; even the weakest golem requires at least four level‑9 professionals to defeat."

"Not to mention the Shadow Steel Golem you mentioned; it's made from shadow‑plane magic ore—Shadow Steel—combined with a large amount of high‑level spells, forming a mechanical monster."

(End of Chapter)