Chapter 30: The Domain of the Goddess of Love and Beauty

Deep within the underground palace, the kobold warlock glanced at the pale white palace door that had remained motionless for a long time, paying it no mind.

"The dragon's aura remains; the Master must have entered the Dormant Phase. We won't meet again for several years."

Putting aside his regrets, the kobold warlock rallied his spirits.

He vowed to expand the kobold tribe once more over these years to better serve the Master.

"Bring out the wine and spirits; let us all celebrate properly."

The kobold warlock ordered the kobold knight standing nearby.

"Yes, Chief."

The leading kobold knight replied; he stood one meter twenty tall, equivalent to a small giant within the kobold race.

He was also twenty centimeters taller than the three kobold knights surrounding him.

His build was burly and powerful, possessing 14 points of Strength, making him a strongman within the tribe.

He turned and beckoned his three subordinates to enter the side hall together.

These three subordinates then called out to a group of kobolds attending the sacrifice, ordering them to follow.

A short while later, the four kobold knights led a crowd of kobolds carrying trays out from the side hall.

The trays were woven from vines unique to the desert, holding various wines, spirits, and foods served on porcelain and plates.

These porcelain wares and plates looked exquisitely beautiful, resembling the architectural style of the underground palace; they were relics of the same civilization.

The kobolds praying below saw the arrival of the wine, spirits, and food, and greed flashed in their eyes.

Had they not been awed by the kobold warlock's authority and feared Gao Daweimeng the kobold knight, they would have rushed forward to snatch the goods.

The wine, spirits, and food were first placed before the kobold warlock, who prayed first: "Praise the great Master, King of Earth and Mountains, who grants the Bak'er clan delicious wine, spirits, and food."

Then came a string of crackling praises.

"Under the Master's gaze, the Bak'er clan shall rise to greatness once more."

Only then did the ritual truly conclude, and only then did the distribution of wine, spirits, and food to the kobolds below begin.

The kobolds feasted heartily on meat and drank wine, clinking cups and toasting one another in great joy.

Before long, the kobolds who had eaten and drunk felt a burning heat throughout their bodies, and a strange scent began to spread within the hall.

Gradually, two kobolds began to entangle themselves there, while the rest paired off one by one.

Those unable to find a partner saw two male kobolds begin to entangle, and the entire hall fell into the Domain of the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

The kobold warlock on the high platform smiled in satisfaction at this scene; in a little over two months, the Bak'er tribe would grow strong once more.

He glanced at the four kobold knights still standing nearby and gave a look.

Except for the leading kobold knight, the other three kobold knights descended into the fray, each carefully selecting a female kobold.

Then they forcefully pulled the male kobolds atop them off, straightened their waists and hips, and climbed on top themselves.

The kobold knight captain was different; he respectfully knelt with his back to the kobold warlock, allowing the warlock to pounce upon him.

Fang Shi arrived at the entrance of the hall, glanced inside, and felt his eyes were about to go blind.

Such conduct was almost comparable to the ritual of the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

However, this was the kobolds' version; it was truly too blinding to the eyes, and Fang Shi felt he had suffered mental pollution.

He calmed his mind slightly and muttered inwardly: "Disaster sent by heaven may be survived; disaster brought by oneself cannot be escaped. Since you are so unscrupulous, let me rid the people of this harm to prevent corrupting society's morals."

Of course, the above was merely a joke, but the kobolds' behavior indeed created an excellent opportunity for Fang Shi to attack.

If Fang Shi did not seize this chance to attack, where would he find such a good opportunity?

He glanced roughly and saw there were over two hundred kobolds within the hall.

According to the social structure of a kobold tribe, roughly the majority were Level 1 miners, while the rest were combat classes with actual strength.

On the highest platform were two figures fighting: one was presumably a Level 5 kobold Gray Scale Warlock, and the other a Level 5 kobold knight captain.

Below them should be another three or four Level 3 kobold knights, as well as two or three Level 3 kobold swordsmen and a single-digit number of Level 2 kobold Trap Alchemists.

Next came about twenty or thirty Level 1 kobold warriors, plus four Level 3 Fire-Burning Drake Lizards tethered to the side.

Such strength could be described as terrifying.

With Fang Shi's strength, a direct confrontation would surely be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Even if only the hundred-plus kobold miners rushed up, they would exhaust Fang Shi; if he did not flee, he would surely be worn to death.

Not to mention there were so many combat classes present.

Originally, according to Fang Shi's strategy, he would slowly lure the kobolds out, utilizing his mobility and strength far exceeding that of individual kobolds.

He would adopt guerrilla tactics to slowly bleed this kobold tribe dry.

As long as they dared not collapse the underground palace, Fang Shi would eventually kill all these kobolds.

However, such efficiency was naturally extremely low; if anything unexpected happened, perhaps the Mystical Realm's time would end before he could annihilate this group of kobolds.

But given the current situation, Fang Shi thought of an excellent strategy.

Perhaps due to a trace of dragon bloodline, the kobolds' duration usually lasts between one to two hours.

Fang Shi intended to use this time difference to run to the kobold hatchery and carry back a pile of dry hay.

The kobold hatchery was hidden; generally, only the kobold chief and specific guardians knew its location.

Ordinary kobolds, even regarding their own eggs, had absolutely no idea where they were hatched.

Had Fang Shi not been familiar with kobold habits and possessed his own specific methods, he would not have easily found this tribe's hatchery.

Of course, the hatchery was guarded by a kobold: a Level 5 kobold Rogue.

He had set many traps outside the hatchery to guard the next generation of the kobold tribe.

When Fang Shi arrived here, a glance revealed so many obvious traps that his scalp tingled, not to mention how many lay hidden in the shadows.

How severe is the paranoia of these kobolds? Is it really necessary to set so many traps?

Simple traps are no big deal; at worst, Fang Shi dodges and dismantles them.

But Fang Shi knows there are guardians in the incubation chamber, and they must have already sensed his arrival.

Because he has already heard the whistle of arrows cutting through the air.

"Whoosh!"

Fang Shi dodged nimbly. Just as he intended to press forward, his expression changed, and he quickly leaped sideways.

"Boom!"

A pillar of flame shot skyward from the direction he was heading, spanning five meters in length. Had Fang Shi been a moment slower, he would certainly have been burned.

While leaping sideways, Fang Shi dared not land directly; instead, he used his steel sword to push off the ground, propelling himself sideways once more.

Given the kobolds' treachery, there was definitely more than one trap.

Sure enough, as the steel sword touched the ground, a large bag of acid dropped from the air, causing the floor to hiss as it corroded.

What a nuisance. If his specialty hadn't been stacked with reaction speed, this wouldn't be so easy.

"Whoosh!"

Another arrow whistled through the air. This time, Fang Shi did not dodge. Since the enemy wanted to use arrows to force him into a trap...

... then he would simply cleave the arrows in two. After all, kobolds have low strength, use only shortbows, and their kinetic energy isn't very strong.

With Fang Shi's reflex speed, the incoming arrows were perfectly clear, and he easily split them with his steel sword.

After firing a few arrows, the Kobold Rogue realized they were ineffective against the enemy. It began to shift its body, moving through the traps, and quickly entered the incubation chamber.

Seeing this, Fang Shi sneered coldly. The Kobold Rogue's plan was clever; a novice might have fallen for it.

But for a veteran like himself, it was completely useless.

The Kobold Rogue feigned retreat, seemingly following a safe corridor, luring pursuers to advance along its escape route.

In reality, that route was littered with traps. The reason the Kobold Rogue didn't trigger them was either a time delay, incorrect activation weight, or they simply hadn't been armed.

Anyway, if a pursuer truly dared to follow the Kobold Rogue's path, they would just have to wait to suffer the traps.

If it didn't leave you with five internal injuries and seven external wounds, or even death, it wouldn't live up to its title of Alchemy Trap Master.

"Let's see where you run to."

Fang Shi analyzed a route himself and advanced slowly. For traps he couldn't avoid, he simply lured them into triggering.

Seeing Fang Shi's actions, the Kobold Rogue grew very anxious. Behind it lay the incubation chamber of the Bak'ear Clan; it could not retreat, nor did it have the means to do so.

Although it constantly launched sneak attacks with its shortbow, they were completely ineffective.

The design of the shortbow dictates that the weapon's power has an upper limit.

Against those strong enough to track the trajectory of arrows, it is less effective than a dagger.

However, putting it another way: if a strong enough person can shoot down arrows, how could they be stopped once they get close?

Seeing Fang Shi finally arrive before it, the Kobold Rogue roared in Draconic, then fired an arrow at Fang Shi.

It then turned and retreated into a corridor without glowstones.

Fang Shi did not pursue. The Kobold Rogue possessed darkvision, giving it a significant advantage in this underground palace illuminated mainly by glowstones.

Who knows how many traps lay in the direction the Kobold Rogue fled?

His previous exploration had always been cautious, adhering to the principle of not entering without light, just to avoid being ambushed by these paranoid kobolds.

Fang Shi sensed the three other unknown corridors slightly, sneered, and headed toward the middle one.

Seeing that Fang Shi was completely unaffected by his provocation, did not pursue him, and quickly deduced the exact location of the incubation chamber...

... the Kobold Rogue instantly grew extremely anxious. It gritted its teeth, drew a refined dagger, activated stealth, and followed behind Fang Shi, intending to deliver a backstab.

"Whoosh!"

"Pierce attack activated."

"Target received fatal damage."

"Target dead."

"Extracting target soul energy. You gain 210 experience points and 21 Survival Points."

"Through continuous combat, you have obtained partial information on Longsword Weapon Mastery."

Ha, still trying to sneak attack.

When facing opponents stronger in strength, agility, and perception, an assassin who dares to use stealth is just asking for death.

This Kobold Rogue, specialized in traps, had less agility than a Level 3 Kobold Swordsman.

Every one of its movements was crystal clear in Fang Shi's perception. He simply countered with a backhand slash, ending the Kobold Rogue's life.