One had to mention how short, small, and weak the goblins were. If it weren't for their mastery of engineering, machines, and alchemy that gave them what they needed to solidify their position, they would never have the strength to conquer an entire plane.
If one wanted to understand the goblins, they had to talk about the most meritorious trait of the goblins– their adventurous spirit!
This plane had plenty of powerful races. Why was it that they couldn't become the rulers of this plane, and were instead upstaged by these frail goblins? The main reason was that the goblins held a twisted passion for knowledge and technique that far surpassed the other races.
The most luxurious building in every town and city had to be the goblin alchemical laboratory. Moreover, you would undoubtedly find row after row of sculptures depicting goblin predecessors erected in front of the doors of the lab.
Those that could be known as a predecessor in the Goblin Empire were great goblin inventors that had accomplished groundbreaking feats in goblin engineering and alchemy.
It was these generations of accumulations that allowed the goblins to grow from their initial alchemical roots to an engineering civilization, before moving on to a steam-powered culture. Finally, they had arrived at their new energy system– Magic Energy.
From his experience, Greem easily concluded that the Goblin Plane would most definitely succeed at becoming a magic energy civilization if they had one or two hundred more years of time to develop. When that happened, it would be time for them to step out of their narrow Goblin Plane and carefully start exploring other planes.
Tragically for them, Greem and the adepts had arrived right when the goblins were undergoing the painful transition from a steam-powered civilization to a magic energy civilization.
Perhaps this was the fate of the Goblin Plane!
It was because of Greem that the Goblin Plane had an opportunity for a leap in power. However, it was also because of Greem that the Goblin Plane faced the intrusion and coveting of the domineering World of Adepts.
If the Goblin Plane were a little more fortunate and succeeded at exterminating Greem and his companions, then they would receive a 'present' from the distant adept civilization. If that happened, everything in the minds of Greem and his companions would become the strength used to boost and propel the leaps in the development of the goblins' power.
However, there were always tradeoffs. Benefits and drawbacks were two sides of the same coin!
The goblins first had to pay the price if they wished to get what they wanted.
The price they had to pay was the uncertain fate of the Goblin Plane.
Were they to kill the intruding the adepts and raise the strength of the plane to a whole new level, or were they to be defeated by the adepts and turned into a satellite plane of the World of Adepts? This was the fate that the Goblin Empire had to face!
When Sabrina and Endor arrived at the Goblin Plane, they brought with them Alice's message for Greem.
"Be careful of Gazlowe!"
A simple sentence, but it immediately gave Greem clarity and understanding of the situation.
It was only now that Greem was sure that this trip of theirs into the Goblin Plane had been a trap set up by Duke Gazlowe.
He didn't know what it was that forced Gazlowe to make this decision, but he was confident that the goblin had intentionally leaked the coordinates of the plane to Snorlax and agreed to accept the batch of problematic magical stones.
If things had gone according to plan, Greem and the others would have teleported to the Goblin Plane with the silver spacestone as the coordinates. What would have awaited them then was a cage trap with a sea of combat machines that surrounded them like an iron wall.
Perhaps it was because of the trace of unease that she felt that Alice gave up on the coordinates of the spacestone. Instead, she turned to random teleportation to toss Bug Adept Billis into the world ahead of everyone else.
That choice had gone beyond Gazlowe's expectations!
The moment Gazlowe realized that the adepts of the other plane hadn't appeared in the trap according to his set script was also the moment news of a spatial intrusion reached him. It was then that he knew his plan had fallen apart. He had led many of his subordinates right out of the capital in an attempt to hunt down the adepts before their strength got out of control.
Yet, when they finally came into contact with the adepts, Gazlowe made a surprising discovery. The reason that the adepts had managed to become slave owners and intruders feared by the multiverse was truly due to their abilities and strange spells.
The first three adepts were all difficult to deal with. Gazlowe could hardly get any advantage against the adepts, even after bringing the most elite magical machine squads of the Empire with him.
Consequently, when Gazlowe once again picked up on the strange spatial ripple, he promptly assembled troops and charged towards the source of the spatial ripple. But this time, he brought with him two flying ships and over a thousand magical machines.
…………
In a cave by the edges of the Kezanla Mountains.
They had started a campfire inside the black cave. The dancing flames illuminated the tiny space and placed a red tint over the people by the fire.
Large pieces of bear meat were being roasted on the fire after having been treated and skinned. As expected of a witch that spent her days outdoors, Poison Hag Endor was well-versed when it came to cooking and roasting meat. Golden oil seeped from the fat and thick flesh, sizzling as the fire continued to burn. Endor occasionally took out colorful powder from a bag of spice, causing the bear meat to release even more fragrance.
The individuals present here might all be adepts and possess entirely different bodily structures from ordinary humans, but most of their human nature had still been preserved.
Take, for example, Mechanical Girl Sabrina. Alchemical machines had already replaced the primary organs of her body and most of her limbs. Her stomach had also been turned into a miniature furnace that was capable of instantly disintegrating anything she ate into their most basic nutritional components and waste. This method of digestion efficiently utilized energy and generated very little waste.
As such, cooking food was an entirely unnecessary process for Sabrina!
Most of the time, directly eating the bloody meat might have given her more energy than roasting it beforehand.
However, as a former human, Sabrina still retained many of the habits and instincts of a human.
She sat elegantly by the campfire, gracefully putting the delicious sliced bear meat pieces into her mouth. The juicy, fresh taste of meat could still provide her with enjoyment. As for the minor reduction of energy gained? It was something of little concern to her!
Chapter 508 Voodoo Doll
"Tell me, why did you drag me here ahead of time?"
Endor casually asked as she used a small carving knife to cut the roasted bear meat into suitable and edible chunks.
According to the original plan, the third batch of individuals who were supposed to transfer over was Sabrina and Snorlax. However, Greem had suddenly swapped the order, putting Endor into the third batch instead of the fourth. That was why she had appeared here five days ahead of time.
The Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal allowed Greem to maintain close contact with Alice, despite them being in different planes.
"Because this place is more suited for you!" Greem praised Endor's culinary skills while smiling and answering, "After fighting with the goblins, I realized the most suited to dealing with the goblins had to be you."
"Are you referring to the use of poison?" Poison Hag Endor couldn't help but pause for a moment.
"Indeed! We are at a numerical disadvantage here. The massive difference between our races makes it impossible for us to disguise ourselves and hide amongst them. It isn't hard to imagine that long and grueling guerrilla warfare is what awaits us. They chase, we run. It's difficult to establish a base where w
e can gain a foothold."
"And so you thought of using poison?"
"Not poison, but plague!" Under the illumination of the fire, a cold light flashed in Greem's black eyes, "Poisoning several dozen goblins to death is not helpful in our current situation. What I need right now is a terrifying plague that can threaten the entire Goblin Plane. It is only when the lives of most of the goblins are within our grasp that they will willingly give up their passion and obsession with magic energy, turning instead to kneel before us!"
The people present were all pure adepts that had been raised in the World of Adepts. None of them expressed any shock or objection at Greem's casual mention of plaguing an entire plane of living creatures. Instead, they furrowed their bows and considered the feasibility of such a plan.
"I do have some decent plague viruses with me. It won't be a problem to kill several hundreds of thousands of goblins when I spread them out. However," Endor hesitated for a moment, "These little fellows aren't that easy to control. It's tough to control these viruses once they leave my palm. They might be useful at scaring the goblins, but we will need to increase our control over the source of the plague viruses if we want to use it as leverage in negotiations with the goblins!"
"This is no problem!"
Greem smiled and extended his hand. The Scroll of Voodoo that hung by his waist immediately flew to his palm. A marionette etched with numerous magical runes appeared in front of the eyes of the adepts under the effect of Greem's magic.
The marionette creaked and moved its wooden mouth when it saw the adepts before it. It let out a strange voice that resembled a human baby. Its two wooden eyes were still somewhat stiff when they started moving, but they quickly became as agile and lively as those of a human's.
"A voodoo doll!" A kind smile surfaced on Endor's ugly old face, "It seems you've cultivated this little fellow very well. Its intelligence is very complete. It will most definitely become a powerful helper of yours in the future!"
"It should be no problem to use it to control the plague viruses, should it?" Greem humbly asked.
He might be the one who had personally cultivated the voodoo doll, but many little problems needed to be dealt with before it matured. Greem could only be a humble disciple when placed compared to the proficient poison master Endor.
"Mm!" Endor nodded, "Have your voodoo doll swallow my plague viruses; the plague will merge with the voodoo poison. This way, the reach of the plague and whether it becomes activated will be completely within our control. It will be time for you to negotiate with the ruler of the goblins once most of this plane's goblins have been infected with the virus."
After a sinister laugh, Endor reached out with her slight, skinny hands. She cautiously took out a medicine jar from her waist pouch. The black medicine jar wasn't very large–only about the size of a fist–and was sealed with magical runes on the lid.
Greem tried several times, but even his Spirit had a hard time piercing through the runes to see the contents of the jar. Judging from that, the medicine jar itself was magical equipment.
Something that had to be stored inside magical equipment...
Greem's heart moved. He started to look forward even more to the plague virus that Endor had mentioned!
Endor followed some sort of odd ritual. She first tapped the jar lightly in several spots before placing the jar before her mouth and softly chanting several passwords. The magical rune seals were finally dispelled.
"Have your voodoo doll prepare," Poison Hag Endor's expression was deadly serious at this moment, "Even I have no means of taking back or eliminating the plague virus the moment it escapes!"
All the other adepts present retreated into the distance to avoid interrupting the two of them. As adepts, their Physique would kill any ordinary plague, even if the viruses managed to make it into their body. However, would a plague virus that Poison Hag Endor treated with such caution be a common virus you would find on the streets?
The adepts made a temporary retreat to ensure no accidents occurred.
Light flashed in Greem's black eyes, and a crimson Ring of Fire silently enveloped him and Endor. That kept them safe from interruption while preventing the plague viruses from escaping.
Endor took out a sky blue crystal leaf and placed it in her mouth. It was only then that she lightly opened the piece of cloth covering the jar.
A green mist emerged.
The green mist had initially been about to disperse into the surrounding air upon escaping its confines secretly. However, the Ring of Fire gave it no such opportunity. As some virus spores ignited in a crackle of flame, the shapeless and colorless plague virus was forced into a cluster to resist the corrosion of the dense fire elementium in the air.
Greem couldn't help but be impressed by this unstable floating cloud of mist that was gradually becoming greener. The method by which lethal viruses spread was roughly the same across all worlds. The viruses could split out into numerous microscopic spores that scattered everywhere through currents in the air.
It was precisely because the spores they split into were so tiny that they were invisible to the naked eye that plague viruses had such a fearsome reputation. Only adepts could detect their existence through the use of their Spirits.
At the moment, the plague viruses in front of Greem could gather together when they were driven into a dead end. The viruses were relying on their numbers to resist the corrosion of the fire elementium temporarily. This… from a certain perspective, this gave them elementary group intelligence.
A plague virus like this had probably cost a lot of effort and resources on Endor's part to cultivate.
For some reason, the voodoo doll sitting on the Scroll of Voodoo became extremely excited when it saw this cloud of green mist. It kept sending requests to Greem with its baby-like cries.
None of the adepts present could understand its language. Even Greem was only able to understand its meaning through the central link that was the Scroll of Voodoo.
Greem clasped his right hand, and the Ring of Fire started to shrink with the green mist at its center. The green cloud had no choice but to shrink itself further to fight back against the fire elementium. It condensed into a green gumball the size of a thumb before it managed to reach a semblance of equilibrium with the Ring of Fire.
Greem lifted the fist-sized Ring of Fire and placed it before the voodoo doll. The doll betrayed a joyous smile with its wooden eyebrows and immediately plunged its head inside and swallowed the bright green gumball.
All the magical runes on the voodoo doll's body started shining after it swallowed the plague. Various strange runes lit up and dimmed, illuminating the doll's wooden body with a sickly green color.
The voodoo doll burped in a human fashion before diving back into the Scroll of Voodoo and vanishing without a trace.
Greem flipped open the Scroll of Voodoo. Only a single page remained in the tome. The voodoo doll was curled up within a magical silver circle, snoring as it slept.
The Chip's notification rang out in Greem's mind.
[Beep. 17 hours, 16 minutes, 54 seconds before the voodoo doll completely digests the plague virus.
[73 hours, 28 minutes, 13 seconds before the voodoo doll spits out poisonsoul seeds.]
Greem nodded in satisfaction.
"Everyone take a rest here for a while. Thirty-seven hours from now, we will obtain our first batch of poisonsoul seeds. Then we can go out for a big fight!"
Everyone was firmly confident in Greem's words.
One could say that the reason the adepts were willing to follow Greem into this place of risk was that they believed in Greem's insight and power.
In all honesty, Greem's faction was still too weak right now.
If one were to count with their fingers, it would seem as if the number of adepts that Greem had gathered at Fire Throne had exceeded the number of adepts the Sarubo had stationed in the Feidnan City tower.
Did that mean that the strength of Greem's faction was
beyond the power of the Sarubo headquarters?
No, of course not. If anyone honestly thought so, they would be an ignorant and foolish person!
One couldn't assume the strength of Greem's factions by their current numbers. There might seem to be a wealth of talent, but how many would be left once the bloody and cruel planar war came to its conclusion?
It was important to note that the Sarubo Clan had lost nine adepts before barely managing to conquer the Knight's Plane, even with Sixth Grade Great Adept Sarubo backing them and two Third Grade adepts as the principal military force.
The Goblin Plane that Greem had picked might be far weaker than the Knight's Plane on an overall scale, but they still had their ace–magic energy–hidden up their sleeves. If they engaged in a frontal confrontation with the Goblin Empire, the number of adept casualties would be absolutely terrifying!
Could Greem's faction pay such a high price?
To avoid his faction being worn down, Greem could only take on most of the risk himself, while thinking of alternative methods to wear away at the strength of the goblins.
In such a situation, an inconspicuous plague undoubtedly became his best option!
Chapter 509 Poison Halo
Two days later, the first poisonsoul seed was finally born.
Bug Adept Billis became the first adept to leave the group.
The main party continued to advance towards the capital of the Goblin Empire, Anvilmar. Billis, on the other hand, brought the poisonsoul seed with him and went down south. The mission Greem had given to him was to soak the poisonsoul seed for fifteen minutes in the wells and water sources of every goblin town and city.
This mission wasn't exactly difficult, but it wasn't easy either.
The mission first required Billis to possess some means of remaining stealthed. After all, it required a non-goblin to walk into Empire territories and get close to vital water sources. That presented a challenge in and of itself!
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