The Ice Elemental Plane, the quarry outside Frostplain Fortress.
Using the excuse of supervising the slaves mining ice crystal ore, Hammerbone finally managed to leave that fortress where the air was forever tainted with the foul stench of sulfur.
Away from that bone-chilling Demon, his perpetually tense nerves could finally relax a little.
He found an excuse to duck into his thick animal hide tent, comfortably sprawled on the soft furs, rubbing his belly as he lazily stole a comfortable little nap.
In his hazy dream, he saw Army Commander Splitfang being persecuted by Ea, while he, the loyal and brave Hammerbone, resolutely broke with the Demon and became the new Goblin Army Commander.
To defeat the hateful Demon, he trained tirelessly day and night, painstakingly nurtured the army, and was even forced to cooperate with those chubby Slimes from the Eastern Swamp...
Huh?
Wait, that's not right.
The logical flaw appearing in the dream was like a needle, instantly puncturing his beautiful fantasy and jolting him wide awake.
"Phew... just a nightmare."
"How could a mighty warrior like Hammerbone ever cooperate with those detestable, cunning Slimes? It would be a disgrace."
He summoned the Goblin Shaman guarding outside, ordering it to add more slow-burning lichen blocks and firewood to the stone firepit in the center of the tent, making the fire burn brighter to drive away some of the chill.
Then he decided to roll over and continue his beauty sleep.
As for returning to Frostplain Fortress?
Going back was out of the question.
The slaves here spoke so sweetly, calling him Lord Hammerbone with every breath, and were so weak they could only submit to his bullying.
How could it compare to the comfort here, next to that capricious Demon.
Moreover, deep down, he had absolutely no interest in Ea's so-called planar conquest plan.
His lifelong pursuit was merely to gain greater strength, ultimately defeating Army Commander Splitfang in a fair and square duel to become the new Army Commander.
But now, the entire army had fallen into the hands of this outsider Demon. What was the point of pursuing these things anymore?
Forget it, better not think about it.
Sleeping is pretty good too...
Hammerbone scratched his slightly itchy butt, preparing to close his eyes for a nap.
Just as his eyelids began to droop, about to slip into dreams again, a commotion of panicked shouts and disturbances suddenly erupted outside the tent.
And the commotion grew louder and louder, mixed with goblin shrieks and chaotic footsteps, instantly driving away all his drowsiness.
Hammerbone's temper flared immediately. He sprang up, roughly threw aside the heavy hide door flap, ready to curse.
He saw groups of disheveled, disarmed, and utterly defeated goblin remnants stumbling and fleeing back.
Judging by the direction they were fleeing from, they seemed to be from that annoying fellow Grumg's unit.
He instantly realized something had happened at the frontlines and hurried back to Frostplain Fortress.
Just as he entered the unfinished main keep hall, he saw Ea standing with a grim face in the howling icy wind, his blood-red eyes scanning below.
The surviving goblins around were crouching on the ground, trembling, not daring to even breathe loudly for fear of attracting his attention.
Hammerbone cautiously approached, lowering his voice to ask the nearby goblins, and only then learned the news from the frontlines.
Those Slimes had appeared in the Dark Realm too?
And they managed to leave that fool Grumg behind there?
This news was truly...
Absolutely fantastic!!!
Hammerbone almost laughed out loud on the spot, his heart instantly filled with schadenfreude. That ogre who always looked down on others because he knew a bit of magic was actually finished.
Died so well.
And reportedly died by crawling into a Filthy Descendant's butt...
Hahaha, serves him right.
But Ea was still standing right in front of him, and he looked to be in a very foul mood.
He forced his expression to become serious and grave, stepped forward, and cautiously asked:
"Lord Ea, what should we do now?"
"Should we immediately muster the army, attack the swamp, and take revenge on those damned Slimes?"
Ea glanced at him, his gaze seeming to pierce through his true inner thoughts.
Though his face remained ugly, his tone carried the certainty of one who had long seen through everything:
"No, we have all underestimated those Slimes... or more accurately, underestimated the forces that might be hidden behind them."
Hammerbone was a bit confused: "M-my Lord, behind them... there are people?"
Ea let out a derisive snort: "Silver Oak Treants, those are ancient trees only Elves could possibly cultivate. Do you think those proud, xenophobic Elves would casually hand over such ancient tree seeds to a bunch of Slimes?"
Hammerbone's brain finally clicked. He drew a sharp breath: "You mean... behind them stands an Elven force?!"
Ea's faint tone left no room for doubt. "An unknown Kingdom, dominating the swamp in just half a year. It's impossible to think it appeared out of thin air."
His eyes flickered with a light of wisdom, his face brimming with confidence, as if he had already seen through the truth beneath the layers of fog.
"There is only one possibility: those council Elves from the Western Mountains have finally been unable to resist, extending their hands here. They are brewing a colossal conspiracy."
His voice carried a trace of excitement at discovering a secret: "They might want to use the swamp as a stronghold to completely encircle the Golden Radiance Valley."
"Only they absolutely wouldn't expect that even this seemingly remote swamp border is already under the Abyss's gaze."
"Their conspiracy has been seen through by me!"
Hammerbone's head buzzed from listening.
Elves, conspiracies... is it really that exaggerated?
Ea waved his hand, issuing an order: "Immediately dispatch someone to return to the Golden Radiance Valley at the fastest speed, report the situation here to Lord Casaric. Tell him the Ancient Tree Council's hand has already reached here."
"Yes, Army Commander!" Hammerbone accepted the order, about to turn and arrange it, then remembered those troublesome Slimes.
So he asked in a low, rumbling voice: "Army Commander, how should we deal with those Slimes? Are we just letting them off for now?"
Ea, with his back to him, gazed into the distance, cautious: "They have the backing of the council Elves behind them. Just sending out one mature War Treant would be enough to crush all our current forces."
"We'll decide after receiving Lord Casaric's reply."
"For now, let them be."
"Coincidentally, some adventurous little mice have come from the south. Let them explore that castle first, then we'll harvest slowly..."
Little mice?
Adventurers from the southern kingdoms?
Before Hammerbone could speak, Ea's murmured words made his heart pound wildly.
"Soon, very soon, the souls and chaos required for the ritual will be gathered..."
Ritual?
Demon rituals often involve soul sacrifice and chaos. This is their main path to increasing power, essentially no different from various trials.
Hammerbone happened to have learned about it from Grumg.
He vaguely guessed that expanding the Filthy Descendant army's scale wasn't just for conquest;
it was more likely to complete a trial.
This land was about to welcome a newborn Greater Demon.
...
The third day after the Thorn Outpost defensive battle ended.
Early this morning, the Stone Fortress town was unusually quiet.
Normally at this time, young Stone Descendants should already be sparring in the training ground, or residents starting their day's busyness, but today they were all gathered outside the town.
At the town's edge, where the path Yano first set foot here began, a brief blessing ceremony was being held.
Yano stood side by side with three other Stone Descendant Shadow Assassins on the path paved with fluorescent moss.
An elder Stone Descendant ancestor who had awakened from slumber personally presided over their blessing.
He extended a hand dotted with stone-like spots, gently sprinkling holy water mixed with Shadow Dust onto the foreheads and weapons of the four expedition members.
The old man chanted softly, ancient Stone Descendant prayers echoing in the still air, beseeching the Lady of Shadows' protection and ancestral guidance for them.
After the ceremony, they would leave the Stone Fortress, advancing towards the deeper, unknown regions of Gore to seek the legendary Gargoyle nest and pursue the mystery of the power left by Duke Castor.
No one knew what exactly lay hidden in those depths.
But decades ago, their heroic ancestor Castor also set foot on this path here, received a similar blessing, ultimately returned successfully, stepped into the extraordinary, and led the subjugated Gargoyle army to rewrite the fate of the Stone Descendants.
Since then, countless Stone Descendants bearing the mission have followed, treading the same path.
Some were forever lost in the darkness, some escaped by chance, developing a fear of the depths, but no second extraordinary being was born.
Today, Yano and the others would also embark on this dangerous path to seek the Stone Descendants' final secret.
After Yano received his blessing, he solemnly and carefully took the Slime that had been perched on his shoulder and placed it into Nilly's open palm beside him.
To ensure they could replicate the trial conditions of Ancestor Castor's time, after entering the depths of Gore, they would sever all contact with the outside world, relying only on their own strength, wisdom, and courage to face all challenges.
Carrying any external aid that might upset the balance, such as a certain Slime, was forbidden.
"Boss, don't worry, I'll be back soon."
Yano stood beside his docile swamp lizard mount, vigorously patting his sturdy chest.
Chen Yu bounced once on Nilly's palm, jumped onto her shoulder, then turned to look at Yano.
"Remember, if you can't win, run. Don't just stand there foolishly taking hits."
"If you really can't pass, pay more attention to any local specialties inside, like strange ores, unfamiliar plants, or Magical Creatures. Bring some back for me to taste."
Honestly, with Yano's current strength level, even if he returned to the White Horse Kingdom, becoming a Knight Captain would be a breeze, and competing for a Knight Commander position wasn't impossible.
If he encountered the Gargoyles that attacked them when they first entered Gore, the current Yano could probably cut through them like slicing vegetables with one sword strike.
Even if he ultimately couldn't pass the trial, retreating safely shouldn't be a big problem.
Moreover, Chen Yu had secretly prepared quite a bit of logistical supplies for Yano, like talent orbs, Magic Leaves, and such, all placed in the saddlebags carried by the lizard mount.
Nilly also crossed her arms, looking at Yano and reminding him: "You are the first from our family to enter the depths of Gore as a knight. Your survival ability is also much stronger than other Stone Descendants."
"But no one can say for sure about the situation in the depths. If you really encounter dangers you can't handle, come back first. Even just bringing back some information about the depths is very valuable for the family."
Chen Yu looked at Nilly, curiously asking: "Speaking of which, how long have you been here? Have you ever gone in yourself?"
Nilly let out a big yawn.
"My dear Lord, haven't you heard that a true gentleman never asks a lady her age?"
She waved her hand, her tone carrying a complaint: "As for going in, Auntie still has to watch over this bunch of overly energetic youngsters in the Stone Fortress. Where would I find the leisure to go adventuring in the depths?"
Listening to their conversation, Yano couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
He gave a final check to the maps, rations, water, and emergency medicine in his saddlebags, confirmed everything was in order, then deftly swung himself onto the swamp lizard.
"Uncle! Do your best!"
"Come back soon!"
Elara, Leon, and Max also squeezed through the crowd, excitedly waving vigorously at Yano.
"Goodbye."
"Boss, Auntie, wait for me to return!"
Yano waved forcefully at the seeing-off crowd, his gaze lingering on Chen Yu and Nilly's faces for a moment, then resolutely turned the lizard's head. Along with the other three silent Stone Descendant figures, he gradually disappeared at the end of the path.
"Sigh..."
Nilly gazed in the direction they disappeared, letting out a slight sigh, revealing a trace of melancholy.
"Now I feel another year older."
She was already accustomed to such farewells. Without lingering, she turned around holding Chen Yu and walked back towards the town interior.
Along the way, Chen Yu asked many more questions about the situation in the depths of Gore, such as known terrain, possible special Magical Creatures encountered, or if there were any landmark locations.
But most of Nilly's answers were "uncertain," "records are vague," or "it feels different every time we go in."
"You Stone Descendants have lived here for so long. Haven't you ever tried to pioneer a route into the depths?" Chen Yu couldn't help but ask.
Nilly spread her hands, explaining: "It's not just ordinary darkness inside. Even Shadow Perception becomes blurry after entering."
"There are also various dangerous Magical Creatures, perilous ancient magical traps. Even if we spend a huge cost to barely pioneer a path, by the next year when we look for it, it might be completely different, or even impossible to find."
"Eh? Wait..." As Nilly spoke, she suddenly seemed to remember something, stopping in her tracks, causing Chen Yu on her shoulder to sway.
The problem with pioneering a deep route was the difficulty of maintenance.
But if they commissioned the Slime Kingdom for help, using that strange construction ability to build a tunnel leading to the depths...
It actually seemed feasible.