Outside the Royal Capital White Horse City, the breath of early spring, like a shy maiden, quietly brushed over this land that had endured much warfare and suffering.
The streams formed from melting snow broke free from the ice's restraint, babbling as they flowed over shallow shoals strewn with pebbles. The river water was so clear you could see to the bottom, where several silver-scaled small fish nimbly darted among the stones.
On both banks of the river stretched vast groves of birch and oak trees. A few gray-brown wild rabbits cautiously poked their heads out from the bushes, their moist black noses twitching as they sniffed the air for scents of fresh grass and danger.
Everything seemed immersed in the tranquility and vitality of early spring's awakening.
At that moment, a hand covered in cracks like molten rock slowly extended. The fingers of this hand were unusually slender, with prominent knuckles. It aimed at a robin singing cheerfully on a branch and made a slight upward gesture.
The robin's song on the branch abruptly ceased.
Its tiny body stiffened suddenly, as if pulled by invisible threads. It detached from the branch without warning and fell into that dark red palm.
The bird fluttered helplessly a few times in the palm, the jewel-like eyes in its head rapidly losing all brilliance, becoming hollow and gray. A faint white glow drifted out from its body and was then silently absorbed by that hand.
"Haha, truly the soul of early spring, always carrying a fragile beauty of breaking out of its shell."
"It's just a pity... everything before us is merely a fleeting illusion. The cold will descend once more."
A deep gray, constantly twisting and writhing figure, like thick smoke, appeared, floating slightly behind Casaric.
Morrigan's elusive voice sounded, carrying surprise.
"Winter hasn't passed yet? Haha, the Lord of the Infernal Forge actually cares about the weather in the Material Plane."
Casaric did not turn around, still looking at the river. He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if savoring every subtle change in the air.
"Morrigan, as a life born from shadow, the warmth of sunlight, the moist scent of thawed earth, the vitality of budding plants carried on the wind... these are probably vague and distant sensations for you."
He extended the hand that had just strangled the robin's soul, fingers slightly spread as if caressing the intangible spring breeze.
"This wind seems gentle, yet it still carries the magical energy blowing from the polar ice fields. This year's Zeyarila... is far from as simple as it appears on the surface."
He paused, his voice taking on a tone of enjoyment.
"But this is precisely this world's greatest charm, isn't it? In the eternally burning 'Burning Capital,' there is only endless magma, sulfur, and the wails of agony. One cannot feel such refreshing and ever-changing weather there."
Morrigan emitted a strange "heh heh" laugh.
"It seems the deities are not particularly favoring those green-skinned beasts from the north. The warm spring they yearn for appears to be delayed."
"Do not underestimate them, Morrigan." Casaric walked slowly along the riverbank. "The orcs struggled forth from the harsh environment of the snow plains. Ice, snow, and resilience flow in their bloodline."
"Even heavy snow blocking the roads cannot truly hinder their savage and stubborn will. Compared to pondering the weather, our recent situation... cannot be considered favorable."
When he spoke the last sentence, his tone became somewhat meaningful.
Morrigan's shadow fluctuated slightly, revealing his inner turmoil.
He understood what Casaric meant by 'recent'—the fall of Chester Garrison City, the Southern Territory essentially falling into the hands of the Restoration Army, and simultaneously, the orc army advancing toward the Royal Capital.
Morrigan's voice immediately became low and heavy.
"Those slimes, they impersonated followers of the church, deceived the commander of the Southern Army, and even tricked the Merchant Alliance. I must admit, the enemy's cunning and audacity exceeded my initial imagination."
Casaric slowly shook his head. His flame-like eyes looked at Morrigan's shadow incarnation, his gaze seeming to pierce through that layer of darkness.
"Imagination? No, Morrigan, that was your mistake. You underestimated the opponent and overestimated our allies' ability to discern."
"Now, the Southern Territory's land supply lines are severed. A coup has occurred within the Merchant Alliance because of this. The faction cooperating with us has been purged. The new power holders are hostile toward us... You have cost me a great deal."
"This doesn't quite match your initial promise of a stable rear, resource acquisition, and faith expansion. Moreover, I have not obtained what I desired."
Morrigan fell silent for a moment, as if weighing his words. Only after a long while did he speak again.
"The remnants of the sun are indeed buried deep underground in the 'Forge Region.' This is absolutely true."
"But that place is shrouded by the lingering will of Ignis. Approaching recklessly would only invite divine punishment. Currently, the church's missionary work is frustrated within the Merchant Alliance, and follower growth is slow... The New Sun needs more faith, more fervent worship, to accumulate sufficient power to penetrate Ignis's will and retrieve the sun's remains."
"I promise you, great Lord of the Infernal Forge, once we obtain the sun's remnants, the church will spare no effort to forge for you the most dazzling New Sun Crown. It will help you command light and heat, becoming the true ruler of this land."
Casaric did not show much excitement or satisfaction at Morrigan's promise, speaking calmly instead.
"No one can take free chips from my hand, Morrigan."
"This is the most fundamental rule of both the Abyss and the Material Plane. You need to prove your value, not merely paint a blueprint of the future. This is the fairest transaction."
He stopped walking and turned to face the twisting shadow, flames dancing in his eyes.
"If you cannot fulfill everything you have promised, then I will reclaim everything I have bestowed upon you, including what you currently possess."
Morrigan's shadow seemed to contract slightly before returning to its original state.
He replied, "I have already made arrangements. The seeds of the New Sun have already, taking advantage of the chaos, quietly infiltrated the interior of the Slime Kingdom."
"All we need is to wait for a suitable opportunity, for the New Sun's miracle to descend upon that land ruled by magical creatures. Then the faith power I control can increase. At that time, I will have greater confidence to touch those sun remnants."
Casaric gave a slight nod, neither affirming nor denying. "I hope so."
The two continued walking slowly along the riverbank, stepping on the damp pebbles and fine sand.
After a brief silence, Morrigan suddenly asked, "I heard Morgana recently sought you out. She paid a price to redeem a human knight's soul from you?"
Casaric responded with interest, "Oh? You're concerned about your dear sister's movements?"
Morrigan's shadow emitted a cold chuckle.
"The struggle among the Shadow Scions has lasted for a millennium. We were born from the shadow source. Our sole mission is to devour each other until the final victor regains control of the complete Shadow Authority and transforms into the true Shadow Dragon."
"My 'good sister' Morgana has never given up on the idea of devouring me."
He paused, his voice becoming even more profound. "And Lide. This knight's soul is very special, perfectly suited to become a Shadow Scion's contractor, just like the bond between you and me."
Casaric stopped walking again, looking at Morrigan's shadow with keen interest. "You fear a human knight?"
Morrigan answered, "Not fear, but vigilance. I cannot see through his soul. He does not know what fear is. His will is firm to the point of near obsession. He is a person completely centered on his own will."
"Such a person, for beings like us, would be the most troublesome and unpredictable opponent."
Casaric did not comment further on the traits of Lide's soul, as if remembering something.
"Do you remember Ark? That not-so-promising Iron Cavalry of mine."
"His soul is probably still held in the hands of that Slime King to this day. To avoid drawing attention, he is currently lying low with the Third Prince Alec in some corner of the kingdom's east. Morgana... seems very interested in them."
Morrigan's shadow hesitated slightly.
"The Third Prince? That believer chosen by the Corruption Morgul?"
"Correct." Casaric's voice carried a pleasure akin to appreciating a work of art. "A rather interesting human."
"A soul repeatedly scorched by extreme hatred and love, full of contradictions and madness. This is the chaotic sustenance the Corruption Morgul favors most, and simultaneously... it is also my favorite type of soul."
Morrigan understood the implication behind Casaric's words—he was condoning, even delighting in, watching Morgana make contact and cooperate with that Third Prince who was under the Corruption's attention. Perhaps this could brew even more interesting chaos, bringing him more delicious souls.
Morrigan said no more. His shadow began to thin, preparing to leave.
However, Casaric spoke again, stopping him.
"One more thing, Morrigan. Investigate clearly what exactly that sacred relic was that those slimes used when impersonating your followers."
"According to the intelligence reports, it was a rather dangerous weapon."
"And interestingly, those slimes seem to have successfully deceived the orcs, skillfully shifting all blame onto the church."
"Have your followers lay low recently. Those green-skinned beasts of the Orc Palaver will not be polite to you."
At the mention of this, Morrigan's shadow immediately fluctuated violently, revealing his extreme inner turmoil.
The Slime Kingdom's move of impersonation and blame-shifting was truly vicious. Not only did it allow them to successfully breach the iron-walled garrison city from within, but it also made the New Sun Church, completely unaware, simultaneously offend the Merchant Alliance, the remnants of the southern nobility, and the Orc Palaver.
If he hadn't lived for over a thousand years, witnessed countless schemes and intrigues, and honed his mind to icy coldness, he might have truly died of anger.
His voice became sinister. "I will investigate this clearly. And I will make those despicable, scheming slime monsters pay the due price for this!"
Casaric gave a slight nod, not particularly concerned with Morrigan's angry declaration.
A weapon capable of killing a Greater Demon was certainly terrifying. But for a Greater Demon of his 13th level, that degree of attack was probably little different from a child's toy.
If this truly was the Slime Kingdom's hidden secret weapon, it would instead indicate that these swamp magical creatures were still far from posing a genuine challenge to his Infernal Legion.
What he truly needed to be wary of were still the orcs from the northern "Karl" Palaver.
This was not scattered rabble, but a rising empire.
Those orcs possessed secrets and powers buried in the snow plains for thousands of years. Their shamans could converse with Ancestral Spirits and nature. Their warriors had forged wills and bodies of steel in the extreme cold.
This was the opponent that could not be ignored.
He was already weary of the eternally unchanging scenery of the "Burning Capital"—the churning magma lakes, the sulfur smoke pillars, and the eternal wails of souls burning in agony.
For a Greater Demon who craved conquest and fresh souls, nothing was more terrifying than prolonged comfort.
The Burning Capital was like a magnificent cage, forever imprisoning him and the demons within the volcano's crater.
Casaric gazed into the distance at the faint outline of White Horse City. Perhaps only here, this land filled with hope and despair, could possibly become the demons' true home in the Material Plane.
Morrigan's shadow did not respond again. Like a wisp of black smoke merging into the spring light and shadow, it silently dissipated into the air by the riverbank.
He had left. It was unknown whether to investigate the slimes' sacred relic or to deal with the new threats his sister Morgana and the Third Prince Alec might bring.
Casaric stood alone, still towering on the early spring riverbank.
His tall figure was incongruous with the surrounding scene of awakening nature.
He looked up. His flame-like eyes seemed to penetrate the distance of space, gazing far toward the northern horizon.
That was the direction of the Orc Palaver "Karl," and also the source of the cold wind.
Cold... a wonderful scent.
His thoughts carried a hint of anticipation.
"I hope it brings a little surprise to my enemies."
Slime Kingdom, outskirts of Slime City, shipyard port construction site.
The former tranquility of the swamp was gone, replaced by a scene of bustling, fiery and fervent construction.
Anvil and the Slime Engineers were gesturing and directing. Then slimes, lined up in neat queues, went "squelch squelch" hopping about, using "Land Hardening" to tamp the originally soft, muddy swamp ground firm and level.
According to the engineering plan jointly formulated by Selene and Princess Little Flower, the first-phase goal was to excavate and construct a giant deep-dock shipyard over a hundred meters in both length and width right in this swamp.
This shipyard not only needed to be massive enough to accommodate the construction and initial assembly of the Floating Fortress's main body, which was comparable to a small town, but also required supporting facilities like corresponding magic formation laying areas, material processing factories, component prefabrication yards, energy core installation platforms, and a series of other complex facilities.
The entire construction period was required to be compressed as much as possible, with the goal of completing the main excavation and foundation reinforcement work before the end of February.
Even for the Slime Kingdom, which possessed a vast number of Slime Artisans and dwarf artisans, this was an extremely daunting challenge.
The swamp geology was soft and prone to collapse, groundwater was abundant, and construction was difficult. And what they needed to do wasn't just excavation and water pumping; they also had to deal with the swamp creatures originally inhabiting here and potential magical creature hazards.
To this end, the kingdom mobilized almost all available engineering forces. The Slime Kingdom even recruited some human and Lizardfolk laborers willing to participate in large-scale projects in exchange for payment.
At the edge of the construction site, a stretch of temporary barracks and canteens had already been set up. Cooking smoke curled upward, providing logistical support for this massive construction legion.
But this wasn't enough. They needed a settlement the size of a small town to accommodate the huge labor force.
Anvil planned to build a town large enough to house even more people on this leveled land to meet the artisans' residential needs.