108. Setting Up Camp

“A large number of armed personnel of unknown intent—immediately go on high alert!” The berserker squad leader in charge of the watch issued an urgent alarm and commanded the more than twenty thousand berserker infantry who had landed first to assume defensive formations. Normally, berserkers rarely resorted to defense; they firmly believed in the saying once spoken by Mo Fei: offense is the best defense. But now, with friend and foe unclear and the enemy’s identity unknown, they had no choice but to adopt a defensive posture.

“Wind!” the squad leader shouted—a signal for the crossbowmen to prepare for attack. At his command, over twenty thousand berserkers swiftly raised their massive crossbows, aiming at the approaching unknown armed force.

“Cavalry unit, prepare to charge!” Cain loudly ordered nearly a thousand heavily armored cavalry pressing forward. Immediately, the defending berserker infantry parted to create a corridor, through which the thousand death riders formed a wedge-shaped formation, ready to break the enemy’s lines.

“Let’s see who they really are first. We don’t even know why they’re here; maybe they’re just passing through,” Mo Fei remarked calmly.

“Stop advancing immediately, or you will be attacked!” the squad leader warned loudly toward the approaching armed group.

Clearly, the group was unaware that this abandoned dock was occupied by armed forces. Hearing the berserker squad leader’s command, they tensed. A mounted commander waved his hand, and his cavalry dispersed into a fan-shaped formation facing the defending berserker infantry. Neither side spoke.

Seeing that their mounts resembled horses but were actually magical beasts, Mo Fei was quite surprised. These smaller beasts were much faster than the berserker death riders’ mounts but lacked their charging power. They served primarily as rapid mobility forces. In a head-on clash, there was no comparison—the berserker cavalry rode colossal magical beasts towering over the enemy by more than half a body height, granting them a commanding advantage. The enemy’s dream of breaking the berserker cavalry formation was hopeless.

The enemy commander also noticed the imposing thousand-strong giant beast cavalry array opposing them. Their smaller mounts emitted uneasy vibrations; if not for their riders’ firm control, they might have retreated instinctively. Other cavalry showed similar signs of nervousness.

These troops had just retreated from the frontline, exhausted and battle-worn. Though they outnumbered the berserkers two to one, most of their soldiers were injured. How could they possibly hope to defeat this fresh and ferocious enemy? Just as they hesitated, the opposing side sent a message.

“We are not your enemies. Please leave immediately. We will not attack you,” the squad leader relayed loudly under Mo Fei’s direction.

Mo Fei and Cain recognized that this force had just endured a fierce battle; the warriors on their mounts bore injuries and looked grim—clear evidence of recent hardship.

The commanding officer listened and ordered his troops to slowly withdraw, circumventing the dock. Only when they had completely disappeared did Mo Fei relax.

“Our ship’s food supply can sustain us for nearly a month. If that’s not enough, we can bring more through the magic portal,” Mo Fei said after the enemy had retreated. “But right now, our priority is building a defensive fortress. Once that’s done, everyone will feel secure and eat better. If nerves remain tense all the time, that won’t do anyone any good.” He turned to Elder Off and Cain.

“Judging by their mounts, I wonder if all their cavalry use these small beasts,” Elder Off mused.

“Probably. They looked terrified facing our heavy cavalry just now. I doubt they’ve ever seen such massive mounts,” Cain replied.

“I’ve got it,” Mo Fei said, scanning the dock’s surroundings. “Look at the dock’s shape—it’s like a sharp dagger extending out. If we dig a wide enough trench here that the cavalry can’t leap across, then flood it, that natural barrier would replace the need for a high wall. They have few stones, but surely there’s forest nearby. We can fell giant trees to build defensive walls along the trench. Since it’s surrounded by water, fire attacks won’t work. Besides, our crossbows have ultra-long range. Ordinary soldiers won’t get close to this water fortress.”

“Exactly. Then we build a wooden bridge connecting to the outside. When we want to go out or let someone in, we lower the bridge; otherwise, it stays raised. If we dig the trench deep and wide enough, maybe we can even send small warships inside to assist defense. Brilliant plan, Your Highness,” Elder Off exclaimed, suddenly enlightened.

Mo Fei smiled wryly at being called “Your Highness” but thought there was no need for small warships. Their attack power was weak, and if one accidentally sank in the trench, it would only benefit the enemy.

Without delay, Elder Off used the magic teleportation array to summon tens of thousands of workers still finishing projects in Storm City. They selected a site and began digging.

Fortunately, Mo Fei’s teleportation array was enormous, unlike the smaller ones in the Death Empire. Otherwise, transporting thirty or forty thousand workers here might have taken weeks.

With so many workers and a relatively small area, progress was swift. In just a month, they had excavated a nearly ten-meter-wide, over four-meter-deep curved trench filled with water as a defensive moat. Apart from a few small armed groups passing by, no large enemy forces had approached since, and those small parties fled at the sight of the berserkers’ numbers and gear.

The scouting team sent to find the forest returned with news. A large, primeval forest lay beneath the mountains about ten miles to the right. After digging the moat, the thirty to forty thousand workers, protected by berserker cavalry, went to harvest countless logs. Building defensive walls from wood was far more challenging than with stone. Thousands of master dwarven carpenters from the Death Empire spent nearly a month just drilling holes and carving grooves in the massive logs. Once the fittings were ready, the rest was easier: digging foundations, erecting logs one by one, aligning and locking them firmly, raising a sturdy wooden wall. Now they just needed to build a platform sturdy enough to stand on and figure out how to suspend the massive wooden bridge—it was terrifyingly heavy.

During this time, Mo Fei was not idle. He led two hundred berserker death riders and ten bear-clan mages to scout the surroundings. Elder Off accompanied them, enjoying the view even more.

Passing by the timber harvest site, Elder Off’s eyes gleamed, fixated on a mountain beside the forest, and he drooled uncontrollably.

“Is there something delicious on that mountain?” Mo Fei wondered, amused by the elder’s sharp gaze from so far away.

He was right—there was something valuable in the mountain, though not edible.

“Your Highness,” Elder Off said again, “our luck has arrived.”

“Elder Off, watch your manners! Look at the drool everywhere... Ah, what did you say? Luck?” Mo Fei exclaimed, curious. “Could it be diamonds or platinum? Where? Where?”

Eileen, watching their exchange, laughed so hard she doubled over.

“What are you doing?” Elder Off snapped, regaining composure. “You’re a sovereign—maintain your dignity!”

“That’s your fault. I thought someone dropped something on the road,” Mo Fei chuckled. He knew Elder Off must have seen something to behave so uncharacteristically.

“Your Highness, look closely at the forest’s trees. Do you notice anything different?” Elder Off pointed toward the forest at the mountain’s foot.

“They’re just taller, aren’t they? I can’t see much else,” Mo Fei replied.

“What about the leaves and trunks? Look carefully. Do they seem different from the others?”

“The color seems deeper. The trunks—I can’t tell without getting closer.” They approached the forest’s edge, and Mo Fei examined the trees carefully.

“The bark looks slightly cracked here, and these trees are larger than others. The cracks feel somewhat sandy to the touch.” He even touched the sap oozing from the fissures.

“Exactly. Your Highness, I don’t need to touch it myself—I know what you’re sensing. There must be a large mineral deposit underground. We don’t know what kind yet, but it’s certainly there, and it’s sizable,” Elder Off declared decisively.