117. The Grand Army Returns

After seeing off the envoys of King Yan, Mo Fei knew he had to speed up the army's withdrawal. Perhaps they wouldn’t wait for the magicians to arrive; he would have to take matters into his own hands.

However, his immediate task was to pry Elder Ove away from the treasures sent by King Yan. Elder Ove kept inspecting this and that, muttering incessantly under his breath.

“Elder, Elder...” Mo Fei’s words fell on deaf ears as Elder Ove ignored him. When Mo Fei waved his hand in front of his eyes, the elder simply brushed it away.

Just then, Cain walked in and burst out laughing. “That old man always acts like this whenever he sees good things. Getting him to snap out of it is no easy feat.”

“Is it really that hard? Watch me.” Mo Fei smiled, took a deep breath, and shouted, “Fire! Quick, put out the fire!”

Sure enough, at the mention of fire, Elder Ove hurriedly covered all the boxes, his speed leaving Mo Fei and the others speechless. Seeing Elder Ove clutch a box and rush toward the exit, Mo Fei quickly called out, “Elder...”

“Ah, Your Majesty! There’s a fire! Help me move these treasures outside, quickly!” Elder Ove exclaimed.

Eileen and Cain couldn’t help but laugh heartily while Mo Fei wore a look of utter exasperation.

“Ah, there’s no fire? Who just called out then?” Elder Ove realized the ruse and joined the laughter.

“Elder, we can study these items at leisure once we return. Right now, there’s work to be done,” Mo Fei said with a hint of frustration. “We need to establish trade with this continent as soon as possible. Apart from leaving some men at the mines and the docks, the rest should prepare to retreat. Prepare a list of goods we can sell to them. Once the troops are withdrawn, we’ll meet with King Yan.”

“That’s nothing,” Elder Ove said. “What they need most and value are our weapons and equipment. We can see what the Bear Clan has available for trade and use that.”

“Then you prepare that. I’ll start the withdrawal. The men have been out here long enough, and our empire’s defenses aren’t strong right now.”

“Even if they don’t retreat, who would dare cause us trouble?” Elder Ove said dismissively.

That was true. Over the years, the Death Empire had conquered east and west, invincible and having established a foothold on Demon Island. They had even forced the mighty Bear Clan to reconcile, halting their expansion. For their continent, the empire had eliminated a formidable enemy.

This time, facing over two million troops with only five hundred thousand, the enemy had no choice but to withdraw and agree to establish trade zones. News of these events had spread across the two continents, cementing Mo Fei’s reputation as the God of War deeply in everyone’s hearts.

“That’s not something to say lightly,” Mo Fei replied. “After what happened here, I can’t be sure there isn’t an even more powerful adversary out there. It’s always better to be cautious. I enjoy traveling, but only under controllable conditions. What happened here almost slipped beyond our control. In the future, we can’t afford such carelessness.”

“I...” Elder Ove hadn’t expected his casual remark to draw such a lengthy response.

“Prepare well. The army’s withdrawal will take time but will be swift,” Mo Fei said, sensing what Elder Ove wanted to say.

“Cain, you prepare. You’ve been away long enough. Take some men back to the empire. That’s our stronghold. If some unknown enemy invades again, we’ll be finished.”

Indeed, the Death Empire had dispatched its entire army, leaving only newly recruited soldiers to defend. Cain understood but couldn’t dwell on it now with Mo Fei in danger.

“Master, rest assured. I’ve already ordered the brothers who came with the battle ships to return. They’re probably halfway back now. In a few days, once the magicians activate the spatial magic array, I’ll lead the cavalry back first. There’s nothing much going on in the empire, so you can relax.”

“With you here, I believe nothing will go wrong. Now that you’ve brought out the last guard, how can I rest easy? We were too busy before; now finally free, I have to send you back first.”

As they spoke, a magician stumbled in, breathless. “Divine Sovereign, we’ve succeeded! We’ve succeeded!”

“Divine Sovereign?” Cain chuckled. The Bear Clan’s magicians certainly had creative titles.

“Have you managed to activate the spatial magic array?” Mo Fei asked. It hadn’t been two days, and these magicians were remarkable. “Let me see.”

The excited magician ran ahead. Within two days, their mental cohesion had risen to a new level, explaining their excitement.

When Mo Fei, Eileen, Vivian, and Cain arrived at the docks, twenty magicians were already activating the spatial magic array.

“Not bad. It’s the same as the one I opened. How long can they maintain it?”

A nearby magician replied, “Divine Sovereign, we can sustain it for quite some time—long enough for a five-thousand-strong army to pass through.”

“Really?” Mo Fei’s mood lifted. At least now, he wouldn’t have to open the array himself.

“Hey, didn’t you have sixty magicians? Where are the other twenty?” Mo Fei noticed only forty magicians present, wondering if the twenty had fled.

“Divine Sovereign, after successfully activating the array, we sent those twenty in to check if everything was normal.”

“I see,” Mo Fei smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re doing well. Although I don’t know how far you’ve opened the main gate, it’s only at two or three points. Even if it fails, they’ll fall into the nearest magic array and be safe. How long have they been in there?”

“For quite a while.”

Mo Fei nodded approvingly as he watched the twenty magicians calmly maintain the array. They were impressive; they understood after just one lesson. He realized he needed to prepare what to teach them next, lest they find his offerings unimpressive.

Just then, the twenty magicians began emerging from the array.

“We went to the Death Empire’s capital. It’s magnificent, but we almost got caught by their guards—hee hee!” a younger magician exclaimed loudly.

“Well done,” Mo Fei smiled. “You dared to enter on your own. That’s commendable.”

“Ah, Divine Sovereign!” The twenty magicians greeted him respectfully.

“No need for formalities,” Mo Fei chuckled. “You’re doing very well. Once the army withdraws, gradually reduce your numbers and see if anyone can activate this array alone.”

“Yes, Divine Sovereign!” all sixty magicians responded in unison.

“Cain, now that the array is stable, arrange for the cavalry to withdraw first.”

“Yes, Master. I’ll take care of it immediately.” Cain turned to the magicians. “The army is assembled. Rest well and notify me when ready. Withdrawal will begin soon. It’ll be hard on you, but Master will teach you even better magic.”

Mo Fei smiled, impressed by Cain’s tact after all these years.

The magicians replied in unison, “General, rest assured. We are taking shifts to rest. You may withdraw the army now. We’ll activate the array immediately and no longer need rest.”

“Very well. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Cain wasted no time, signaling to the berserker guards. They quickly pulled out unknown instruments and blew into them.

A deep, continuous horn sounded—the signal to retreat. A rousing charge would have a different call.

At the sound, the Death Empire’s heavy cavalry, long prepared, formed small squads and marched toward the docks. Upon arrival, the spatial magic gate opened...