CH 341

"I'm trying to contact Official Dulite for help," said Prince Toruse.

"Looks like connections are useful wherever you go. Power is always useful," said Zhang Bao'er as he clicked his tongue.

About 10 minutes later, a group of mechanical birds flew toward Skyhawk.

"Looks like Prince Toruse has successfully pulled his strings," I said to Old Du.

Sure enough, the birds split into two. One of them stopped in front of Skyhawk and sent a message to our ship.

"Official Dulite is requesting that we follow the mechanical birds into Gero City," said Lin Feixue.

We did not waste any time. Under the astonished gazes of the many people waiting in line, Skyhawk was brought straight to Rumble's surface. Not far away from us, a ship also split from the line to head toward the surface. That was Prince Toruse's ship. After passing through the checkpoint on the defensive line, we landed on a green prairie.

"Why aren't we flying straight to Gero City?" asked Old Du doubtfully.

A convoy of black carriages pulled by mechanical beasts approached us from afar. Before long, they arrived before Skyhawk. An individual bearing a familiar face stepped off the first carriage. It was Official Dulite.

Upon seeing that it was Official Dulite, Lin Feixue opened Skyhawk's door. With Zhang Xingxing at the front, we all followed her out of the ship. I did not forget to put Bulu in my backpack before leaving.

The fresh air, the gentle breeze, and the lush grass around us gave us a comfortable sensation that helped us momentarily forget the cruel war that was being waged. A loud rumble pulled us all back to reality. At that time, I noticed that Prince Toruse's ship had stopped beside our ship.

"Prince, His Majesty is waiting for you at the palace," said Dulite with a respectful bow.

"Why did we stop so far away instead of flying straight to Gero City?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"Yeah. We had just gone through a cruel battle. We're all exhausted," I said.

"My apologies, everyone. Ships with such firepower are not allowed to approach Gero City. We also have an agreement with the Divine Empire that we won't allow any non-allied battleships to enter Gero City. Even taking you here is very risky for us. As for your exhaustion, don't worry about it. His Majesty has prepared a banquet to welcome you," said Official Dulite.

Beside me, Domo made the sound of someone vomiting at the mention of a banquet.

"You should keep your feast for those Sacred Wing fellows," suggested Domo, clearly intending to cause some suffering to the three Sacred Wings among us.

After the short conversation, we entered the carriages and started heading toward Gero City. The green grassland spread as far as our eyes could see. It was a beautiful scene that I was so deeply infatuated with that I had a sudden urge to ride a horse through the endless prairie. 

After a while, we finally saw the Wargod race's spiritual totem, the mechanical divine bird far in the sky ahead of us. The divine bird would always be flying in the sky above Gero City. Thus, the sight of the divine bird signified that we were going to reach Gero City soon.

Before long, our convoy reached the edge of the basin where the elevators used to be. I found to my astonishment that a wide inclined path had been built, connecting the edge of the basin straight to Gero City's main gate. Instead of taking the elevator, we could continue ahead through the path.

"Looks like the Wargods have greatly improved their construction capabilities," said Zhang Bao'er.

I noticed that Anxashe looked extremely emotional. Anyone would grow emotional upon returning to one's homeland after several close brushes with death. We could also see that tall walls had also been erected around the city which had no walls previously. Stationed on the walls were fully armed Wargod soldiers. However, very few pedestrians could be seen moving around in the city. Gero City was no longer the bustling city it once was.

A sturdy Wargod guard approached us and said, "Esteemed guests, King Carter is waiting for you. Please come with me."

A massive mechanical beast came out from behind the gate, pulling a beautiful carriage behind it.

"Wow, this carriage looks really luxurious. Look, it even has many precious stones embedded in its doors," said Domo as his eyes lit up with greed.

Under the guard's guidance, we entered the luxurious carriage. The massive mechanical beast dragged the carriage and moved rapidly toward the palace. A Wargod soldier was seated at the front of the carriage, serving as the coachman.

Inside, we saw that the city had changed considerably from before. The civilians we encountered looked unhappy, and all sorts of war fortifications were being constructed all over the city. On the streets, there were more mechanical birds than actual living individuals, all busy patrolling the city.

"After the surprise attack by the Sacred Wings, King Carter had decreed that sufficient war fortifications must be built in Gero City as a precaution," explained Official Dulite upon noticing our doubtful looks.

As the carriage continued moving forward, I abruptly felt someone poke me. I looked over and saw that it was Old Du.

"Canyue, did you notice something odd about this carriage?" whispered Old Du.

I was alarmed and started observing the carriage in greater detail. Sure enough, I noticed something unusual.

"Domo is stealing the embedded precious stones," I informed Old Du.

Old Du snorted and told me to keep observing. However, I did not find anything else even after looking over the carriage several times. I could only helplessly request the answer from Old Du.

"Did you notice that all the windows are locked? The sole exit is also guarded by a Wargod soldier. This looks more like a prisoner carriage," said Old Du. My heart skipped a beat at his words.

He was right. Just as I was about to sink into thought, the carriage stopped. The familiar statue of King Carter appeared before us. We had arrived at the Kenante palace. The Wargod soldier seated at the exit opened the door and gestured at us to leave.

"Old Du, you are being too paranoid. See, they're inviting us to leave the carriage. I think the windows are precautions against thieves like Domo," I said.

"I don't think this is so simple. I have a bad feeling," said Old Du.

Before long, all of us were out of the carriage. Standing neatly beside the path leading to the palace entrance were armed Wargod soldiers who fully displayed the martial prowess of their race. This was also a unique sight that would be more common during times of war.

Official Dulite led us toward the king's audience hall. We were told that a banquet was waiting for us there. Our friends from the Sacred Wing race had never experienced a Wargod feast before, so they looked exceptionally excited. They were probably feeling rather hungry, but the rest of us were restless.

"We're supposed to be allies. Why are they welcoming us with fully armed soldiers? Be careful, everyone," Zhang Xingxing's reminder suddenly came from the communicator.

"Looks like the commander has the same thought. She also feels that something isn't right," said Old Du to me.

With the reminder, I turned on my suit's weaponry system. We reached the audience hall shortly after. The hall looked completely different from what we remembered. King Carter was seated on a tall throne, surrounded by burly Wargod guards.

When you're just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"My friends, how have you been?" greeted the king as he stood up with a smile on his face. Unlike our previous visit, he did not step forth to personally welcome us.

"Esteemed King Carter, it has been a while. You look well. That is worth celebrating in this age of war," said Prince Toruse.

The hall's outer ring was filled with numerous dining tables. Further outside were numerous standing attendants. The terrifying Wargod feast was awaiting us.

"Are you seeing this? We need to eat our fill this time!" said Lamo to Somo in excitement.

"The universe is in chaos. As a king, the only thing I can do is protect my people and stay away from conflicts," said King Carter.

"But your people are the Wargods, the strongest people in the universe. You should face all evil bravely. Those who are weak are most certainly awaiting your assistance," said Zhang Xingxing emotionally. 

"Evil? How do you decide if a faction is evil? The Divine Empire has not attacked our homeland. For us, they are not evil. At the very least, they have granted my people a peaceful environment to live in," said King Carter.

"Esteemed king, you need to see further ahead. The empire is not attacking this place because they are fearful of the Wargods and do not wish to fight multiple opponents at the same time. After defeating the league, the emperor will definitely turn against Kenante. The emperor is not the type of person who would tolerate the existence of a powerful race within his sphere of influence," said Baron Sisse.

"Exactly, esteemed king. You need to understand that facing the empire, we are ultimately dependent upon each other," said Zhang Xingxing.

Despite our persuasions, King Carter remained unconvinced. Instead, he looked at us expressionlessly and coldly said, "Start the banquet."