Seeing the onrushing horde of magical creatures, the slaves immediately sensed danger and began to panic, retreating in disarray.

Kane stood at the front, his nerves instantly taut. Though exhausted, he still gripped his weapon tightly, ready to act at any moment.

“Kane, we’re on the same side!”

Anvil, seeing this, hurriedly spread his arms to block between the two sides.

“Don’t be afraid, this is the mysterious force supporting us from behind.”

As if to confirm Anvil’s words, the Nanny Brother perched on his shoulder bobbed his round body up and down in a nodding motion.

Only then did the people reluctantly lower their weapons, though the fear on their faces had not fully faded.

A complicated expression crossed Kane’s face.

He had imagined that the hidden force behind them might be a secret human organization, a mutinous dark elf faction, or even an evil church…

He never expected the supporters to be a group of magical creatures… and that their leader would be an ordinary-looking Slime.

Count Bran, perched atop Peachy’s head, saw through their thoughts. He elegantly straightened a non-existent necktie and looked up haughtily.

“Ingrates. His Majesty the Great Slime saved you, yet you show no gratitude.”

Count Bran’s presence cowed them;

only then did they snap out of their stupor, instinctively bowing and blurting out clumsy phrases like “Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving us.”

Chen Yu, riding on Peachy’s head, did not make a big show of it. He only told Anvil and the others they still needed to secure the mining area and to keep moving forward.

He then lightly leapt down from Peachy’s head. Little Ka crawled quickly over and caught him steadily.

Chen Yu rode on Little Ka’s back, leading the way ahead.

Behind them was Peachy, like a moving fortress, and further back an enormous, well-formed army of magical creatures.

The overwhelming sight made the human slaves tremble with fear, yet none dared make a sound.

When the buzzing of the Poison-stinger Wasp army poured into the fortress’s depths, Kane found a chance and approached Anvil to ask in a low voice, “Anvil, what should we do now?”

He stared at the maze of mine tunnels leading into unknown darkness. “We don’t know the way out of the dungeon. If we try on our own, we’ll probably never get out.”

Anvil looked at his weary companions and decided, “Let everyone rest here and recover their strength. I want to follow the magical creature army back and see what’s going on.”

Kane thought for a moment, then entrusted Little John to two believers whose injuries were lighter, speaking with resolve: “I’ll go with you.”

...

Inside the Obsidian Mining Area, chaos now reigned. Earth elementals were rampaging everywhere and goblin remnants were in a panic.

Hammerbone, who had recovered from the effects of Chaos Preach, had already taken advantage of the confusion to flee the Obsidian Mining Area alone, abandoning even his subordinates;

his whereabouts were unknown.

At the fortress gate, the deafening buzz of the Poison-stinger Wasp swarm began to enter the battlefield.

Count Bran stood on Peachy’s broad back, excitedly fluttering his wings.

“Miss Peachy, charge with me! For the King, crush these filthy creatures and their stony lumps who have usurped the kingdom’s precious assets!”

Peachy snorted and dug her hooves into the ground, charging straight into the chaotic fight.

Her massive body and terrifying strength were a perfect clearing tool, plowing an instant road through the monsters and goblin ranks.

Chen Yu had even equipped her with Life Drain at Level 4, so she could recover quickly while rampaging, hardly bothered by the counterattacks beneath her hooves.

Behind Peachy, the Poison-stinger Wasp army joined the fray.

Leading them was Wasp Guard Beet, who could control water and had both Mana Explosion Level 4 and Resilient Carapace Level 4 equipped.

Behind him, the first row consisted of one hundred Self-destructing Wasp Soldiers, each with Mana Explosion Level 4. Under Beet’s commands they climbed high and dove like a bomber squadron, raining explosive poisoned stingers onto the ground.

The second row was fifty assassin wasp soldiers equipped with Stealth Level 1;

they quietly dispersed to hunt down poorly protected goblins.

The third row contained medical wasp soldiers equipped with Life Drain Level 2, ready at all times to heal injured allies.

Behind the wasp army, two hundred beetles made up the logistics corps.

Under Chen Yu’s command, they quickly unloaded Gray Gravel Crystal and Talismans in the secured area, constructing makeshift defenses and the “Goblin Ripper” cannon array.

“They’re coming!”

The goblins screamed in despair, but the next moment they were shredded by the descending poisonous explosions.

The magical creature army operated like a precise, cold war machine, methodically harvesting life and cleansing the Obsidian Mining Area.

Soon the battlefield was littered with goblin corpses and the earth-colored crystal cores left behind by slain earth elementals.

Some beetles immediately scurried forward and rapidly scavenged the field, collecting the crystal cores and carrying them nonstop to Chen Yu atop Little Ka.

“Chew chew chew…”

Chen Yu accepted everything, swallowing the crystal cores like candy while panel notifications flashed continuously.

[Earth Affinity Lv.2 → Lv.5]

[Energy Storage Lv.1 → Lv.5]

[Resilient Carapace Lv.5 → Lv.6]

Hmm?

As Earth Affinity and other levels rose dramatically, a strange wave of exhilaration welled up in him.

Chen Yu could clearly feel the Nine Ramparts Life Palace Formula operating much more smoothly than before.

Wait a minute.

Could elemental affinity talents actually covertly improve the corresponding attribute’s spirit-root aptitude?

Chen Yu’s eyes lit up.

He hadn’t expected the talent to have this hidden use.

Previously the Earth Affinity at Lv.2 brought little change, but upon reaching Lv.5, the difference was almost qualitative.

In just this short time, he felt the cultivation method’s circulation had broken through a minor bottleneck.

[Nine Ramparts Life Palace Formula Lv.3 → Lv.4]

[Mud Pellet Sword Crafting Lv.2 → Lv.3]

So satisfying. As expected, cultivation still depends on eating.

Just as he happily continued to “eat eat eat,” an unexpected event occurred on the battlefield.

The army’s efficient slaughter seemed to anger some presence deep within the mine.

Boom!

A thick, giant earthworm suddenly burst from the center of the battlefield.

Its drill-like head slammed into the low-flying self-destructing wasp swarm, instantly scattering their formation.

A chain of detonations erupted;

fire and shockwaves swallowed that area. Chen Yu instantly lost more than twenty self-destructing wasp soldiers.

Anvil and Kane, helping on the field, saw this and hurriedly backed away.

“Hmph hmph!”

Peachy snorted defiantly and charged to grapple the giant beast, but against the earthworm’s bulk her massive frame actually seemed a bit small;

for a time she could not subdue it.

Count Bran was jolted and squawked in alarm, quickly fluttering his wings and flying off Peachy’s back.

“Miss Peachy, hold on. I’ll perform a strategic withdrawal first. I’ll go get reinforcements.”

Peachy’s snort served as a reply, while Wasp Guard Beet continued to manipulate water droplets, constantly detonating them against the earthworm’s hard carapace to disrupt it.

“Anvil, what now?” Kane asked.

At that moment Count Bran flew back and landed on Kane’s shoulder.

“Stupid humans, don’t just stare. There are cannons His Majesty set up in the rear—blast that thing!” Count Bran shouted, pointing with his wing at the beetles’ recently arranged positions.

Only then did the two react. They turned and ran back to the rear emplacement and indeed saw two completed Goblin Ripper cannons.

Their hearts leapt. They had seen these weapons’ power with their own eyes and had full confidence in those strange cannons.

Under Count Bran’s urging and command, the two each picked up a Gray Gravel Crystal to act as an energy focus.

Like a battlefield commander, Count Bran abruptly flapped his wings. “Fire!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two silver beams shot out instantly, striking the earthworm’s massive body with precision.

Boom! Boom!

Amid the explosions, the earthworm screamed in pain and twisted violently, sending stone fragments flying from the struck areas.

But when the dust settled, they discovered the earthworm’s carapace was absurdly thick—the cannons had only fractured the outermost stone layer.

“This thing’s hide is so thick?!” Kane exclaimed in surprise.

Count Bran snapped at him with a wing to the head. “Stop gawking and keep firing. If the energy runs out, have the iron-shelled beetles swap crystals. Keep blasting until it breaks its defense.”

“Yes, Count Crow.”

Although directed by a crow felt odd, Kane—having seen the Slime force’s mysterious might—felt that Count Bran himself must hide terrifying power.

They dared not slack off, immediately coordinating with Anvil and the beetles to sustain cannon fire.

One silver beam after another struck the earthworm.

As the formation energy depleted, the earthworm’s extraordinarily hard shell was finally blasted open, revealing writhing flesh within.

It howled in pain and seemed to realize these enemies were not to be trifled with;

it ceased fighting and twisted away, burrowing into the ground and fleeing rapidly toward the mine’s depths.

“Sly bastard.”

Count Bran muttered, then flew down to Chen Yu and asked, “Your Majesty, shall we continue the pursuit?”

“No need. We’ve basically taken control of the core of this mining area.”

“First clean the battlefield, build a temporary fortress, focus fully on mining, and hollow this place out.”

“Your Majesty is wise. I shall arrange it at once.”

Count Bran deftly flattered him and flew off to command the magical creatures to clear the field.

Chen Yu swallowed another batch of newly collected crystal cores.

[Devour Digestion Lv.6 triggered — Recorded partial traits of Stalagmite Creature, gained talent: Earth Softening Lv.5]

[Devour Digestion Lv.6 triggered — Recorded partial traits of Stone Sphere Monster, gained talent: Earth Hardening Lv.5]

Huh, these two talents are interesting.

One softens earth, the other hardens earth.

Earth Softening can assist the miner beetles in excavating ore.

Combined, they might one day allow him to cultivate a group of dedicated Civil Engineering Slimes to handle infrastructure in his territory, so he wouldn’t have to do the manual work himself.

While devouring, Chen Yu extracted an Earth Softening talent sphere and fed it to fifty miner beetles.

Under Kane and Anvil’s astonished eyes, those beetles approached the ore seam and the rock face visibly softened before their eyes. The beetles dug as if turning over soil and immediately burrowed in.

“Those are Burrowing Beetles?”

“How can they be used for mining?”

The two looked at each other like country bumpkins.

They recalled the strange magical creatures from the battle. Under the Slime King’s command, these creatures displayed organization, discipline, and coordinated combat ability that was terrifying.

Not only were they better than a militia, they might even outmatch the kingdom’s army.

With that realization, they no longer doubted the Slime force’s power.

After an initial cleanup of the battlefield, piles of spoils were gathered.

Count Bran personally led a team to thoroughly loot the goblins’ living quarter, arsenal, and ore storage, finding many fine weapons and a small amount of precious mountain copper ore, all transported back to the territory by beetles.

When the battlefield was gradually cleared, Anvil and Kane led the slaves who had anxiously waited on the perimeter back to the site.

They cautiously approached the Slime riding on Little Crocodile and bowed to thank him.

Count Bran standing nearby cleared his throat and raised his head.

“Ahem ahem, Our Great Majesty says rescuing you was merely a small favor.”

“Now you are free.”

“If you want to leave, you may go now. Wasp Guards will guide you out of the dungeon.”

“From today on, you belong to no one.”

“Freedom…”

The people murmured. Some were excited, some bewildered, standing dazed.

None of them had ever imagined this day would really come.

Guided by the Wasp Guards, most slaves chose without hesitation to leave;

their figures soon disappeared into the deep mine tunnels, heading toward the unknown but hopeful surface.

In the end, only Anvil, Kane, Little John, and two other ordinary Corrupted Believers remained where they were.

Chen Yu looked at them with some curiosity;

Count Bran relayed a message for him.

“What are you standing here for? Not leaving?”

Anvil rubbed his rough hands together;

his honest face showed a trace of embarrassment.

“Ahem ahem, Your Majesty, this Obsidian Mining Area was my home before. It was later taken by the legion.”

“If we leave, I don’t even know where to go—better to stay with you for now.”

Count Bran then turned his gaze to Kane and the other two.

Kane spoke in a low voice, “We have no family left outside. Our survival up to this point has been supported by the obsession with vengeance.”

He raised his hand;

at the missing ring finger, a purple-gray mist churned as if driven by his words, violently churning into a near-substantial will of vengeance that made the surrounding air feel heavy.

“I will avenge those green-skinned scum until no goblin is left on this land.”

The two believers behind him said nothing, tacitly agreeing.

Count Bran fluttered his wings, somewhat surprised.

“So… you want to stay?”

“Yes!”

Kane nodded emphatically, inhaling deeply with a tone of earnestness.

“We know that with just the three of us, trying to fight the huge goblin legion is a fool’s dream.”

“But if we could have His Majesty’s support…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

In the end, Chen Yu agreed.

The four temporarily joined the Slime Kingdom.

Anvil’s reason was mostly that he had nowhere else to go and a stubborn attachment to his homeland, while Kane and the other three stayed purely for vengeance.

However, Kane and his companions needed first to send Little John back to the kingdom, find their old property, and recover the remains of fallen comrades.

They solemnly promised Chen Yu they would return as soon as these private matters were handled.

So they left temporarily, and only the honest dwarf Anvil remained.

Chen Yu planned to explore deeper into the mine to investigate a dimensional rift;

with Anvil as a former resident guiding him, the exploration would be much smoother.

Sensing Chen Yu’s gaze, Anvil immediately puffed out his strong chest, rolled up his sleeves, and displayed his knotted muscles.

“Your Majesty, I may not be capable of much, but I’m strong and I’m best at smithing. If the kingdom needs equipment in the future, I can make it.”

“Smithing?”

Chen Yu’s voice held curiosity, “Then… can you craft fitting iron armor for a Slime?”

“Uh…”

Anvil scratched his beard-covered chin, uncertain. “I… I think so?”

Honestly, he had been hammering metal his whole life, forging countless armors and swords, but never imagined crafting gear for a soft, squishy Slime…

How to draft that blueprint?

Still, with his dwarf master-level forging skill, if he thought it through, it didn’t seem impossible.

“Good, very spirited.”

Chen Yu was delighted. “Then come with me to the mine’s depths for an exploration.”

“O… okay! Uh… Your Majesty, weren’t we supposed to make equipment?” Anvil was a little confused.

Chen Yu explained, “We don’t have hammers or forges ready here.”

“What matters now is figuring out what that dimensional rift deep in the mine is all about.”

With that said, Chen Yu withdrew the Nanny Brother and other active clones from outside.

With a few plops, three Civil Engineering Slimes were secreted out by him.

As soon as the three slimes hit the ground, they immediately began building the temporary fortress.

A low but sturdy rocky fortress grew from the ground at a visible speed.

Anvil stood speechless as he watched the small fortress rise.

Only when Chen Yu leapt onto his shoulder did he come back to himself.

“Just the two of us going in?”

“That’s right. Fewer people, smaller target—easier to move and easier to run.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

A Slime told the battle-hardened dwarf in a soft voice that it would protect him;

Anvil felt neither strange nor amused.

He had seen the Slime Envoys seduce the mighty Bugbear leader Hammerbone with ease.

If the clones were this formidable, the original must be unfathomably deep.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Anvil felt great reassurance, nodded heavily, picked up a relatively intact battle axe from the spoils and slung it over his shoulder, and set off toward the depths of his old homeland.