Chapter 475

Chapter 475

"There's nothing wrong with the core," Manny finally concluded with certainty, putting down her hammer when Lorant was so sleepy he was about to yawn. She then turned to Lorant and said, "The fortress core isn't that fragile. As long as it's built properly, it won't require major repairs for hundreds of years. Regular maintenance is all that's needed."

Even at this moment, she didn't forget to promote her own core.

Reliable and low-maintenance! Go for goblin-made!

"By the way, dusting and such should be done by hand," Manny said, grabbing a feather duster-like tool and handing it to Lorant. She picked up another one herself and turned to walk forward, not waiting to see if the still-surprised Lorant could keep up. "Come on, let's go dust the core, and I'll also explain the key points of daily inspection and maintenance to you."

"In this area, few can match me! Even the core's creators don't have my maintenance expertise!"

......

Even with Fa Meng helping with the dusting using a small feather duster, after several rounds of following Manny around the core, Lorant's arms were too tired to lift.

He really wanted to tell Manny that he would definitely assign the core maintenance work to the floating octopuses in the future. Those big guys, with their eight strong tentacles and core-sized bodies, could clean it effortlessly. It wouldn't be as complicated as it was now.

But Manny's stubborn, almost fanatical look made Lorant think better of it...

That night, Lorant lay in the guest room of Yixiantian Fortress. He was so exhausted he fell asleep before Fa Meng could set up the soundproof barrier.

The next morning, Lorant was awakened by Fa Meng gently patting him with her small wings.

"Rise and shine, Lorant! Sleepyhead!" Fa Meng, taking advantage of Lorant's half-asleep state, boldly lay next to his head and called out to him with a loudspeaker.

At the same time, her tiny wings playfully poked Lorant's face, puffing up his cheeks.

He looked pretty goofy.

Every morning, Lorant was in a daze as he woke up. In this state, his body seemed awake, but his mind was still asleep.

Once fully awake, he usually forgot what happened during this phase. After spying a few times on that pesky knight sneaking a kiss while waking Lorant, Fa Meng dared to stir up some mischief herself.

Lorant's sleepy state was just too cute!

That's about the only good thing about that smelly knight!

A certain little dragon wagged her tail, watching Lorant yawn and rub his sleepy eyes.

"Ugh, too early, Fa Meng!" Lorant sat up in bed and stretched comfortably. Tired from yesterday, Lorant slept soundly without a Dream Weaver, undisturbed by the noise.

The guest room in Yixiantian Fortress wasn't exactly cozy. The canyon amplified sound, and the fortress, being a mechanical structure with minimal magic and thin walls, had almost no soundproofing.

Lying in bed was like lying atop a herd of beasts.

"It's not that early!" Fa Meng, seeing that Lorant was awake, quickly put away the loudspeaker and obediently folded her wings behind her back. She sat neatly on Lorant's blanketed legs, gazing at him with her big, watery black eyes, as obedient as could be.

"Lots of people are already at the fortress. Get up now, or you'll miss the launch!"

Lorant looked down and was instantly melted by the sight of the little fat dragon pretending to be well-behaved.

He rolled over, playfully pinning the little dragon—who seemed caught off guard but had actually positioned herself—and buried his face in her fluffy belly for a good rub and sniff before finally getting up to wash.

Xiao Lan sat on the bedside cabinet, observing Fa Meng's smug look and earnestly studying the senior's favor-winning techniques.

Fa Meng had timed waking Lorant just right.

When Lorant tidied up and descended to the grand hall at the lowest level of the fortress, quite a few people were already there, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The activation of the Yixiantian Fortress by the goblins was a significant event. Those invited to witness this moment in person were all allies of the goblins.

It was a way to deepen their ties with the goblins and assert their own standing.

Thus, those who had the privilege to attend wouldn’t dream of missing the activation ceremony, even if they hadn't stayed near the fortress the day before.

However, Lorant didn’t really care much about the activation ceremony.

The so-called activation ceremony wasn't about directly lighting up the core but rather a pre-activation gathering hosted by Manny. Its purpose was likely to impress the guests and display the goblins' strength.

If more collaborations could be achieved on this basis, that would be even better.

Amid the clinking of glasses, Lorant found an opportunity to slip away from the crowd surrounding him and slipped outside to get some air.

Outside the fortress, things looked no different.

The silhouette of Yixiantian stood as an impenetrable barrier across the canyon, with the battlefield ahead and life behind it.

To ensure the safety of Yixiantian's advance today, the battlefield in front of the fortress was kept at a safe distance.

Countless goblin warriors were at the forefront of the canyon, holding the beasts at bay and clearing a path for the fortress to advance.

Fa Meng flew with Lorant above the battlefield, where they saw twice the number of goblin warriors compared to last time, lined up and battling the beasts.

The flurry of goblin warriors' blades turned the narrow front into a wall of steel and flesh, grinding any beast that tried to break through into pulp.

Looking closer, one could notice some differences between this front and the usual ones. Lorant, keen to learn, wanted to understand how to keep his fortress safe during movement, but after some observation, he figured it was overkill.

The goblins had to send in their best warriors and arrange them in formation to compensate for their lack of strength, using strategy to make up for their shortage of fighters.

Among the various races, the goblins were inherently the weakest.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen the path of mechanical innovation.

If Lorant's Blue Star were to manage this front, the simplest solution would be to deploy a large number of beast companions and beast masters. If one layer couldn't fully block the beasts' charge, then two layers, and if two weren’t enough, then three.

After all, Blue Star now had plenty of beast companions and beast masters. Although the independent beast masters might not take orders from Blue Star, they certainly wouldn't refuse the 'privilege' of being stationed safely behind the front.

Therefore, Blue Star didn't need to learn from the goblins' methods; it could accomplish this task on its own.

On the front facing the beast tide, Lorant saw many mechanical war vehicles produced by the goblins. Although called 'war vehicles,' they were more akin to exoskeleton armor from Lorant's memory, looking intimidating at first sight.

The sharp lines, the highly mechanical exterior with some battle scars, gave the war vehicles a unique post-apocalyptic mecha style, radiating a unique charm.

It was something any boy would find irresistible.

Even Lorant was no exception.

With a hint of envy, he looked at the goblin driver in the semi-transparent, somewhat dirty cockpit atop the 'war vehicle,' who was fiercely firing goblin cannons, and couldn't help but imagine himself sitting inside.

Unfortunately, Lorant knew well that he would never use this war vehicle specifically designed for goblins, as other races' body sizes simply wouldn't fit. But these minor issues didn't stop the shopkeeper from wanting to collect a goblin war vehicle.

Having the goblin craftsmen customize a mechanical war vehicle of human size while building the castle shouldn't be a big problem, right?

The shopkeeper hadn't even met the goblin craftsmen yet, but his plans were already well underway.

After drooling over the handsome mechanical war vehicles for a while, Lorant quietly slipped back into the fortress as the short banquet inside was nearing its end.

"Alright, everyone," his timing was impeccable, and he had just finished a goblin-specialty sandwich when he returned to see Manny stepping onto the podium to speak.

"Please, everyone, make your way outside the fortress. Yixiantian is about to officially activate!"

The goblin attendants, responsible for delivering trays of fine wines to the guests, immediately and efficiently led the crowd outside the fortress upon hearing Manny's words.

They walked until they were about a kilometer away from the fortress before stopping.

With Xiao Lan and Fa Meng by his side, the distance did not hinder Lorant's view.

He turned to look and saw Manny, dressed solemnly for the occasion, holding a massive beast core almost as tall as herself, ascending step by step through the air towards the core chamber she had taken Lorant and the others to the day before.

Manny, without using magic, somehow enabled a formidable warrior without flight capabilities to ascend as if climbing stairs, leaving footprints in the air.

The two ribbons on the back of the traditional goblin attire fluttered high in the wind, imbuing the scene with a solemn and sacred aura.

"The last time I saw Yixiantian Fortress activate, Manny had just become its overseer," Jacqueline remarked, who habitually floated in the air when others were around. "Time flies so quickly."