61. Setting Out

Now, under Elder Orff’s management, the Death Empire was flourishing, and its foreign trade was thriving. The former caravan had also relocated its headquarters to Death City. Overland trade continued to rely on the caravan, but ever since acquiring the Doma Empire’s shipbuilding technology, Elder Orff had gathered the master carpenters among the dwarves and developed colossal ships several times larger than the Doma Empire’s biggest warships.

Elder Orff had mounted the improved giant crossbows onto these ships, with six hundred massive crossbows lined up along both sides of the hull. In comparison, the Doma Empire’s warships were equipped with nothing more than small crossbows. Because the Death Empire bordered the Doma Empire, and to avoid constantly relying on Doma’s waters for passage to the sea, Elder Orff had, through sheer determination, excavated a canal leading to the ocean from the foot of the mountain not far from the Death Empire’s capital. Over the past year, this canal had demonstrated its incredible vitality.

Seventy percent of the Death Empire’s foreign trade now departed from this very canal. Countless shipments of iron ore and other raw materials flowed out to sea from here, then were transported on to other empires, while the goods urgently needed by the Death Empire made their return journey from abroad. Apart from its abundant underground mineral resources, the Death Empire was severely lacking in the essentials of daily life. Even the dwarven masters could not conjure such necessities from nothing; most still depended on the massive ships to import them from other empires.

When Elder Orff’s gigantic warships arrived at the ports of those empires, the sensation they caused was obvious. Though few in number, the seven great ships made all the other empires’ warships—barely half as large—seem utterly insignificant. Once again, the empires of the continent were awed by the Death Empire’s boldness.

Henceforth, they could find no reason to oppose the Death Empire, except perhaps to maintain cordial relations. On land, their military strength was no match; now, even the ships the Death Empire used for cargo dwarfed their own warships many times over. A look at those massive crossbows on the hull, and a thought for their own tiny, derivative versions—what chance did they stand?

...

A year after leaving Death City, Mo Fei returned. When the city’s guards saw their lord, the entire Death City erupted in excitement.

“I’ve come back to visit everyone,” Mo Fei said to the military commander in charge of the city’s defense.

“My lord…” This man, who had once been a captain of the berserker cavalry, had been stationed here when the Death Empire was founded.

“This place is the very foundation of our Death Empire—you all must guard it with your hearts. To put it plainly, if one day our empire cannot survive elsewhere, it is here that we will return. You must not let anything happen to our homeland.” Mo Fei had learned to joke, unlike in the old days.

“My lord, rest assured! With us here, no one will ever get the better of Death City. Whoever dares to come, we’ll make sure they never return.” The captain declared with conviction.

“Good. If anything happens, consult with the Elven Kingdom. They are our most loyal allies, and virtually all their people are warriors. Cooperating closely with them can only benefit our city’s defense.”

“My lord, we are well aware. I may be in charge of the city’s defense, but most of the strategies come from an elder sent by the Elven Royal City.”

As it turned out, the Elven Queen, seeing that apart from the twenty-five thousand elven crossbowmen the rest of the defenders were all berserker cavalry, felt uneasy about entrusting everything to these rough warriors. Fearing they might not remain calm in a crisis, she had dispatched an elder to reside in the city and personally sought out the stationed captain, instructing him that while he was to handle military matters, the defense of the city was to be directed by her elder. No action was to be taken without the elder’s order; the garrison was forbidden to leave the city to engage the enemy on their own.

The captain, not much of a strategist himself, was delighted to have someone sharing the burden, and readily agreed to the Elven Queen’s arrangement. Besides, if even the lord of the city listened to her, how could he do otherwise?

Upon hearing that the Queen had sent someone to help defend the city, Mo Fei was greatly reassured. “Then I’ll go visit Her Majesty in the forest. Remain vigilant, send out more scouts, and always think twice. If you can avoid fighting outside the city, don’t go out. Defense is paramount; should a battle be necessary, coordinate with the Elven Kingdom and make sure to destroy the enemy in one stroke.”

“Yes, my lord! With the elder’s help, we won’t leave the city lightly.”

“Very good. I’ll be off, then. I still have many places to visit on this journey. When the time comes, I’ll have someone from the Elven Kingdom bring word to the empire so you can rotate home and reunite with your families.”

“Thank you, my lord.” The captain was overjoyed. He wasn’t afraid to stay on guard forever, but the prospect of reunion with his family filled him with happiness.

Mo Fei made a circuit of the city, visiting the soldiers on duty and the dwarven master miners. When he saw that the small mountain had been hollowed into a vast pit, he said to the dwarven master overseeing the mining, “Master, this mine will eventually be exhausted. When that day comes, don’t bother refilling it; instead, see about diverting water here. It would do wonders for the environment of Death City.”

“Indeed, my lord. Elder Orff said much the same, which is why we’ve always mined with an open-pit approach, precisely so we can bring in water and improve the city’s environment in the future.”

Mo Fei was surprised that Elder Orff had thought so far ahead, and with a wry smile, he left Death City and entered the Death Forest. Over the past year, the number of magical beasts in the forest had increased again. The beast training camp at the edge of the city had been preserved, and each month the empire’s cavalry took many mounts from there.

Entering the Death Forest, they hadn’t gone far before several elven guards, fully camouflaged, leapt out. “Greetings, Your Highness Princess, Lord of the City, Lady of the City.”

People still preferred to call Mo Fei “Lord of the City”; even the soldiers in the city used that title. Mo Fei found this preferable—it didn’t feel as odd as being called “Emperor” in the Death Empire.

“Don’t mind us, carry on with your duties,” Eileen said with a smile.

“Yes, Your Highness.” With a bow, the elves vanished into the forest.

No longer wishing to repeat the decline of old, the Elven Kingdom now emphasized a strong military for national defense. Throughout the Death Forest, small squads of elven scouts were stationed everywhere, with layers of fortifications and deadly traps at every turn. To avoid harming innocents, the Elven Kingdom had officially declared the forest forbidden ground; any unpermitted entry would be treated as an act of war.

With the entire Elven Kingdom mobilized, and the formidable Death Empire at its back, who would dare enter the Death Forest now? In truth, few had ever dared. The magical beasts and spices within might tempt the greedy, but their lives were more precious.

...

Traveling on, they passed the small outer castle of the Elven Kingdom and entered the royal city directly.

Even as the three of them were on the road, the elven scouts had already sent word ahead. Upon hearing that Her Highness the Princess and the Emperor of the Death Empire were coming, the entire Council of Elders of the Elven Kingdom went out to meet them.

From a distance, the elders watched the trio approach, momentarily stunned. So this was the Emperor of the Death Empire? Not a single guard in sight!

How could they know that now, on this continent, there was almost no one left who could threaten Mo Fei?

The Elven Queen herself came out to greet them. She hadn’t seen her beloved daughter in quite some time, and seeing the elders’ stunned faces, she laughed, “I told you not to come out, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Your Majesty,” one elder replied with a smile, “we never imagined the famed Emperor of the Death Empire would come like this. We thought, with two princesses in tow, he’d be more careful, but…”

The elders came forward to pay their respects. After all, it was thanks to Mo Fei’s help that the Elven Kingdom had come so far—they owed him a great debt.

“Elders, there’s no need for such formality. If you keep this up, next time I’ll take your princess away and not bring her back,” Mo Fei joked, wary of their endless expressions of gratitude.

Once seated in a side hall of the council chamber, Mo Fei said, “Mother, our Death Empire has been drilling troops these days. Perhaps you could send your elite guard to train with them. With a larger scale, everyone will gain some genuine experience.”

“You’re not planning to deal with another empire, are you?” the Elven Queen teased. “It’s true, our Elven Guard lacks large-scale combat experience. Very well, it’s good for them to get some training. Even if nothing happens, it’s better to be prepared.”

“Oh, mother, we’re simply training our soldiers to be ready for trouble, not looking for it.”

You don’t go looking for trouble, and your enemies rejoice—who would dare seek you out? The elven elders muttered this silently to themselves.