Chapter 1391
The magic-powered warship pressed forward once again. News of the destruction of a Blood Elf city here had already spread. Every Bloodstained Crystal is counted and recorded—when one is destroyed, the other side receives immediate feedback. The destruction of a Bloodstained Crystal means the city's defenses are down, and with no defenses left, the fate of the city is all but certain.
For countless years, no Blood Elf city had ever been destroyed. Now, with this sudden catastrophe, the Blood Elf leadership took immediate notice. Unfortunately, by the time their people arrived, not a single living creature could be found here—Leon and his party had already reached the Blood Elf mining site.
The Blood Elves stationed here were either killed or captured for forced labor. With Gobwin, the surrendered Cave Goblin chief, leading the way, persuading the Cave Goblins working as miners here was a breeze.
These Cave Goblins mined here, and if fewer than four or five died each day, it was considered abnormal. Any minor accident would mean twenty or thirty Cave Goblins dying in the tunnels.
When Leon arrived, he even saw a large pit outside the mine, used specifically for dumping Cave Goblin corpses. Most of these bodies hadn’t died in the tunnels—those who did usually vanished without a trace. These corpses were all tortured to death by Blood Elf overseers.
Compared to what he’d seen in the previous small city, things here were actually a bit better. All the Cave Goblins were sent into the Natural Semi-Plane, and the captured Blood Elves had their magic sealed. Even if the Blood Elves tried anything, the Cave Goblins could easily deal with them.
He’d always known the Blood Elves were vicious, but he hadn’t expected their souls to be so thoroughly polluted. No wonder they were even more twisted than demons.
After hearing Lord Shaun deliver this news, Leon grew thoughtful. The ratio of depraved maniacs among the Blood Elves was high, and the chance of soul pollution was even higher. But when Lord Shaun tore open the souls of more than a dozen Blood Elves, he found every single one was already corrupted—just in varying degrees. If not for Lord Shaun’s mastery over souls and his advancement to the Transcendent rank, no one would have discovered the pollution lurking so deep within.
Leon recalled the research of those future mad mages—many would do anything in pursuit of truth. Dissecting Blood Elves was considered the most basic method…
Yet even so, research into the Blood Elves made little real progress. To this day, no one has determined how Blood Elves are truly born. Two main theories exist—and neither side can convince the other. It’s one of those rare mysteries in Northend that mages have studied for ages without ever reaching a conclusion.
With the Blood Elves’ abnormalities, the discovery of the Blood Essence Vein here, and the power found within the Blood Essence Ore, a bold new hypothesis suddenly formed in Leon’s mind. And the odds of it being true were alarmingly high.
All the Cave Goblins in this vast region were taken away—more than forty thousand. That’s enough to meet future needs. Given enough resources and a safe environment, Cave Goblins breed far faster than humans ever could.
Once, the goblins even founded a short-lived kingdom. Various goblin clans joined forces and built a small nation on the rear flank of the Odin Kingdom. Sadly, the goblins’ inherent weaknesses were fatal—their individual strength was simply too low. Even though their kingdom as a whole was powerful, for those few decades, it made many neighboring factions deeply wary.
But because their personal strength was so lacking, even the powerful magitech buildings, giant alchemical golems, and magic crystal cannons they constructed couldn’t avoid destruction in the end.
In a single war, all it took was one Sky Rank mage targeting their weakness—a mass curse could kill ten thousand goblins, or a blast of pure soul power could tear apart thousands of goblin souls in an instant.
In the end, this world still belongs to the strong. Personal power is what matters most.
The goblins’ massive reproductive ability and nimble hands made all the warring factions around them feel threatened. It was all too easy—the brief goblin civilization was wiped out in no time.
Now with these tens of thousands, in ten years the number could double. It’s not just enough for building Sanctuary Towers—there’ll be enough hands to develop Leon’s territories as well.
With everyone in tow, they continued on the path to search for Red-Skin Mana Leeches. Compared to Cave Goblins, Red-Skin Mana Leeches were easier to deal with. Though their status in the underground world was low, they weren’t coveted by other races. Besides, it was impossible to wipe them out completely—the Netherworld was so chaotic that even after ten thousand years, Red-Skin Mana Leeches hadn’t gone extinct. Their numbers had simply dwindled.
No one knew the gathering places of Red-Skin Mana Leeches better than the Cave Goblins. These two races—one formerly the slave of Chromatic Dragons, the other bred as food—were quite familiar with each other. Both lived underground, and even in the Netherworld, their habitats remained close.
Gobwin had truly mastered the art of being a guide. First, he led his own tribe to surrender, then convinced all the other Cave Goblins to follow suit. Now, having become the undisputed chief of tens of thousands of Cave Goblins, Gobwin’s position was sealed—especially after everyone had a delicious meal.
Now, with Gobwin leading the way, Leon was taken straight to the Red-Skin Mana Leeches’ gathering place.
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They were still in the Tunguska Mountains—a vast range teeming with life. Many races survived here, though those like the Cave Goblins lived only on the fringes, in the most resource-poor areas, barely able to compete even with mindless magical beasts.
The Red-Skin Mana Leeches had it slightly better. Their habitats were rarely contested by powerful creatures, since they lived in underground lava caverns, usually beside rivers of molten rock. Only creatures like the Red-Skin Mana Leeches, who could swim in magma, could survive there—no other race dared approach.
Once they arrived, everyone else stayed put. Gobwin, carrying a sealed ball of magma that Leon had given him, ventured deep into one of the glowing, sulfurous lava tunnels.
In less than half an hour, Gobwin emerged, leading a humanoid creature radiating intense heat.
This creature looked much like a typical Mana Leech: slick, wet skin, eight octopus-like tentacles sprouting from its chin, tall and thin—taller than a normal human—with arms that hung to its knees, large hands, and webbed fingers.
As it stepped out, traces of magma still clung to the eight tentacles beneath its chin. With a gesture from Gobwin, the Red-Skin Mana Leech immediately prostrated itself on the ground, submitting according to the customs of the Netherworld.
“Great master, Andrew speaks for the Red-Skin Mana Leeches—we pledge our loyalty, as long as you promise we’ll get to eat that delicious food.”
Andrew prostrated himself to show submission, but immediately stated his terms. The others were surprised, but Leon had expected it.
Red-Skin Mana Leeches are distant relatives of ordinary Mana Leeches. Mana Leeches reproduce by capturing members of other races, then implanting their eggs in the host. Once the fusion is complete, the Mana Leech grows using the host’s body—and may even inherit the host’s memories.
That’s why Mana Leeches can look so different—some barely a meter tall, others up to three or four meters. The only trait they all share is the eight tentacles sprouting from beneath their chin—the one true mark of a Mana Leech.
Each Mana Leech’s personality is closely tied to the race it originally parasitized. But Red-Skin Mana Leeches are different—they’re egg-layers, but their offspring absorb magma’s power to grow, maturing in molten rock. Their minds, quite literally, run on magma.
These creatures aren’t exactly geniuses, and being so blunt about their terms for submission means Andrew is actually one of the smarter ones. But once they submit, these simple-minded beings are absolutely loyal.
Leon nodded decisively.
“I can promise you that your new home will be better than this one. Maybe, in the future, your race will even produce Transcendent beings.”
With Leon’s promise, Andrew immediately crawled back into the lava tunnel. Ten minutes later, a whole horde of Red-Skin Mana Leeches emerged, many with eggs coated in magma clinging to their tentacles—these were their offspring.
Leon opened the portal to the Natural Semi-Plane, which connected to volcanic lands in the south—perfect for the Red-Skin Mana Leeches to thrive.
It took more than half an hour for all thirty thousand Red-Skin Mana Leeches to enter the Natural Semi-Plane.
Only then did Hubert snap out of his daze.
“That’s it? Are their brains really made of magma? They surrendered this easily? Was it really that simple?”
Anderson’s left face seized the chance to start mocking.
“Idiot! Their heads really are full of scorching magma. Didn’t you know these creatures aren’t too bright? You’re even dumber than the Red-Skin Mana Leeches!”
Gobwin, the guide chief, scored yet another victory. Without the Cave Goblins’ persuasion, getting these simple-minded creatures to surrender wouldn’t have been easy. If they sensed danger, they’d just dive into the magma and escape—finding them again would be nearly impossible.
The name ‘Red-Skin Mana Leech’ was originally a bit of an insult from other races, but eventually, these creatures adopted it themselves. That alone says a lot about how different their minds are.
They feed on magma—the stronger and purer the lava, the more the Red-Skin Mana Leeches love it. The volcanic clusters in the Natural Semi-Plane are formed from a world just beginning to take shape, so the magma there is the most potent and pure. The Red-Skin Mana Leeches simply can’t resist it.
With irresistible food, a safe environment, and powerful protection, the Red-Skin Mana Leeches don’t care if you’re taking them away to eat them…
The way Red-Skin Mana Leeches think is completely different from other intelligent beings…