After the incident with the demon general, everyone felt a bit exhilarated. Although they relied on the power of the Holy Silver Cross, capturing a demon general was no easy feat. To make himself look more impressive, Stanley specially trimmed his messy beard and even combed his hair when reporting boastfully to the rear.
"Holy Song Headquarters, this is Sergeant Stanley from Sergeant Rody's elite squad. Today, I have a small piece of news to report from the front," Stanley tried to make his voice more magnetic and deliberately reported in a deep, forceful tone. "The true purpose of the recent orc and demon invasion into the human Grand Alliance was not the Hundred-Year Holy War, but a plot, a battlefield sacrifice! They used this massive sacrifice, utilizing countless orc and human lives, to release Ogartral, the foremost of the three Great Demon Kings. Gathering the three Great Demon Kings, the demons will tear a larger rift in the space-time seal, initiating a new round of the Hundred-Year Holy War. This information was obtained from the captured Dragon-Eating Demon General, report complete."
After the report, Stanley eagerly asked big-bearded Malu whether he looked handsome in the recording.
Rody gave him a thumbs-up.
He no longer reported to the rear and let the members of the elite squad do the reporting, aiming to raise their fame so that each of them would become well-known heroes upon their return.
He led the elite squad at an unimaginable speed, quickly traversing the Evil Forest and leaving the orcs far behind.
Ten days later, while the orcs and demons were still frantically searching the Evil Forest for them, Rody, along with Chris and others, had already arrived in the land of the dwarves. Walking back to the human Grand Alliance seemed improbable, as the orcs and demons continually pushed them further away from human territories, but Rody thought of a way to return.
That was by airship.
Although he was unsure how many people the magical airship could carry, Rody believed it wouldn't be small enough to hold only a few people. It must have significant benefits for transportation or possess some special flying ability for the Tree Shepherd Elder Toka to remember it. Although they still had more than ten griffins, which were good for short flights, they couldn’t carry riders thousands of kilometers. Biological creatures have fatigue, but a magical airship doesn’t.
The greatest advantage of the magical airship is its ability to fly normally at night.
Griffins' vision is greatly reduced at night, and they can only fly high, making it difficult to navigate through forests, unable to confront the orcs' giant bats. This was why Rody and his team were forced to keep retreating. The orc bats excelled in night battles, dragons in day battles, attacking alternately. With strong beings like the Blood-Axe savages and Shaman Kings lurking, Rody and his team dared not risk a forced attack or even expose their whereabouts.
If they had the rumored magical airship capable of traveling through clouds, they believed they could attempt a risky flight over the heads of orcs and demons.
The orcs were conducting a carpet-style search of the Evil Forest, never imagining that Rody could fly overhead. Of course, this was risky, but Rody was willing to try.
"Boss, are you sure the Fire Lord took the magical airship? If he has it, why doesn't he use it in battle?" Stanley wondered.
"First, he can fly on his own; second, he's the Fire Lord, covered in flames, so the magical airship might not withstand his temperature," Rody said with a slight smile. "He took it not to use it but to prevent others from using it. Of course, I haven't seen the Fire Lord; these are all guesses, and there could be other reasons."
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Why leave us in the land of the dwarves? Isn't it better to fight together?" Kerry asked softly.
"We will certainly fight together, but now is not the time," Chris nodded. "Because we don't know the details about the enemy's lair. Most people can't hide their tracks when they move. Rody and I will scout the route and devise a battle plan, then we can all attack together. Everyone is tired from the journey, it's a good time to rest in the land of the dwarves. By the way, Rody, it seems there are many dwarves in front of us, is that one wearing a red hat?"
"The one who talks the most nonsense, that's the one," Rody waved to the terrified dwarves in the distance, shouting loudly, "Bullhorn Helm, the tribal chief, it's me, Rody!"
"Ah, I've always said there would be no problem, look, my friend Rody is here, and he's brought a large group of human warriors," the Red Hat ran out excitedly, babbling, "As the world's smartest dwarf, of course, I guessed it was you, but I'm still very happy. My friend, what wind has blown you here? Did you know that I'm about to inherit the position of tribal chief and came all the way from Felic to congratulate me? I know, you've always been so thoughtful... Ah, why isn't Princess Jill here? Ah, my goddess didn't come, I'm so disappointed..."
"Who is Princess Jill? Is she the female boss?" Chris immediately asked Rody upon hearing this.
"Pah, when is it your turn, you exile, to be the tribal chief! Red Hat, you're dreaming too early!" The dwarf guard also came running with a short spear, respectfully greeting Rody, "Welcome, Rody, the most respected friend of the dwarf tribe."
"Rody, come, I remember there's still some good wine hidden in the cellar," Bullhorn Helm, the tribal chief, also came over with a group of dwarves, warmly welcoming everyone.
"When I get back, I must build a mushroom house, your houses are so cool!" Of course, this was just Chris's opinion; Stanley and the others thought that colorful mushroom houses were most suitable for dwarves, and that humans should live in taller wooden houses. However, the tired group, entering the low dwarf territory, also felt a sense of coming home.
"Last time you tricked those despicable guys really well, but you don't know that I also played a part in it. I dare say, Knight Rody, without my help, they wouldn't have believed it! Hey, I'm talking to you, you can't just keep eating, it's very rude! Especially to a promising dwarf master like me, you can't ignore and neglect... Ah, are you going to use this piece of bread to apologize? Well then, the kindest dwarf in the world, Red Hat, will reluctantly forgive your rudeness!" Red Hat talked nonstop, and Rody stuffed his chattering mouth with a piece of toasted bread, seeing the situation turning bad, he immediately changed his tune.
"Ha ha!" Chris couldn't help but burst into laughter upon seeing this.
"Are you a man or a woman? Good heavens, I've never seen a human man more beautiful than Rody!" Red Hat sighed in surprise.
"A man should not be described as beautiful, but handsome or dashing, understand?" Chris laughed again upon hearing this.
"Don't mind this foolish Red Hat, guests, please try my mushroom soup!" A dwarf woman came up with a big plate of hot soup, making everyone cheer. They were tired of meat soup, vegetable soup, and even earthworm soup, but this fresh mushroom soup was just to everyone's taste.
While the elite squad was resting after eating and drinking, Rody and Chris immediately set off to gather information about the Flame Lord.
In the huge cave that Rody had discovered earlier, he had encountered flame spirits transformed from small dwarves by the Flame Lord. They must know something about the Flame Lord. Previously, Rody, not strong enough, dared not provoke the Flame Lord, but now, with his mastery of mental, soul, and necromancy magic, and under the protection of the life source and soul fire, he felt confident in challenging the Flame Lord.
What flame could compare to the indestructible divine fire?
Rody's soul was still burning, enduring the torment of the indestructible divine fire. Regarding the Flame Lord, who was also of the fire element, he was not afraid.
Especially since he found his mental magic to be highly effective against demon generals, his confidence was a hundredfold. Would his indestructible divine fire be more formidable, or would the Flame Lord prove superior? Even if he couldn't outmatch the Flame Lord, Rody, who wouldn't die from being burned by the indestructible divine fire, had no fear of flames.
"Hey, who is Jill? Is she your first love?" Chris kept asking along the way.
"Would you believe me if I said she is?" Rody replied, unenthusiastically.
"Is she the female boss?" Chris changed the subject.
"No." Rody was puzzled why this guy was so interested in his first love. Could it be that he wanted to become a bard? To stand by the fountain in the city center, loudly singing of his heroic deeds and scandalous legends?
"Is Jill a princess? The princess of Felic?" Chris asked, then shook his head, "No, Felic's princess is named Ephis! Jill, Jill, that name, it must be a nickname for Gillian or Juliana, right? Is she your classmate at Felic Academy? Then she's about your age? You two were desk mates, right? Did she secretly bring you breakfast?"
"Yes, she also called me every morning, fetched water for me to wash my face, peeled apples for me, and oh, she used to sing the song of luck!" Rody bluffed.
"Who are you kidding? Apart from that little girl Dora, no one would do that!" Chris laughed when he heard this. He remembered how Dora almost drove Rody crazy before they set off, recalling Rody's dislike for formalities and rules, so Jill certainly wouldn't be someone like Dora.
"Are Jill's breasts big?" Chris asked after a while.
"They're none of your business!" Rody snapped angrily.
"Don't misunderstand, I just want to compare her with Beatrice to see who's a bit more outstanding," Chris quickly waved his hand, seeing Rody's temper seemed not to flare up, he grinned and asked, "You're not into lolis with small breasts, are you? Ha, I didn't expect you to have such a taste!"
"I have another hobby, and that's hitting people!" Rody raised his fist, chasing Chris for five kilometers without stopping, scaring him into a frantic escape.