In the Stone Spirit Island, Rody finally met the King of Philiq, a slightly plump middle-aged man. His attire wasn't very formal, not quite resembling a king but more like a noble. He bore a slight resemblance to Buke but looked healthier, with a mature and steady demeanor, marked by a mustache on his lips. The King of Philiq warmly embraced Rody upon his arrival and also greeted the dignitaries, Moon Night High Priestess and Queen Victoria.
"Mary Magritte, Buke, David, you talk with Rody! I can chip in on civil affairs, but don't look to this old bone for warfare," said the King of Philiq, leaving with the dignified queen to entertain the Moon Night High Priestess and Queen Victoria, refraining from discussing warfare.
"Never mind him; he's indeed not much help in a fight!" the beautiful teacher remarked dismissively, even toward the king.
"Jill, why don't you and Midy go play?" Rody, worried Jill might feel bored, suggested she join Midy and Icarus at the royal banquet. However, Jill shyly shook her head, sitting behind Rody with a blushing face. Since their reunion, she had become his constant companion, hardly leaving his side. Though Night Moon and Queen Victoria wanted to communicate more with her, the timid Jill responded with nods and shakes, barely speaking.
"Rody, let me introduce you to the warrior leaders of the Seven Races..." Buke introduced Rody to several people.
The warriors supporting Philiq were brave individuals from the Seven Races or those who had befriended Philiq's ancestors. They did not represent the support of their respective races, but all seven races had their warriors represented. There were winged beings, sea naga from the sea tribe, fairies, elves, succubi, druids, dragon tribe warriors, vampire barons from the blood tribe, dwarves, gnomes, and various other races, some of which Rody had never even heard of.
The majority of these warriors were from the demon race, with fairies, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings constituting the bulk.
It seemed that Philiq's ancestors, renowned for their heroism, had made friends without regard to race. The loyalty and unity of these warriors over the centuries indicated Philiq's ancestors' extraordinary charisma and influence. The queen’s nursing of wounded warriors from the Seven Races during a battle three hundred years ago solidified their unwavering support for Philiq.
There, Rody saw a few familiar faces.
Elizabeth, Hila, and Sonia were also representatives of the Seven Races' warriors. Elizabeth, a green dragon representing the dragon tribe, was still very young. Her transformation was aided by the dragon elders, and once in human form, she couldn't easily revert to a dragon and lacked the strength of other dragons.
Hila, a unique Druid girl, partly inspired Elizabeth's human form, making the two look somewhat alike but not identical.
Sonia was a naga from the sea tribe. Her maternal grandmother, a descendant of the Silver-Eyed Singer, married into the human race, and Sonia's mother, born from this union, was closer to humans than a naga. Sonia was the only girl in generations to inherit the Silver-Eyed Singer's trait, and for a time, was mistaken as Philiq's hope until Jill's birth clarified the misconception.
"Human growth is indeed rapid. In a blink of an eye, Rody has surpassed us all!" Elizabeth hadn't changed much and still had her usual temperament.
"This guy was never weak; he just knew how to hide it!" Hila, who, strictly speaking, was still in her youth and hadn't grown up, had matured in thought and intellect far beyond her peers due to frequent contact with humans.
"Please teach me when you have time." Sonia had changed a lot, significantly improving her strength, indicating her diligent training.
"Spiritual magic suits you well. Next time, I'll give you a few spiritual battle songs! They'll be very effective for you!" Rody felt that Sonia, with proper guidance, could indeed be a powerful ally in battle.
Another valiant female swordsman, Ollia, was of course recognized by Rody. Her strength had significantly increased, but it seemed that her height had grown the most. She was almost as tall as Rody, slender, with a giant sword on her back, exuding a particularly heroic presence. Ollia, seeing Rody, felt a bit embarrassed, as she had always looked down on him when he was just a one-star novice magic apprentice, even mistakenly thinking he was a girl, but she was completely wrong.
Rody extended his hand to her, and she, slightly surprised, shook it with a hearty character as before.
When the younger generation started to gather and chat, the older generation of the Seven Clans' warriors had already sat together, engaging in conversation. Although they were allies, there wasn't much interaction among them. Different races might be hostile outside, but here they were united and friendly, laughing and mingling regardless of race.
Rody originally thought the succubus sisters were also among the Seven Clans' warriors helping Flick, but, unfortunately, they were not.
Jill had once searched for them on behalf of Rody, but the succubi were few in number, often hunted and elusive, with little contact among themselves. After their homeland was destroyed by the Winged Ones, they went into hiding and didn't live with Flick's people.
There were only a few succubi among the Seven Clans' warriors, all friends made by the beautiful instructor during her travels in the Seven Clans' territories.
They were unaware of the whereabouts of the sisters Haine and Heidi, but provided a few locations that might help Rody.
Some young Druids were skeptical of Rody, particularly the Bear Druids, who always squeezed his hand with considerable force in a subtle competition of strength.
"Wow, you have such a strong grip!" a Bear Druid said, shaking his hand unnaturally as he withdrew it, provoking laughter from his peers. One who could defeat the Chaos Roar and conquer the City of Chaos was not to be trifled with. But the young, after all, were young, and soon they were boasting of their heroic deeds in the lands of the Seven Clans, each not wanting to be outdone.
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"To counterattack the Wing Clan, of course, I've thought about it, but the Sky City is too high, we need flying vehicles," Rody said to the war-eager Minotaurs.
"Find the dwarves, these little guys can make anything!" a Minotaur stomped, almost stepping on a nearby Halfling.
"If you want a fight, we're ready to the end. Let's see whether the Minotaur's axe or our Dwarven axe is mightier!" It was easy to provoke a fight by calling dwarves 'little guys', even though they knew it wasn't about themselves.
"I'm not afraid of you, you three-inch nail!" the Minotaur also had a fiery temper.
"Everyone out! If you want to fight, then fight to the death!" The beautiful instructor spoke up, and everyone quickly dispersed with a smile, slipping away. To defy the beautiful instructor could mean becoming an ice sculpture in the garden for two or three days, or eating a fiery fireball barbecue. Even the Dwarf King feared her, and the young Dwarven warriors and Minotaur warriors were certainly terrified.
"Teachers, continue talking, we're going out to practice techniques!" In front of the beautiful instructor, no one dared to suggest going out for drinks, as it was a matter of life and death.
"If any of you dare to cause trouble, I'll dry him for three days. Try if you dare!" The beautiful instructor warned again, introducing Rody to the elders and leaders of the various races. Elizabeth and Hila were also a bit afraid of her, sneaking off to the side of Queen Flick, where Queen Victoria was generously giving gifts, trying to win everyone's favor. They were also tempted. Sonia, however, sat down next to Rody, not much interested in war strategies, but always remembering Rody's 'Spiritual War Song', eager to talk to him at the first opportunity."
"‘Sister Ollia, come over here,’ Jill said happily. With Sonia's arrival, she now had company, and with Ollia joining them, it was even better.
‘I... alright then,’ Ollia, feeling a bit shy to sit beside Rody, thought it was fine since it was just to accompany her sister Jill. She came over and sat down, and the three women started whispering among themselves.
...
‘Rody, do you mean to first defeat the demons and orcs in the human world, and then attack the Sky City?’ asked the Dragon Clan Elder.
‘That's right,’ Rody smiled slightly and said, ‘I personally think that attacking the Sky City directly is not easy. First, we lack sufficient manpower; second, if we overextend ourselves achieving partial victories in the lands of the Seven Clans, we would lose our stronghold in the human world. Humans have a short lifespan, rapid growth, and large numbers. Angels and Winged Ones occupying the human hinterland could recover their strength in less than fifty years. If we first secure victory in the human world, it will force the angels and Winged Ones to come to reclaim their lost territory. We can then wait at ease and achieve a complete victory.’
‘But for us to go to the human world, Rody, to be honest, I am worried,’ said the Dwarf King, his attitude reflecting what many of the Seven Clans' warriors thought.
‘Generous king, don't worry, Rody will pave a friendly path for everyone's arrival!’ Rody chuckled, ‘I don't need you all to leave immediately; you can wait for the right moment. For instance, when the spacetime rift opens wide in six months, you can go then. By that time, I will have everything prepared in the human world.’
‘Can the Sea Clan and the Elf Clan really ally with us?’ asked the Bear Druid Elder.
‘Of course, but we shouldn't expect them to cooperate with us immediately. My fellow kings and elders, we need to fight a brilliant battle, gain the greatest benefit, and make them drool with envy. Then they will come to our aid sooner and more vigorously than expected,’ Rody nodded.
‘Can you fully control the human armies? The influence of the angels is deeply rooted in the human world…’ said the Vampire Baron with a hint of worry.
‘That's a thing of the past, elegant baron. If you go to the human world now, you will find that the image of the angels has already collapsed in people's hearts. You might have heard of my deeds, but I tell you, you don't know about the Prince of the Night, you don't know the sensation and chain reaction my other identity has caused on the human continent!’ Rody said with a slight smile, briefly explaining everything the Prince of the Night had done in the human world.
‘Ah...’ Not only the clan elders but also Buck, the Drunken Swordsman, and the beautiful instructor were somewhat stunned.
Rody's strategy was indeed ruthless. The Prince of the Abyss worshipped the magical boy Rody, transformed into him, made various contributions to humanity, but was assassinated by the angels and died. In his last moments, he asked the Abyssal Underworld to rescue the magical boy trapped in the Desperate Hell and send him back to the world of the living.
The angels, having lost face in this incident, were plunged into a crisis of trust.
If the magical boy Rody were to return, would the angels choose to kill him or make a superficial compromise?
Regardless, Rody's move had already given him an advantage. Even if humanity didn't fully support the magical boy, they wouldn't fully support the angels either. Cutting off the power of faith was undoubtedly the biggest blow to the angels. The Prince of the Night couldn't possess military power or command human armies, but the magical boy could. Once he took out the command ring of Marshal Fvondesman, part of the human army, loyal to the Marshal, would come under his command.
‘Rody, why didn't you tell us about this step earlier...’ the beautiful instructor was very surprised.
‘We agree, but there's one thing we need to raise,’ said the Dragon Clan Elder, glancing at everyone, ‘about returning to the Heavenly Realm.’
‘No problem, everything will be done according to the conditions agreed upon with the teacher. I respect the teacher's decision. Even if I am the Grand Marshal of humanity, I won't change my promise. The lands of the Seven Clans can also be preserved; I respect your living habits. Even if your people come to the human world to gain experience, they will be protected by law,’ Rody, who intended to return not to the Heavenly Realm but to the Divine Realm, was happy to be generous.
“Great, that’s the spirit of a Grand Marshal!” The various kings and elders were delighted, with the Dwarf King repeatedly toasting in celebration.
“King of the Dwarves, King of the Gnomes, and the Elders of the Mystical Elves, Rody has some designs that could enhance our combat power and reduce the loss of soldiers in future battles, but he needs everyone’s full support.” Rody took out some meticulously designed blueprints and distributed them among the few.
“A Birdman magic hand cannon? No, this needs to be much longer…” the Dwarf King asked in surprise, “Rody, lad, don’t you want to make a magic crystal cannon?”
“The Winged Ones will make them, I just need to receive them, haha. Magic crystal cannons are too costly, and they can’t be used by anyone less than a strong warrior; their firing time is very long, not suitable for regular soldiers.” Rody’s words left everyone stunned; was this youngster planning to create magical weapons that even ordinary soldiers could use?
“My, my blueprint is for a magic airship, heavens, I never thought I would see a design for a magic airship!” The Gnome Elder was extremely excited.
“Enchanted magic array combinations, this is miraculous!” The blueprint for the Mystical Elves was the most complex, featuring over a hundred different magic array combinations.
“Got anything else good? Show me something to make me happy.” The beautiful instructor knew Rody definitely had more than this; she was eager to see and share the joy. Rody handed her a densely drawn blueprint. She looked at it for a long time, her expression odd, finally asking, “What’s this magic flywheel for? Transporting people? What about its speed?”
“This magic flywheel is for elite soldiers’ assaults, like cavalry, but its advantage is stability. It looks like a dish, or a wheel, with soldiers standing around its 360-degree perimeter. Of course, it can also carry mages and archers for long-range attacks. Its flight height is estimated to reach only fifty meters, not high, but it can fly over most treetops except for ancient forests and plateaus. It is suitable for various terrains, including swamps and deserts. The speed? It’s slightly faster than a warhorse, but the acceleration is not enough. The advantage is its ability to maintain stability over long periods. It's a war tool designed for attacking enemy soldiers. Its creation requires the full cooperation of the dwarves, gnomes, mystical beings, etc., because the smelting of magical ore, mold making, carving of magic arrays, embedding of magic crystals, and enchantment of arrays all require extreme precision…” Rody gave a detailed explanation.
In the end, the elders of all races were sprawled on the ground, observing and incessantly marveling.
Especially the Gnomes, who were particularly obsessed with it, staring transfixed, unable to control themselves.
“Any other good stuff? Bring it all out!” The Dwarf King was like a robber at that moment, giving Rody quite a scare.
“I have limited time, didn’t think of much, just some small magical weapons and such, see if there’s anything you fancy…” The more modestly Rody spoke, the brighter the gleam in the Dwarf King’s eyes became. When Rody mentioned giving him a hundred tons of magical ore, he almost wanted to hug Rody and give him several kisses.
“Never mind these lunatics, come here, Rody, you come with me, tell me about what you've been up to these years!” The beautiful instructor wasn’t fully satisfied with what she had heard and insisted on Rody going into more detail. She glanced at the three women, Jill and the others, and called, “Come along! Sonia, Ollia, prepare some snacks, we’ll chat in the room. Let these drunken fools here drink themselves to death!”
“Cheers!” The Dwarf King and the others were cheering, toasting madly after each cheer, including the Gnome Elder who wasn’t much of a drinker but was ecstatic.
“Who will drink with me?” The one probably most excited about drinking was the Drunken Swordsman.
“Shh, let's compete after she leaves, everyone quiet down a bit.” Buck, the headmaster, warned everyone not to get too carried away, to avoid turning joy into sorrow.
“Jill, bring the human world's magic map, let Rody point out on the map!” The beautiful instructor was in a good mood, ignoring the bunch of timid drunkards, and let them off the hook. Before leaving, she glanced at a corner where no one was, but it seemed as if invisible eyes were intently watching Rody, unblinking, filled with indescribable emotions, joy mixed with sorrow…”