Only when the fortress gates slowly rose amid the creak of winches, and squads of Slime guards in leather armor, carrying small wooden spears, bounced out in orderly steps to greet them, did the young Stoneborn come back to their senses.
Curious, they followed Nili into the brightly lit fortress.
"Lyon, when you took part in the trial before, did you see this fortress?" The tall, burly Max leaned close to his friend and asked in a lowered voice.
Lyon shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the fortress's interior layout. "No. I'm certain that when the last trial ended, there was nothing here except that row of silent Guardian Knight statues."
"Unbelievable... How did these Slimes move such a huge fortress here in such a short time without anyone noticing?" Max muttered.
News of the Slime Kingdom had long spread through Stone Castle Town. These young Stoneborn found the obviously highly disciplined and social Slimes more novel than shocking.
But the fortress's appearance out of thin air exceeded the limits of their understanding. They wracked their brains yet could not come up with a reasonable explanation.
As they ventured deeper, they saw squads of Stinger Bees with dark-red shells flying soundlessly over the fortress in tight formations, patrolling every corner.
This bridgehead fortress, named Thorn Outpost, covered roughly the area of a standard human estate.
The interior was clearly divided. Near the gates was the supply storage area, the center held an open Training Ground that also served as a mustering square, while barracks, workshops, and the command post stood on either side.
Wooden watchtowers were built at intervals along the walls, each mounted with four Goblin Rippers that gleamed with mysterious arcane radiance.
At the foot of the walls, some Slimes were still diligently at work. Using their