The War Finally Begins

Yes, while the Harvest Watcher requires a massive amount of Garrison resources to produce, if one can find Harvest Golems—even discarded ones—and modify them, the majority of the Garrison resources can be saved.

After all, the Harvest Watcher is an upgraded version of the Harvest Golem, and the foundation is already there.

With no other choice, Shawn had to return to Saldean Farm, move the three discarded Harvest Golems from the warehouse into the Space Garrison, spend a small amount of Garrison resources, and select the modification option.

The modification takes one day. Because it is an assembly line production, all three Harvest Watchers can be produced simultaneously; there is no issue of having to produce one before starting the next.

Shawn spent the day in boredom, but upon waking up early the next morning, he discovered that Saldean Farm had many more people.

Taking a closer look, he saw a formidable and well-trained lineup, all wearing uniform gear and carrying identical two-handed greatswords on their backs. And these pieces of equipment and greatswords looked so familiar.

"So it's the Guard Set! The Guard Set that the Argus Blacksmith Shop crafted for Gryan Stoutmantle? So these people are all soldiers from Sentinel Hill? They actually came all the way here; it seems they are about to take action!"

Shawn muttered to himself.

These soldiers numbered at least one hundred and fifty, accounting for half of the total force at Sentinel Hill.

In recent times, the only major event that could mobilize more than half of the Sentinel Hill soldiers would be the extermination of the Murlocs and Kobolds. And isn't that exactly the main purpose for which old Gryan had the Guard Sets crafted?

Therefore, the great war against the Murlocs and Kobolds is about to begin.

Shawn felt a bit restless.

If it were before, whenever such a great war broke out, Shawn would have hidden as far away as possible. But the current Shawn, with his high-level skills and bold heart, and a spirit like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, had his courage bolstered by the Murlocs at the Murloc Shoal. He felt quite like Zhao Zilong reborn, and he desperately wanted to ride his pig into the battlefield to have a grand go at it.

Anyway, with the Domesticated Sow and the three Harvest Watchers, he doubted those Kobolds and Murlocs could stop him.

Besides, the Kobold War Horn (Westfall) hadn't been used up yet. If he didn't use it now, what would be the point once all the Kobolds in Westfall were wiped out?

Might as well make use of the remaining value.

On one hand, Shawn wanted to get a piece of the action; on the other hand, old Gryan had also thought of Shawn.

Although the previous interrogation failed to yield any useful information, relying on his decades of keen intuition, old Gryan could still smell something fishy about Shawn.

He vaguely sensed that that little brat Shawn must be hiding something from him. Bringing that stinky kid along for this extermination of the Kobolds and Murlocs would definitely be the right move!

Thus, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, they hit it off immediately. An old fox and a young fox, each harboring their own devious schemes, came together. After replenishing food and water at Saldean Farm, the group set off in a grand, sweeping procession.

Yes, although Old Saldean was very worried about Shawn's safety, after Shawn patted his chest and promised he was "just going to broaden his horizons," and old Gryan patted his chest and promised "not to let Shawn lose a single hair," he finally agreed.

With the main force of one hundred and fifty men trailing behind, Shawn rode the Domesticated Sow while old Gryan rode his warhorse, running side-by-side at the front.

Old Gryan suddenly rolled his eyes and unleashed his "Great Bamboozle" technique: "Shawn, you really are something! I never would have guessed—in just a few days, you've transformed into a disciple of that old mage Theocritus? And you've obtained several fine magical items, and even tamed such a formidable mount. It truly makes this old man envious."

Shawn keenly sensed something was wrong. In fact, he had been guarding against the old fox beside him the whole time, so as soon as he heard this, he immediately retorted: "Not at all, not at all. How could I ever compare to you, Lord Gryan? With your silver tongue, you managed to swindle five thousand gold coins out of Old Saldean and the others. Aside from crafting a few pieces of junk Guard Sets, the rest went straight into your own pocket. Tsk tsk, such a super-bamboozling skill—it's a pity you didn't become a merchant."

Old Gryan was feeling quite smug after the first half of Shawn's sentence, but the more he heard, the more wrong it felt. Upon hearing the second half, his face turned from red to black, and he flew into a rage: "Bullshit! Bullshit! What junk sets? You don't know a damn thing! Let me tell you, don't look down on the Guard Sets; they are actually much more practical than those flashy pieces of gear! And another thing, what do you mean 'went into my own pocket'? I didn't embezzle a single cent!"

Shawn nodded quickly: "Mhm, mhm, not a single cent embezzled, just a few thousand gold." Old Gryan was about to explode and start cursing.

But just as the words reached his lips, old Gryan suddenly stopped. He stared at Shawn with wide eyes and said: "You little brat, don't try to change the subject and lead me astray! Let me tell you, today you must explain things clearly to me. How could the Kobolds be so bored as to go to the Gold Coast to fight the Murlocs? Don't tell me you don't know. I'll have you know, I've specifically sent people to track this down over the past few days—you can't escape suspicion!"

Shawn curled his lip, thinking to himself that if you really understood what was going on, I'd write my name backward, and the Space Garrison wouldn't be a cheat code.

He said aloud: "Lord Gryan, don't try to bamboozle me. I really don't know anything."

Old Gryan stared at Shawn for a long time, only to find that Shawn's face didn't flush, his heart didn't race, and his eyes were wandering aimlessly, wearing a look of "what are you going to do about it?" He thought to himself, This kid has great composure. His face changed like a Sichuan opera mask, and he immediately put on a beaming smile.

"About that, Shawn, you know, it wasn't easy for your old brother here to pull this team together. It wasn't easy to bamboozle... no, to beg and plead for those five thousand gold coins, and it wasn't easy to travel all the way to Goldshire to craft the equipment. We can't afford to lose too many men to the Kobolds and Murlocs, right? Besides, the people under my command are all poor souls!"

Old Gryan's eyes miraculously welled up with tears, and two lines of murky liquid rolled down: "Let me tell you, there's a guy in our team named Ryan. He lost his father at three, his mother at four, begged for survival at five, and turned to trickery and robbery at six... it was all for survival! Later, fueled by hatred for the Kobolds and Murlocs, he joined my team, but he's been hungry and cold. My heart aches for him!"

"Let me tell you, there's a guy in our team named Kelt. Since he was a child, he's had a dream: to wear the best armor, become the greatest hero, and protect Stormwind City and the whole world! He's in this team. If we fight the Kobolds and Murlocs head-on, perhaps his short life will come to an end, and his hero's dream will be shattered..."

"Let me tell you, there's a girl in our team named Samakeli. Such a fine young woman, yet her beauty has been ravaged by life, and her delicate skin has been worn down by the wind and sand. Even as she shivers in the cold wind and trembles in the rain, she still wants to exterminate the Kobolds to bring welfare to the people of Westfall."

"Let me tell you..."