Skeleton Swordsman

After digging about ten meters underground over several hours, they discovered a vast cavern nearly a hundred meters wide. Many smaller holes had been dug into its walls, seemingly serving as rooms. Due to the chain reaction from the Great Rift, one-third of the cavern had already collapsed.

Zhao Fu also found the frightened Gnomes huddled off to one side. He led his group down, and the Gnomes obediently put down their weapons and knelt on the ground, showing their surrender.

"Honored sir, we are truly grateful that you accepted our surrender and came to save us," several elderly Gnomes said gratefully as they knelt.

At first, Zhao Fu had held some resentment toward these old Gnomes, but he decided to let it go. Since they had already become his subjects, there was no need to pursue the matter further. "Get up!"

Seeing that Zhao Fu had not been angered and had forgiven their earlier refusal to surrender, the Gnomes all breathed sighs of relief and stood up.

Interested, Zhao Fu immediately went to inspect the Gnome Barracks. He found that it only had two Class Transfer Steles.

One was [Goblin Crossbowman]: F-rank troop type. Introduction: Gnomes who use crossbows as their main weapon. Troop effect: Can obtain the skill [Crossbow Mastery].

The other made Zhao Fu rather pleased.

[Goblin Mechanist]: E-rank troop type. Introduction: Gnomes proficient in machinery. Troop effect: Can obtain the skill [Mechanical Research].

This profession had practically been made for inventing large-scale mechanical weapons. Zhao Fu had always wanted to create a highly destructive cold weapon: the Ballista.

A Ballista was more than ten times as destructive as an ordinary bow, with extremely powerful killing force. Most people could only retreat when facing one. However, although Zhao Fu wanted to make one, everything complex in Apocalypse World required blueprints. Even if he found the method to manufacture a Ballista in reality, he would be unable to replicate it in Apocalypse World.

Now, the Goblin Mechanists solved that problem. Besides Ballistas, they could also Research many large cold weapons. Unfortunately, the Class Transfer limit for Goblin Mechanists was only five.

After inspecting the barracks, he went to the warehouse. There was some food inside, along with fewer than a thousand copper coins. There was not even a single silver coin. Given the scale of this village, it was impossible for them to have killed creatures capable of dropping silver coins.

Walking out, Zhao Fu looked up at the hundred-meter-wide cavern and said, "This place can no longer be lived in. Move up above. I can provide basic protection."

Hearing Zhao Fu's words, the elderly Gnomes hurriedly agreed with joy. How could they possibly refuse free protection from people several times stronger than themselves?

At that moment, Zhao Fu arrived at the Village Chief Hall of Goblin Village. Looking at the white cube floating in midair, he reached out and touched it, causing two options to appear: [Destroy] and [Relocate].

Destroying the village would grant one-tenth of its current experience. However, what it gave afterward would be a Broken City Heart—the floating cube currently in midair—which could no longer be used and could only be used to raise the grade of another village.

Five white Broken City Hearts could raise an ordinary-quality village to blue quality. Ten blue Broken City Hearts could raise a blue-quality village to silver quality. Thirty silver Broken City Hearts could raise a silver-quality village to gold quality.

This method of advancement had no limit. No one knew how high it could go, but one thing was certain: the higher one went, the more difficult it became. For example, upgrading a gold-quality village to a legendary village required one hundred and twenty gold-quality Broken City Hearts, as well as a legendary-grade item to be fused into it.

This was unimaginably difficult. Gold-quality villages were not cabbages growing by the roadside; how could anyone have so many of them? Thus, most people could at most raise their cities to gold quality. Reaching legendary quality or above was simply impossible.

Choosing relocation would also grant one-tenth of the village's current experience, and the City Heart could be used again. However, the village's experience would be reset to zero. For example, relocating an advanced village would turn it directly into a beginner village, while relocating an advanced town would turn it into a beginner town.

Goblin Village was only a beginner village right now, so Zhao Fu did not need to worry about that. Thus, he chose relocation.

The City Heart released faint rays of white light that enveloped the entire village. Some basic buildings slowly began to disappear.

Prompt! Great Qin Village gained 120 experience.

Without realizing it, Great Qin Village had already accumulated over a thousand experience. It needed just over three thousand more to advance to an intermediate village. Zhao Fu then turned his gaze back to the City Heart. It was no longer emitting white light and simply floated there quietly.

Zhao Fu took it and examined it.

[City Heart]
Quality: White
Restricted race: Gnome

Humans could not use City Hearts of other races, and likewise, other races could not use human City Hearts. At the same time, if a village was occupied by an outside race, it would not refresh its population. Thus, Zhao Fu handed the villages he conquered over to the corresponding races.

He tossed the City Heart to the elderly Gnomes and told them to find a place near Great Qin Village to rebuild their village.

After leaving the cavern, Zhao Fu and Bai Qi once again came to observe the Great Rift.

This Great Rift was seventeen meters long and more than fifty meters deep. Because it was so deep, sunlight could not reach the bottom, leaving it somewhat dim. However, they could vaguely see what appeared to be a neatly paved stone-brick road at the bottom of the rift.

"What do you think?" Zhao Fu asked Bai Qi with a frown.

Bai Qi also wore a grave expression as he replied, "Your Highness, I feel that this Great Rift is far from simple."

Hearing this, Zhao Fu pondered for a while. The Great Rift was so close to Great Qin Village that if they did not investigate it, they would be unable to react in time if any danger arose. Zhao Fu could not possibly leave a bomb that could explode at any time beside him, or he would never sleep peacefully. Thus, he said, "I want to go down and see what is below."

Bai Qi said worriedly, "Your Highness, let me accompany you down to take a look."

Zhao Fu nodded and had people prepare ropes and torches before slowly climbing down.

More than an hour later, Zhao Fu and Bai Qi reached the bottom of the Great Rift and found that it truly was unusual. Below was a passage ten meters wide and four meters high, paved with stone bricks.

It was somewhat dim here. Zhao Fu and Bai Qi lit their torches and walked deeper into the passage. With every step forward, their surroundings grew darker and darker until they could not see their own hands. The area was deathly silent, without the slightest sound, and the atmosphere gradually became inexplicably eerie.

Suddenly!

Creak, creak, creak, sounds rang out from the darkness. Zhao Fu raised his torch and saw a Skeleton Swordsman. Blue flames burned in its skull, and it held a rusted sword as it swayed to its feet.

The Skeleton Swordsman looked at Bai Qi and Zhao Fu with its two empty eye sockets. It let out a howl, instinctively raised its sword, and charged at them.