The Helper

While Yi Aier may have some shortcomings as a maid, she is clearly quite qualified as a weapons designer for a Magic Empire. This steel fortress that walks on the ground, like all the weapons designed by the twin-tailed maid, has a smooth appearance and corresponding internal structure, a weapon layout that combines deterrence and combat power, and of course, a variety of magic cannons.

Standing in the bustling command hall, Li Lin gazed at the crowd before him. Dozens of mages were busy at their control panels, harmonizing the last of their magical power and conducting final tests. Each of their faces radiated barely suppressed joy. This was understandable; under Li Lin and Nia's secret "physical transformation" plan, five hundred mages had already transcended their original spirit forms and gained truly living bodies. However, for safety reasons, Li Lin had prohibited them from participating in combat. This left these mages with a lingering sense of regret. If they were still like their brethren, relying solely on the massive barrier of the Ringwraith City to provide a physical form for their souls, it wouldn't matter. But now, they were no longer those spirits; they were truly human beings with physical bodies. Although this meant they couldn't have long lifespans, at least their power remained, and for mages, extending their lifespan was a trivial matter.

However, after gaining physical bodies, they were eager to participate in the battle for revenge. Although they had witnessed the "live broadcast" of the battle between the Scourge Legion and the Five-Nation Alliance, this did not extinguish the fire of revenge in their hearts. On the contrary, seeing the tragic deaths of the descendants of their former enemies only fueled their fighting spirit.

Li Lin had naturally noticed this as well, which is why he ordered Yi Aier to manufacture new magical weapons to better facilitate operations. Angela's disappearance further solidified this belief. Li Lin had never intended to rely entirely on the Scourge Legion to conquer the world, since undead creatures could not exist permanently anywhere. This was merely a temporary emergency measure. Once enough enemies were eliminated, Li Lin would naturally choose to reorganize their own army.

When quantity is insufficient, quality is used to make up for it.

Currently, there are thirty-five mages on this mobile steel fortress. Thirteen of them are responsible for operating the magical turrets on the top of the fortress, which are terrifying just to look at. The mental manipulation mages are in charge of communications and reconnaissance, while the spatial mages are responsible for the complete location and target search of the magical fortress. As for the defense of the magical fortress itself, it is handled by the creatures summoned by the summoning mages.

Magic is the foundation, magic is the source—this is the army of the Magic Empire.

"Everything is ready, Master!"

Standing on the central command platform, Yi Aier, having confirmed that the final steps were complete, immediately reported to Li Lin with a smug smile.

To be frank, while this mobile steel fortress wasn't as massive as the sea fortress Princess Shirley had acquired, it was still quite large. At this moment, it lay quietly on the ground, awaiting its Manipulator's commands. Of course, Yi Aier wouldn't choose such a barbaric method as airdropping to send such a huge weapon to the ground; after all, even if the steel fortress itself could withstand the enormous impact, the people inside would be shaken to death. What she was using was the power of the twelve satellites hovering in the sky.

After Li Lin created these twelve magical satellites, the Ringwraith City's external surveillance capabilities reached an unprecedented level. Relying on various magical techniques, mages within the Ringwraith City could easily observe everything happening throughout the entire Magic Empire's territory. The previous "live broadcasts" were made possible precisely by these magical satellites. Otherwise, if the mages had to conduct their own reconnaissance, they would likely have been exhausted to death before the war ended.

The method of movement Yi Aier is currently using is the same as the missile launch method from a magical satellite. She uses the magical satellite to project dimensional coordinates onto the ground, then activates the teleportation array on the steel fortress, which then teleports the fortress to the precise location. In other words, if used properly, this massive steel fortress can appear at will in any corner of the Magic Empire's territory!

Of course, considering the spatial tremors caused by teleportation spells and various other factors that could potentially interfere with the teleportation, the actual range of teleportation is limited. In other words, the so-called "any place" should be more accurately described as "any plains area." After all, teleporting through mountains is not safe; it's difficult to consider whether the rocks themselves can support the weight of an iron fortress. Furthermore, many mountains contain mineral deposits, and the energy microwaves they generate can also interfere with teleportation. In contrast, plains areas are obviously much more convenient and avoid any unexpected problems.

After Li Lin nodded, Yi Aier immediately placed her hand on the control panel in front of her. A piercing sound rang out, and the mages who were conducting a final check on the steel fortress quickly withdrew from the massive steel structure. Then, a faint magical glow appeared along the magic circle symbols on the walls, growing brighter and brighter...

When Li Lin recovered from the dizziness of the spatial transfer, what appeared before them was a vast and desolate plain.

Here it is...

Looking at the huge ravine on the plain, Li Lin couldn't help but recall the scene when he and the little guy returned to this world. At that time, they had passed through this wilderness. And now, he had come here again, but... the little guy was no longer by his side.

"Master! Teleportation complete, everything is normal!"

After quickly checking the condition of the steel fortress, Yi Aier immediately reported. Upon hearing her report, Li Lin took a deep breath, quickly pulling his thoughts back from his nostalgic memories, and then calmly issued the order.

"Let's get started."

If anyone were to witness this scene firsthand, they would surely remember it forever.

A massive bolt of lightning, accompanied by magical energy, swept across the entire steel fortress in an instant, activating its very essence. Soon, eight enormous, folded limbs, hidden deep within the fortress's walls, emerged, firmly anchoring themselves to the hard, barren ground. Then, magical power once again surged through the steel fortress's body. This fortress, as tall as a three-story building, finally rose slowly into the air, supported by its steel limbs. The enormous steel pseudo-legs continuously extended, bent, and moved forward smoothly, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly, leaving footprints as large as fountains. But this was only the beginning.

"At our current speed, we should be able to reach our destination before sunset."

After comparing the intelligence data obtained through the magical satellite, a mage reported to Yi Aier, who was standing next to Li Lin, proudly displaying her equally eye-catching breasts and enjoying Li Lin's praise.

Before sunset?

Li Lin watched the desolate landscape before him as he rapidly retreated. Although the massive size of the steel fortress gave the illusion that it was moving quite slowly, this was merely an illusion.

"Very good, I think we can rest for a while now."

Not everyone has the leisure time that Li Lin has.

"What on earth is going on up there?!"

Although the spring wind was still chilly, the robust man standing on the hillside, clad only half-body in animal hide armor, clearly possessed the fiery passion of summer. He stood there, his angry gaze fixed on the Solid Rock Fortress not far away. If looks could kill, his gaze at that moment would be enough to annihilate an entire army.

This is understandable. Although the Kingdom of Serei launched its attack with the intention of taking advantage of the chaos in Lalia to seize resources, there are always exceptions.

The Solid Rock Fortress before us is precisely such an exception.

While Lalia is currently embroiled in internal strife and chaos, not everyone on the border is equally disoriented. Perhaps believing they are doomed, or perhaps prepared for a desperate last stand, these soldiers holding the fortresses have not become as demoralized and listless as the Kingdom of Serei had imagined. The dire situation at home may have instilled in them a do-or-die mentality. Since the country they protect is in chaos and will inevitably be destroyed by the evil Magic Empire, their only duty as soldiers is to stand firm to the very end and prevent those barbarians from defiling their land!

Thus, faced with soldiers who were determined to die, the once invincible Serei finally met their match, neither yielding nor refusing to back down.

Although the individual and overall quality of the soldiers of the Serei were not much worse than that of the Lalia army, their country was ultimately impoverished, making it difficult to mass-produce even equipment such as siege engines, which were available to the Five-Nation Alliance. Although the Serei did use their precious siege weapons during the attack on the fortress, what angered them was that the Lalia soldiers recklessly charged out of the fortress, and after suffering nearly a thousand casualties, they reduced all of the Serei' precious siege weapons to a pile of scrap metal and junk.

Although the Lalia were prepared for certain defeat, and were even prepared to drag one or two top laners down with them, the Serei clearly didn't share this mindset. After losing their siege weapons, the Serei launched two more probing attacks, both ending in crushing defeats. After all, this Solid Rock Fortress was located halfway up a mountain, with the only road leading to the Lalia plains below, surrounded by treacherous mountains. Serei wanted to invade and occupy the Lalia plains, they had to conquer this fortress.

However, it now appears to be a very difficult task.

The Serei are not in the habit of backing down in the face of difficulties, but they are also not in the habit of foolishly rushing forward to their deaths.

The battle became a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. Although, in terms of time, the Serei would undoubtedly emerge victorious if they could simply hold out, the Serei were also worried that other smaller nations might launch attacks on Lalia. They were confident they could hold out, but what if, upon reaching the plains after their victory, the land had already changed hands? Then the entire war would have been for nothing.

Moreover, there's also the Magic Empire.

Thinking of this, the commander of the Serei couldn't help but feel puzzled. Just two days ago, he had received an urgent intelligence report from the Serei King, which vaguely mentioned that the King had sought the strongest possible assistance. They would be heading to the Solid Rock Fortress in the coming days to provide aid and support to the Kingdom of Serei in its battle. Of course, there were also some unclear warnings, hoping that our Serei commander would consider the overall situation and manage his subordinates well, etc...

Although the Serei commander before him wasn't particularly bright, he wasn't stupid either. Seeing how vague the order was, he began to suspect that the king had likely requested assistance from the Magic Empire. After all, the princess of the Sea-Encircled Country had recently visited the Kingdom of Serei, and many people knew about it. While they didn't dislike the Magic Empire, they were still somewhat resistant to the rumors about the undead Magic Empire it used. After all, the dead are still people, and seeing dead people wandering around in front of you isn't quite right. This was probably why the order instructed him to keep a close eye on his subordinates.

But would the Magic Empire really bring a bunch of dead to attack the city?

As the commander, he also felt somewhat awkward and resistant. Of course, he knew that while he might have his own thoughts, he couldn't disobey the orders from above.

"Commander, when will the reinforcements from the Magic Empire arrive?"

The commander wasn't the only one with this question; in fact, almost all the soldiers knew about it after the order was given. The Magic Empire was about to provide them with aid to help them break through this damned fortress. In fact, when the news spread, almost all the soldiers were debating how the Magic Empire would appear and how it would help them.

"A dragon, it must be a dragon! In legends, great mages can command dragons to serve them..."

"No way! It'll definitely be a huge group of mages. You know, mages are the most terrifying siege weapons! I've heard that one of their fireballs can burn an entire city to ashes!"

"You're all wrong. It must be some strange magical weapon. Aren't those mages in the legends supposed to be able to control strange metal figures? It must be one of those legendary armies that are supposedly invincible!"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! It must be the devil. Otherwise, where do you think those undead creatures in the Five-Nation Alliance came from?"

"Are we going to have to fight a bunch of dead people? That's terrifying..."

Various rumors circulated among the soldiers. Of course, while there was some unease, the rumors that the Magic Empire was on their side at least reassured them considerably. Or rather, they used this exchange to dispel their fear of that unknown, never-before-seen nation. After all, the Magic Empire had vanished from this continent for a thousand years.

"Um?"

Just then, Commander Serei felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. Then, accompanied by birdsong, flocks of birds flew out from the southern woods, hovering in the sky before screeching and flying away. In the silence, everyone seemed to hear a low, indistinct sound approaching them.

What exactly is it?

Commander Serei turned his head warily and curiously toward the source of the sound, his hand unconsciously resting on his weapon. He instinctively sensed that something extremely dangerous was slowly approaching him.

Not only him, but the other soldiers were the same. They looked uneasily at the direction from which the sound came, and picked up their weapons. No one gave them any orders, but these soldiers, who had been fighting against all kinds of natural and man-made disasters since they were old enough to understand, already possessed quite good military skills. Although they didn't know what it was, none of the soldiers lowered their guard.

Soon, a scout on horseback galloped out of the woods. He steered his horse madly toward the commander. His skin, which had been tanned dark by the sun, was now deathly pale. His eyes were wide open, and sweat streamed down his face. He gripped the reins in one hand and pointed behind him with the other. His mouth was wide open, big enough to fit his fist, but he couldn't utter a sound because of fear and astonishment.

What exactly did he see?

When he clearly saw the terrifying being emerging from the forest, Commander Serei knew for the first time in his life what fear was.

The massive steel fortress easily crushed the towering ancient trees, its steel pseudo-legs stretching unimpeded through the forest, forcefully overcoming all obstacles and pressing firmly to the ground. Magical light rippled across the steel fortress's body, and beams of light emerged from above, illuminating the valley that had been somewhat dim due to the sunset. When that light shone upon his body, the commander of Serei even had the illusion of being watched.

If his soldiers hadn't panicked earlier than him, Commander Serei himself might have gone mad from the tension and fear...

"M-Sir! What is that thing?!"

The soldiers panicked. They swore to all the gods that they had never seen such a terrifying monster. Although there were many brave men among them who could fight wild beasts with their bare hands, even the most valiant warriors dared not fight such a terrifying creature.

At this moment, Commander Serei finally understood what the Magic Empire's aid truly meant.