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"Zhu Yue, wait here. I'll be back soon," Riku said calmly.
With that, he stepped into the air and walked toward the floating warships. Why walk instead of teleport? To give the goblins a bit of time to collect themselves.
"I really need to talk to Lord Smart Dragon sometime about shapeshifting magic… Just standing around like this is frustrating," Zhu Yue sighed as she watched Riku leave.
Meanwhile, the goblin commander was still in full-blown panic mode, ordering everyone to prepare a proper welcoming ceremony.
Soon, the defenses around the steel city were completely deactivated. The goblin commander quickly hopped into a flying vehicle and brought a few trusted aides along as he flew out to meet Riku.
"Lord Riku, welcome. We were terribly rude earlier, I truly—" the goblin commander started nervously as he landed a short distance in front of Riku and bowed.
"Let's talk somewhere more private,"Riku said casually.
"I understand," the goblin commander flinched at the words, forcing a smile.
He immediately lowered his posture, guiding Riku respectfully.
At the same time, the orc delegation—led by the orc elder—arrived at Riku's side from one of the airships. Their eyes were full of fanatical admiration, and they bowed deeply in reverence.
Riku simply nodded back.
A few moments later, Riku was brought into a high-tech-looking meeting room.
As for the platinum treasure chest—Riku wasn't in a hurry. It wasn't going anywhere.
"Lord Riku, regarding the alliance… the goblin race is willing to join," the goblin commander spoke up once Riku had taken a seat. Riku hadn't said a word—just tapped the table rhythmically. It felt like he had made a decision already.
"Oh?" Riku said with a faint, amused smile.
"In exchange, we only have one request: if you win, please… spare the goblin race," the commander said with a pleading tone.
"You're smart. You know your place," Riku said with a meaningful look, still calm. "But I'm honestly a little surprised you agreed so quickly."
The goblin commander gave a bitter smile. Did they have a choice? Once Riku had set his sights on them—and knew everything—refusing meant total annihilation. Best case scenario? A handful of survivors barely clinging to life. The stakes were way too high.
Besides, they hated the War God Artesius too. Their creator had been killed and devoured by that guy. That hatred ran deep.
Before, they never had the chance. Now… this was the perfect opportunity. Morally and logically, they had no reason to say no.
Originally, they'd hoped to negotiate for better terms. But after that earlier "welcoming attack," he didn't dare ask for anything else. Just keeping the basics was already pushing it.
And from Riku's demeanor, it was obvious he wasn't easy to bargain with. Alliances always got tricky when it came to benefits. And in this case, they didn't have leverage—so the goblin commander wisely decided not to push his luck.
"We goblins believe Lord Riku will succeed in slaying the War God," the commander said, piling on the flattery.
"Heh, that's enough sucking up. What I really want to know is… how many marrow bombs have you already made?" Riku asked, calm as ever.
—!!The goblin commander and his aides all stiffened instantly, their faces frozen in shock.
How the hell…How could he possibly know about that?!
The marrow bomb was the goblins' top-secret weapon, their most destructive creation. They believed that even a dragonkin, if hit head-on, would be blown to bits.
And now, Riku had casually brought it up like it was no big deal.
They were terrified.
Gulp—
The goblin commander swallowed hard, staring at Riku with a face full of disbelief and dread.
Behind Riku, the orc elder looked thrilled.
Ha! I remember being scared shitless by Riku too. Now it's their turn!
As expected of Lord Riku… He even knew that. Who the hell was feeding him all this intel?
The elder of the Beastkin race let out a deep sigh.
"So far, we've only managed to make five. The resource cost is just way too high, and because of secrecy issues, that's all we've got for now," the Goblin race's military chief said cautiously.
He didn't dare hide anything. One wrong move and Riku might turn against the Goblins...
He was even starting to avoid looking straight into Riku's golden eyes. It felt like those eyes could see right through him, exposing all his secrets.
What's worse, just Riku sitting there was enough to make him feel suffocated.
That feeling… it was all too familiar. It was what the lower-ranked Goblin soldiers used to feel when they faced him. Now, the roles were reversed.
Still, the Goblin chief didn't dare show even a hint of resentment. He just straightened his posture, trying to show respect. The being in front of him, despite looking human, carried the power of a god of war—far beyond what he could imagine.
"Five, huh. Not much," Riku said, tapping his fingers on the table and raising an eyebrow.
He never underestimated the gods of war. He intended to use every ounce of strength he could gather to boost his chances of victory.
Because this wasn't just about his own survival—it was about his women, and the fate of all the major races.
"Lord Riku, I swear I'm not lying. That really is all we've made. And even those took us years to put together," the Goblin chief said anxiously, repeating himself in fear.
"I believe you. No need to panic," Riku waved it off, speaking calmly. "You've got three months. Make me five more. I'll have the Beastkin, Forest Elves, and Vampires help you gather the resources you need."
"——!" The Goblin chief froze, staring at Riku in disbelief. He already knew the Beastkin were under Riku's command... but since when were the Forest Elves and Vampires part of the alliance too? And if he counted in the Dragonfolk...
Just thinking about it made the Goblin chief's mind spin.
"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Riku," he quickly bowed. "With help from those three races, we'll definitely be able to finish the job in three months!"
Riku gave a slight nod. He didn't need to say much more. If the four races working together couldn't pull it off, then they really were useless. The Goblins had the tech—they were just short on energy.
"One more thing—I want your people to help me develop this," Riku said next, pulling out the schematics for a modified IS system from his storage space, and smiling.
"....."