“Stanley, how much do you know about goblins? Do you know where goblins who can make alchemical bombs might be found?”
Upon hearing this, Stanley immediately understood Li De’s intentions. His expression turned slightly complicated as he replied.
“Goblins are a type of dwarf-like creature. They possess very intelligent minds, but their bodies are extremely weak, so weak, in fact, that even human children of eleven or twelve years old are stronger than them.
However, their intelligence surpasses that of ordinary humans, and they are particularly enthusiastic about researching alchemical items.
The alchemical bomb is one of their signature creations.
But goblins rarely appear in the surface world. These beings tend to inhabit the Underground World.”
After finishing, Stanley shook his head. “As for goblins capable of making alchemical bombs, I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I don’t know where any of them are.”
Goblins had always been enigmatic, almost never appearing on the surface. Both the Dark Pact and the Evening Bell Church had little to no contact with these underground lifeforms.
Li De nodded slightly. He wasn’t surprised by this; in fact, one word Stanley mentioned reminded him of something.
Underground World.
He suddenly remembered the passageway to the Underground World located within Giant Valley.
Kosso and the others had come from the Underground World. He had never forgotten about that mysterious world.
However, because Dawn City was still in a rapid development phase and every aspect of construction required massive resources, he had never had the time or energy to explore that fog-shrouded world.
Moreover, in the past, their strength had been insufficient. Dawn City hadn’t been nearly as powerful as it was now. That was why he had never taken further steps to develop what was rumored to be a very rich land.
But the Underground World was nothing like the surface. Its danger level was at least ten times greater.
Dark creatures roamed freely. Brutal and bloodthirsty evil beings were everywhere. Every lifeform in the Underground World was a predator lurking in the shadows. The only goals for survival in that land were to become stronger and to stay alive.
Kosso, a Level 16 bronze cyclops, had come from the Thunder Tribe, which had housed hundreds of powerful cyclopes. Their chieftain had even reached Level 19, bordering on the Transcendent tier.
Yet even such a strong tribe couldn’t live in peace. The Thunder Tribe’s chieftain, Kosso’s father, encountered a fatal enemy in the swamp they resided in: a black dragon.
That Level 19 cyclops was mortally wounded by the black dragon and died. The once-mighty Thunder Tribe was forced to migrate. Kosso, unable to compete with his brother for the position of chieftain, came to the surface instead.
Even a black dragon, a creature of golden rank, existed there. That alone was proof of how extreme this world was. To say it was riddled with danger would be an understatement.
That was why Li De hadn’t rushed to explore it. Without sufficient strength, even if he went, he might not gain anything worthwhile. Worse yet, if he happened to encounter a terrifying creature like a black dragon, things would turn into a real nightmare.
“Is it possible that Risel City, just like us, discovered an Underground World and established trade with it, gaining support from the goblins? That’s how they managed to grow so much in these past few years,” Li De pondered aloud.
“And the beastmen, maybe they’re not just after goblins. Maybe they too discovered signs of the Underground World. Their assault on Risel City could be for even greater gains.”
Although this theory had no evidence, Li De couldn’t help but speculate.
He had managed to acquire cyclopes, so why couldn’t Risel City, a major power that had cultivated the land for thousands of years, establish trade with the Underground World?
Hearing this hypothesis, Harrison mused thoughtfully.
“If that’s really the case, then the beastmen’s objective might be far more complicated.”
Stanley shook his head. “Your Majesty, although many of the trade goods from Risel City bear traces of goblin craftsmanship, there aren’t many items circulating that originate from the Underground World.
However, since goblins are originally creatures of the Underground World, it’s still possible that the young Lord of Risel City has control over an entrance to it.
But all of this still requires more information to support our assumptions.”
Li De nodded. “Correct. Whether the beastmen’s target is Green City, or their actual goal from the start was Risel City...
Or whether they came for the goblins and the possibly existing Underground World...
All of these are hypotheses based on our current intel. None of them can serve as definitive proof.
Harrison, have City Hall’s think tank analyze all possible scenarios. For each one, I want at least three contingency plans.”
This think tank had been assembled by Li De with Harrison’s help from the brightest and most imaginative staff within City Hall.
The members included Harrison, Niko, Emi, second-generation bloodline descendant Augustine, Avi, three third-generation bloodline descendants, and twelve exceptionally intelligent humans.
Each of them had their own specialties, some were quick-witted and imaginative, others had broad vision and long-term perspective. Some were seasoned and experienced, others had strong strategic insight. But they all shared one common trait: intelligence.
It resembled the general staffs of various Earth militaries, or the think tanks within major corporations.
In fact, Li De was already planning to use this current think tank as the foundation for a future Information Command Center that would integrate all his subordinate forces.
Harrison nodded solemnly.
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“And also, we can’t just sit idle. Notify the Dark Pact immediately, tell them to mobilize all their resources and channels to gather information about Risel City, alchemical bombs, goblins, and the Underground World.
We can issue a large number of related mercenary missions under the pretense of resisting the beastmen to gather more intelligence about the goblins.”
“Also, stay in close contact with Craig. Have him relay as much intel as possible. Being inside the beastmen army and at Level 16, he’s bound to have access to a lot of information.”
After organizing his thoughts, Li De issued the order directly. “Also, have the Crimson Mage Tower investigate all information related to Risel City among the upper-class nobles of Green City.
Our objective is only two things: alchemical bombs and goblins.”