novelbin Chapter 446 - 373: Bone Fortress with No After-Sales Service
Chapter 446 - 373: Bone Fortress with No After-Sales Service
The entire process lasted less than ten minutes.
Soon, the all-devouring black vortex vanished as if it had never been there.
The battlefield, once littered with corpses, was now empty. Aside from vast patches of earth stained dark red with blood and countless craters, not a single body remained.
"Well done."
Raylo patted Coal Ball’s small head.
The night wind grew colder, carrying the swamp’s characteristic dampness.
’This was no place to linger.’
Raylo took one last look at the dark expanse of the Jade Swamp in the distance. It was as if an ancient, man-eating Giant Beast lay dormant there, mysterious and dangerous.
"Let’s go, Baofeng."
The Storm Griffin King let out a high, piercing cry. With a powerful beat of its wings, it stirred up a fierce gust of wind and soared into the sky.
The gale from the Storm Griffin King’s wings scattered the lingering stench of blood and rot that hung over the swamp.
The night sky was swept clean, with only a few sparse Stars. A waning moon hung on the horizon, casting a cold, clear light.
Instead of returning directly to the border camp, Raylo had Baofeng change direction.
Baofeng let out a low cry, its massive body tracing a swift arc through the air as it flew toward a highland area about fifty kilometers from the border between the Black Stone Territory and the Jade Swamp.
The ground below receded rapidly from view. Darkness shrouded the swamp and the wilderness, but in the distance, pinpricks of firelight glowed on a stretch of high ground, like a handful of crushed diamonds scattered across black velvet.
That patch of light was particularly conspicuous in the silent night, imbued with the stubborn vitality unique to human civilization.
As they drew closer, the full picture of the lights came into focus.
It was a massive construction site where thousands of workers and soldiers bustled about under the light of torches and Magic Light Balls.
They were building a Fortress.
A Fortress built primarily... from bone.
The Fortress was already taking shape. Its foundation was constructed from massive leg bones.
The walls, in turn, were formed from countless pale white bones, fitted and stacked together.
The bones were fitted together seamlessly. Under the Moonlight, their surfaces seemed to flow with a ghastly white light, exuding an aura that was both grim and Solid.
Baofeng folded its wings, stirring up a fierce gust of wind as it landed steadily in an open area next to the construction site.
The moment it landed, the imposing aura of a Tier Four Magical Beast made the nearby horses whinny in distress. The Knights on guard duty cast looks of reverence before straightening their chests in salute.
"My Lord!"
Two figures strode over from the construction site to greet him.
It was Alex and Bolin.
"You’ve been working hard."
Raylo swung himself off the griffin’s back and patted Baofeng’s neck, signaling for it to calm down.
Raylo asked about the progress of the Bone Fortress’s construction.
Alex’s voice boomed like a great bell.
"My Lord, materials are running low. We’re almost out of the large bones needed for the main support structure."
Bolin added.
"I’ve sent the Knights to continue clearing out Demon gathering spots and nests in the swamp, but we’ve swept the southern edge multiple times already. There aren’t many Demons left. At this rate, we’ll have to halt construction in two days at most, with the Bone Fortress only half-finished."
Raylo’s gaze swept over the Fortress, which was already taking shape. The Moonlight gave it a silver lining, making it look like the skeleton of a Giant Beast lurking in the darkness—eerie and magnificent.
He said nothing more. He simply turned his head and called out softly.
"Coal Ball."
"Nyah?"
Coal Ball peeked out from atop Baofeng’s head.
"Let’s see today’s haul."
Coal Ball leaped lightly into the air, hovering. It took a deep breath, then flung its mouth wide open.
A pitch-black vortex materialized out of thin air before its mouth.
Immediately, the vortex began to spin faster.
"CLATTER-CLATTER-CLATTER!"
It wasn’t a torrent of water—it was a torrent of bones!
Countless bones surged from the small, black vortex like a bursting dam.
There were human skeletons, Snake-man skeletons, the massive bones of Swamp Magical Beasts, and the remains of all sorts of bizarre Magical Beasts...
All mixed together, still stained with wet blood and caked with mud, they formed a ghastly white waterfall of bone that crashed down heavily onto the open ground before them.
"CRASH!"
"CRACK!"
"THUD!"
The sounds of bone striking bone and bone hitting the ground were as dense as a torrential downpour.
Alex and Bolin subconsciously took two steps back, their curious expressions turning to utter astonishment.
The surrounding workers and Knights all stopped what they were doing, staring dumbfounded at the unimaginable scene before them.
The torrent of bones seemed endless. It quickly piled up in the open space, growing higher and higher, rapidly forming a small mountain of countless remains that radiated an aura of death.
Under the Moonlight, the bone mountain gleamed with a ghastly white light, its peak nearly level with the top of the Fortress walls currently under construction.
The torrent continued for a full minute before it finally ceased.
The entire construction site fell into a dead silence, broken only by the crackling of the torches.
All eyes were fixed on the mountain of bone that had appeared out of nowhere, and throats bobbed as they swallowed nervously.
Raylo said in a solemn voice.
"The situation in the Jade Swamp is more complicated than we anticipated. I need this Bone Fortress completed as soon as possible."
Alex’s smile vanished, and he spoke with grave earnestness.
"Rest assured, my Lord! With these materials, we can have our men work in three shifts, around the clock."
Bolin added confidently.
"Rest assured, my Lord. Seven days! In seven days at most, the main structure of the Bone Fortress will be complete!"