Chapter 416 - Empress Finas’ Venom Sac

Nie Yan glanced at Lil’ Gold’s stats and discovered he had only lost seven points of loyalty. Since Lil’ Gold had never died until now, his loyalty was quite high. So, dying once or twice wouldn’t have that much of an impact.

Even though Lil’ Gold had lured the Rock Giant Stargazers away, he couldn’t keep their attention for long, maybe half-a-minute to a minute at most. He was simply not their match at his current level.

Nie Yan rushed up the Sacrificial Star Platform. His heart raced, knowing Empress Finas’ Venom Sac was almost within reach.

Paladin Rennes has died.

The Wolf Golems caught up to Renness and ripped her to shreds before she could even reach the 30-meter mark.

On the other side, the Rock Giant Stargazers caught up to Lil’ Gold after 60 meters. They waved their staffs as a powerful force enveloped him.

Strangling Shadows!

Shadowy tendrils shot up from the ground and wrapped around Lil’ Gold, rendering him immobile.

Lil’ Gold let out a miserable cry as the frightening power of the shadows crushed him to death.

Nie Yan was only steps away from Empress Finas’ Venom Sac when the three Rock Giant Stargazers, sensing something, turned around and discovered him. They waved their staffs as a cryptic chant flowed out of their mouths.

Howl of Terror!

A powerful sound wave swept out from the Rock Giant Stargazers. Nie Yan was about to be struck by the Howl of Terror, when he activated Adjudicator of God in the nick of time.

Miss!

Adjudicator of God granted Magic Immunity!

Several curses also fell on Nie Yan. If it weren’t for Adjudicator of God, the Howl of Terror and curses would’ve stopped him dead in his tracks.

Nie Yan pounced forward and snatched away Empress Finas’ Venom Sac. He immediately felt a stinging sensation in his palm. It was filled with potent poison, like the eye and fang!

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Nie Yan’s skin rapidly turned a pale shade of green. He quickly removed the poison with the Detoxifying Marble, then tossed Empress Finas’ Venom Sac into his bag.

At this moment, the three Rock Giant Stargazers rushed up and smashed down on Nie Yan with their staffs.

Nie Yan smirked as he crushed the Unknown Transfer Scroll in his hand.

「Crash!」The staffs passed through the phantom image of Nie Yan and smashed into the floor of the Sacrificial Star Platform. He had already teleported away.

A moment later, Nie Yan’s figure appeared in a patch of forest a thousand meters away from the ravine.

I’m safe... Nie Yan breathed out a sigh of relief. He hid in a nook beside a nearby tree and quietly waited for the Dark Portal to come back off cooldown.

Nie Yan used this time to examine Empress Finas’ Venom Sac.

Description: Inflict 30% of the owner’s attack power as a deadly poison that deals continuous damage over 30 seconds.

Nie Yan had finally obtained three Occult Items, fulfilling the conditions required to use the Occult Talisman.

He checked his quest window.

Quest Progress: Search for the Occult Talisman - Arachne Empress Finas.

Another Occult Talisman? And this one seemed to be for summoning Arachne Empress Finas! Sadly, Nie Yan would have to put off the search for another day. After all, he still hadn’t even used the Molelord Occult Talisman.

Nie Yan didn’t move from his hiding spot. After a few hours, he opened the Dark Portal and stepped inside.

Seeing the clear blue sky and breathing in the fresh air, Nie Yan knew he had finally returned home. As a surface dweller, the atmosphere in the Underworld was stifling. The vice-versa was also the same for players in the Underworld.

Teleporting back to Calore with a Return Scroll, Nie Yan arrived to a guild office practically devoid of players. Everyone had left for the Cripps Stronghold. Its preservation was crucial to the survival of the guild!

Nie Yan used the transfer point in the guild office to teleport to the Cripps Stronghold, where he was greeted by a large number of players bustling about.

Nie Yan’s arrival filled everyone with excitement. He was undoubtedly the backbone of Asskickers United.

“Boss, you’re back!”

Almost every player in Asskickers United was called back to the Cripps Stronghold. All of the top elites were gathered here!

Nie Yan quickly made his way to the guild headquarters, where Guo Huai and the other higher-ups were in the midst of a meeting. When they heard he had returned, they all came out to greet him.

“How’s the situation? Where are Bladelight and the others?” Nie Yan asked.

“They’re busy handling the defense of the Cripss Stronghold,” Guo Huai replied. “Bloodlust Blades’ forces will arrive in two hours. They’ve formed a defensive circle around the Armoured Catapults and are advancing step by step. We have no way of stopping them. Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire have already delayed them for a long time, and they’ve suffered heavy losses. Thank god you’re back! I don’t know what I’d do if we lost the stronghold while you were gone!”

“I’ve brought back another batch of equipment from the Underworld. Get some people to put them up for sale on the auction houses. I estimate we’ll make at least 1,000,000 gold,” Nie Yan said before handing over all the equipment in his bag to Guo Huai.

Guo Huai’s eyes widened in shock as he saw his trade window fill up with rare equipment. He estimated that even the cheapest pieces were well worth over 1,000 gold. The gold they would earn from selling off this equipment could resolve their money problems for a good while. Asskickers United simply had too many expenses. Besides covering for the guild members that died, Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire also had to be compensated for their losses.

“One more thing, help me gather all the Great Mages in Asskickers United, Sapphire Shrine, Holy Empire, Battle Crazed Alliance, and the War God Tribe,” Nie Yan said. He planned to summon the Molelord with the Occult Talisman when the time was right. Since it had a cooldown of 60 days, it wasn’t an item that could be used rashly.

Guo Huai was baffled. Why did Nie Yan need so many Great Mages? However, he didn’t pry any further and simply passed down the order to his subordinates.

“What’s the progress with the Goblin Magic Cannon?” Nie Yan asked. A Goblin Magic Cannon would certainly come in handy right about now. Since it had a far greater range than the Armoured Catapults, it was perfect for defending a stronghold.

“We’re at the final stages of the manufacturing process. I don’t know how much longer it’ll take to finish, probably around five to six hours,” Guo Huai replied. Given the solid defenses of the Cripps Stronghold, it would take Bloodlust Blades at least two days to break through.

“Let’s go check ourselves,” Nie Yan said. He had Guo Huai guide him to the secret underground workshop behind the guild headquarters.

The Goblin Magic Cannon would make or break this war.

The two passed through a long, narrow tunnel and entered the workshop.

The Tinkerers inside were rushing to get the Goblin Magic Cannon out, even more so now that they knew Bloodlust Blades was right outside their doorstep.

According to the data Guo Huai gathered, Armoured Catapults were more suited to battles on an open field than siege warfare because their range was only 500 meters. On the other hand, Goblin Magic Cannons had a range of 1,000 meters, or even greater if placed at a higher elevation. Bloodlust Blades currently had no idea Asskickers United was building a Goblin Magic Cannon. With the element of surprise, it would prove even more effective.

The Tinkerers turned their attention to the two visitors. Nie Yan nodded, gesturing for them to continue on with their work. As he inspected their progress, he saw the Goblin Magic Cannon was nearly complete, only requiring a final few touches.

The Goblin Magic Cannon had a three-meter long barrel with a muzzle the size of a water basin. The body was iron-black with a dark gold lustre. Supporting everything was a solid metal stand. The whole thing weighed several thousand pounds.

One could imagine just how much firepower a cannon this large possessed.

Next to the Goblin Magic Cannon was a large stack of cannonballs. Each one weighed 30 lbs. Heated red by the detonation of gunpowder, they would deal enormous damage, especially when fired from high atop the walls of a stronghold.

“How much longer will it take to finish?” Nie Yan asked one of the Tinkerers.

“We’ve already manufactured 50 cannonballs. There’s plenty of gunpowder as well. All that’s left is the mana injection of the barrel. If we’re quick, it’ll take three, maybe four hours at most,” the Tinkerer explained in a respectful tone. He was someone who joined the guild later. Even though they had never met, he knew what Nie Yan looked like. After all, the name of Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame was famous across the entire Viridian Empire.

To have achieved this much in only five days was impressive. After all, this was their first time manufacturing a Goblin Magic Cannon.

“Hurry up. We’ll be needing it soon,” Nie Yan said. With Bloodlust Blades arriving in the next two hours, Asskickers United was in a desperate situation.

“Yes, Boss!” the Tinkerer nodded fervently before urging the other Tinkerers to work faster.