Chapter 1

A black silk flag hung at the top of the warship's mast, the salty sea breeze blowing from the side, causing the wooden hull to creak and groan as it swayed in the wind.

"Brave goblin warriors, this is a war to the death, a long war that will only end when we have slaughtered those hairless apes. Goblin warriors, there is no compromise, no weakness, no mercy. Under the great banner of the Second Goblin Empire, eliminate the opposition and all who dare to resist. Let us take up our weapons and fight, eradicate the human exiles, and let the shoddy prophecies be reduced to ashes. This world will ultimately be dominated by the great Second Empire, and the mainland belongs to us. Long live the Empire! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Senate! I, Mordo Blackwater, command you to begin the attack!"

On the turbulent blue sea, the wind of mana blew the black crescent moon battle flag of the goblin flagship, the deep whistling of the crimson-gold fringed ribbons fluttering in the wind, like the low growls of a caged beast.

On the warship's deck, the goblin soldiers, lined up in a square formation, wore uniformly crafted leather armor inlaid with iron plates, and their exaggerated conical helmets, adorned with polished metal plates, reflected the glaring sunlight. Mordo Blackwater, the great goblin commander in golden fish-scale armor with yellow eyes flashing with murderous intent, loudly read the imperial edict jointly issued by the Senate and the Emperor. His inflammatory speech was met with a mountainous roar of approval, the eyes of the goblin soldiers, eager for glory and honor, burning with intense battle spirit.

Stirred by the militaristic fervor, the soldiers who viewed battle as the highest honor could only realize their value on the battlefield. Severing the heads of their enemies and soaking their boots in warm, fresh blood was the highest honor for this bloodthirsty army.

After a passionate and rousing war declaration, the fleet commander Mordo Blackwater was not as enthusiastic as his subordinates. His position and status allowed him to receive some less optimistic insider information. Mordo Blackwater was confident in annihilating the enemy, but the unseen and intangible threats were a different matter.

The Second Goblin Empire had spared no effort in dispatching multiple fleets to hunt down the remnants of the human Light Dynasty across the seven seas, with the primary target being the human exiled nobles who had fled the mainland. Not far away, the colonial island of Tahuna, under the jurisdiction of the Earl of Flora, was also on the list. The most challenging part of the operation was to blockade the island before the fleeing human nobles could realize what was happening. Once this was accomplished, the rest, in Mordo Blackwater's view, was a simple massacre.

Trapped in the encirclement of the goblin fleet, Tahuna Island, with its year-round summer climate, lush coconut groves, and sandy beaches reflecting the blue sky and sea, was a picturesque scene, both beautiful and fragile, like a mirage that could vanish at any moment. This remote island, far from the mainland, was neither a strategic stronghold nor a significant resource base. The tropical fruits and small amounts of driftwood used for export were insignificant compared to the countless rich islands scattered across the vast seas. If it weren't for the rapid collapse of the Light Dynasty and the subsequent chain reactions, this isolated island would never have been affected by the war.

The total area of Tahuna Island was roughly the size of an ordinary city on the mainland, surrounded by warm, emerald-green waters. From a distance, the island resembled a floating green leaf, so beautiful and so fragile, like a mirage that could vanish at any moment.

The wind of mana, also known as the "trade wind" or "monsoon" by sailors, brought a steady stream of merchant ships. In the present day, the former idyllic times were but a memory. The port city of Bitong, which occupied nearly one-fifth of the island, had been turned into a hell on earth by the goblin fleet's bombardment. As the large-caliber mortars launched asphalt shells, the flames spread with the wind, and the fleeing residents had no time to extinguish the fires, allowing the flames to mercilessly consume their former homes.

At this moment, thick black smoke columns twisted and danced in the sky, like giant serpents blocking out the sun.

The besieged port city resembled a suddenly excavated ant nest, with various vessels, from two-masted schooners to fishing boats and small sampans, desperately trying to escape from the port. People were attempting to leave the land that was about to be destroyed by the war, but it was not easy for the fleeing refugees to escape. They first had to break through the blockade set up by the goblin fleet.

The great goblin commander Mordo Blackwater's orders for this cleansing operation were to kill all suspects, whether human or of other races, without discrimination, to eliminate any potential threats.

Although the Second Goblin Empire, in its rhetoric, never acknowledged the possibility of ancient prophecies coming true, the ominous words seemed to have an infinite magical power, like invisible ghosts wandering in the dark night, constantly haunting the goblins. At midnight, the ominous prophecies made the leaders tremble and sweat, even though they repeatedly claimed to be fearless warriors.

No ruler was immune to the fear of catastrophic prophecies. Whether the prophecies were true or false, their dissemination itself threatened the unstable rule of the Second Goblin Empire, so decisive action had to be taken. The best way was to eliminate the soil in which the prophecies could grow.

In the chaotic and noisy port, a two-masted schooner with white sails was among the hundreds of fleeing ships heading out to sea. Despite its unremarkable appearance, the materials and craftsmanship used in its construction were of the highest quality. This was simple: the ship was built by the former Earl of Flora to carry his family to safety when he realized the war situation was unfavorable for the Light Dynasty. He never had the chance to use it himself.

The human sailors, silent and expressionless, moved with the precision of machine parts, skillfully maneuvering the schooner. Soon, the medium-sized merchant ship was approaching the blockade set up by the goblin fleet.

"Fire! Sink the target, leave no one alive."

With a cold gaze, Commander Mordo Blackwater issued the order to his subordinates, and a solid black flag was raised at the top of the goblin flagship's mast. This special flag signal, originally used by pirates, was now recognized by almost everyone who lived by the sea, meaning "kill all without mercy."

"Boom, boom, boom, boom..."

"Ouch! My head hurts so much! Where am I?"

Amidst the thunderous cannon fire, Luo Zhengdao opened his eyes, feeling the blood vessels in his temples pulsating. His brain felt like it had been trampled by a thousand horses, and the discomfort was no less severe than a severe hangover. He even suspected he might die at any moment.

"Are you okay? You really scared me."

A sudden cool sensation on his forehead slightly alleviated the intense headache that had been tormenting Luo Zhengdao. Then, he heard a soft, feminine voice, which startled him.

"I'm fine, but my head hurts a lot..."

The woman's voice was melodious and clear, but it was a language Luo Zhengdao had never heard before, and he couldn't identify which foreign language it was. However, he realized he understood it and instinctively responded in the same language, a bizarre fact that sent a chill down his spine. What kind of supernatural event was this? His thoughts were still in disarray, and he was so tense that he couldn't even form a complete sentence.

Seeing that Luo Zhengdao, who was as stiff as a wooden statue, did not respond, the half-elf beauty Vina Dubov, kneeling on one knee, poured more holy oil from a crystal bottle into her palm and carefully applied it to the forehead of the still convulsing youth.

Luo Zhengdao didn't notice the two men standing beside him: one was the ship's doctor, Drake King, and the other was the boatswain, Faul Chopin. They were loyal retainers who had served the Flora family for generations and were trusted by the old earl, who had entrusted his only son to them.

When Luo Zhengdao finally relaxed his sore and stiff muscles and opened his eyes again, he was startled by the appearance of the two men in front of him. Their faces were too fierce.

Drake King, the ship's doctor, with a face that looked like a flattened crab and a short, stout build, seemed to have dwarf blood. He was looking at Luo Zhengdao with concern. Behind him, Faul Chopin looked even more intimidating, a combination of the gods Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. His red skin and a thick beard that covered most of his face, with only his eyes and nose visible through the gaps, was an exaggerated throwback. Moreover, Faul Chopin had an eye patch, making him look like a pirate from an old black-and-white movie.

"Who are you? Your ears..."

Just as Luo Zhengdao was recovering from his periodic headache, he opened his eyes and saw the two towering men standing there, and then his gaze shifted to the half-elf beauty who was smiling at him, causing him to exclaim in shock.

Vina Dubov, the half-elf, had long, fine, and smooth dark green hair, at least a meter long. A pair of pale, pointed ears protruded from her lustrous hair, which was quite eye-catching. These were not the rounded ears of ordinary humans but a pair of sharp, pointed ears, indicating that she had inherited elven blood from one of her parents.

"Hey! Will, did you hurt your head?"

Hearing Luo Zhengdao's incoherent question, Vina Dubov muttered, then turned to discuss his strange condition with the short, fat ship's doctor in a low voice.

"Everyone, be careful, enemy ship firing!"

A shrill cry suddenly came from the deck above, followed by a violent tremor of the ship's hull.

"Boom—"

With a deafening roar, the wooden walls of the sickbay were shattered by the massive impact of the stone projectiles, and countless splinters and wood chunks flew past Luo Zhengdao. The powerful explosion blast pushed him backward. Unprepared for the terrifying scene, Luo Zhengdao's head collided with the solid wooden table behind him. Having never practiced any martial arts, he immediately fainted. His last thought before losing consciousness was, "When did I join a cosplay? No, wasn't I downloading a mobile game at home? How could I have traveled through time like this? This is too unscientific!"

PS: The new book is out... Start reading!