Chapter 1923 – Logging Camp
We rushed towards the designated location as soon as we received the Flying Arrow Message, hurrying at full speed. Unexpectedly, just as we were about to arrive, something went wrong with my main body. Even more coincidentally, we were already very close to our destination, and the Elves had already begun their attack without waiting for us to regroup.
“Let’s get closer and see what the Elves are up to. Why have they already started fighting?” Karina said, and we immediately moved stealthily towards the place of engagement.
I had already activated the God’s Eye and saw a logging camp about more than ten kilometers away, next to the forest. Several wooden barrack-style houses were built inside, and some of them had already collapsed.
It was winter, so the logging camp should not have been in operation. The loggers had already gone home for the holidays, and this logging camp should have been idle. However, I saw quite a few people, and some figures were not even human.
Arrows were continuously shot from the surrounding jungle towards the logging camp. The arrows were all made of wood, trailing moonlight or firelight, moving incredibly fast, and constantly entering the logging camp.
At this moment, a thick, greenish-blue arrow of light shot out from the depths of the jungle. This arrow was incredibly thick, looking like a rocket-propelled grenade, and it slammed into a pile of logs.
“Boom!” The pile of logs exploded, and even the figures using the pile of logs as cover were blown away. They had just left their cover when they were immediately focused-fired by arrows, becoming human hedgehogs.
“It’s the Elves. They are besieging a logging camp, and the people inside are likely the ones who stole the Life Tree Seed. The Elves’ firepower is fierce; they can shoot arrows with the power of cannons. Those houses were probably destroyed by these arrows,” I said.
Karina had likely seen the situation at the logging camp through her flies or other means. She nodded and ordered everyone to stand firm and observe.
From the current situation, the Elves seemed to have a slight advantage. Their archery was very accurate, and they were hidden in the forest, with the night serving as their natural cover.
In contrast, the thieves were at a clear disadvantage. Their counterattacks were sporadic, with only occasional gunshots heard, and many of them were turned into sieves by the dense Elven arrow rain.
Moreover, these people clearly lacked combat quality. Some of them were holding guns, some were using crossbows, and one was holding a twisted ebony staff with a black and yellow gemstone embedded at its tip.
It was quite surprising to find spell casters within such a motley crew of thieves, and not just one or two. Then, something even more surprising happened.
Several tall figures suddenly rushed out from underground at the logging camp. It seemed there was a basement below. They had four slender arms, bird-beak-like heads, and metal bodies with gears visibly turning inside.
“Clockwork Puppets?” I exclaimed, looking at the several two-meter-tall figures. They resembled the Hunter Witch Puppets I had borrowed from the Princess, but their structure was different.
The Hunter Witch Puppets were entirely black, adorned with blades, and filled with spikes inside. They gave off a feeling of being heavy, iron-blooded, and cruel, like torture devices.
These puppets, however, had golden bodies, and inside, I could see intricate, finely-toothed gears like those of a clock. They were exquisite, beautiful, and elegant, like ceremonial guards.
“Clockwork Guards?!” Karina exclaimed in surprise.
“What are those? Are they puppets designed by the Mechanical Church?” I asked, as the appearance of such things made me suspect the Mechanical Church’s involvement.
“No, they are the latest combat puppets designed by a scientist. They are quite expensive, so it seems I have found the right person,” Amelia said with a lick of her lips, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
At this moment, the slightly newer combat puppets also unleashed their power. Their lower two arms were equipped with sharp bayonets, while their upper two arms were machine guns.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” A rapid succession of shots rang out, and specially made cannon shells were fired into the forest, exploding upon impact with obstacles. Many blocking trees were blown in half or had large craters blasted into them.
The combat power of the latest Clockwork Puppets was indeed strong. The Elven arrow rain barely left a mark on them, with the arrows bouncing off. They simply counterattacked according to their preset programs towards the direction from which the arrows were fired.
This kind of simple counterattack would normally have difficulty hitting agile Elves, but they couldn’t withstand the sheer volume of exploding bullets from the Clockwork Puppets. In a very short amount of time, the forest where the Elves were hiding was devastated.
Many Elves were also affected by the explosions, possibly injured. Their firepower significantly weakened compared to before, and the Elves were now suppressed.
Just then, another greenish-blue arrow shot out from the forest. It arced like a rocket and hit one of the Clockwork Puppets directly.
“Boom!” A violent explosion erupted, followed by a blinding light that obscured everyone’s vision, preventing me from seeing the status of that Clockwork Puppet.
When the light faded, everyone looked closely and saw that the Clockwork Puppet hit by the arrow of light was unharmed, not even a scratch on its body.
My word, the power of that arrow of light could easily destroy a small house, yet it didn’t even leave a mark on the Clockwork Puppet. Were these Clockwork Puppets that tough?
“The Clockwork Puppets are made entirely of anti-magic metal, so ordinary magic can hardly cause any damage to them,” Karina said.
No wonder. Not only the large arrow of light just now, but the Elves had actually used various spells to attack, such as moonlight descending from the sky, fire arrows, and summoning vine attacks, all without much effect.
As the Clockwork Puppets launched a fierce counterattack against the Elves, the people holding the staffs also began to change. They brandished their staffs, and an unusual surge of magic power emanated from them.
The aura of that magic power was extremely terrifying, giving me a feeling similar to those Outer Gods or Old Ones from the starry sky.
Furthermore, normal mages typically inject their magic power into their staffs and then release spells through them. But now, the staffs were emitting this terrifying, twisted magic power, which flowed into the people through the staffs.
This inversion of roles made it seem as if the staffs were using the magic, and the people were merely mediums. Of course, such situations were not unheard of; many cursed magic apparatuses were like this, with the common characteristic of backfiring on the user and accelerating mutation.
However, the magic was indeed being used. They waved their staffs, and a red light descended upon the people who had been shot into hedgehogs. They staggered to their feet, and all the arrows were pushed out by some black and yellow gemstones.
Those ore shards protruded from their bodies, forming clusters of stone spikes. These people, who should have long since died, let out screams and staggered towards the jungle.
