Chapter 664: Air Corps
Only after flying out of Dragonhead City did Mantou finally ask curiously, "So what kind of mission is it that made you rush over like that? Where are Battle Maniac and Autumn Rain?"
"They're already prepped and waiting by the portal."
"Where to?"
"City of Wyverns, formerly the capital of the Highland Dwarf Kingdom—Avenderdan."
Mantou slapped his forehead. "Ah, that place. The Highland Kingdom war quests still aren't over?
I heard that siege battle didn't give players much room to shine—mostly just heavy labor transporting supplies. Hardly any loot unless you were one of those tank players from the Church of the Machine God."
"Still worth it. Brother Kai's exclusive cutscene was pretty epic—felt like watching a movie."
Singo chuckled self-mockingly: "When that dwarven deity's avatar descended, every player involved—including me—was beyond hyped. When else do you get to fight such a high-tier boss? If someone landed the first kill, they could call themselves a godslayer!
Never expected that after all our bombs and blasts, the dwarf boss barely lost a scale. Then Brother Kai showed up and cleaned up like always. Real MVP."
"True that."
Mantou nodded in deep agreement.
Among all the factions in Fienso, the Ember Empire was practically broken—endless resources, diverse promotion paths, powerful sub-classes—and most importantly, a god-tier Emperor who might as well be a mech deity.
A few months ago, a newbie pledged allegiance to Duke Walter and eagerly joined the "North Aether Guard." He even publicly mocked Empire players on the forums.
Not long after, the Empire declared war on North Aether, and the newbie's garrison city got bombed to ruins. Faced with an onslaught of tanks, he could only scream, "This isn't magic at all!"
The guy later led what was left of the Aether forces in street battles but got captured by the Imperial Guard and was forcibly conscripted into the Ember Empire.
The Empire's wartime tribunal sentenced him to three years of forced labor and over a thousand gold in war reparations. But that's another story.
Since then, a meme spread on the forums: "New players who haven't joined the Ember Empire yet—don't worry. You'll join eventually."
Thinking of that, Mantou asked, "So we're going to crush a rebellion in Avenderdan? Those missions suck—just crawling with sneaky bastards hiding in every dark corner."
"Nope." Singo shook his head.
"Most of the dwarf civilians evacuated early. Their soldiers, though, were stubborn as stone—almost all perished on the battlefield. They were worthy opponents.
Now, Avenderdan—or rather, the City of Wyverns—has become a full-fledged Imperial military base and a new wyvern breeding ground, like Anzeta's Wyvern Valley."
"So what are we doing there?"
"You're out of the loop. I got insider info—an official special mission is about to launch: Purge Ugo Prairie."
"Purge?"
"Exactly. Purge. According to my sources, Ugo Prairie now holds nearly three million orcs. The Empire's objective? Kill every last one."
"Three million?!" Mantou was stunned. "That's almost as many as all the players combined! What, did they sprout from the ground?"
"They actually did."
Singo grinned: "According to those bio-priests from the Church of the Machine God, these orcs are more like fungi-animal hybrids. They reproduce asexually."
Mantou clicked his tongue. "Damn, true greenskins. What if they evolve psychic powers? That'd be terrifying."
"Unlikely. What you should care about is this—three million orcs equals how much EXP?!"
Whoosh—
The silver-edged wings of a wyvern tore through the air, sparking at the tips as it soared toward a massive teleportation gate.
"Hey, slow down! Just 'cause you've got mount gear doesn't mean you get to show off!" Mantou bent low and urged his wyvern into a dive.
They arrived at Tahan, which bore the name "Conquer the South."
Imperial spatial mages had poured resources into constructing massive, stabilized teleportation gates.
Through them, citizens could travel to cities like Isthalia, Northwind Fortress, and Strafordburg—or to newly connected Avenderdan, even to the City of Black Iron on the Fire Elemental Plane.
Summer Night Autumn Rain and Born Battle Maniac were already waiting by the portal to the City of Wyverns.
Mantou glanced over. After months apart, Born Battle Maniac looked even less human.
His iron-hard muscles strained his clothes, arms thicker than a normal person's waist and covered in armored scales. Bone spurs jutted from his elbows.
His eyes were sharp as blades, like a carnivorous beast, radiating killing intent—and that bald head was shinier than ever.
Autumn Rain had changed too. Maybe due to dragonline modification, her skin had grown flawlessly pale, nearly poreless—inhuman. Crimson scales adorned her cheeks.
Her aura had become regal. Twin horns extended from her head. Her golden slit pupils gleamed mysteriously. Delicate wings had sprouted on her back, and a faint draconic pressure surrounded her.
A glance at their profiles showed: one was a [Level 12 Dragonline Barbarian], the other a [Level 12 Dragon Pact Sorcerer]—nearing the current version's level cap.
True professionals.
Mantou clicked his tongue internally. He'd been slacking around and had barely reached level 10.
He waved with a grin. "Long time no see! Sis Autumn's getting prettier, and Battle Maniac... still has that, uh, aesthetic of brute force."
He almost blurted what he was really thinking—"still beast-faced and brute-hearted."
"Yeah, it's been ages, and you haven't uploaded a single new video," Autumn Rain said sweetly, her gentle tone sending chills down Mantou's spine—he swore he saw a phantom dragon looming behind her.
He shivered. "Y-yeah, been gathering material lately."
Battle Maniac rubbed his bald head, grinning wide, then clapped Mantou on the back. "As a content creator, you gotta keep producing!"
Mantou laughed awkwardly. "Of course, of course."
Singo glanced around. "Let's go. The City of Wyverns awaits. The official mission should be live. Let's claim it fast."
"Right! Let's go get that quest before someone else does!" Mantou latched onto the idea like a lifeline.
"Yeah."
The four stepped into the portal, traversing the spatial tunnel. Moments later, they emerged in the City of Wyverns.
"Roar—"
A cacophony of howls echoed above. Looking up, they saw skies full of flapping wyverns casting chaotic shadows. The distant cliffs were lined with sub-dragon nests.
"Roooaaar~~"
Mantou's wyvern, Noodles, stretched its neck and howled excitedly, prompting the others to respond.
Jaw dropped, Mantou muttered, "That many... it really is the City of Wyverns."
Singo explained, "Compared to Wyvern Valley, this place is warmer—better for wyverns. I heard it even hosts the Crimson Scale Trial dungeon."
He smirked. "But Blackstone Mountain is way steeper and deadlier than the Valley. One slip and—splat."
Mantou grinned maliciously. "Heh, sucks for them."
Battle Maniac asked, "Where do we claim the mission?"
"Follow me. We're heading to the military command post—formerly the dwarven royal palace."
"Ah, there you are. I've been waiting."
A goblin colonel greeted them warmly and shook Singo's hand.
"This must be Count Mantou! Hahaha, long time no see."
"Hello, hello."
Mantou stepped forward to shake hands.
He knew this colonel—an original Crimson Scaled Conqueror NPC named Horan Ross, now serving in the Imperial Air Force.
The goblin glanced at Battle Maniac and Autumn Rain, noting their draconic traits, and respectfully asked, "These two are...?"
Singo introduced them: "A powerful berserker and a warlock like Lady Misha. Both top-tier veterans."
Horan greeted them with smiles. "You're all pillars of the Empire. You'll have a place in His Majesty's grand blueprint."
Singo placed his hand over his chest and gave a standard loyalty salute. "For the Empire."
"For the Empire."
Everyone echoed.
Soon, Battle Maniac and Autumn Rain were assigned to ground forces, while Mantou and Singo followed Horan to a secret location—as wyvern pilots, they had a greater duty.
The trio walked through the palace halls, entered an underground passage, and passed through several heavy iron doors.
Curious, Mantou asked, "Where are we going?"
Without turning, Horan replied, "To the armory. A very special one."
Singo whispered, "That place holds creations made by the [Restoration Covenant]."
Hearing that, Mantou blurted, "No way—the Big Boom crew? I think I know what this mission's about..."
Singo nodded. "If something sets that armory off, the blast could level Blackstone Mountain and reduce the City of Wyverns to rubble."
"The total explosive yield is only about 100,000 tons—so it probably won't destroy the mountain. But the rest? Easily."
The voice came from a bespectacled white man in camo—none other than the [Restoration Covenant] sage, Curtis.
"Thank you for your work, Lord Curtis," Horan stepped up quickly.
Curtis nodded with a grin. "My pleasure. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing my artistic creations shine on the battlefield."
With that, he strode off.
Watching his tall, lean figure disappear, Mantou whispered, "So that's the infamous Big Boom guy... looks weirdly well-mannered."
Singo muttered, "He's a lunatic. Constantly thinking about blowing up the world. If the Empire didn't fund him, he'd already be on a global bombing spree."
Mantou chuckled. "The world really is full of wonders. Didn't think there'd be anyone who could scare you."
"Enough talk. We're here."
They reached the end and stopped before a massive iron door. With a dull rumble, it slowly opened.
A wave of smoke, glycerin, and metal hit them. Inside the spacious warehouse were neatly stacked bombs—white phosphorus, incendiaries, thermobarics, fuel-air explosives, napalm, and more.
The armory bustled. Players from the Restoration Covenant operated heavy transport rigs, recording data.
Horan turned to them with a smile. "Gentlemen, welcome to the Imperial Special Operations Air Corps."
Gazing up at the bomb stacks, Mantou's jaw dropped in shock.
"How many bombs are stored here?!"
"Plenty. Enough to wipe out three million orcs. And I'll outfit you with the latest aerial gear. With levitation magic arrays, your wyverns can carry tons of payload."
The goblin said with a vicious glint in his eye. "His Majesty himself stated that the orcs are a threat to the Empire—a hindrance to our grand vision.
As members of the Special Air Corps, your task is to eliminate that threat. Give them... a proper barbecue."
As he finished, a mission window popped up for Mantou and Singo.
[Ugo Prairie Grand Bombing]
Mission Type: War Mission
Objective: Eliminate as many orcs as possible
Description: After a strange incident, the orcs gained immense power and reproduction capabilities. Like a virus, they devoured everything in Ugo Prairie.
Emperor Cassius of the Ember Empire sensed the danger. He believed these beings could hinder the Empire's progress and trigger disaster!
For the good of the world and the Empire, the Emperor took Avenderdan as a military base to strike at the northern orcs.
Warriors of the Empire, kill without mercy! Slaughter the maddened orcs! Purge Ugo Prairie in fire!
Rewards: Massive gold, faction reputation, contribution points
Special Title: [Barbecue Master]