Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1327 The Goblins' Rebellion
— For Aiwass today, flying is no longer a difficult task.

His status as the Winged King meant that his wings were no longer just for show. And his position as a Celestial Master on Earth meant that the four elements were no longer an obstacle for him.

He spread his enormous white wings and sped off into the southwest against the fierce wind.

Evans broke the sound barrier with ease—because the atmosphere was not an obstacle for him, but rather an aid.

Just as griffins can tear at the strings of the atmosphere and thunder, they can easily traverse storms and unleash countless thunderbolts as if flapping their wings.

The fragments of the Geometry Celestials granted Aiwass the highest level of affinity with the four elements.

This is only natural... after all, the concept of elements was originally created by the Geometry Astronomy Department and completed by the Circumpolar Astronomy Department.

Before the birth of the Geometry Astronomy, the world did not have the concepts of elements and "attributes".

The old world relied on the relief of sin and thorns, and everything, including the sky and the earth, was a legacy of the previous generation.

No one would try to find an answer, just as no one would think of creating something new that doesn't exist in their knowledge. For them, "creation" should undoubtedly be carried out by the vast sun above.

The greatest achievement of the Geometry Bureau was pioneering a new path.

Although the four-element theory is not perfect, it can at least function normally thanks to the lubrication of the "hypothetical element: ether". Thus, the world can break free from the old code and naturally evolve according to the new four-element law.

If Aiwass were a mage, he could essentially replicate the power of the Geometry Celestials.

Unfortunately, Aiwass was not a mage. Although he possessed the highest level of affinity with the four elements, he lacked the means to utilize them effectively.

Fortunately, magic alone cannot bring about miracles—just as the Geometry Archon could not save the world. While elemental magic is powerful, it is not even icing on the cake for Aiwass, who now possesses all six wings.

Aiwas had only flown for less than an hour when he saw the southern continent.

At this moment, Isabelle had just summoned Grandet and told him about it.

"What do you think, Lord Grandet?"

Isabel crossed her arms and asked authoritatively, "Do you think the other goblins will submit?"

"in my opinion……"

Grandet pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "No."

Today, Grandet and his family have settled permanently in Wanning.

As a "traitor to the goblins," he obviously can no longer return to the southern continent. Many goblins blame him for his betrayal because "if he hadn't lowered the price, they might have been able to negotiate an even higher price."

It's not that we can't surrender, but at least we should ask for a high enough price!

While ordinary goblins may seem insignificant, the Goblin Merchant Guild is a world-class financial organization capable of easily manipulating the rise and fall of nations like Star Antimony and Iris!

Among them were quite a few fifth-level powerhouses, and they also obtained some ancient technology sold by the dwarves—weapons that were said to be able to contend with the ancient elves!

For any country or organization, the Goblin Guild is a behemoth that cannot be ignored.

Wanning is just a newly established country.

Don't you need the various resources provided by the goblins?

That's definitely necessary!
—Since you need my help, there's definitely room for discussion!

—It's all that impatient good-for-nothing Grandet's fault for joining them, which drove down everyone else's prices!
—Is this a business war? Are you trying to wage a price war?
Many goblins... even many high-ranking goblin members within the Chamber of Commerce, thought the same way.

Although nominally these stateless goblins are united, as if attacking a goblin boss would inevitably lead to retaliation from the others—in reality, it's because their common interests have been harmed. The internal conflicts and attacks among goblins far exceed the imagination of other races.

Because the market is limited.

Competition among capitals is a zero-sum game. If one large, powerful entity falls, the others can thrive; but if the dominant capital doesn't make any mistakes, the subordinate capital can only be slowly eroded.

Now that Grandet has driven down the price, it's too late for them to surrender. They can't possibly catch up with Grandet who has gained the upper hand; any attempt to do so would only lead to a slow and painful end.

What they could do was abandon Grandet's investment.

Even though it's difficult...

But it must be done.

"—Based on my understanding of my foolish kin, they would rather die than admit defeat. They will only submit if you hold a knife to their throats and interrogate them... and once you put down the knife, they will begin to plot betrayal."

Grandet spoke slowly in a deep voice that belied his ugly appearance: "We goblins are such a race. We live for profit and die for profit. Just like a child who lacked too much of his childhood, he will desperately try to satisfy his childhood desires when he grows up."

"...Are you saying they'd rather die than admit defeat?"

Isabel found it hard to believe.

This was too difficult for her to understand.

How did these cowardly goblins suddenly become so tough?
"Because of the gambler's mentality."

Grandet smiled bitterly and sighed, as if he had already foreseen the death of his people: "Every successful capitalist has three demons living inside him."

"One is called cruelty, because we live by hurting others. Those who can't be ruthless have long been killed by their more ruthless counterparts. Only those who are resolute enough and the most selfish can go the furthest."
"One is called greed, because seizing opportunities through luck far outweighs personal ability. Ten years of slow, steady progress is less valuable than a leap during a boom. The more greedy a person is, the higher they leap and the more they seize. The other is called cowardice, because once you've climbed this ladder, you want to pull it away to prevent others from following you—because we all know that reducing a competitor increases the probability of a successful leap next time. Trying to resolve the outcome outside the game itself—that's precisely cowardice."

"Doesn't this look familiar, great Sultana? She looks no different from a gambler."

"Be as arrogant as a gambler, as greedy as a gambler, as cowardly as a gambler... and die like a gambler."

"—This is destiny."

At this moment, Aiwass had already entered the atmosphere.

Even though it flew at such a high speed, it did not make a sound as it cut through the air—it did not make a piercing whistle like a bomber, nor did it burst out in the air as a white streak.

His flight was so quiet that he remained completely invisible.

In a sense, this can be considered a state of harmony between humanity and nature.

"……oh?"

Aiwas noticed the goblins' arrangement and his eyes widened slightly: "Interesting."

The goblins weren't hiding. Or rather, they weren't simply playing hide-and-seek with Aiwass.

On this wild and desolate continent, an astonishingly large military force has been deployed!
It's not just pure supernatural weaponry.

Instead, it was something that looked somewhat familiar to Aiwass, even something he felt nostalgic for... a modern style of military preparedness.

Like the "French giant cannon" in a certain game, there is a dense array of cannons with super long muzzles and huge bases; tens of thousands of armed golems, clad in steel armor and ready for battle, are ten meters high; and there are "warning lines" and "pacifist" metal fortresses that resemble tanks but are closer to Star Antimony.

They are all self-disciplined.

The goblins were scattered and hidden among them... rather than controlling the weapons, they were simply hiding inside.

—The goblins' arrogance is indeed well-founded.

In a world where most technologies can be bought with money and most alchemical creations can be replicated with funds, "having money" essentially means "having power."

Moreover, they were all well aware that Aiwass, as a superhuman capable of defeating multiple Celestials, must have a very high priority.

This means that most extraordinary skills would be difficult to break through when fighting against Aiwass.

Spells, rituals, and divine arts can easily create immunity to high temperatures, lasers, flames, shockwaves, and other such methods.

Therefore, the goblins chose pure physical attacks.

Without determining energy level priority, without involving any mysterious attacks, it's a pure comparison of numerical values...

In most cases, such an injury would seem too cumbersome and have extremely low cost-effectiveness.

However, if we completely disregard cost-effectiveness, this can be considered a solution.

however……

"it's a pity."

Aiwass sighed: "If it had been a month ago, it might have actually worked for me..."

But now, in the face of a fully-formed Aiwass, they have no meaning whatsoever.

He raised his left hand and summoned the Book of Law.

Sensing Aiwas's sudden appearance, the autonomous artillery positions covering a large part of the southern continent stirred.

"Don't rush, Leah..."

Aiwas murmured, urging the newly transformed Flame Butterfly not to be too hasty: "You will have to make your move."

The next instant, the artillery locked onto the target and opened fire.

In an instant, deafening explosions and continuous bursts of fire covered the sky.

Although these attacks failed to even penetrate the ritual spells that Aiwass had instantly and effortlessly set up—

A transparent light shield blocked all physical attacks.

The protective barrier that was originally set up by the female demon sorceress of the Pelican Bar could not stop Aiwas's shot; but now Aiwas can use the same ritual to block the roar of millions of cannons.

However, Aiwass wasn't overconfident. He wasn't sure if the goblins had any other tricks up their sleeves.

What he wanted to ensure was a 100% victory.

Furthermore, with just one summoning, Aiwass was enough to completely extinguish any possibility of the goblins turning the tide against the odds—

"—Come out, Don Quixote."

(End of this chapter)