You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

"...The border of the wasteland...the seal has failed..."

"This wasn't just a casual remark, was it?"

"It seems they knew all along that there was something bigger over there."

Ron took the scroll and carefully put it away: "Our next target is there."

"Iron Bones Wasteland".

Claudia's face darkened: "You're not planning to fight the main battle there, are you? That place is even more dangerous than Riftrock Fortress."

"It's not just a desire, it's a necessity."

"We need to find that 'failed-to-seal underground heart'."

"If we don't find it, it will eventually come out on its own."

She stared at him: "Do you know what that is?"

Ron said casually, "I don't know, but it's not important."

"I know where it is, so I have to make the first move."

"That's the rule."

He gazed at the slowly emerging dawn on the distant horizon, his voice lowering:

"Don't wait for others to play their cards."

"We need to make them fight alongside us."

early morning.

Rift Rock Fortress was completely taken over, the remaining troops were wiped out, and all reserves were cleared.

From night to dawn, the entire Riftstone Fortress never stopped.

The construction team arrived overnight, led by terrain tamping soldiers transferred from the City of Shadows, and a soil-moving team sent from Snake Bone Valley, specifically responsible for clearing the rock debris after the blast.

Ron stood on the ruins of the main tower, squinting as he looked down.

This tower was originally the lord's chamber. Half of it collapsed, but the other half was still barely holding together. Instead of dismantling it, he ordered it to be reinforced on the spot, supported by steel frames, to create a circular command platform.

A white line was drawn on the ground below, marking the new tactical deployment area.

The adjutant ran up with the blueprints, panting, "General, the blueprints are revised. In accordance with your plan of 'transportation as the main focus and defense as a secondary focus,' we have set up three unloading positions, two rapid transfer points, and an underground storage warehouse along the main road."

"How should the barracks be arranged?" Ron asked.

"Two temporary encampments will be retained, one on the hillside outside the fort and the other near the central command tower, both of which are relocatable structures."

"If another fight breaks out, we can pull them away immediately."

Ron nodded, glanced at the terrain, and suddenly asked, "Any problems with the rock wall defenses?"

The adjutant hesitated for a moment: "The rock formations over there are too hard; they'll break through slowly."

"Moreover, we are currently lacking key materials."

“Three components are still missing – the bone column is fine, the problem lies in the ‘wall support ring’ and the ‘compression core’.”

"The former has part of the old warehouse at Lieyanbao, but it was buried; the latter has to be transferred from the northern route, which will take at least four days."

Ron lowered his head and thought for a moment, then took out a stone slab and marked two places on the map: "I remember there were spares of the Wall Support Rings, in the ruins of the old messenger tower."

"Although that piece of land collapsed, it wasn't buried very deep."

"Go and call Viser, and have him lead a team to dig."

The adjutant nodded: "What about compressing the core?"

“There’s a batch of old-fashioned neutralizing agents underground in Snake Bone Valley. When mixed with rock and mud, they can replace the core support for a short time,” Ron said. “Let’s use that for now.”

"It's not for long-term use, it can last for ten days, that's enough."

……

At noon, Ron went to the camp behind the fort himself.

A wooden flagpole was erected there, which Claudia had arranged for people to put up overnight. Standing on the high point, one could see a panoramic view of the entire Riftstone Fortress.

He walked up and looked down at the army lined up in formation.

On the left and right sides are the Illusion Legion transferred from the City of Illusions and the Poison Resistance Force from Snake Bone Valley, respectively.

At the very center is the newly formed "Rockwall Defense Regiment," personally reorganized by Ron.

They wore heavy armor, with an extra metal support bone on their bodies, like an exoskeleton, and every step they took felt like the earth shaking.

This unit is preparing for the next battle.

It wasn't to kill, but to "block" someone.

The terrain over the Ironbone Wasteland is extremely open. If the enemy presses in from multiple directions, ordinary troops will be cut off directly. Only this group of special armored soldiers can stabilize the formation.

At that moment, Viser caught up.

"The support rings have been found; they weren't buried very deep."

"The people have already been moved back."

"Would you like to try on a set of clothes?"

Ron nodded: "Let's try."

"I'll personally oversee things tonight."

Viser stared at the troops lined up below, his tone lowered: "Are you preparing for a real war?"

"The cities you attacked before were all for resources."

"But this time, you're doing it for the line, for 'stability'."

“I have a feeling that this time you’re not trying to take over any territory, but rather you’re building a ‘road’.”

Ron looked into the distance, his voice calm.

"You're right."

"I'm building a road."

"This path starts from the Black Whisper Caves, leads to the City of Shadows, passes through Serpentbone Valley, crosses the Rock Rift Fortress, and the next step..."

"It leads directly to the Iron Bones Wasteland."

He waved slightly.

The soldiers, having completed their formation, saluted in unison towards the flagpole, their movements steady and composed.

This is not a force meant for charging into battle.

This is a unit designed to "tough it out".

Claudia stood at the back, looking at this heavy new regiment, and asked, "When are you planning to move?"

"tomorrow."

Ron didn't look at her, but stared at the clouds slowly pressing down on the horizon.

"The longer we wait, the better prepared the enemy will be."

"But now, they think we're still building the city and don't dare to attack."

"That's why I'm going to move."

"Iron-Boned Wasteland, Next Stop."

"Take the initiative."

The news arrived the afternoon after the last line of defense at Riftrock Fortress had been sealed off.

The scout rode a modified fast horse and charged from the edge of the wasteland to the outside of the main castle in one go. He and his horse fell to the ground and rolled twice before getting up.

Viser received it personally.

The scout's face turned pale, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter a single sentence:

"They...have assembled..."

"how many people?"

"I can't see the end."

……

Ron received the intelligence just as he returned to the command room from the training ground, still wearing his armor and covered in dust.

"explain."

Viser spread out the drawings and pointed to a red-marked area.

"A large-scale military assembly has appeared in the southwest corner of the Ironbone Wasteland, in the direction of 'Sinking Sand Beach'. Preliminary judgment indicates that it is a formal formation of the Foreign Alliance."

"Based on the density of the fire pits and the distribution of the camps, there are at least eight thousand or more."

Ron's brow remained unchanged: "Bacchus is leading the team?"

"It's him."

Viser pulled out a silhouette projection and handed it over; it was a close-up of the side of Bacchus's old scepter.

"He's not dead, and he didn't run away either."

"They just hid for a while, and now they've changed their forces. I guess they've mobilized the remaining old guys from the outer regions who are still able to move."

"This isn't a test; this is preparation for battle."

Ron nodded: "If he wants to fight, then we'll grant his wish."

He stared at the map and pointed to two lines:

"Their positions are not surprising; what is surprising is 'who moves first'."

“If we move, our route will be exposed; if they move, they will have to traverse the wasteland from the sunken sand beach—that terrain can provide cover, but once the cavalry charge out, it will be a death trap.”

Claudia stood to one side, her expression grim.

"This battle cannot be delayed."