Chapter 312: Emergency Support

The Mage used a Mage Hand to hold up a broad-bladed Greatsword. The massive blade was like a door, completely obscuring the Mage's thin frame behind it.

The most eye-catching feature of the Greatsword was the flame pattern at its hilt. The fiery crimson lines spread all the way to the middle of the blade, looking exactly like burning fire. The air around it even seemed to warp and distort.

This anomaly made it clear to everyone present that this was a powerful fire-attribute weapon. Interested buyers immediately stepped forward to negotiate with the Mage.

Four melee professionals took an interest in the Greatsword. Seeing this, the Mage decided to wait for the highest bid, and the five of them gathered around to start an auction.

Ultimately, a burly Legendary Warrior got his wish, exchanging a magic notebook and a set amount of points for the Greatsword.

Unable to suppress his joy, the Warrior stepped out of the Floating Tower to familiarize himself with his new weapon nearby. A fierce battle was approaching, and even the slightest improvement in strength would give him a better chance of survival.

It was just an ordinary piece of Legendary equipment.

After observing for a moment, the White Dragon Lord lost interest and withdrew his attention.

As time passed, more and more invaders descended upon the Luoduoluo Plane. At one point, a team led by a High-Tier Legend even passed by. However, upon seeing the Floating Tower, the invaders chose to steer clear.

The White Dragon Lord did not pursue them. He kept a close eye on the excavation progress. Even with Excavation Assistant No. 1 working at maximum capacity, hollowing out a mineral vein would still take two to three days.

With the increasing number of invaders, the exploration teams outside had to act with greater caution. Their progress slowed, and it wasn't until dusk that the White Dragon Lord received a second report.

"High-energy reaction discovered at coordinates (998235, 5656176, 1852351)."

The White Dragon Lord recorded the spatial coordinates and continued to mine the Misisi Magic Gemstone Vein. The vein wasn't going anywhere; it wouldn't be too late to head over once the current site was fully extracted.

If any invaders arrived there first, all the better. He could simply teleport over, wipe them out, and claim the spoils.

"Encountered a High-Tier Legend enemy at coordinates (574662, 678523, 88942)! Requesting support!"

It was a distress signal from Gurgalu. The White Dragon Lord instantly roused.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

As he issued the command, the White Dragon Lord activated the teleportation function through the Control Core. Energy from the Elemental Pool surged through the magical arrays, coursing into every corner of the structure. The entire Floating Tower radiated a brilliant light.

The Floating Tower vanished silently, leaving behind only a deep mine pit and the rhythmic clinking of excavation.

...

On the other side of the plane, the High-Tier Legend Orc Warrior—Rogam Bloodthirsty—stood just outside a tight encirclement, directing his troops to slaughter the Nordhill expedition. The eight legendary practitioners of Nordhill had formed a defensive ring with Gurgalu at the center, fending off the Orcs' assault.

Beyond the fray, Rogam stared in lingering fear at the two-headed ogre who was simultaneously casting spells and smashing skulls with a wooden club. To be precise, his eyes were locked on the black club in the Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain's grasp.

He had nearly died just moments ago!

If he hadn't reacted in time to grab a comrade as a shield, he would have been the one reduced to dust.

But Rogam was a High-Tier Legendary Warrior, after all. This wasn't his first time dancing on the edge of life and death. He quickly adjusted his mindset, staring greedily at the Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain. The moment the enemy showed a flaw, he would dash in to deliver a fatal strike, just as he had done before.

At Gurgalu's feet lay a corpse cleaved squarely in half. It was a Legendary Mage from Nordhill.

Faced with a High-Tier Legendary Warrior's ambush, the Legendary Mage had fallen before having a chance to cast a single spell.

It was exactly because of this Mage's death that Gurgalu had discovered the High-Tier Legend hidden among the Orcs. The Ogre had nearly instantly killed his opponent using the Combat Staff of Caucasus.

Unfortunately, "nearly" represented an insurmountable gap. To prevent further casualties, Gurgalu had no choice but to call the White Dragon Lord for backup.

While waiting for reinforcements, the Nordhill group fought back against the besieging Orcs with absolute disregard for their energy consumption. Magic and aura clashed violently in the air, creating a continuous chain of deafening explosions.

Rogam felt a creeping sense of unease. The surrounded enemies showed no signs of panic. This meant they either possessed a powerful trump card and had nothing to fear, or they were expecting formidable reinforcements.

Neither scenario was good news for Rogam.

This was an ambush. Gurgalu and his team had discovered traces of an Orc encampment. Gathering their entire force, they had followed the trail in an attempt to locate the Orcs' mine, only to trip a perimeter alarm spell and fall straight into a trap.

Initially, Rogam had assumed Gurgalu's team were merely opportunists trying to score an easy prize. But it didn't look that way now. The enemy had absolutely no intention of breaking out of the encirclement.

They were highly likely the scouting party for some massive faction!

The moment this thought popped into his head, Rogam quietly shifted toward his Orc Mage.

"Prepare to teleport," he whispered.

Hearing the chieftain's order, the Orc Mage gave a slight nod.

Rogam hailed from an Orc-dominated plane. When a subordinate rushed back from the Star Realm to report the discovery of a new plane, Rogam hadn't hesitated. He had immediately bought the Luoduoluo Plane's detailed coordinates on the black market and teleported over with his core crew, intent on grabbing a piece of the pie.

This wasn't Rogam's first time doing this. Thanks to his cautious nature and his High-Tier Legend strength, he had always managed to walk away with some profit during his previous ventures.

It was precisely because he had participated in several planar raids and witnessed the might of major factions that Rogam was feeling on edge. He kept a sharp watch on the surrounding spatial fluctuations.

Suddenly, a terrifying wave of magical energy erupted in the sky.

Rogam's expression changed drastically.

"Quick! Retreat!"

The Orc Mage was even more sensitive to teleportation energy. He had sensed the sky's fluctuations a second before his chieftain. Snapping the totem pole in his hand, a profound teleportation array instantly appeared beneath his feet.

Hearing their chieftain's shout, the besieging Orcs immediately broke off the attack, utilizing every trick they had to sprint toward the glowing teleportation array, wishing they had an extra pair of legs.

Having lost a comrade and endured a brutal siege, the Nordhill group was burning with fury. They weren't about to let the enemy escape so easily. They erupted with power, desperately trying to pin the Orcs down.

"You killed our man, and you think you can just run?! Not a chance!"

Gurgalu roared, his Combat Staff of Caucasus firing a beam of white light straight at the teleportation array beneath the Orcs' feet.

Master Tier magic—Teleportation Interference!

Rogam swung his Warblade, executing a secret technique that intercepted Gurgalu's spell.

By now, the teleportation array had begun to shine brightly, a clear sign that the jump was about to initiate.

"No!"

"Don't leave us behind!"

The Orcs who hadn't reached the teleportation array cried out in terror. Rogam, however, had no time to care about his capable subordinates. Faced with the Floating Tower, ensuring his own survival was already a miracle; he didn't have the luxury of worrying about anyone else.

Group teleportation required an enormous amount of energy. Even with a Teleportation Scroll, it took three seconds to charge. At this very moment, the Floating Tower had just barely revealed its base in the sky.

Staring at the Floating Tower as it gradually materialized into full view, the dozen or so Orcs within the array felt their hearts jump into their throats.

Right now, the greatest threat to the Orcs wasn't Gurgalu and his rampaging team, but the massive Floating Tower that hadn't even fully descended yet.

Up in the top-floor control room of the Floating Tower, which was still halfway through the Portal, the White Dragon Lord monitored the battle's progress through his connection with Gurgalu. Gripping the Control Core, magical energy surged wildly within him.

Legendary magic—Dimensional Anchor!

Down on the ground, the teleportation array lit up completely, but the surrounding space was instantly locked down by the timely arrival of the Dimensional Anchor.

Teleportation failed!

Watching the teleportation array rapidly lose its luster, the Orcs went pale. Their hearts skipped a beat as they stood frozen in place.

After just a brief moment of shock, Rogam snapped back to his senses. Choosing a direction away from Gurgalu's group, he bolted.

Seconds later, the rest of the Orcs reacted, scattering in all directions.

The Floating Tower had finally descended!

The emergency response team charged out of the Floating Tower in an instant. The Ancient Gold Dragon let out a deafening roar and flew after the fleeing Rogam alongside the Cat-Woman.

But faster than any of them was the White Dragon Lord's magic.

Enfeeblement!

Lethargy!

Daze!

A barrage of negative status spells bombarded the fleeing Orcs. The ones still engaged with the Nordhill team were instantly slaughtered. Even the sprinting Legendary Orcs stumbled as the spells hit them, narrowly avoiding falling flat on their faces.

As a High-Tier Legend, Rogam was naturally the White Dragon Lord's primary target. Yet, Rogam's body merely swayed slightly before he recovered his balance.

'This Orc has a treasure on him!'

The White Dragon Lord had no time to cast a second round of magic. He could only watch in disappointment as Rogam sprinted past the boundary of the Dimensional Anchor, activated a life-saving measure, and vanished into thin air.

'Sure enough, no High-Tier Legend is easy to deal with.'

The Cat-Woman, halfway through her pursuit, simply turned back toward the Floating Tower. The Ancient Gold Dragon, however, vented its frustration on the Legendary Orcs who hadn't managed to escape.

After crushing two fleeing Orcs to death, the Ancient Gold Dragon grabbed its loot and returned to the Floating Tower; after all, it knew better than to get too greedy.

Before long, all two dozen Legendary Orcs were either killed or had surrendered.

Inside the Floating Tower, Gurgalu, accompanied by eight squad members and a newly constructed coffin, stood before the White Dragon Lord to deliver his report.

"Lady Simelu discovered traces of the Orcs..."

The White Dragon Lord glanced at the female rogue in the squad. The rogue, with two daggers strapped to her waist, gave him a slight nod of respect.

"...I deduced that the Orcs had found resources worth staying for, so we tracked them. I didn't expect that they had a despicable High-Tier Legend hiding in their ranks. We walked into their ambush, which led to the death of Mage Mufata."

Gurgalu's tone carried a mix of heavy remorse and sorrow.

With Gurgalu's dual Legendary strength, holding off a High-Tier Legend for a few minutes would have been no problem at all. Combined with the fact that the White Dragon Lord's reinforcements could arrive in seconds, they should have been fine. But Rogam had chosen to launch a sneak attack instead.

It could only be blamed on Mage Mufata's terrible luck.

However, if the White Dragon Lord were to say that aloud, it would chill the hearts of his subordinates. So, he just sighed.

"I understand. Go back and reflect thoroughly on your mistakes."

With a thought from the White Dragon Lord, magical servants tasked with chores stepped forward and carried Mage Mufata's coffin away. His remains and personal effects would eventually be returned to his family.

And just like that, the matter of a Legendary Mage's death in battle was put to rest.

Following the clues the squad had discovered, the White Dragon Lord steered the Floating Tower to scan the earth. He soon uncovered a mine shaft hidden beneath a magical array.

Aside from the undead laborers mining the ore, there were two Legendary Orcs and a group of Master Tier Orcs stationed inside. When the Floating Tower shattered the Illusion Array masking the cavern, the left-behind Orcs hadn't even realized what was happening before they were all captured without exception.

Stripped of all weapons and armor, the captive Orcs were tossed into the Floating Tower's prison cells wearing nothing but oversized underpants. Because there were so many of them, the cells were packed tightly, leaving them without even enough room to lie down.

The Orcs all looked thoroughly defeated, filled with dread over their grim future.

Their fears were entirely justified. Prisoners of war from other planes were usually either sold to a Colosseum, or forced into slave contracts and tossed into death squads to serve as vanguards—cannon fodder—on the Blood War Battlefield.

Still, it wasn't a total dead end for these captives. If they fought fiercely on the battlefield and achieved great merits, there was a chance they could regain their freedom.

"Report!"

A member of the emergency response team pushed the door open, clutching a piece of Mithril ore.

"Lord Amos! These Orcs discovered a large-scale Mithril vein. They only had time to mine a tiny fraction of it; the amount taken is practically negligible."

"I see. Excellent work."

The soldier left, and the White Dragon Lord recorded a major merit for Gurgalu and his team.

After some thought, the White Dragon Lord decided to park the Floating Tower over the Mithril mine, as this vein held considerably more value.

He would leave the puppets to continue excavating the Misisi Magic Gemstone Vein. Of course, he would also need to set up a magical array to conceal the entrance to that mine.

The White Dragon Lord felt a mild headache coming on. Right now, there were only three high-value veins, and he was already feeling stretched thin. Once more mineral veins were discovered in the coming days, his headaches were only going to get worse.

After all, every high-value mineral vein was a mountain of gold—no, they were far more precious than any mountain of gold. If someone managed to slip in and steal from him, the losses would be astronomical.

"These damned bandits!"

Grumbling, the White Dragon Lord lay down to rest and recover his energy. Even with the Floating Tower's support supplying raw magic, instantly casting a Legendary magic like Dimensional Anchor had drained thirty percent of his mental strength.

Mental strength could only be replenished through rest. The White Dragon Lord closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

This was only the first day. As time dragged on, the competition over these high-value mineral veins would only grow more intense and far harder to guard against. Therefore, he needed to maintain his peak condition as much as possible.

Down in the hall, Gurgalu swapped out his injured squad members and led his team back out to continue their advance.

Mage Mufata's death hadn't deterred the group. When undertaking such high-risk missions, casualties were a given.

Therefore, everyone had come fully prepared to die in battle.

High risk also meant high reward. A newly discovered medium-sized material plane was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, and every participant wanted to seize the chance to make a massive fortune.

Back in Nordhill, a steady stream of legendary powerhouses saw the support mission posted at the very top of the task hall's boards and began rushing toward the Luoduoluo Plane.