Chapter 185: The Flame Skurg
The cheerful, bouncing movements of the slime made Li Meng internally remark sarcastically.
Without asking further, Li Meng turned and left.
Only after Li Meng disappeared deep into the forest did the noise around the lake gradually subside.
Time ticked away bit by bit, and the night deepened.
Even the longest nights eventually welcome the dawn.
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, the convoy departed from the lake.
After more than three months, they were finally embarking on their return journey.
On the forest path, Li Meng and Benben still followed behind the convoy.
"Benben, how is it? Is it comfortable to wear?"
As they walked, Li Meng glanced at Benben beside him.
Benben nodded, carrying a massive spiked club on his shoulder.
"Very comfortable, cool and breezy!"
Though it wasn't visible, the inner armor made for Benben was already worn underneath.
Benben's inner armor was custom-made and fit perfectly without any issues.
Li Meng turned his gaze toward the carriage ahead.
His own inner armor was also finished and stored in the carriage.
It consisted of a top, pants, and a hood.
Time had passed quickly; more than three months had gone by without notice.
"Benben, when we get back, let's forge iron together with the chief."
Hearing this, Benben looked down at his leader beside him.
A rumbling laugh echoed from inside Benben's massive helmet.
"Leader, I like forging iron with you."
The leader was strong, and Benben was strong too.
Benben enjoyed the rhythmic sound of hammering iron.
Even more, he liked seeing the leader dripping with sweat while working.
The leader looked impressive while forging in the past.
Now, he only looked more imposing when doing so.
"Alright, then. Let's work up a sweat when we return. Wahaha!"
"Hohoho!"
The sound of Li Meng and Benben's laughter echoed behind the convoy.
This caught the attention of the goblins ahead.
They looked puzzled at the laughing Benben and their leader.
Time moved on, and the convoy gradually disappeared into the forest depths.
Soon, it was the fifth day.
Afternoon, outside the Iron Cavern.
"Deliver the mithril inner armor to the Throne Palace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll deliver it immediately!"
After a brief pause, the convoy resumed its journey toward the southern forest.
Outside the Iron Cavern, Li Meng watched the convoy depart.
Only after a long while did he turn and enter the cavern.
"Leader, Wangwang is over there!"
Guided by Benben, Li Meng found Wangwang.
Wangwang was in a cave near the underground river at the cavern's depths.
The cave wasn't very deep, only about 20 meters.
At the end of the cave, Li Meng saw Wangwang lying on the ground.
The cave was filled with a large number of fire crystals, forming a thick layer.
[Flame Skurg (Elite)]
[Level: 4]
[Strength: 119]
[Defense: 107]
[Agility: 217]
[Magic: 317]
[Flame Breath: LV1]
Had Wangwang become a magical creature?
Not only had it advanced, but it had also mastered a magical skill.
Standing at the cave entrance, Li Meng grinned.
Wangwang was sleeping, and its level would likely be even higher upon waking.
"Leader, what's wrong with Wangwang?"
Li Meng didn't enter the cave to disturb Wangwang.
He turned toward the underground riverbank instead.
"Wangwang is fine. Benben, let's go. We've got plenty of work ahead!"
Thus, Li Meng and Benben began their blacksmithing journey.
Benben removed his armor and inner armor.
Many ogres and trolls gathered around them to assist.
Li Meng didn't rush into forging armor.
He started by designing the armor's style, then crafted molds for the various pieces.
Time flew by as one day passed after another.
With Li Meng's arrival, the Iron Cavern was livelier and noisier than ever before.
To impress their leader, Gobuge and his followers worked tirelessly.
Meanwhile, Li Meng focused on all the preparatory tasks before forging iron.
The armor design alone took nearly half a month.
Crafting the molds took another half a month.
It wasn't until a month later that they began smelting iron.
"Benben, put in more effort!"
Afternoon, in the Iron Cavern.
By the underground riverbank, near a massive iron anvil.
Li Meng wielded a giant iron hammer, striking the glowing red armor piece on the anvil repeatedly.
Each strike sent sparks flying, and the cavern echoed with the resounding clanging of metal.
Benben used large tongs to adjust the position of the armor piece.
Not far away, Gobuge watched the scene in awe.
The sight of their leader and Benben working together was truly spectacular.
Even if he watched for a hundred years, Gobuge would never grow tired of it.
The booming hammer strikes filled the goblin with excitement.
"Ammon is so cool!"
Behind a large rock near the cave entrance, Vanessa was secretly watching.
Though the distance was a bit far, she could see Ammon sweating by the riverbank.
That figure, clad only in a pair of large shorts, was so imposing and majestic.
The sight made Vanessa's heart race.
"What's she doing?"
"No idea, but she's been here many times, hasn't she?"
"Seems like she's one of the females close to the leader."
"Not seems like—she *is* close to the leader."
Passing goblins noticed the sneaky Vanessa.
They all recognized her as one of the dark elves close to their leader.
Vanessa couldn't understand the goblins' chatter.
Nor did she pay attention to them.
"When will Ammon return?"
Ammon had been away from the Throne Tribe for several months.
In his absence, Vanessa often had nightmares.
She repeatedly dreamed about the time when Olivia erased her memories.
Olivia was her friend—her best friend.
But Vanessa didn't recall Olivia possessing memory-erasing abilities.
Not even the goddess Lolth could erase someone's memories.
For over a month now, Vanessa had been pondering this mystery.
She had been waiting for Ammon to return, hoping to learn the answers she sought.
Time passed quickly as days turned into weeks.
On another afternoon, Vanessa visited the Iron Cavern as usual.
Familiar with the place, she snuck behind a boulder by the underground riverbank.
"Vanessa, what are you doing?"
As Vanessa peered over the rock, watching the riverbank, a large green hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
Startled, Vanessa jumped.
Before she could turn around, a strong hand wrapped around her waist.
Li Meng embraced Vanessa's soft, delicate body from behind.
The familiar voice made Vanessa blush slightly.
"N-Nothing, Ammon. I just wanted to see you."
"If you wanted to see me, you could've come directly. Why sneak around?"
Li Meng buried his head in Vanessa's neck, licking her earlobe with his tongue.
Vanessa shivered, her body weakening in Li Meng's embrace.
"I… I didn't want to disturb you, Ammon."
Li Meng grinned, releasing Vanessa and gently patting her rounded waist.