Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton

Those who can qualify as front-line sand thieves are the cream of the crop. In a loose collective like the sand thieves, those without skills would have long been eliminated or killed by their own people.

However, they faced a formidable opponent. Despite giving it their all, only six managed to escape from Angel s range. The remaining dozen or so were trapped underneath the sand dunes.

Ma Yuer was dumbfounded; he was the first one to run. He was stationed atop the sand dunes, enabling him to see clearly. The enemy wizard was constantly launching fireballs like a magic turret.

“This is terrifying. Even the arcane magicians don’t have such casting speed.” Ma Yuer was shocked.

The sound of horse hooves approached from behind. Looking back, he saw his team catching up.

The assembled sand thieves numbered around five thousand. No single trade route could support so many sand thieves. They all belonged to different factions, each with their own territories and unique ‘business’ methods. They each had their adversaries too.

There was hardly any force in the world capable of rallying these sand thieves, and they didn’t give a damn even about the strongest human empire or the most powerful cavalry forces.

Except for the Winged Knights.

The Winged Knights were a distinctive knight brigade. They had over a thousand members whose renown spread across the continent. If not for their small numbers, they could definitely compete for the title of the top ten knightly orders.

Their most distinctive feature was their ability to fly.

Flying provided them with excellent mobility and an aerial viewpoint. It was the ideal skill to use against these elusive sand thieves. Therefore, when the Winged Knights sent out the call to the sand thieves, most of the sand thieves sent people.

Of course, Iron Leyce did not let them down. After slaying the dragon, the prize of a hundred thousand demon crystals was distributed evenly among everyone, calculated according to the number present at the start.

By that account, each person would receive twenty demon crystals. And as it was calculated based on the initial count, the more people a faction sent, the greater the advantage.

Even if you sent cannon fodder, it didn’t matter. Since it was based on the initial count, if they died, there’d be less people to share the spoils with. For a time, all the sand thief factions were enthusiastic.

Ma Yuer was at a disadvantage. His group of sand thieves was small, with only about sixty members. Bringing the whole group wouldn’t earn them much money, but they couldn’t ignore the call from the Winged Knights.

So, they came. But he wanted to bring them all back safely. So, he volunteered to join the vanguard. And if anything happened, he would immediately make his escape.

His men were positioned just behind the vanguard, and they had now caught up.

Ma Yuer glanced at the magic turret below the mound and had a sudden realization. He urgently called his allies. “Quick, where is the goblin engineer?”

An ally pointed to a cage behind the group, “Over there?”

Ma Yuer immediately ran over, opened the cage, and dragged out a semi-conscious goblin.

This goblin had white hair and beard, with hair only on the back and sides of its head. It was bald from forehead to the crown, a hairstyle befitting a formidable creature. Despite being dragged out, it calmly lay on the ground without panicking.

Ma Yuer rushed over, yanked him up: “Didn’t you say you were a goblin engineer? Didn’t you have inventions that can kill enemies from a distance?

Over there, under the dune! Blow him up!”

The goblin was dragged to the top of the dune, forcibly made to look down.

The goblin took a look and indifferently closed its eyes, giving an air of indifference to live or die.

“Hey! Are you listening to me?” Ma Yuer shook the goblin by his collar.

The goblin casually responded, “You can kill me. A Gear Award winner like me would never serve despicable sand thieves like you.”

“Are you looking for your death?” Ma Yuer’s ally approached, trying to stomp the goblin, but was stopped by Ma Yuer.

“Would you rather die than cooperate? Could it be that your invention is of no use?” Ma Yuer ridiculed.

The goblin, who had been lying lazily on the sand, instantly sprang up, his beard and hair standing on end as he roared, “Useless? You dare to say my invention is useless? You ignorant fool, brainless zombie, perpetual infant,

His stream of curses caused Ma Yuer’s blood pressure to skyrocket. He gripped the goblin’s throat, “Curse me again, and I will break your neck.”

The goblin, choked and unable to breathe, turned beet red, struggling and kicking.

Just as it looked like the goblin was about to suffocate, Ma Yuer released his hold, attempting to placate the goblin. “Use your weapon to attack the mage below. Then, I will accept that your invention is useful.”

The goblin wheezed, struggling to steady his breathing. Once he managed to do so, he shot Ma Yuer a sidelong glance, “You think us goblins are fools? I am a Gear Award winner; I don’t need recognition from a stupid sand thief like you.”

“Er, then I’ll let you go. Don’t you intend to continue with your research? I’ll return the box to you,” Ma Yuer, suppressing his rage, made the offer.

The mention of the box made the goblin hesitate slightly.

Ma Yuer jumped at the opportunity, “I will also give you twenty extra Demon Crystal. After all, I reported your name as part of the team when we came. Then, I will help you leave the desert.”

The goblin’s eyes darted back and forth. “I can try. But I can’t guarantee landing a hit. My Magic Egg Cannon has not been tested yet. Also, I don’t want your Demon Crystals. Twenty Demon Crystals, hehe. I have dropped more than this amount in the crevices of my bed..”