Ethan stood at the highest point of the mine, watching it all unfold, and he understood the reality of this world with brutal clarity.
There were simply too many races here.
Conquering this place wasn't something you finished with one or two battles.
Behind every Castle could be a different civilization. Every mine had an original owner. And inside any "ordinary" canyon, there could be something like that fractured Infernal Abyss pocket world—waiting under the surface.
They needed a solid foothold. A fortress they could hold.
This wasn't Emerald Castle's first expedition.
Once Ethan's orders went out, every unit slid smoothly back into its familiar expedition structure. The goblin engineering teams cleared a central zone first, then unfolded foundation modules.
Massive metal pillars were driven deep into the bedrock. Energy pipelines were laid along the mine's natural contours. One defensive tower base after another rose into place.
