Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

Chapter 204 Kyle Gets Slapped in the Face Right After He Finished Speaking

After finishing his meal, Lin Mo walked out of the cafeteria.

At this moment, the dwarf elder Thorin and the centaur leader Grom had already hurriedly left, each gathering their tribesmen to discuss the astronomical purchase lists.

As the core commanders of the expeditionary force, Long Zhan and Zhao Gang were constantly on the move, eating at an astonishing pace, and had long since thrown themselves into the final preparations before the army's departure.

On the contrary, Lin Mo, the commander-in-chief, was alone at the moment and didn't have anything urgent to do.

He decided to take one last stroll around the camp before the portal closed, to see if there was anything he had missed and to fill in any gaps.

The camp was bustling with activity.

Soldiers are maintaining weapons and equipment, while logistics personnel are driving forklifts, precisely stacking boxes of supplies into designated areas amidst beeping sounds.

The air was thick with the mixed smells of engine oil, vehicle exhaust, and dirt, creating a tense atmosphere of impending battle.

Lin Mo was walking towards a warehouse and about to go inside when two familiar yet slightly resentful voices came from behind him.

"Lord Lin Mo."

"Holy Son".

Lin Mo straightened up and turned his head.

Sure enough, Elder Muyu and Kyle were standing behind him, one on each side, their expressions complicated.

"Hey you two, is there something you need?" Lin Mo dusted off his hands.

Elder Muyu's face, etched with the lines of wisdom, was now filled with grievance, and his white beard seemed to droop.

"Lord Linmo, is the friendship between us elves and you really inferior to that of those uncouth dwarves?"

Kyle was even more direct, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness and resentment at being betrayed:

"Holy Son, you actually purchased 51 million gold coins from the dwarves!"

"And yet you only purchased a paltry 90,000 gold coins worth of goods from us before."

He paused, then added:

"It's not even a fraction of what the orcs have."

That's a really sour remark.

Soldiers passing by cast curious glances, but quickly looked away after meeting Lin Mo's gaze, pretending to be busy with their own affairs.

Lin Mo was in a real bind.

He rubbed his temples and patiently explained:

"Teacher Kyle, Elder Muyu, you have misunderstood."

"The size of this transaction was entirely based on strategic needs."

"The purchase of 51 million dwarves was mainly due to that spatial ring."

"I think the two of you understand its strategic value better than I do."

Lin Mo looked at Kyle:

"Furthermore, it can help us transport supplies from the portal at the back more quickly."

"As for the orcs, the bulk of the more than ten million gold coins will be used to hire a powerful seventh-tier and a sixth-tier warrior."

Kyle frowned slightly, puzzled:

"Why? Because the price isn't low."

The sixth rank is manageable, but the seventh rank is extraordinary. That level of combat power can completely determine the outcome of a super war.

Lin Mo nodded.

"Because our expeditionary force will set off for our fiefdom early tomorrow morning."

"That land has been occupied by the demons for many years and is fraught with danger. Although we, the people of Great Xia, have good technology, we are physically weak and need strong power to ensure that we will not be ambushed in close combat."

His words were reasonable, and the resentment on Kyle and Elder Muyu's faces lessened slightly, but they were still unconvinced.

"But the gap is too big; we only have 90,000 gold coins." Elder Mu Yu wanted to try and negotiate further.

"How about we share some?"

"Yes, your equipment is very useful. His Holiness the Pope has asked me to purchase more!" Kyle retorted, not to be outdone.

Lin Mo spread his hands, looking helpless.

"Of course I know. It's not that I don't want to sell, it's just that I don't have enough for myself!"

"That portal is so small, how much stuff can it carry? And how long does it stay open?"

"We'll buy from you after we conquer the fiefdom. We still need to build a permanent teleportation portal. By then, we'll have as many weapons as we want. Why rush things?"

Kyle opened his mouth, still wanting to try and persuade him.

Just then, a holy human mage ran over, bowed, and said:

"Lord Kyle!"

Kyle frowned. "What is it?"

Mage: "The portal is about to close!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo looked at Kyle, shrugged, and spread his hands.

Just now they were complaining that the portal was too small and the time was too short, and now they're saying they're going to close the portal.

Upon seeing this, Kyle's face twitched slightly, almost involuntarily.

He felt that his subordinates had embarrassed him.

He took a deep breath, glanced at the position of the sun, and forced a smile at Lin Mo that looked more like a grimace.

"Holy Son... the time for the teleportation portal is approaching."

Lin Mo gave a half-smile.

"Can't we extend the time a little more?"

Kyle's lips twitched again as he explained:

"Holy Son, maintaining the Astral Portal requires a large amount of magic crystals, which is not something I can decide."

"Moreover, the reason it was set to be open for ten days is because that is the limit that can be achieved in a short period of time."

"The spatial barriers of Terra will automatically repair themselves, but once they are exceeded, the maintenance costs will increase several times over, and the cost will be too high."

"I see." Lin Mo nodded, indicating his understanding.

He noticed that both the mage apprentice and Kyle himself judged time by observing the position of the sun.

This is so primitive.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he whispered an instruction to the guard behind him.

The guard immediately turned and left, returning a moment later with two exquisite little black boxes.

Lin Mo took the boxes and handed one to Kyle and Elder Muyu respectively.

"This is a small gift for you two, nothing more."

Kyle and Elder Muyu opened the box with a puzzled look.

Inside the box lay two black, metallic electronic watches.

"This is...?" Kyle picked up the watch and examined it from all angles.

The dial is black, with no hands, only a smooth mirror surface.

"What is its purpose?" Elder Muyu asked with a look of curiosity.

Lin Mo smiled and reached out to press on the side of Kyle's watch.

The entire dial lit up instantly, and a string of bright red numbers appeared: 14:27:38.

Kyle: "!!!"

He had seen the numbers; many soldiers in the camp had them on their hands, and then there were also those on those screens.

Elder Muyu also came over, looking at the constantly changing last two digits with disbelief on his face.

"Is this...time?"

"That's right," Lin Mo explained.

"This is the tool we use to tell time; it's called a watch."

"It's been calibrated according to the rotation period of Terra. Although it's twice the size of our home planet, it rotates faster, so a day here is about the same as it is on our planet."

"This...this is too precise!" Kyle muttered to himself, staring at the ticking seconds.

"More precise than any court sorcerer's hourglass!"