Chapter 1776: A Little Spark Translated by XephiZ Edited by Aelryinth — — Time gradually passed. Cries of agony kept rising from all directions. Not many of the Mages could fight the demon creatures in the city’s center on their own now. Meanwhile, the Rock Monsters and Rock Generals continued to increase in number. They were targeting the lone Mages to evolve into Granite Beasts. Their height was between fifteen and thirty meters, equivalent to a range from a three-story building to nearly a ten-story building. The Granite Beasts were surprisingly tough. Their gray-white skin had the glitter of some kind of ore, while their arms, legs, and back had jagged rocks which made them look even more dangerous. The Granite Beasts’ numbers had grown rapidly within the hour. They were starting to put the clock tower under great pressure. “There’s no other way, we’ll have to withdraw our men from the rampart in half an hour. We must hold the line during the remaining time!” Xie Qinghua said. Wen Xia and Mo Fan were standing beside the commander in chief of the city. Xie Qinghua was not just a commander of the military, but also an elder of the Magic Association, thus both the soldiers and the Brown Earth Mages were following her orders. The order basically meant they were giving up on the rest of the city, and focusing on the city center. The Rock Monsters and Mud Morphing Monsters had never stopped coming from the ravine. If the line of defense at the rampart was withdrawn, it meant the Rock Monsters and the Mud Morphing Monsters could hunt freely throughout the city. The city had Mages from many other organizations, but they were not as disciplined or as strong as the military or the Magic Association. Most of them were Mages like Tao Jing, Zhou Donghao, and Lin Qihui, who all lacked practical experience. There were even a lot of Basic Mages who were even weaker. If they gave up defending the perimeter around the city, those defenseless people were surely going to end up as food to the Rock Monsters! It would no longer be a human city, but a city of Rock Monsters... “You’re bringing fire to the woods to save the village. The village might be safe for now, but it will soon be surrounded by flames once the whole woods are on fire!” Mo Fan was strongly against the plan. The city might be a battle fortress, so they did not have to protect the civilians. The buildings in the city could be rebuilt in a short amount of time too, but what about the Mages who were absorbed by the creatures? If the tribe of Rock Monsters was strong enough to overpower the barrier, everyone was going to turn into one of them. Who was going to save the Mages who were absorbed!? “Who are you? A high-schooler like you who knows nothing has no right to speak here!” Xie Qinghua frowned when someone dared to oppose her orders directly, when she was the commander here! “It doesn’t matter who I am; your decision is driving everyone to the ocean of flames, and they are all going to die if you fail to put out the flames,” Mo Fan warned her. “Teacher, I also think we can’t afford to let the monsters outside the city in. The Mud Morphing Monsters will keep growing by taking more people. There are so many...” Wen Xia tried to support him. “Silence! Do you think you have time to come up with a better plan now? Do I need you to tell me the plan is inappropriate and unwise? If you have a better plan, feel free to spill it out now, and I’ll immediately change my mind... but keep your mouth shut if you don’t! The Research Union has already confirmed that the people who were absorbed are not in danger of losing their lives. We are only focusing our firepower on defending the Barrier Core. Once the barrier is fully constructed, we’ll rescue them immediately!” Xie Qinghua grunted. Wen Xia did not dare speak again. She looked at Mo Fan, who opened his mouth, but did not say anything, either. It was true that they did not have a better plan, but they both knew there was no turning back once the plan was put into motion! “Wen Xia, you should avoid hanging around an alarmist like him, they are only going to trip themselves with their lack of concern. You should be more confident in the Barrier Core. Once the barrier is established, these Rock Monsters will no longer be a problem for us!” the captain of the Brown Rock Mages, Lu Bin, spoke up. Mo Fan had the urge to give Lu Bin the middle finger. Was the man seriously showing off his superiority at a time like this? Mo Fan knew he had no right to make the call for them. His speculation about the species being some kind of an evil Elemental Spirit was not proven either. He could only wait and observe the situation. Wen Xia was dismissed. She apologized when she noticed Mo Fan’s dark expression, “They just want to make sure the city is built properly, like I do.” Wen Xia believed they had to try their best to defend the Barrier Core, even if they were lacking in numbers in the center of the city, but Xie Qinghua and Lu Bin’s approach was even more extreme. They were allocating the Battlemages and the Brown Earth Mages to the city center, even though the rest of the city was going to suffer from losing the support of the Battlemages and the Magic Association. Even though everyone in the city was prepared for the battle, they mostly consisted of Hunters, students, rogue Mages, and members of renowned clans and organizations. Without the support of the military and the Magic Association, they would only end up as food to the Rock Monsters! “Let’s hope my instincts are wrong, that those Rock Monsters aren’t as much of a threat as I think, and the barrier is strong enough to protect us...” Mo Fan sighed. Mo Fan never wanted to be involved in the first place. Why did he have to be so concerned about the outcome? It was these authorities’ job to make the call. He just needed to act within his area of expertise! “They are all hoping to hold on until midnight. Once the barrier is activated at midnight, they will go from defending to attacking and save the victims. Don’t you worry, the Seal will be lifted at that time, too...” Wen Xia said. “Mm, I understand. Let’s wait for midnight, then,” Mo Fan could only nod agreement. — Mo Fan did not leave. He sat at a spot where he was able to see a good deal into the distance. He could see massive figures running around in the dark. The loud noises coming from all directions never ceased. Mo Fan had been through many battles, including those that were grimmer and those that were less intense. Therefore, he was roughly able to tell how the situation of a battle was going to be. Would there be troubles ahead? Would they find themselves at a critical juncture? Or would the light of dawn finally rise upon them? Mo Fan was not trying to curse the special Elemental Capital, nor was he so stubborn that he only believed in his own ideas. It was just what his instincts had been hinting to him after he fought the evil Elemental Spirits in person, and assessed the situation after comparing the strength of the two sides. A little spark was enough to set an entire valley on fire, let alone a fierce, blazing flame!