Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire.

Chapter 66 Invasion of the Underdark Region
The invasion from the Underdark occurred when the Augustus family was completely unprepared, but the war did not break out because the distance was too far.

The human side does not need to make any extreme reactions to this, nor can they take any practical measures. The entrances to the passages connecting to the Underdark are not on the map of the Augustus family.

Of course, the location of this passage was also marked on the map after the night when the sky was illuminated by fire gushing out from deep within the earth.

But even so, a rough estimate shows that it is more than 300 kilometers away from the outermost edge of the Augustus family's territory. At this distance, only the legendary Grand Duke himself leading the pioneering knights can reach it. The other slightly inferior patrol knights cannot even follow. It is a wild land that has never been cultivated by civilization.

"Is there no way to intervene?"

Noah inquired.

"How can I intervene? My father and my mother have already taken the Knights to see it. My mother even recorded the scene. I'll show you."

After becoming an adult, Teddel, who had already participated in the affairs of the territory, asked back, took out a photo stone, placed it in front of Noah, and then activated it.

A tragic scene suddenly appeared in front of Noah. The lava veins from deep underground tore the ground apart, turning it into a canyon extending for nearly a hundred miles. Looking down, it looked like a huge, narrow, ugly, dark red scar.

The boiling lava surged at the bottom, turning into a long river of fire. Countless caves and cracks were scattered on both sides of the canyon walls. The scorching heat and slowly settling dust made the air full of poison, but there were still many lives active.

They were creatures from the Underdark, Deinonychus, Tunnel Worms, and many other creatures that Noah could not recognize at the moment. These underground creatures that were good at digging holes were working non-stop on both sides of the canyon and even in more hidden places, building a complex and huge web maze, opening up countless entrances.

"This was a planned invasion. I have to say that the planners were very vicious. They detonated all the volcanoes created by the lava demons in the original passage, channeling this terrifying energy to open up this long lava canyon.

Now, they have sent out these huge numbers of low-level monsters, frantically digging and building tunnels. It is impossible for us to clean them out one by one. These are worthless targets."

Although the distance is far enough and seems safe at the moment, Tedel is fully aware of the long-term threats and hidden dangers posed by this narrow lava canyon.

The threat from underground is ubiquitous all over the world. The underground ecological environment is no less beautiful than that on the ground, and its resources are even better.

However, compared to the wider space on the ground, the living environment of underground creatures is extremely harsh, the competition is particularly fierce, and the weak are not qualified to survive. The most intuitive manifestation is that the aggressiveness of underground creatures is generally stronger than that of ground creatures.

They will seize and fight for all resources that can make themselves and their clan stronger, even at the cost of their lives.

"We can't even find intelligent life?"

"At the bottom of the canyon, we found a small tribe of gray dwarves, but they knew nothing about them. They claimed that they migrated here following the earthquake."

"How could it be such a coincidence? With a volcanic eruption of this magnitude, there's no way these dwarves could possibly come together unless they have iron ingots stuffed in their heads!"

"Yes, there are too many traces left there. My mother discovered a super-large array and rituals that guide volcanic energy, and my father also captured two legendary auras. But if we can't find the person, what can we do?"

Taidel spread his hands, a helpless look on his face.

"We can't let my father stay there all the time. That place doesn't belong to the territory." "There's really no good way to do this."

Noah pondered for a long time and couldn't help shaking his head. Although it was an invasion from the Underdark, they used a grand and open conspiracy to directly detonate the volcano and blow up the entrance even bigger.

Not to mention that it is impossible to defend such a long and narrow entrance. Even if it is not blown up, it is difficult to defend, as it is far away from the territory of humanoid civilization.

This is also the most frustrating part. Although they are not related now, anyone with a little bit of brains and a long-term vision can predict that the creatures from underground will definitely bring disasters, and their existence is a threat.

"Now we can only prepare for war."

The young man's face did not look depressed, and he even looked excited.

"So, the family has passed a resolution to fully support me in establishing the Griffin Knights and the Dragon Knights!"

“Good resolution!”

Legends are strategically significant. It is impossible for them to encounter any problems without mobilizing the highest combat power to solve them. Facing the creatures that will continuously emerge from underground in the future, establishing absolute air superiority is the best solution at present.

Ever since Noah's adoptive father was promoted to a legend, the Augustus family, which had already developed a sense of peace and tranquility, felt the huge threat from the underground and once again entered the long-term state of preparation for war in the pioneering period.

All policies and resources in the territory and family are prepared for launching wars and guarding against monster attacks that may come at any time.

The ridge farming method proposed by Noah was forcibly promoted throughout the territory. Even the vassal nobles were no longer allowed to make any excuses and had to solve the problem of shortage of agricultural tools in their jurisdiction.

If the problem is still not solved, the Augustus family can intervene and help "solve it".

It is worth mentioning that the Augustus family also took back the independent taxation rights of its vassals with the toughest attitude. They were not allowed to increase or decrease taxes or raise tax rates without authorization, and they had to remain consistent with the master.

During the execution, many discordant voices did appear, but the Augustus family also showed due dignity, and the voices within the territory became unified again.

Everything is done in preparation for increasing the population of the territory. If one wants to wage a protracted war with alien races, population is the most basic premise and necessary condition.

This was only the first step. The second step was to lift the restrictions on breathing techniques. A variety of basic entry-level breathing techniques were printed in the third edition of the Book of Noah. There were not only breathing techniques, but also basic meditation techniques that enabled one to become a spellcaster.

The third step is to select those with qualified talents from the large number of civilian practitioners, recruit them into the Knights Templar, and train them as reserves until they become qualified pioneer knights.

All these preparations and policies are aimed at expanding military strength and preparing for the wars that are bound to come in the future.

However, if this series of measures and policies are to be effective, it will take at least five to ten years and require long-term persistence.

(End of this chapter)