Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 494 Threats and Recruitment

In the Abyss, the succubus's survival rule is relatively simple: follow whoever is strongest.

She worked for Ironjaw when he was alive, and after he died, she switched allegiance to a new master.

For the succubus race, there is no such thing as loyalty; to live is the greatest loyalty one can show to oneself.

"The mine situation remains the same, the quota remains unchanged, you continue to oversee it. Those scorpion demons won't cause trouble, will they?"

"Yes, yes—no, it can't be!" Nilos nodded, then shook her head frantically.

Ian noticed that the room next door was filled with magic iron ore and some unknown ores, far exceeding the amount found in the Bloodslag Mine, which puzzled him.

"There's a lot of ore piled up in the house next door. What's its origin?"

Nilos paused for a moment, cautiously raised her head, glanced quickly at Ian, and then quickly lowered it again.

"Reporting to, Your Excellency," she swallowed, her mind racing.

"Those ores were intended for a trade by Ironjaw Overseer to one of the Overseers under Bone Demon Commander."

Ian's eyes flickered slightly, signaling Nilos to continue.

"This batch of ore will be sent to White Bone Fortress, a thousand miles away, in three days."

Nilos continued speaking, her fear slowly dissipating, and her speech becoming faster and faster.

"The warlord had made an agreement with the other party before his death. If he did not arrive by the due date, the other party would probably come to question him."

Her voice noticeably lowered as she spoke the last few words.

Ian's eyes darkened slightly, and he did not immediately reply. "The Bone Demon Commander's subordinate overseer?"

If the goods don't arrive, given the other party's status, they will inevitably come knocking on your door.

Nilos quickly gave a brief overview of the mine, and seeing Ian lower his head and remain silent, her voice grew softer and softer.

Seeing that Nilos had stopped, Ian waved his hand, "Do your job well from now on, and I won't treat you unfairly."

"Yes!" Nilo bowed gratefully and slowly left the hall.

Ian went to the next room, which was filled with all kinds of ores, from fist-sized to half-person-high, neatly stacked on stone shelves.

The largest pile consisted of pre-processed magic iron blocks, with a purity estimated at around 85%.

There were several boxes of fist-sized purple ore nearby, and in the innermost corner, there were several fist-sized black crystals piled up. When Ian touched them with his senses, the panel jumped slightly.

These items are far more valuable than ordinary magic iron ore.

Nilos stood at the doorway, too afraid to go in, looking down at her toes.

Ian glanced around the entire stone house, his eyes flashing slightly. Now that Ironjaw was dead, whether the deal would continue depended on the other side's reaction.

In any case, all these ores now belong to him.

"These ores are all sealed off, and no one is allowed to touch them without my permission."

"Yes, Nilos has noted it down—" She nodded repeatedly, then hesitated for a moment before mustering her courage to add another sentence.

"My lord, the Bone Demon Commander will definitely be here in three days."

I know what I'm doing.

Seeing that Ian looked calm and not nervous at all, Nilos immediately shut up, lowered her head and retreated.

The stone house fell silent.

Ian stood in front of the ore pile, recalling the information Nilos had just given him.

This Crackhoof Mine houses over a thousand miners and dozens of Scorpion Demon patrols, making it a considerable force in the surrounding mining area. However, it remains weak in the face of the powerful Bone Demon leader.

The people from White Bone Fortress will arrive in three days. We'll see their attitude then before making a decision.

To Ian's surprise, the other party arrived even faster than he had imagined.

The day after Ironjaw died, he was refining ore in the stone house when he noticed something was wrong.

Four auras are rapidly approaching, one of which is extremely powerful, much stronger than Ironjaw, while the other three are not weak either, all at the level of high-level demons.

Judging from their aggressive manner, it probably won't be anything good.

Ian put away the ore and walked out of the stone house.

Nilos was already waiting at the door, her face pale.

"My lord, it was Crack Bone who came in person; he is a confidant of the Bone Demon leader."

Ian's eyes were calm as he walked along the mine tunnel toward the entrance. Nilos had already reported this information to him yesterday.

At the entrance to the mine, four figures were already standing outside.

The leader was a head taller than the Iron Jaw, its body covered with thick bone plates, standing like a wall of bones in front.

Its face had no features, only a crack through which a dark red light shone.

This demon is none other than Bone Piercer, one of the seven generals under the Bone Demon.

Behind it stood three skeleton demons, each a size larger than any scorpion demons seen in the mine.

Holding a bone shield and a bone blade, his entire body was fully armored, with the bone plates fitting together perfectly; he was clearly a battle-hardened elite.

As Crimson Bone saw Ian emerge, the cracks in his face opened and closed slightly, making a series of clicking sounds.

"You killed Ironjaw? How dare you!"

The sound was dry, like two pieces of withered bone rubbing together, but it was extremely oppressive. It didn't even look directly at Ian; a bony claw rested on its waist, as if it were examining a corpse that was still alive.

Ian lowered his head, hunched his back slightly, and shrunk his shoulders to make himself look shorter than he actually was.

"Your Excellency, Iron Jaw has gone too far, I had no choice but to—"

The piercing crack suddenly closed, and the dark red light became blinding.

"Ironjaw is my warlord. You killed my men, which is tantamount to disregarding Lord Bone Demon."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entrance to the mine became eerily quiet.

The three bone demons behind Bone-Piercing simultaneously stepped forward, their bone blades drawn and pointed at Ian.

These demons are all quite powerful. Although Ian is confident that he can kill them all, he will not act rashly.

He was still unable to deal with the Bone Demon Commander for the time being, and killing one of its seven generals would inevitably invite pursuit.

Ian took a deep breath, his face showing fear.

"I know—I am willing to accept the punishment."

Nilos knelt beside her, her forehead pressed to the ground, not daring to even breathe.

Chi Gu looked at Ian, sizing him up, and after a moment, his tone softened.

"The Ironjaw mine was a gift from Lord Bone Demon. By killing it, you have ruined Lord Bone Demon's plans."

It paused, then continued, "According to the old rules, he must be executed."

Nilos's body jerked violently, and she glanced at Ian with concern.

Ian slowly raised his head, his murderous intent growing stronger.

"But—Lord Bone Demon can give you a chance to pledge your allegiance."

The chilling tone shifted abruptly, from indifference to condescending charity, as the speaker extended a bony claw toward Ian.

"Come with me to White Bone Castle, swear allegiance to Lord Bone Demon, and I can save your life."

Ian's eyes flickered slightly, and he remained silent for a few moments, as if he were having a fierce internal struggle.

Then he nodded emphatically, with a relieved expression, "Thank you for your mercy, sir. I will serve you to the death as commander."

"However—I'm new to the mine and still have some loose ends to settle. Could you grant me a few more days?"

Nilos glanced at Ian furtively, as if she wanted to say something, but quickly suppressed the thought.

Is this Balrog, who so easily killed Ironjaw, really afraid?

Chi Gu's expression froze for a moment. He was about to get angry, but seeing Ian's sincere attitude, his expression relaxed.

It took out a dark red domino from its bosom, which was engraved with the mark of the Bone Demon.

"Three days later, bring your list of miners and the inventory of ore to White Bone Castle."

Cigu threw the dominoes on the ground. The dominoes bounced twice on the gravel and landed at Ian's feet.

"If you don't come by then, I'll personally tear you to pieces."

"Yes! I will definitely be there—"

Crackling withdrew his gaze, turned and walked out of the mine, followed by three skeleton demons that made a series of synchronized clicking sounds.

After taking two steps, the piercing cold stopped again, and he tilted his head to the side.

"There should be some stock in Ironjaw's house. Don't touch it. Those are Lord Bone Demon's private property."

After speaking, he walked away.

Once the four auras had faded into the distance, Ian's fearful expression vanished instantly, and his eyes returned to calm.

He bent down to pick up the dominoes from the ground, weighed them in his hand, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"My lord—" Nilos got up from the ground and stood behind Ian.

Ian glanced at her, then stuffed the dominoes into his pocket. "Didn't Ironjaw leave behind a few barrels of wine? Take out two of them."

Nilos was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately. "Huh?"

Ian offered no explanation and turned to walk out of the mine.

Nilos hurried back to the mine, and a little while later, she came running out with two barrels of Horned Demon Liquor.

Ian took the barrel, his senses pinpointing the location of the chilling aura. The four auras hadn't gone far, so he quickly gave chase.

Nilos stared in disbelief. "M--My lord, are you going after Lord Spikes?"

Ian waved her away, telling her to go back.

Five miles away, on a rocky beach, Cricket was slowly walking with three skeleton demons.

When Ian caught up, Bone stopped and turned to look at him.

"What are you doing here? Do you want to change your mind?"

Ian placed the two barrels of liquor on the ground with a harmless smile on his face.

"Sir, you have come from afar. There is some aged liquor in the mine. If you don't mind, please have a taste before you leave."

Cigu glanced down at the barrel; it was just ordinary Horned Demon Liquor, considered a decent quality even in the mining area.

Although Tieya was a rough man, he never skimped on food and drink.

The crack in his piercing face opened slightly, emitting a short, sharp cracking sound.

"interesting."

It waved its hand, and the three bone demons retreated to the sides to stand guard. It found a flat rock to sit on, pried open the seal on the wine barrel with its bone claws, and sniffed the crack.

"Hmm, it's alright."

It tilted its head back and took a big gulp, the dark red liquid overflowing from both sides of the crack and dripping down the bone plate.

After taking a few sips of his drink, he saw Ian standing a few steps away. "Why are you standing? Sit down."

Ian hesitated for a moment, then sat down cross-legged opposite the piercing figure.

He drank a few more mouthfuls of the pungent liquor, and began to talk more, his voice muffled from the crack.

Do you know why I let you go?

Ian shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

"Although Ironjaw is quite strong, it's not very obedient." The piercing voice carried a hint of disdain.

"Of the dozens of warlords around here, which one would dare disobey Lord Bone Demon?"

Ian sneered inwardly. Ironjaw died not because it disobeyed, but simply because it blocked my way.

But he pretended to understand and nodded in agreement.

Cigu took another big gulp, and this time the alcohol hit him hard, making his voice even louder.

"We've had a few new overseers lately, and Ironjaw isn't the first." It stretched out its bone claw and casually pointed into the distance.

"The Blackrock Mine in the north was killed by a lone ice demon last month, and the next day he came to White Bone Fortress to pledge allegiance."

"That Ice Demon has a brain better than you; he knows what he should and shouldn't do."

Ian lowered his head. "Yes, I will definitely learn from you, sir."

He gave a sharp laugh, took another swig of wine, and his voice became a little slurred.

"The Bone Demon Lord hasn't been paying much attention to the mines lately—" It hiccuped. "The ores and such can be handed over slowly." Ian's eyes flickered slightly, sensing something amiss.

"With a major battle imminent, you must hand over the roster of your miners."

After saying this, his piercing gaze sharpened again, and he pushed the barrel aside, luring the enemy away.

"Come to White Bone Fortress in three days. Don't be late."

Ian quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

He took a small box out of his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

"This is a small amount of magic iron crystals that I have collected. Please accept it, my lord."

Cigu took the box, opened it, and glanced inside.

Inside were more than a dozen dark red crystals, of much higher quality than those offered by Ironjaw.

It let out a loud cackle, tucked the box into its arms, and said, "Alright, I'll remember you."

Ian stood there, watching the four figures disappear at the end of the rocky beach, his eyes filled with a melancholy.

Nilos peeked half her head out from behind a rock and cautiously walked over.

"Sir—what you just did—"

"Go back." Ian said calmly, turning and walking back.

Nilos opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.

She had been crouching behind a large rock in the distance the whole time, terrified, thinking her new owner was going to kill Cigu. She never expected it to turn out like this.

"Those crystals that the master just gave me—" Nilos swallowed hard. "I've never seen them before."

Ian glanced at her and said, "Don't feel bad. What you give away today will be worth a thousand times more in the future."

Nilos didn't dare to reply and followed Ian back with her head down.

After walking for a while, she hesitated for a moment and then said, "Sir, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Ian didn't stop walking. "Speak."

"Iron Bone has detailed files on every mine in the vicinity," Nilos said in a low voice.

"When the mine owner changes, its intelligence will be automatically triggered."

She glanced at Ian, and seeing no reaction, continued speaking.

"The master killed Ironjaw, and Bone-Piercing arrived the next day, much faster than I expected, which means someone in the mine was tipping it off."

Ian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Who do you suspect?"

"Not sure, there are suspects among the scorpion patrol, and possibly among the mine slaves as well," Nilos shook her head.

"There's more than one piercing eyeliner. Iron Jaw told me about it before, but we still haven't been able to find out."

She stole a glance at Ian, then mustered her courage and continued, "Sir, how about I plant a few of my own people among the miners and investigate slowly?"

Ian glanced at her. This succubus, though not very bold, was certainly quick-witted.

"Okay, go ahead and do it."

"Yes."

Nilos bowed her head in response, quickening her pace to follow closely behind Ian.

Back in the mine, Ian went into Ironjaw's stone house, looked at the remaining ore, and fell into deep thought.

The chilling words revealed a crucial piece of information: the Bone Demon is amassing a large force and needs a lot of cannon fodder.

Is war about to break out? Who are we going to fight?

The Bone Demon ruler controls an area spanning several thousand miles, with the eastern edge being the outer perimeter of the mining area, where no powerful forces exist.

To the west lies the territory of the Flame King, and to the south, the Shadow King.

If the Bone Demons were to start a war, their target would most likely be the west, as there seems to have been ongoing friction between the three demon leaders.

Ian closed his eyes, and the panel appeared in the corner of his eye.

Current evolution level: 376/3000

He currently controls two mines, making him a force to be reckoned with, but on the real grand chessboard, he's not even a chess master.

The Bone Demon needs cannon fodder and obedient subordinates.

Ian needs a clearer judgment and needs to go to White Bone Castle to see for himself.