Tyrant Simulator

Several days after Luke left, a group of unfamiliar "guests" arrived at the desolate village's ruins.

A large contingent of knights, riding white horses and clad in white armor, arrived in droves. They stood in two rows, holding high triangular banners with ten black backgrounds and silver patterns, each banner embroidered with a running white deer.

Following the cavalry was a magnificent chariot made of bright bronze, pulled by four fine horses.

Once the carriage had come to a stop, the soldiers jogged to open the doors and then nimbly lay down on the ground to serve as stepping stones.

A large boot stepped on his back.

A middle-aged elf, dressed in a snow-white fur cloak, slowly stepped down from the carriage; he was none other than Lord Neville, the master of White Hart Castle.

He wasn't particularly tall, but he had broad shoulders and a thick back. When he stepped on him, the soldier under his feet almost lost his footing. Following closely behind was a male elf who looked like an officer, helping a tall, elegant lady wearing a hood to get off the carriage.

Looking at the devastation and the shattered corpses scattered everywhere, Lord Na'vi, after a brief moment of shock and anger, couldn't help but give a bitter smile: "They're all dead, though."

"Look at these teeth marks, no human could possibly have such destructive power... It must have been caused by a large, social monster like a troll or a minotaur."

After carefully examining the wounds on the tax collectors' corpses, the officer concluded: "Lord Nawi, your tax collection team must have encountered a group of monsters heading south in search of food while they were collecting taxes in the village."

"I disagree!"

A clear and pleasant sound rang out.

The officer's female companion looked up, revealing a beautiful face with fair and delicate skin and bright, sparkling eyes.

"If it really was done by monsters, why aren't there any villagers' corpses here? Could they have been eaten clean by the monsters?"

Seeing this, Lord Neville joked, "Your Excellency Baron Forth, it seems your fiancée has quite the ideas."

The officer blushed, then smiled gently and slightly ingratiatingly, "My little Messiah, what's so strange about that? These villagers aren't made of wood; they all ran away when they saw the terrifying monster."

"Then why set it on fire? And look over there!"

With a flick of her slender hand, the High Elf tax collector still hung high in the air, his corpse nearly dried out, his withered face particularly horrifying.

"It's torture!"

Messiah stroked his smooth chin and pondered, "A monster that only wants to fill its stomach wouldn't do something like this... It's more like a show of force."

"Alright..." Fox sighed helplessly, "You're not going to tell me that those cowardly scumbags killed fully armed tax collectors with hoes, are you?"

Seeing this, Nawei chuckled to himself: Women who have studied at the Imperial Academy are indeed difficult to deal with... This kid's married life is going to be tough.

"The whole thing is eerie, and I'm afraid this village is involved..." Messiah bent down, picked up the heavy, abandoned iron ring, and said thoughtfully, "I think something must have appeared that changed these villagers."

Baron Forth cleared his throat and began to change the subject to Neville: "Lord Neville, we're not here to help you solve the case... Looks like you can't give me those five hundred warhorses?"

"Not at all," Neville replied with a polite bow and a smile. "I've already distributed this village's quota to several neighboring villages, and I believe it won't be long before we have enough horses to hand over—it certainly won't delay the Empire's great western expedition!"

"That's good," Foss nodded in satisfaction. "The war is fierce right now, and two high-ranking elven mages have died on the battlefield. The Grand Marshal is furious about it... We can't afford to provoke him at this time."

Seeing that Messiah was still searching around, Baron Forth patiently stepped forward and said, "My dear lady, this place borders the Wildlands and is not very safe. Haven't you always complained that Nord Province is too cold and harsh? I'll send you back to the capital tomorrow."

"I suddenly find this place quite interesting." Messiah dusted off her skirt and stood up with a smile.

"Since the academy's holiday has just begun, I'll stay at White Hart Castle and help Lord Neville investigate this strange case!"

She stood on the ruins of the deserted village, gazing north. Her deep gaze pierced the wilderness, landing on the distant outline of the Obsidian Mountains.

------

The wilderness can be roughly divided into three major regions.

In the far north lies the endless Obsidian Mountain Range, stretching across the north and south. Various ferocious monsters roam freely, and danger is almost ever-present; even the elite Imperial Army dares not venture too far in.

To the south of the mountains and to the west lies a dense, boundless forest of ink. Many humanoid intelligent beings have chosen to inhabit this area, dividing up their territories and acting independently.

The vast Hun River flows slowly eastward down from the mountains, thus forming the rich and abundant Hun River basin.

Luke pulled on the reins, and the horse's hooves left a shallow mark on the muddy ground. The wide river in front of them flowed gently, shimmering like scattered gold in the sunlight.

On the opposite bank of the river are gentle, rolling slopes covered in lush green grass.

Hagen, leaning on his cane, came up from behind and said with emotion, "The Hun River meanders down from Heiyao Mountain, and this is the southernmost bend... After that, it goes around Xiaoye Mountain and continues to bend northward, which is how this river bend became what it is today."

This place is not only fertile land, but also relatively peaceful compared to the Obsidian Mountains and Ink Forest, which are teeming with monsters.

Luke didn't reply, his gaze sweeping across the river to look further into the distance—about a day and a half's ride south from here would take him to the border of the Empire.

"Too close."

Rogge, who had somehow caught up with them, frowned and said, "It's not safe to be so close to the Empire."

“Yes,” Luke said, “but being close is essential for trading with people on the border. We can’t produce things like salt and iron ourselves.”

Roger opened his mouth, but said nothing more.

"I think we should settle here."

Luke dismounted, and with a determined look, pointed his whip: "We'll set up camp right here in this river bend!"

Having found a foothold, the next step was to solve the problem of food.

After setting up camp, Luke selected one hundred young and strong men to form ten hunting teams, led by capable men such as Roger and Parker. They mounted their horses, carried bows, and set off to hunt prey in all directions.

The others stayed in the camp, some clearing farmland, some herding cattle and sheep, and others going to the river to make nets to fish... Regardless of age or gender, everyone was busy and tirelessly managed this hard-won freedom.

The ogres were in charge of all the civil engineering work.

They split into two construction teams: one led by Amin went to Onoyama to cut down trees extensively, and then built houses and buildings after returning to the river bend.

Another force, following Luke's orders, built a wooden fortified camp spanning several tens of miles.

The ogre drove two rows of thick, round logs, each about three zhang tall, deep into the ground.

Then, clay or mud was used to reinforce the structure and fill the gaps between the wood, forming a four-sided wooden fence that was sturdy enough for people to stand on and walk on.

The completed fence was then joined together with the four pre-built corner towers…

By dusk, nine of the ten hunting parties, including Rogge's, had returned. Their wagons were piled high with wild boar, antelope, and other game... each party was returning home laden with their spoils.

The cannibals have also built a military fortress that can be used for defense and daily life.

Outside the city wall was a moat filled with sharp wooden spikes, and several tall wooden rafts stood in front of it.

Ding!

[Congratulations, host, on completing Amin's exclusive mission: Establish one base]

[The Ogre Heavy Spearman is now activated, and you will also receive corresponding weapon and equipment crafting blueprints, a giant forge, a leatherworking workshop, training manuals, and other supporting facilities.]

[Accepted the next level tyrant quest for Idi Armin - Defeat any 1 ogre leader 0/1]

[Mission Reward: Activate new unit type - Ogre Berserker]

With a flash of light, several parchment scrolls and a thin training manual for heavy spearmen instantly fell into Luke's hands.

Ogre Heavy Spearman

Rarity: R-level

[Attack]: A

[Defense]: B

[Speed]: D

[Range]: A

[Accuracy]: D

[Battery Life]: C

[Equipment]: Hardened leather armor, iron great helmet, 3-meter iron-tipped heavy spear

Looking around the ogre camp, a huge furnace had appeared out of nowhere, still glowing with fire; next to it was a workshop for making leather armor, complete with skinning tables, tanning pools, workshops for hardening by soaking in water, drying yards... everything you could need.

Luke smiled with satisfaction: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime... It seems that activating the [Ogre Heavy Spearman] in the simulator isn't just about giving me a few ready-made units."

Instead, it enabled me to independently cultivate and train outstanding soldiers, and even took care of the equipment manufacturing for me!

Just as Luke was about to unleash his full potential and begin training the Heavy Spearmen, thus embarking on the path of "exhausting the army and waging war"... suddenly a commotion arose outside the wooden fortress.

The tenth hunting party also rushed back... but they did not bring back any prey; instead, many of them were injured.

One of them had a feathered arrow stuck in its back, its tail still trembling slightly.

Parker, who was leading the group, quickly rushed to Luke's side, his face filled with terror.

"Lord Luke...we've been attacked by centaurs!"