Mist Lord

"Xia Yuan, I hope you can show your true strength when you participate in this observation group."

"How so?"

Xia Yuan didn't give up easily. Observing is one thing, but there's no need to gamble everything, right?

It's not like I can't live without him.

In a war of this scale, the presence of a few more Tier 3 experts has virtually no impact on the overall situation. On the contrary, for Mingguang Village, even the loss of a single Tier 3 expert would be considered a significant loss.

There's absolutely no need for that.

"For this observation group, the Alliance Leader will arrange fifty Xuanjia cavalrymen as support for my sister. Need I say more?"

Pei Shuang, however, seemed to have seen through Xia Yuan's little scheme.

Xia Yuan's request for high-quality warhorse carcasses last time easily led people to think of the transformation of skeleton horses. Especially since his second unit is a skeleton warrior, it's even easier to guess.

"...I will seriously consider it."

Pei Shuang's meaning was clear: once the Xuanjia cavalry's mounts died, their carcasses would become highly sought-after. If Xia Yuan wanted to obtain them, he would have to achieve some outstanding military exploits.

Otherwise, with so many lords participating in this battle, even Pei Shuang wouldn't be able to show favoritism.

"It's good that you know what's going on."

Pei Shuang didn't press the matter. "Also, I'll keep an eye on the half-elf archers for you."

Thank you!

Xia Yuan truly hadn't expected Pei Shuang to be so concerned about his affairs. This wasn't some kind of sect leader, she was practically a babysitter!

In the future, I won't be able to avoid repaying their kindness.

.........

Return to territory.

Xia Yuan immediately opened the bronze treasure chest, and sure enough, there was a fourth-tier contract scroll inside.

He never expected to be so lucky. He was just doing business at Suiyexuan out of goodwill, and ended up getting such a great deal out of nowhere.

In comparison, the contents of the remaining wooden treasure chest were rather insignificant—just a blueprint for a brewery.

It's not that it's bad, but if even getting food is a problem, where would there be any surplus grain to brew wine?

That's too extravagant!

Having obtained the scroll, Xia Yuan immediately sought out Celia and signed a slave contract with her.

"Celia greets her master!"

No matter how stubborn she was, under the constraints of the contract, Celia had no choice but to obediently submit and acknowledge her master.

Get up!

Xia Yuan did not hold Celia's previous hunger strike against him.

Loyalty itself is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it is an extremely precious quality, especially now that the object of loyalty is oneself.

"Master, may I go and check on those bone-winged bats first?"

It's clear that Celia truly loves bats. Even when she was so hungry she could barely walk, the first thing she thought about after gaining her freedom was those bats.

"Sure, but you need to eat something first. Don't worry, those bats weren't killed; on the contrary, they all received effective treatment and are doing well. From now on, all these bone-winged bats in the territory will be under your care."

Although the bone-winged bats suffered severe damage during the battle for revenge, their strong vitality allowed 24 of them to survive after treatment. Adding the 5 brought from Nakamura Teppei's territory, there were a total of 29.

Xia Yuan was worried about how to take care of it.

Bone-winged bats have a large appetite and a volatile temperament, making them difficult for ordinary people to handle.

After Celia pledges allegiance, the territory will gain another aerial combat squad. She can also command the bone-winged bats to hunt for food, saving a lot on food expenses.

The most ingenious thing is that, in addition to being a unit, the bone-winged bats can also reproduce on their own.

If nurtured well, their future prospects are immeasurable.

"Thank you, Master..."

Under Xia Yuan's watchful gaze, Celia hurriedly put on a black mask and went downstairs to eat.

.........

"Congratulations, Master, you've gained another capable assistant."

Satir smiled happily, but she also vaguely felt the competitive pressure from Celia. First it was Elua, and now it's Celia; there are more and more outstanding people around her master.

She cannot afford to be even slightly lax.

"Congratulations."

Xia Yuan was naturally very happy. He had unexpectedly obtained a fourth-tier contract scroll and subdued Celia. This not only solved a major hidden danger but also added a great help. Most importantly, he no longer had to worry about being assassinated.

With Celia, the shadow assassin, guarding the area, the lord's courtyard will become an assassination no-go zone.

"Celia is new here, so please guide her and help her familiarize herself with the territory. Also, regarding those bone-winged bats, whatever Celia wants, as long as it's not excessive, please grant her as much as possible."

Bone-winged bats may become a deadly weapon in the future.

"clear!"

Satir bowed in agreement and turned to leave.

.........

Xia Yuan changed into Shang Ze's vest and went to Yunyang City again.

His current identity is too conspicuous; going openly wouldn't yield any information. Besides gathering intelligence, Xia Yuan also made a special trip to Lieyang Tower and Liuyun Pavilion to see if he could find any more hidden gems.

But no, both businesses were doing much better than Suiyexuan.

It's okay, we can just make more trips later.

Especially with Lieyang Tower, as long as you have patience, you can always get some unexpected gains, just consider it as collecting some interest.

.........

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

After three days of construction, Mingguang Village has undergone significant changes.

The most striking change is that the original wooden city wall has been upgraded to an earthen city wall. It is built with crushed stone as the base and layers of fine clay, reaching a height of nearly 5 meters and a top width of about 2 meters, being narrower at the top and wider at the bottom.

Although it lacks both brick and stone cladding and a parapet wall on top, its defensive capabilities are still significantly improved compared to the previous wooden city walls.

At least there's no way to break it open by force anymore.

Furthermore, the passageway on the top of the city wall, which is more than two meters wide, is large enough to house crossbows and soldiers guarding the city.

With the upgraded gatehouse and the arrow towers integrated into the earthen city walls, the overall defense of the camp has been greatly enhanced, making it strong enough to withstand a massive beast tide.

In addition to the wooden city walls, the bell tower and the Demon-Sealing Tower were also completed one after another.

The clock tower was essentially a tall tower with a huge bronze bell mounted on top. The soldiers on lookout duty would ring the bell to warn of any enemy attack. It was also the tallest building in the territory to date.

In contrast, the Demon-Sealing Tower appears rather ordinary on the outside, but its interior holds a different secret. The main structure is buried deep underground, engraved with a sealing magic array to suppress demonic creatures and gradually draw away their demonic energy.

It's somewhat similar to the previous slave camps.

In addition to these iconic structures, the Mist Lighthouse has also been upgraded and moved further to the northern edge to keep a close watch on the northern forest.

The three towers complement each other.

In addition, various residential buildings were taken from Nakamura Teppei's territory, such as woodworking workshops, novice blacksmith shops, novice tailor shops, barber shops, courtyard houses, and brewing workshops, all of which were built one after another.

The artisans and slaves each fulfilled their duties.

The once somewhat deserted village has gradually become slightly crowded.

The brick kiln, located outside the village, has once again begun to emit wisps of black smoke.

Only now does Mingguang Village finally feel like a secluded paradise, a place where people built their settlements to escape war, monster attacks, and natural disasters.

It could barely be considered a proper camp; before, it could only be considered a temporary outpost.

With sufficient security guaranteed, the next step is to systematically cultivate the wasteland outside the village, plant various crops, and thus truly embark on the path of self-sufficiency.

The path to becoming a lord has only just begun.

Just as Xia Yuan was busy inspecting the new changes in the territory, Satir rushed over, "Master, something's not right. In the last two days, there have been more and more mist monsters actively crossing the border to attack."

"Yeah?"

Logically, with the Blackrock Altar as a deterrent, mist monsters shouldn't easily enter the territory. Unless they're extremely hungry and take the risk, and that usually happens at night.

Such attacks, occurring in broad daylight and in increasing numbers, are clearly abnormal.

Is it being driven by a high-level mist monster?

Or is there another mist faction, such as the kobolds, deliberately driving away the mist monsters from behind?

Where is Celia?

"Take care of the bone-winged bats at the misty lighthouse."

"Walk!"