Fortress

Construction on the hillside was in full swing. The expanded fortress was growing at a visible rate, and it was estimated that this square castle, 80 meters per side, would be completed by evening at the latest.

As for why it was so fast?

The answer was simple.

Who had ever seen a powerhouse cut down a tree that took three people to embrace with a single strike? And then trim all its branches within a minute?

Duan Kuan, with his long blade in hand, just smiled without a word.

Who had ever seen a powerhouse smash a twenty-meter-tall tree trunk, two meters in diameter, seven or eight meters deep into the ground with five hammer blows? The injured Song Dachui just smiled without a word.

Who had ever seen a powerhouse dig out one cubic meter of earth with an iron shovel in three seconds? Wang Mumu scoffed at the idea.

In short, building a castle whose main structure consisted of tree trunks and earth was a piece of cake.

However, such a castle would also be a piece of cake for enemies of the same level. Therefore, the truly important assets were the 14 captain-level archers. Even injured, they had to stand at the highest point, their keen eyes catching any suspicious traces.

At this moment, after confirming that the enemy imp's line of sight was completely obscured, Zhang Yang sped up the nurturing process.

Two hours later, an Ironwood tree, superior in quality to the last, was successfully nurtured.

Cutting it with a refined reinforced long blade only left a white mark. Ultimately, the village's strongest swordsman, Duan Kuan, had to be called upon. He used his captain-level reinforced long blade to chop it 72 times consecutively before finally felling the Ironwood tree.

"Village Chief, this Ironwood can be carved into at least 15 wooden spears and 30 arrow shafts."

After reporting, Wu Yuan immediately got busy, borrowing Duan Kuan's blade because other long blades simply couldn't cut it.

Zhang Yang was very tired by now, but he still leaned against the Wood Demon Tower, quietly pondering what he might have overlooked.

While feigning composure, he also tried his best to think about the mysterious enemy and the Deer Demon.

For example, how did the Deer Demon manage to make the mysterious enemy restrain themselves and coexist peacefully back then?

"It must have been the Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry. In open terrain, they are indeed the natural enemies of archers and infantry. Moreover, the Deer Demon also has summoning spells—its ultimate ability can summon level 5 abyssal devils—and its own body is strong enough to charge into battle recklessly."

"Assuming it built its village on flat, open ground, with all surrounding trees cleared, then just a hundred Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry would be enough that my current twenty captain-level soldiers wouldn't dare provoke them. No, without at least fifty captain-level soldiers, I'd be foolish to go head-to-head with that kind of Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry in an open plain."

Zhang Yang couldn't help but recall the more than a hundred Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry that appeared in yesterday's battle. They died miserably yesterday because this was a hillside with abundant trees, making it impossible for them to charge. They were then killed head-on by thrown wooden spears.

But if it were on flat ground, Zhang Yang wondered if even his currently expanded fortress could withstand their charge.

"So, this also explains why the Deer Demon still dared to lead its troops to attack me, even knowing there was an equally matched enemy lurking nearby. It wasn't worried about its base being raided by the other party."

"Similarly, this also explains why the mysterious enemy sent an imp to find me the very day the Deer Demon died. This couldn't have been a coincidence. The Deer Demon and this mysterious enemy must have always been wary of each other, which is why they intervened in this war so quickly."

"Hmm, also, the Deer Demon is dead, and its Village Building Order has dropped. But will the village it built just vanish? Unlikely, this isn't a game."

"And before the Deer Demon marched out yesterday, it must have left heroes or captain-level soldiers in charge of its forces at its base, and at least a hundred or more Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry. So, have these little Deer Demons now become wild monsters? Like those isolated little monsters I hunted before?"

Thinking of this, Zhang Yang's heart stirred. Organized wild monsters, and it was the Deer Demon's base—there must be many benefits.

Then, he thought of something else: if previous human villages had fallen, would their surviving soldiers also have turned into wild monsters, wandering the wilderness? If he encountered them, could he recruit them?

"Unfortunately, the wild monsters left behind by the Deer Demon this time will surely be swallowed whole by that mysterious enemy. And I still have to consider this do-or-die battle. Perhaps the only thing to be thankful for is that the mysterious enemy's main force must be busy eliminating and devouring the wild monsters left by the Deer Demon. They won't appear today, maybe not tomorrow either, but they will definitely attack the day after tomorrow."

"I hope I can still make it. After all, the only ones who can be countered by the Deer Demon's Heavy Armored Deer Horn Cavalry are infantry and archers. So, this mysterious enemy of mine definitely specializes in mountain warfare. This is my true mortal enemy. And if I can win this battle, my village will truly become the overlord of this region."

Having figured these things out, Zhang Yang, though physically and mentally exhausted, felt an unprecedented surge of passion and courage. He thought back to when he first arrived here, how pitiful he was, living in constant fear, relying solely on his soldiers risking their lives to carve out a path to survival, finally leading to this barely adequate foothold today.

If yesterday's battle with the Deer Demon was about life and death, it was because he had no retreat.

Then the upcoming battle would be about the future development of the village.

Whoever lost, he or the mysterious enemy, would lose the right to control this region.

Only by winning this battle could he peacefully develop and cultivate.

As Zhang Yang expected, the enemy did not show up again for the entire next day. After all, the Deer Demon had possessed a Tier 3 Village Building Order, so its legacy must be incredibly rich.

If the Deer Demon's subordinates turned into wild monsters after its death, they would certainly not be easy to deal with. Even if the mysterious enemy was very bold and went all out, it wouldn't be easy to take them down quickly.

Zhang Yang was only worried that the mysterious enemy would acquire the Deer Demon's legacy and conjure up some evil and terrifying ultimate move.

Fortunately, his own development was also quite good.

The small fortress was successfully expanded before evening, forming a structure that relied on the hillside, with at least a 40 to 50-meter height advantage. This was a significant advantage for Zhang Yang's side, who already had 14 captain-level archers.

If they wanted to engage in an archery duel, he would shoot them dead!

However, this fortress could actually be further widened and strengthened. At that point, the mysterious enemy would truly have no choice but to launch a frontal assault.

"It seems I still need to quickly make some Wolf Fang Arrows, after all, I don't know what level of military strength that mysterious enemy will reach after acquiring the Deer Demon's legacy."

Zhang Yang sighed as he looked at the dark night sky. Just then, a message suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

Successfully constructed a Level 1 Fortress. Completion: 80%. Do you wish to include this building in the Village Building Order system? Note: Including it in the Village Building Order system does not affect further improvements. When completion reaches 100%, the Fortress will upgrade to Level 2.

"Yes." Zhang Yang was slightly startled, then agreed. The next second, several more messages appeared.

Level 1 Fortress has been included in the Village Building Order system. As this is the first self-built village structure, Village Prosperity has been unlocked. Note: 10 points of Prosperity will increase Village Livability by 1 point, 100 points of Prosperity will increase Village Cohesion by 1 point, and 1000 points of Prosperity will increase Legend Value by 1 point.

The village currently has four buildings. Village Prosperity +13 (Special Building: Wood Demon Tower +10), Village Livability +1 (Note: Once Livability reaches 1000, this area will be immune to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, etc.).

Craftsman Zhao Tiezhu witnessed and participated in the construction of the Level 1 Fortress. He gained 10 points of Construction proficiency.

Craftsman Zhao Tiezhu participated in the production of 100 ordinary feathered arrows. He gained 10 points of Bow and Crossbow Crafting proficiency.

Craftsman Zhao Tiezhu's main skills, Repair/Manufacture, each increased by 2 proficiency points.