Finding Your Niche

Medivh was running his assembly line production, but the thousands of skeletons in Kurd City weren't idle.

In Kurd's first nine-grid district, the walls of all nine zones had been raised to sixteen meters, reaching the planned height.

In Kurd's second nine-grid district, the walls of all nine zones had been raised to eight meters—a provisional height. Medivh didn't let the skeletons keep stacking the walls of the second nine-grid district.

Currently, the third nine-grid district west of the first had taken shape, with walls in its nine zones standing one to three meters high.

Beyond expanding the nine-grid districts, Kurd had made great strides in agriculture and livestock.

In addition to the farmland and livestock zones developed within the three completed nine-grid districts, the farmland and livestock zones directly north and south of the first, second, and third nine-grid districts had also been developed.

At present, Kurd had a total of eighteen farmland zones and six livestock zones, each covering one square kilometer.

In mid-to-late March of this year, the skeletons planted potatoes in the three farmland zones of the first nine-grid district.

After over three months of growth, those three farmland zones yielded a bountiful harvest in July this year.

Part of the harvested potatoes was stored as food; the rest—high-quality ones for breeding, inferior ones for feeding livestock.

Of the current eighteen farmland zones, aside from two in the second nine-grid district planted with wheat, six had already been sown with a second crop of potatoes, and four were being tilled, awaiting potato planting.

Medivh had other plans for the six farmland zones south of the first, second, and third nine-grid districts.

The wheat in the second nine-grid district's farmland zones was already golden, with the harvest season approaching.

Once the wheat from these two zones was brought in, all eight of these farmland zones would be planted with wheat.

Odyssey had a pleasant climate, no harsh winters, and was well-suited for crop growth.

For example, with the most common crops—potatoes and wheat—proper scheduling of planting and harvesting could yield up to three harvests a year.

Currently, Kurd only had these two crops. Once this season's harvest was gathered, Medivh would arrange crop rotation, alternating potatoes and wheat on the same land to maximize soil nutrient use while reducing pests and diseases.

Additionally, composting had been set up. To ensure food yields without fallowing, fertilizer was indispensable.

"Medivh, try some of my baked honey bread!"

In mid-September, skeleton farmers swung bone scythes in the second nine-grid district's farmland zones, harvesting wheat.

After the wheat was threshed and dried, logistics skeletons pushed millstones to grind flour.

Audrey used the freshly milled flour to bake the honey bread she'd been craving, handing it to Medivh to taste.

"Soft, fragrant, crispy—delicious!"

The honey bread changed Medivh's opinion. Audrey's cooking wasn't utterly hopeless; her baked pastries were not only edible but tasty.

It seemed her previous poor culinary performance was just a matter of not finding her forte.

With the bountiful harvests of potatoes and wheat, Kurd's staple foods had diversified—flour-based dishes, potatoes, fish, game, and various wild vegetables Medivh had selected.

Humans had a massive demand for food, as the knight's path required nourishing qi with blood, necessitating large amounts of food, especially quality meat.

Hunting alone couldn't sustain meat consumption; human livestock farming was highly developed.

Developing livestock required quality feed, which in turn demanded substantial crop support.

The Gewalt Federation's persistent fixation on Odyssey stemmed from its inability to let go of the region's grain production capacity.

If they could reclaim Odyssey, the Gewalt Federation could support more soldiers and knights, significantly boosting national strength.

Not long after the wheat harvest, the skeletons used iron plows and other farming tools designed by Medivh to till the land.

After sun-drying the fields and preparing the wheat seeds, those eight designated farmland zones would all be planted with wheat.

By next spring, Kurd's wheat output would multiply several times over.

"Hey, when did a town pop up here?"

One evening in late September, another slave hunter group that had bypassed Winter Fortress and tried to cross the Winter Mountains arrived near Kurd.

Each nine-grid district covered ten square kilometers. Kurd City now stood out prominently on the wasteland, visible from afar.

This slave hunter group wasn't crossing the mountains for the first time; a few years ago when they passed through, there was no town here.

"Boss, should we go check it out?"

The slave hunter group's deputy leader squinted at Kurd, asking the lead slave merchant.

Anyone who could build such a city in Odyssey must be wealthy.

The third nine-grid district only had low walls, making it ideal for raiding.

"We've got a full haul this trip. Don't stir up trouble."

The slave merchant sized up Kurd, then glanced back at the camp packed with slave-laden prison carts, shaking his head slightly.

They were a large slave hunter group. In other times, the merchant would have definitely gone to Kurd to squeeze some loot.

But not this time. They'd captured many valuable non-human slaves; selling them off safely would ensure a life of comfort for the rest of their days.

Any force that could build a city like this in just a few years surely had formidable combat power and resources.

They already had a golden watermelon in hand—no need to risk picking up sesame seeds.

"Lord Medivh commands: leave none alive."

Suixin walked out of High Tower Castle, relaying the battle orders alongside the mage skeletons.

The Slave Hunter Group avoided Kurd City to set up camp, but that didn't mean Medivh would let them leave.

To buy more time for development, any target approaching Kurd City was ruthlessly eliminated by Medivh.

After conveying Medivh's orders, Suixin did not return to High Tower Castle.

She and Suixiang left the city alongside the skeleton legion.

They had been brought here by the Slave Hunter Group, and they wanted to see if any of their own kind were among the slaves the group had captured.

If there were, they would bring them back to Kurd City—this was an action they had requested and been granted by Medivh.

In the darkness, the skeletons crept forward quietly, lowering their sounds as they approached the Slave Hunter Group's temporary camp.

Skeleton Assassins, the reapers of the night, stealthily moved in and slit the throats of all the sentries on the camp's perimeter.

After clearing the outer guards, the Skeleton Assassins continued forward to silently kill the slavers sleeping in their tents.

"The smell of blood? Enemy attack!"

In one tent, the deputy leader, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, sniffed the air and caught a faint trace of blood.

He snapped his eyes open, burst out of the tent, and shouted for the warriors to be on alert.

"Archers, loose arrows!"

The ambush was exposed. The skeletons, who had already secured the outer perimeter of the temporary camp, no longer remained silent. Skeleton Archers drew their bows and fired at the warriors who had scrambled out of their tents in panic.

"Urgot, what's going on!"

The slave trader hurriedly threw on his coat and ran out to ask.

"Are we under attack by skeletons?"

Without waiting for the Slave Hunter Group's deputy leader to answer, the slave trader had already seen for himself what was happening.

He was utterly astonished. Necromancers were rare in this day and age.

A skeleton force of this scale, he had only ever seen recorded in certain history books.

There was no need to elaborate on how weak necromancy was nowadays—what gave these skeletons the courage to launch an attack?

"As you can see, some skeletons have come killing in the dark."

Urgot was equally stunned. He never thought he'd live to see a necromancer raid a camp.