Wild Men

Half an hour later, nearly three thousand elderly, weak, women, and children of the Catfolk, filled with fear and unease, followed their former chieftain—now Chieftain Miuo—toward Despair Fortress. They had no idea what fate awaited them.

After all, many of them were only first-rank, while some did not even possess first-rank strength.

Although the young Lady Zhou Yu had promised to treat them no differently from the people of Despair Fortress, that still was not enough to dispel the unease in their hearts.

The vast procession of nearly several thousand people stretched for miles like a long dragon as it made its way toward Despair Fortress.

They soon returned to Despair Fortress. Zhou Yu had already spoken with Miuo: upon joining Despair Fortress, he would take up the post of commander of the Security Battalion. The hundred second-rank swordsmen of his clan would remain under his command, while the first-rank swordsman apprentices would also join the Security Battalion and be responsible for maintaining order in Despair Fortress.

As for the Catfolk who had not entered the ranks, Zhou Yu had no use for them. Though conditions were limited for now, the army under Despair Fortress could not be substandard!

At present, Despair Fortress's army consisted mainly of Horned Demons, fewer than four hundred in total. Even the weakest were second-rank warriors, with over a dozen third-rank demon warriors, along with their fourth-rank commander, Mize.

Although Mize and Zhou Yu, who had not suppressed her cultivation, both fought at fourth-rank strength, their combat power was worlds apart.

Avilan had tested the two in battle, and Mize's combat power was not even half of Zhou Yu's.

That made Avilan realize that even among those of the same fourth rank, there were still differences.

Zhou Yu was at the hero level among fourth-rank beings, equivalent to a BOSS in a game. Horned Demon Commander Mize, meanwhile, was merely at the ordinary fourth-rank level, equivalent to an elite monster in a game.

By the time they returned to Despair Fortress, the sky had already darkened. Arthur and Mi Yue had long been waiting at the gates. Seeing Avilan and Zhou Yu return safely, both of them heaved a long sigh of relief.

When Avilan followed Zhou Yu to suppress the bandits, they had naturally opposed it with all their strength. But they could not bend an arm against a thigh. Their persuasion proved useless, so they could only pray in secret and obey Avilan's orders to guard Despair Fortress strictly.

Now that they had finally set their minds at ease, their taut nerves relaxed as well.

When they entered the magnificent hall, Avilan sat high in the seat of honor. After everyone paid their respects, he did not speak. His right hand lightly tapped the armrest, his face full of contemplation.

Today's results had been brilliant. The harvest of sacrifices had been immense, allowing him to summon more than five hundred Horned Demons at once—enough to establish the Horned Demons as a proper force. However, the pace of gathering sacrifices would slow from now on.

He could not just kill everyone he encountered and slaughter cities everywhere!

If he truly did that, it would not be long before the entire continent hunted him down, perhaps even alerting the "gods" they spoke of.

As for whether gods truly existed, Avilan did not dare show the slightest carelessness or contempt.

Caution came first in all things.

When Miuo led the Catfolk into the urban area of Despair Fortress, they continuously cried out in surprise. Having lived deep in Messiah Forest, they had never seen such a splendid and clean city. Though many places remained dilapidated, that could not conceal the city's former glory.

After entering Despair Fortress itself, Miuo was so shocked by the castle's lavish decorations and magnificent furnishings that he could not close his mouth.

Even the royal palace of the Saladin Kingdom, the dominant power of Messiah Great Forest, was not so splendid or grand.

Although bandits now ran rampant throughout Messiah Great Forest, there were no other major powers near Despair Fortress besides these three races. If they wanted to gain more, they would have to launch large-scale operations.

As the foremost strategist under his command, Zhou Yu absolutely could not be sent out so casually again. Avilan still needed her to develop Despair Fortress.

Half a quarter-hour later, his expression eased. He gave orders to Mize, who stood closely at his side. "Mize, starting tomorrow, lead three hundred elite Horned Demon Army soldiers out to suppress bandits. Exterminate, over the widest possible area, the native forces within Despair Fortress's sphere of influence. Those who surrender will not be killed."

"Do not provoke any natives that are too powerful. Simply record them."

Before the Demon Gate was restored, the collection of sacrifices absolutely could not stop. With Mize's strength as a fourth-rank demon warrior, he was enough to sweep through the surrounding forces. Bringing three hundred elite Horned Demon Army soldiers was meant to maximize the slaughter.

"Yes, honored Supreme Sovereign!"

After bowing respectfully, Mize turned and ran directly out of the hall.

The newly joined Miuo and the others exchanged looks, unable to understand why Avilan was so keen on wiping out other races. As for Allen and the others, after exchanging glances, they more or less guessed something, and their expressions grew even more solemn.

This meeting was simple: repair the Demon Gate with all their strength so that new demon race members could be born on their own in the future.

Zhou Yu agreed with this, while also hoping that all of Despair Fortress's resources would be directed toward the "gate."

Even so, restoring the Demon Gate would take at least more than a month.

Avilan could afford to wait one month.

Waiting was the longest of times, but for Despair Fortress, which was recovering rapidly, it could only be described as the blink of an eye.

Zhou Yu looked at the South District, which had already recovered more than half of its former state, her heart filled with pride.

However, compared to the South District's population of hundreds of thousands at its peak, it now had only a few thousand people, most of whom were other races.

Over the course of a month, Mize conquered four other-race tribes and slaughtered more than a dozen bandit groups, adding over two thousand people to the South District. More than four hundred Horned Demons joined as well, giving the entire South District an imposing presence.

The Ratkin still had the largest population in the South District. Perhaps because of their low strength, their reproductive capacity was far greater than that of other races. In the outer regions of Messiah Great Forest, the Ratkin possessed the largest population. They were not only vassals to many powerful other races, but also food for many magical beasts and powerful wild creatures.

There were more than thirty-six hundred Ratkin in the South District, including over a hundred Ratmen. Half had evolved on their own. After the South District began to recover, the concentration of magic essence rose sharply, accelerating both their evolution and everyone else's cultivation.

The Catfolk came next. Miuo's clan had fled from the Vick Kingdom, and they were the only branch within a hundred-mile radius. Increasing their population further would be immensely difficult.

Last came the several conquered other races. The Goblins alone accounted for more than a thousand people, followed by over five hundred Wild Men.

They were called Wild Men because they had not been fully civilized. They were even worse than barbarians. Zhou Yu could not understand why, with so many human villages around Messiah Forest besides Essin City, so many Wild Men tribes still existed.

Avilan had examined these Wild Men as well. They were almost no different from humans of this world, except they were smaller and weaker than humans outside the forest. Yet they had lived in the forest for too long, fighting other races for flesh and territory. Every one of them had become brave and battle-hardened, natural jungle warriors.