Group

Despair Fortress was now mainly divided into three tiers and four major factions.

The first tier consisted of the "lords" born in Despair Fortress, such as Zhou Yu and Arthur—figures second only to Avilan. They represented Despair Fortress's supreme authority. Even a seventh-rank official at a prime minister's gate carried weight; even the lowest-ranking maids and male servants in the fortress held status above the aliens of the various districts.

The second tier consisted of the Horned Demons, Despair Fortress's affiliated race, and the aliens who had been the first to pledge themselves to Despair Fortress. They were considered Despair Fortress commoners, able to enjoy all the benefits of the districts and hold a certain degree of authority.

Yet the Horned Demons had always regarded themselves as demons and belonged to Despair Fortress's direct lineage. They occupied most of the important positions throughout the major districts. However, their numbers were too few to suppress the other aliens, creating a situation in which the aliens and Horned Demons stood as evenly matched rivals.

The final tier consisted of defeated captives. They did not even possess the most basic human rights and could only perform the harshest labor. Unless they one day rendered meritorious service and cast off their slave status, they would eventually be worked to death.

This time, Carter's arrival gave Miuo a tremendous opportunity. As long as Carter trained enough swordsmen or great swordsmen, it would increase the aliens' voice before the Horned Demons and grant them greater rights and benefits.

Only those who had lived in Despair Fortress knew just how abundant its riches truly were.

Carter's arrival drew endless amazement, but their faces were filled with delight, even excitement. With Carter, this sword instructor, the aliens living in Despair Fortress would grow stronger faster—and become safer as well!

After all, Despair Fortress stood within the Messiah Great Forest. Besides the surrounding alien races, there were terrifying Magic Beasts, not to mention the orc Munk Kingdom deeper within.

"Lord Arthur has grown stronger again? When I was standing here just now, I felt cold all over. I couldn't even speak."

Another person spoke up, his face still somewhat pale. He had clearly been intimidated.

"Not long ago, a great expert pledged allegiance to us. How long has it even been? Despair Fortress is becoming more and more prosperous and powerful."

The people around them all sighed with emotion. As they looked toward the Despair Fortress compound, their gazes brimmed with reverence.

When they had first moved to Despair Fortress, everything was waiting to be rebuilt. There were not even a few houses fit to live in. Now, more than half of South District had been restored, allowing these aliens who had lived like Wild Men in the Messiah Great Forest to experience human civilization for the first time. They had long since come to revere the people throughout the city.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Avilan stood in the courtyard with a longsword in hand. His footwork shifted, sword light flashed, and he unleashed the level-thirty skill Triple Strike, instantly slicing a massive boulder beside him into four pieces.

Carter stood nearby, his expression grave and his eyes bright, watching Avilan without looking away.

"Well? Carter."

The longsword suddenly stopped. The sword light filling the air slowly dispersed. Avilan casually tossed the sword to a maid beside him and looked at Carter.

"Supreme Lord, this sword technique is ruthless and merciless. Every strike seeks a life—it is a sword technique for killing. It is clear that you were tempered amid blood and storms before cultivating it to its current peak!"

Although Carter did not know the skill Triple Strike, once one principle was understood, ten thousand methods became clear. Having nearly reached the pinnacle of the path of technique, he could judge its power with a single glance.

Avilan nodded. Naturally, he understood. This level-thirty skill was often used in PvP because it was fast to execute and had little recovery time, which was why it felt so polished.

After all, he was the lord of Yong'an City, the master of countless Chinese luminaries. How could he possibly have experienced so much slaughter?

"Carter, how do you usually teach sword techniques?" Avilan took the cup of water handed over by the maid and drained it in one gulp.

Carter fell silent for a moment before saying, "I generally demonstrate first, then teach bit by bit based on experience."

Avilan nodded. The answer left him both speechless and troubled.

He knew that method too, but he truly did not know how to teach. With a wave of his hand, he had Carter leave first.

He himself sat alone in a stone chair on the balcony, closing his eyes to rest. He carefully sensed the flow of power. The process took more than an hour before he barely managed to perceive it.

"Lord Avilan!"

At that moment, Zhou Yu came running over in great strides, her face extraordinarily excited and faintly flushed as she shouted aloud.

Avilan raised a brow and turned to look. His expression froze slightly; he had rarely seen Zhou Yu so agitated.

"Gongjin, what has made you so happy?"

He smiled faintly and asked.

"The duchy has issued a new decree."

Zhou Yu gave a slight bow, then hurriedly said with a smile.

"A new decree?"

Avilan paused, then revealed a faint smile.

"Speak."

"Yes. The ruler has ordered every city and town to muster their armies and prepare for war, in case enemies invade," Zhou Yu said with a beaming face.

"Haha, interesting. Muster the armies and prepare for war—this is just right for helping us dispose of some surplus military equipment." Avilan laughed happily. The money problem had been solved in one stroke.

"Still, Gongjin, where should we begin? If we handle this poorly, we might expose ourselves."

Zhou Yu smiled elegantly, as though everything lay within her grasp.

"Rest assured, Lord Avilan. We will begin with Chika Village, while having the aliens establish satellite towns around Despair Fortress to guard against unforeseen events. If someone truly comes knocking, we can respond in the name of the Alien Alliance. We only need to avoid exposing our identities as demons from another world."

Avilan nodded in satisfaction. "Gongjin, handle the distribution of supplies. I'll take charge of the market."

In his previous life, Avilan had been both a guild president and the spokesperson for a company. He had some experience in expanding markets—something Zhou Yu and the others could not compare with.

On this matter, Zhou Yu did not insist. She nodded in agreement. She had already more or less understood Chika Village's situation. When the time came, they could build another satellite town beside it; if any danger arose, reinforcements could arrive at once.

Zhou Yu murmured softly to herself. From this decree alone, she could see the Kompno Duchy royal family's current attitude toward the nobles across the five major provinces.

Caution and suppression!

Avilan smiled faintly.

He had already seen that the Kompno Duchy's control over its local territories was rapidly declining.

On one hand, it demanded that every city prepare for war, yet offered not the slightest benefit. It was forcing these city lords to use the funds from their own treasuries. If they failed to arm themselves, the armies of enemy nations might be uncertain, but the nearby "friendly forces" would certainly set their sights on them.

Avilan could see through such a situation, so there was even less need to mention Zhou Yu. Clearly, Zhou Yu was already preparing to use this opportunity to stir up several wars. Once that happened, it would be difficult for Despair Fortress's weapons and equipment not to sell well.