Groups

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. They stood only below Avilan and represented Despair Fortress's supreme authority. Even the lowest-ranking maids and manservants within the castle held greater status and rank than 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 allegiance to Despair Fortress. They were considered commoners of Despair Fortress, entitled to all the benefits of the districts and granted a certain degree of authority.

However, the Horned Demons had always regarded themselves as demons and belonged to Despair Fortress's direct line. They occupied most of the important positions in the major districts, but their numbers were too small to suppress the other aliens, resulting in a balance of power between the aliens and the Horned Demons.

The lowest tier was made up of defeated captives. They did not even possess the most basic human rights and could only perform the harshest labor. Unless they earned merit one day and escaped their status as slaves, they would ultimately work themselves to death.

Carter's arrival gave Miuo a tremendous opportunity. As long as Carter trained enough swordsmen or great swordsmen, the aliens would gain a stronger voice before the Horned Demons and receive greater rights and benefits.

Only those who had lived in Despair Fortress knew just how prosperous it truly was.

Carter's arrival drew countless admiring sighs, but their faces were filled with delight and even excitement. With Carter, a 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. Aside from the surrounding alien races, there were terrifying magical beasts, not to mention the Munk Kingdom of beastmen deeper within the forest.

"Has Lord Arthur grown even stronger? When I was standing there just now, I felt cold all over. I could barely even speak."

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

"A master has already pledged allegiance just recently. How long has it been? Despair Fortress is becoming more and more powerful."

The people beside him all sighed in admiration. As they looked at the courtyard of Despair Fortress, their eyes were filled with reverence.

When they had first moved to Despair Fortress, everything had needed rebuilding. There had not even been many houses fit to live in. Now, most 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.

At daybreak the next morning, Avilan stood in the courtyard with a longsword in hand. His footwork shifted as sword light flashed, and he unleashed the level-thirty skill Triple Strike, instantly cutting a huge boulder beside him into four pieces.

Carter stood nearby with a solemn expression and bright eyes, watching Avilan without looking away.

"What do you think, Carter?"

The longsword abruptly stopped, and the sword light filling the air gradually faded. 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 is fatal; it is a killing sword technique. It is clear that you have tempered yourself amid blood and slaughter to reach your current peak."

Although Carter did not know the skill Triple Strike, once one principle was understood, countless others became clear. With his mastery of swordsmanship techniques having nearly reached its peak, he could judge its power with just one look.

Avilan nodded. Naturally, he knew that this level-thirty skill was fast to execute and had a short recovery time, so it was often used in PvP. That was why it carried the feeling of long refinement.

After all, he was the lord of Yong'an City and the master of many outstanding Chinese figures. How could he possibly have experienced that much slaughter?

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

After a moment of silence, Carter said, "I usually demonstrate first, then teach bit by bit based on experience."

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

He could use that method too, but he truly did not know how to teach. He waved Carter away, telling him to leave first.

He sat alone on 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 large strides, her face brimming with excitement and slightly flushed as she shouted loudly.

Avilan raised a brow and turned to look. His expression froze slightly. It was rare for him to see Zhou Yu this excited.

"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 spoke with a smile.

"A new decree?"

Avilan was startled, then revealed a faint smile.

"Speak."

"Yes. The Duke has ordered every city and town to reorganize its forces and prepare for war, in order to guard against invading enemies." Zhou Yu said with a broad smile.

"Haha, interesting. Preparing for war is perfect—it can help us deal with some of our excess military equipment." Avilan laughed happily. The money problem had been solved in one stroke.

"But Gongjin, where should we begin? If we handle this poorly, won't we expose ourselves?"

Zhou Yu smiled gracefully, as though everything was already under her control.

"Rest assured, Lord Avilan. We will begin with Chika Village, while having the aliens establish Satellite Towns around Despair Fortress to guard against unforeseen circumstances. If someone truly comes looking for trouble, we can respond under the banner of the Alien Alliance. We only need to avoid exposing our identities as demons from another world."

Avilan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Gongjin, handle the allocation of supplies. I will be responsible for the market."

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

On this matter, Zhou Yu did not insist. She nodded in agreement. She had already learned almost everything about Chika Village. Once another Satellite Town was built nearby, they could rush to provide support at the first sign of danger.

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

Caution and suppression!

Avilan smiled faintly.

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

On one hand, it demanded that every city prepare for war, yet it offered no benefits at all. It was forcing those city lords to draw upon their own treasuries. If they failed to arm themselves, it was unclear whether enemy armies would come, but their neighboring "allies" would certainly set their sights on them.

Even Avilan could see through this situation, so Zhou Yu needed no further explanation. Clearly, she was already planning to use this opportunity to provoke several wars. That way, it would be impossible for Despair Fortress's weapons and equipment not to sell well.