47: Seaside

"How are Zhou Yu's four satellite towns coming along?"

Avilan looked at Zhou Yu and asked casually.

The satellite city in the direction of Oldwood Fortress had already been built, as had the satellite town facing the western Munk Kingdom, whose main residents were Catfolk. As for the other two satellite towns, there was still no news.

"Lord Avilan, the eastern satellite town only needs to face the human kingdoms. I hope to use Chika Village as a trial and see whether we can make the village submit and turn it into a satellite town."

Zhou Yu revealed a sunny smile. As she smiled faintly, much of the tense atmosphere in the hall dissipated.

Avilan nodded. The likelihood of turning Chika Village into a satellite town was very high. The entire Kompno Duchy had now fallen into civil war, and Essin City was engulfed in flames. If Chika Village had not been so remote, and if Light Wolf and Light Tiger, two fourth-rank experts, had not been stationed there, it would have long since been reduced to a sea of fire.

"That will do. What about the south?" Avilan asked with some dissatisfaction.

Zhou Yu's development of the southern region of the Messiah Great Forest had always been too slow.

"Lord Avilan, I wish to tell you something about the terrain in the southern region."

"Speak!"

"At the southern end of the Messiah Great Forest lies a vast ocean. Three hundred kilometers south of Despair Fortress, small bodies of water and marshes begin to appear. Farther in, rivers crisscross the land. At roughly one thousand kilometers, there is an enormous river. The local nonhuman races call it the Narisi River, meaning the Water of Life."

"This river carries an immense volume of water. It flows through the entire southern region of the Messiah Great Forest and branches into dozens of tributaries before finally leaving the Cliff Continent. Beyond the Cliff Continent, there are many islands." Zhou Yu stopped there. The reason was simple: it was too far away, and she simply did not have the time to continue exploring.

"Mm, I understand. Build the satellite town about fifty kilometers from the southern waters, so it will be convenient to monitor the situation there." Avilan gave the order bluntly. In Myth, the ocean was a terrifying existence.

Sea Folk was a general term for marine creatures. Their numbers were dozens, even hundreds, of times greater than those of creatures on land. In Myth, an Ocean Calamity would erupt every so often, a game event in which large numbers of Sea Folk invaded the continent.

Since Zhou Yu was an NPC in Myth, she had experienced an Ocean Calamity before and held a certain degree of uncertainty and fear toward the sea.

"Very good! Despair Fortress is now on the right track, and every one of you deserves credit!"

He was quite satisfied with Despair Fortress's current rate of development. It had only been around three months since he came to this world, yet Despair Fortress's strength had increased severalfold.

Though he could not deny that his powerful attributes had played a decisive role, he would not belittle himself either. An outstanding helmsman was also extremely important.

Changing the subject, he looked at Zhou Yu again and asked directly, "Has any intelligence returned from the Roen Kingdom?"

After investigating the secret passage through the Silent Night Forest some time ago, he had learned the details. It was filled with venomous snakes and insects, with paths leading everywhere and danger lurking at every turn. One careless step could cost a person their life. It was simply impossible to send an army through it safely.

Only experts at the second rank or above, who had developed battle qi within their bodies and could protect themselves with it, had a sixty to seventy percent chance of passing through safely.

He could imagine that the army of the Blood Church back then must have lost many companions and suffered grievous casualties before barely reaching the Kompno Duchy.

When he learned this news, he had also breathed a sigh of relief. Compared with the Blood Church, Despair Fortress was still far too weak, not to mention that it had also offended the Eternal Night Duchy, the nation founded by the Dark Elves.

Thus, he had arranged for several people to travel to the Blood Church's headquarters in the Roen Kingdom to gather intelligence.

"Lord Avilan, no news has returned yet."

Zhou Yu reported.

Avilan nodded. His only concern was that the Blood Church might join forces with the Eternal Night Duchy. If that truly happened, Despair Fortress would have a hard time resisting the attack of two major powers.

At present, there was no other way. They could only strengthen themselves, especially their research capabilities.

Once they were strong enough, it would not matter what demons and monsters came their way—they would crush them all!

Moning Village was located in the Kia Mountains east of Essin City.

At this moment, a group of young adventurers used the swords in their hands to hack through the undergrowth, their eyes sweeping the surroundings vigilantly from time to time.

They were Eddie and the others, the ones being pursued by Despair Fortress. Because they were being hunted, they did not dare take the main roads for fear of exposing Moning Village, so they could only sneak around from the other side of the mountain.

"Allen, now that you're back, are you planning to take a wife?" Lippy held a bow in his hand, his sharp gaze constantly sweeping the surrounding area before quickly settling on a large tree.

"I'll climb up first and see what I can spot."

Allen nodded. Watching Lippy nimbly climb the tree, he said cautiously, "No."

"We've been running for so many days. Will Despair Fortress really just let us leave like this?" Eddie asked nervously.

Eddie was Allen's younger brother. Unlike his elder brother Allen, although Eddie had been adventuring for three years, his tendency to become nervous and timid had not diminished much. Instead, he had become even more cautious and meticulous.

"What do you think we should do, then? Abandon the people in the village?" Agonsi was the team's shield warrior. He held a large Fine Iron shield and a one-handed axe, which spun constantly in his hand. He had once been the most fearless and reckless person in the group.

Now, he too had become cautious and attentive. His time in Despair Fortress had given him far too many shocks.

"Brother Allen, I heard your wife gave birth to a beautiful little princess. Counting the days since we left, she must be nearly a year old by now!" Realizing that the group was feeling tense, Agonsi joked half-seriously.

Allen immediately put on a stern face. "Watch your words, Agonsi. Princess is not a title commoners like us can use so casually."

Agonsi immediately gave an awkward smile. Allen also realized that he had been overly serious just now and said with a smile, "It's fine. Once we get back this time, I'll invite you all to my home for drinks and let you see my precious daughter. Whenever I mention her, I can't help but think of Amy's soft little face."

Seeing Allen's face brimming with happiness, Agonsi and the others could not help relaxing their previously tense hearts.

When they returned to Moning Village, they found that it was no different from before. It was still as peaceful and quiet as ever. Many villagers saw them and greeted them one after another.

At that moment, Allen felt that after adventuring outside for so long, he could finally relax.

When he arrived at his doorstep, he happened to see a terrifying figure he would never forget for the rest of his life.