Seaside

"How are Zhou Yu's four Satellite Towns coming along?"

Avilan looked at Zhou Yu and asked blandly.

The satellite city in the direction of Oldwood Fortress had already been built, and the Satellite Town facing west toward the Munk Kingdom was also complete, with the Catfolk as its main residents. As for the other two Satellite Towns, there was still no news.

"Lord Avilan, the eastern Satellite Town will face the human realms. I hope to use Chika Village as a trial, to see whether we can make that village submit and become a Satellite Town."

Zhou Yu revealed a smile as bright as sunlight. With that faint smile, much of the tense atmosphere in the hall dispersed.

Avilan nodded. The possibility of making Chika Village a Satellite Town was extremely high. The entire Kompno Duchy had now fallen into civil war, and Essin City was likewise engulfed in the flames of war. If Chika Village had not been so remote, and if the two fourth-tier experts, Light Wolf and Light Tiger, had not been stationed there, it would have long since become a sea of flames.

"Fine. What about the south?" Avilan asked with some dissatisfaction.

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

"Lord Avilan, I want 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 foreign 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, eventually flowing out of the Cliff Continent. Beyond the Cliff Continent, there are many islands." Zhou Yu stopped there. The reason was simple: it was simply too far away, and she had no time to continue exploring.

"Mm, I understand. Build the Satellite Town roughly fifty kilometers from the southern waters, so it will be convenient to monitor the situation there." Avilan gave the order with practical decisiveness. In Myth, the ocean was an extremely terrifying existence.

Sea Folk was a collective term for ocean 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 massive numbers of Sea Folk invaded the continent.

Because Zhou Yu was an NPC in Myth and had experienced the Ocean Calamity, she still held a measure of fear and uncertainty toward the ocean.

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

He was fairly satisfied with Despair Fortress's current pace of development. It had only been around three short months since he came to this world, yet Despair Fortress's strength had multiplied several times over!

Though he could not deny that his powerful attributes had played a decisive role, he would not belittle himself either. An outstanding helmsman was equally 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 its exact circumstances. It was packed with venomous snakes and poisonous insects, its paths branched in all directions, and dangers lurked everywhere. One careless step could cost someone their life. It was simply impossible to send a large army through it safely.

Only experts above the second tier, whose bodies had produced battle aura that could protect them, had a sixty to seventy percent chance of passing through safely.

He could imagine that the Blood Church army from back then must have suffered countless deaths and injuries, paying a grievous price before they barely managed to reach the Kompno Duchy.

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

Therefore, he had arranged for several people to travel to the Blood Church's headquarters in the Roen Kingdom and 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's strength would make it difficult to withstand the assault 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 did not matter what demons, monsters, ox ghosts, or snake spirits came their way—they would crush them all in one sweep!

Moning Village lay 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 thorns and brambles, their eyes frequently sweeping the surroundings with vigilance.

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

"Allen, now that you're going back, are you planning to find yourself a wife?" Lippy carried a bow, his sharp gaze constantly sweeping the area. Soon, he noticed 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 already. Would Despair Fortress really just let us leave like this?" Eddie asked nervously.

Eddie was Allen's younger brother. Unlike his elder brother Allen, though 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.

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

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

"Big Brother Allen, I heard your wife gave birth to a beautiful little princess. Counting the days since we left, she must be almost one year old now!" Noticing that the group's mood was somewhat tense, Agonsi teased him half-jokingly.

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

Agonsi immediately gave an awkward laugh. Allen also realized he had been too serious and smiled. "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 thinking of Amy's soft, chubby little face."

Seeing Allen's face brimming with happiness, Agonsi and the others could not help but relax their tightly strung hearts.

When they returned to Moning Village, they found it no different from before—still so peaceful and quiet. Quite a few villagers saw them and greeted them one after another.

At that instant, Allen felt that after adventuring outside for so long, he had finally found a place where he could relax.

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