The Empire Today, the Builders

Hell of Baator, first level.

Lightning ripped through the sky with a deafening roar, a common occurrence in this crimson and terrifying Hell. And on this dry land, which had absorbed the lives, corpses, and blood of countless demons, monsters, and other races, a small figure was stumbling forward.

It was a small, thin human girl, who looked no more than ten years old. Her petite body was wrapped in a black cloak and robe, and her movements were slightly violent. It seemed that the long journey had exhausted all her strength. Her long, dark, waist-length hair looked like it had never been carefully styled, with even the bangs hanging down, obscuring the girl's bewildered, dark eyes. Judging from the girl's unsteady swaying, the environment here seemed to have caused her great harm, and she seemed like she could collapse at any moment.

If this scene were to occur anywhere, it would evoke sympathy in others. How could such a frail girl not receive their love and pity?

However, this is the first level of the Hell of Baator, a battlefield where devils and demons Blood War. Not to mention low-level devils and demons, even powerful humans would not choose to advance here alone. And this slender figure against the blood-red sky is someone that anyone with self-awareness would not provoke.

However, this does not mean that everyone has self-awareness.

The girl took a few more slow steps forward, then began to sway unsteadily, as if she had reached her limit and could be buried here at any moment.

Just then, two demons that had been pacing and waiting in the sky swooped down, attempting to devour their prey. They had been watching this lone figure for some time; for demons, nothing was more amusing than witnessing human suffering and watching them die in endless despair. Now, it was time for them to take charge of the battlefield.

Just as the two demons rushed towards the ground, racing to see who could grab the little girl first, she suddenly bent over and coughed violently. Then, in a flash, the little girl vanished from their sight. At the same time, they felt a sharp pain in their backs and lost their ability to fly, letting the momentum carry them crash heavily to the ground.

Of course, this wasn't a particularly serious injury to the demons, but they didn't get up again to fight back like wounded tigers. Their heads were slowly rolling not far from the corpses, the clean cuts still oozing foul, dark blood.

"Huff... huff... cough cough..."

The girl coughed softly, walked around the two corpses, and continued forward. Just then, a seductive voice came from behind.

"I've finally found you, my little princess."

The girl didn't turn around; instead, she leaned back, as if she had fainted from some illness. But just as her body leaned back, the girl disappeared again.

The succubus didn't panic. She simply twisted her lithe waist, casually grabbed at the air, and the girl appeared beside her. A huge, jet-black dagger had been accurately predicted by the succubus and was firmly held in her hand.

"Alright, my little princess, I'm not here to capture you."

The Lord of the Nine Levels of Hell released the dagger in his hand and smiled as he looked at the girl before him.

"I must say, you can imagine how surprised I was when I learned from my subordinates that you had actually left the ninth floor... I never expected that you would actually make it all the way to the first floor."

In reality, it was a matter of "killing," but the King of the Nine Levels of Hell did not intend to fuss over such a trivial matter.

"My father... is calling me..."

The girl's hands hung down, tightly gripping the hem of her black suit. She spoke in a low, almost inaudible voice, as if she didn't even have the strength to utter a complete sentence. No one could imagine that just moments ago, she had instantly killed two high-level demons.

"Anna... has to go back, she has to go see her father..."

For the first time, a spark of life appeared in their previously dull and lifeless eyes, then vanished.

"You're so impatient, my little princess."

The Lord of the Nine Levels of Hell took a few steps forward, spread his wings, and stretched—he seemed to really like this avatar.

"Although I knew you wouldn't stay put, you should at least listen to other people's advice. I once made an agreement with your father, and we devils don't break our promises... Hmm, speaking of which, I really miss it. I wonder if it's because of the fall of the Magic Empire, but agreements like that, full of challenges and logical traps, have never appeared in the human world since. It seems that while they destroyed the Magic Empire, they also made themselves stupid."

With that, the Lord of the Nine Levels of Hell snapped his fingers, then took out a small pouch and handed it over.

"This is the remaining payment from the agreement from back then. Please convey to His Excellency the Arcane Mage that I look forward to a further cooperative relationship between us... Now, please follow me, little princess."

As he spoke, the Lord of the Nine Levels of Hell extended his hand to the girl.

"I will lead you to the portal to the Prime Material Plane. Of course, I can't guarantee I can teleport you back to the Arcane Mage, but it's much safer than searching for the portal yourself. If you get lost in the spatial turbulence because of my foolish subordinates' incompetence, I'll be worried about my own life."

"... Um."

The girl nodded vigorously, then gave a weak but happy smile and took the succubus's hand.

"According to the mages' reports, the Ringwraith Tower's recovery rate has reached 94%, which will hardly hinder the operation."

At that very moment, Li Lin was in the Ringwraith City, listening to Nia's report.

Although Ringwraith City suffered considerable damage in the war, requiring a significant amount of time to repair under normal circumstances, the Ringwraith City was currently inhabited entirely by mages. Furthermore, as spirits, they needed neither rest nor food, and their expended Magic Power could be replenished through meditation. Therefore, within the area of the barrier created by Li Lin, they could work indefinitely. These mages were clearly very enthusiastic and dedicated, and with their help, Ringwraith City quickly returned to its original state, even adding many new features.

"The magic ship of Belmondo? I thought all of that had been burned to the ground."

Li Lin was quite surprised when he saw the documents Nia handed him.

"This is the prototype ship stored in the city of Belmondo, used for exhibition purposes."

"I see. No wonder something so good couldn't have escaped unscathed. Looks like this guy's desire to show off can be quite useful sometimes... What about Kairos?"

"There's very little of value to be gained from the city of the other twelve Arcane Mage, Li Lin."

Nia shook her head.

"So far, only the magic ship and the spatial portal can be repaired and used. As for the rest... only the scraps and details remain."

"Having these two is already pretty good..."

As he spoke, Li Lin flipped through the documents in his hand again.

"Even the crafting data for the floating city's core is missing? I remember I kept that in my collection..."

"Master, have you forgotten?"

Suoxiate, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"When the enemy invaded the city, you ordered me to destroy all the data."

"... How could I have given such a stupid order?"

Faced with this heartbreaking and helpless outcome, Li Lin could only look up to the sky and sigh in despair.

After that, everyone began their work. Li Lin also began a series of preparations. He first went to the City of a Thousand Towers to discuss matters with the three old mages. After witnessing the immense size of the floating city, the three ruling mages were so astonished that they even requested Li Lin's permission to relocate to this great magical city. Of course, Li Lin temporarily refused their request. After all, the City of a Thousand Towers was a well-known autonomous territory on the continent, and if everyone disappeared, it would cause quite a stir. However, he assured the three rulers that in the event of a future war, if the City of a Thousand Towers was affected, he would open the Ringwraith City for refuge. In any case, the Ringwraith City was designed from the beginning... A large city capable of accommodating a million people, the "Garden of Verdure" where Kalin resides alone is sufficient to house all the Elven race. Therefore, accommodating the inhabitants of the City of a Thousand Towers would not be difficult. Moreover, Li Lin needs a fixed point of contact. Although the Ringwraith City can use magic to summon clouds for cover, given their Ringwraith City size, even a mere disguise as a dark cloud would be enough to shroud an entire area. If a place remains shrouded in darkness for an extended period, it would be highly unusual. Therefore, Li Lin decided to move the Ringwraith City to the sea, where at least it would not attract too much attention. However, this obviously hinders effective communication and trade with other powers, making the existence of the City of a Thousand Towers essential for Li Lin.

After that, the fat merchant finally returned to the City of a Thousand Towers. Li Lin took the elven slaves from him and then threw them into Kalin's territory. Elves are naturally at peace with nature, and living in the forest is their forte; they don't need any prompting. The remaining Dark Elf guards were assigned by Li Lin to patrol the Ringwraith City. After all, a city full of mages isn't quite right; sometimes, fully armed patrol soldiers are essential.

Li Lin also took the time to contact Maya —the new matriarch of the Dark Elf. According to Maya's report, Kudel's battle against Lalia had ended. They acted swiftly and had already occupied the region. However, they hadn't had time to search the Underdark, as Lalia's counterattack was equally fierce, and the two sides were currently locked in a stalemate. Kudel's operation should have been very successful, but Maya, having received Li Lin's advice, dispatched Dark Elf to escort the brother and sister who had miraculously survived from the Underdark back to their homeland before the first wave of troops passed through.

Now that the brother and sister have returned home safely, Kudel's attempt to conquer Lalia via the Black Road has been exposed. Upon learning the news, the Lalia people immediately organized their army and set off. The two armies eventually engaged in a direct confrontation, which has now turned into a protracted war. Meanwhile, the Dark Elf can quietly wait and see which side is more worthwhile to "invest" in.

Li Lin wasn't too worried about the Dark Elf's safety. Right now, Kudel certainly didn't have the time or energy to cause trouble for them, and besides, the Underdark Dark Elf not a place that humans could conquer, so he let them go without worry.

"Speaking of which, why haven't we seen Miss Angela?"

After finishing her report, Nia looked around and realized that Angela, who had always stayed close to Li Lin and never left his side, was nowhere to be seen, and she didn't know where she had gone.

"Angela went to the academy."

Li Lin answered casually.

Because they lacked true physical bodies, even these mages, possessing immense power and vast knowledge, could only look on in despair. Therefore, after discussing with the old mages of the City of a Thousand Towers, Li Lin selected several hundred hybrids from the City of a Thousand Towers who possessed magical talent, were loyal to the City of a Thousand Towers, and harbored hatred for the Five-Nation Alliance. He brought them to the Ringwraith City for magical education. In this way, in future battles, when facing mages who had only learned the minutiae of magic, these spellcasters, trained in the orthodox magic of the Magic Empire, would obviously become a much stronger force.