Chapter 911: A New Territory
While the migration of refugees was on-going systematically, Rhode had finally re-a.s.sembled his team. Everyone got together all at once and even though they had met a few months ago, it felt like forever to them.
“This is Leader’s territory? Wow…”
Mini Bubble Gum muttered under her breath in disbelief. She raised her head and gazed at the night sky, as well as the ma.s.sive star ring and blazing sun. Not only her, but others like Sara and Lapis also scanned the place curiously. Although they had witnessed Rhode creating countless miracles in the past, this out of the ordinary scene was unbelievable for them like a dream.
“Although this isn’t quite the same as the one in the past… I have to congratulate you on your success, Rhode.”
Canary stood behind him and said with a gentle smile. Rhode nodded in response.
“That’s right… I eventually… succeeded.”
Rhode felt rather distracted as though he had returned to the game where he first opened a new territory. Back then, he also stood on the platform and watched millions of players raising their arms and cheering in celebration for achieving the first ever magnificent feat that no player accomplished. It was from that moment onward that Starlight dominated the continent and developed into a formidable and unprecedented force. And now, he was about to take on the same path in this world.
Although his current territory wasn’t considered too powerful by the in-game standard, it had in fact exceeded the Munn Kingdom in the eyes of the natives. Apart from Rhode, who was the Void Dragon, there were also Marlene who awakened as one of the six Deity Wardens, as well as Mini Bubble Gum and Canary who reached the peak of level 85. Moreover, Christie and Gillian who were unlocked entirely (after Rhode became the Void Dragon, the seal on Gillian’s elemental card disappeared) possessed powerful strength that was enough to take on the four legendary generals of the Country of Darkness.
Even though the second column of Orchid Heart, Anne, and Lize didn’t seem to be over-the-top in strength, their unique cla.s.ses and bloodlines were sufficient enhancements to their values. Furthermore, there were also armies of heroic spirits and elemental creatures from the Astral Temple, Silver Ocean, and Burning Plains. At least for now, their defenses were secure as long as the enemies didn’t launch unlimited attacks. Moreover, with Sara and Lapis leading magic and alchemy research, there wasn’t too big of a gap in terms of logistics.
However, this wasn’t enough for Rhode. From the perspective of a player, he was still lacking something crucial—there weren’t enough basic-level players. No matter how powerful a guild was, it couldn’t survive without the support of basic-level players. No matter how many Alchemists there were in a guild, there wouldn’t be any results if no materials were submitted by basic-level players. And now, it was these ‘basics’ that Rhode’s men lacked. Randolf and Marfa possessed strength that was considered the best among ordinary natives, but this number wasn’t enough. In order to resolve the issue with the refugees, Rhode dispatched Randolf, Marfa, Joey, Sol, and Sovann to the new towns that would be taking in the refugees to maintain social order. Orchid Heart, who used to be the commander of the army, was only left with the elite cavalry troops. This was due to the lack of ‘cannon fodders’, but fortunately, the high-end forces held enough suppression to make the migration a success.
Among the high-end forces, Gillian and Orchid Heart had to be given credit.
If it weren’t for that unfortunate overlord who got cold feet and had his head cut off by Lydia, Rhode would have personally given him a thank-you certificate. Among the refugees who responded to Rhode’s calling, 70 to 80 percent of them came from the Silent Field after their overlord failed to defend against the Undead Army and their land crumbled entirely. Other than the residents in the Silent Field who died in the war, the remaining people had basically arrived at the Land of Atonement. Perhaps Rhode’s strength might not be as powerful as the refugees liked, but it was indeed a symbol of hope for those who had escaped from war. Therefore, they formed groups and headed into the Land of Atonement after hearing the news that the territory was willing to take in refugees.
These refugees were basically the ‘foundation’ of the Silent Field. There were farmers, artisans, chefs, workers, retired soldiers, and merchants. Some were even spell casters who once served the former overlord. While Rhode built the Void Territory, Gillian and Orchid Heart used this opportunity to investigate the tens of thousands of refugees and their ident.i.ties and cla.s.ses. Then, they used the results as the standard to execute the plan and guide them. Ones who possessed various expertise could be put to good use immediately. Although the Order Refugees from the refugees were strong, they lacked living skills, so both sides could complement each other.
It wasn’t as simple as tapping on the system interface to build a territory in real life. In the game, as long as one gave the command to the system, the system would automatically make the NPC go to work. But now, not only did orders need to be pa.s.sed down, but there must also be all sorts of laws and rules. Fortunately, before the refugees migrated, Marlene had come up with a few proposals and the students who served as her a.s.sistants previously came to Grandia. With the complete planning in place, all she needed was the manpower to execute it.
As for Sara, Rhode discovered that she could also use the Projection Crystal after a few tests as she was soul-bound to him. Thereafter, he handed the Projection Crystal to her and turned her from an ‘Undead Alchemist’ to an ‘Observer’. She would be specially responsible for monitoring movements within the territory through the Projection Crystal. Since she was an Undead Creature who didn’t need food, rest, or sleep, she was perfect for this job.
On the other hand, Rhode handed the Illusion Crystal to Lapis and got her to create an alchemy armor. If the alchemy armor could be created successfully, he would have much more safety insurance in the future. With his attribute of [Indestructible] and an unlimited supply of spiritual powers from the [Illusion Crystal], his battle skills would be so much more effective and he didn’t need to worry that his equipment would be destroyed.
As the refugees entered the territory, the entire place slowly started operating. As leaders with authority, Marlene and the others were incredibly busy. But just as their heads were spinning in all the territorial affairs, Rhode was doing something completely different. He led Canary and Mini Bubble Gum around his new city, which in other words, was intended to devastate them.
Mini Bubble Gum had to admit that this scenario had totally exceeded her expectations. She continuously repeated the word ‘impossible’ for a dozen times. On the other hand, Canary knitted her brows uncharacteristically and couldn’t understand how the extraordinary truth turned out to be so much different from what she had expected. Although not everything said in books was true, being subverted to this point was still rare, wasn’t it?
“Alright, I have to admit that you’re really capable, Leader. You have actually got the dragon soul protection of the Void Dragon and Marlene is actually one of the six Deity Wardens. In other words, you’re also a BOSS now? When are we going to dominate this world?”
Mini Bubble Gum gazed helplessly at the pitch-black sky and said. Rhode shrugged to her comments and they couldn’t be blamed for sneaking out while others were hard at work.
The three of them belonged to the kind that was over the chart in strength but possessed political skills at less than 50 points. If it related to the overall direction and diplomatic issues with other organizations, Rhode could still make the decisions. On the contrary, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary would basically be human-shaped nuclear weapons. Mini Bubble Gum was never great at negotiation. She would slam the table if the negotiation wasn’t done in her favor within three sentences. As for Canary, she based everything on Rhode. As long as he didn’t object, she wouldn’t mind killing or doing anything. If he were to send both of them to handle internal affairs and diplomacy, perhaps his territory would get into hot water in three days. Therefore, he might as well lead them around the city, at the same time describing everything that happened, including Marlene’s attributes after she gained her card form. Canary and Mini Bubble Gum were stunned, to which Rhode felt a little pleasure from. Frankly speaking, if he were to obtain a summoning card like Marlene in the game and post it up on the forum, he knew that countless players would be dying of jealousy. On the other hand, no matter how he explained to the natives, they would respond in an ‘unclear’ manner. Compared to those responses, Canary and Mini Bubble Gum’s reactions were what he wished to see…
Of course, he also seized this opportunity to ask Mini Bubble Gum and Canary about the so-called ‘Blessings of the Wind’. He confirmed personally that the target wasn’t Anne while Anne was also unaware about it at all. After all, she was unlike Marlene who purely inherited the family bloodline. Besides, with Anne’s personality, she wouldn’t be interested in such matters. As long as she could be by Rhode’s side everyday and have sufficient food and rest, she would be the happiest girl in the world.
But it was a pity that Canary and Mini Bubble Gum couldn’t give him a clear answer. After all, perhaps the ‘Blessings of the Wind’ was rare to the natives, but in the eyes of top players like them, they wouldn’t even pay particular attention to it.
“We shall see if we have the time since there are no players who can stop us, right?”
“Right!”
Mini Bubble Gum revealed a grin and smacked her palms together. She gazed at Rhode with glinting eyes.
“Leader, since you’re the Void Dragon now, doesn’t that mean that everything in the Deepest Labyrinth belongs to you? Didn’t you say that Christie and Marlene have awakened as the Deity Wardens? We might as well go for a trip down the Deepest Labyrinth and won’t all the monsters listen to the orders of the Void Dragon? Now that you’re the Void Dragon now, Leader, why don’t we gather all the monsters and dominate the continent! There are also lots of precious treasures and equipment in there… I think it’s about time Big Sister and I changed our equipment.”
“I will consider heading down when the time is right.”
Rhode pondered for a few moments before nodding firmly. Indeed, just like Mini Bubble Gum said, in the game the BOSS of the Deepest Labyrinth was the Void Dragon, where all monsters were its subjects. And now, he inherited the Void Dragon Soul so would it mean that the monsters in the Deepest Labyrinth would listen to his orders? If that was true, he would be in for a killing. Back then the Deepest Labyrinth was the hardest maze in the entire game. It existed since the early stages of the game with 30 floors and no one managed to clear them. Then, as the game updated, the seal over the maze was slowly unlocked and after the 100th floor was unlocked, the Void Dragon appeared and led all the monsters within the Deepest Labyrinth in an attempt to destroy the world.
Rhode had to admit that the Deepest Labyrinth was oddly dangerous. The monsters within were all incredibly strong where it was common for parties of top players to perish. Back then, Rhode led a group of thousand players into the Deepest Labyrinth and was left with a hundred when they reached the 100th floor. Then, the best of the best of these 100 players fought the Void Dragon and lost, which went to show how strong the monsters were in there.
If Rhode were able to command the monsters, he would gain so much more strength. But… If he were the Void Dragon, what was that thing hidden in the 100th floor of the Deepest Labyrinth right now?
“Ah! By the way!”
Mini Bubble Gum recalled something and scuttled toward him.
“This is something that I caught earlier on. Treat this as a celebratory gift for opening up a new territory, Leader. I hope you can accept it. I had a hard time getting my hands on it.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Rhode gazed curiously at the little girl. The latter puffed out her chest and gave a cheeky smirk. She reached out for her pocket for a metal sphere in red and white.
Then, she hurled the sphere to the ground.
“I choose you! Roll-roll bat!”