Within the mountain range of the dead, laid the Scarlet Valley.
Residing in the valley was a large Demon King's lair.
Nearly ten thousand of Demon King minions dwelled within.
Bai Hongzhuo was enjoying his dinner in his Demon King castle.
As a vampire Demon King, he had no sense of taste, even gourmet food and feasts tasted like wax. The only delicacy he could enjoy was blood.
The stronger the individual, the sweeter the blood.
[You've slain a level 3 Hero, Hero's Soul +1]
Bai Hongzhuo threw aside the poor Hero who had been drained of blood, licked his lips with satisfaction, and walked out into the hall from his bedchamber.
In the hall, a group of people were waiting there.
The leader of the group was no other than He Tianzong, the Hero from the empire, who had just been to Berserk Beast City not long ago.
Heroes appearing in a Demon King's castle.
The vampire Demon King, however, did not seem to be bothered by their presence.
The Hero He Tianzong smiled and asked, "How is it? Are you satisfied with this gift?"
The Vampire Demon King replied, "Yes, yet it isn't enough. Bring me five more level 3 Heroes! Then, I can break through to level 4."
"You're way too greedy!"
He Tianzong laughed, "We do have level 3 Heroes at hand, but they weren't easy to come by."
Heroes with such strength.
If they could be recruited, the Divine Sword Heroes Guild would have done so already.
Why would they give the level 3 Heroes to this Demon King?
The vampire Bai Hongzhuo asserted, "Since you're the one who wanted to cooperate with me, you should have shown more sincerity. If I don't even have the strength of a level 4 Demon King, how can I help you rule over Chaos Forest?"
"Indeed!"
He Tianzong nodded.
He pondered for a moment and continued, "I met a level 4 Hero who had just broken through in Berserk Beast City a few days ago. We plan to observe him for now."
Bai Hongzhuo's eyes twitched slightly,"Level 4!? This is a big threat to me."
He Tianzong reassured him,"Don't worry, if he joins us, then naturally, he will be of no threat to you. However, if he's disobedient and tries to stir up troubles. Then, for a level 4 Hero's blood, even if he had just broken through, should suffice as five or six level 3 Heroes for you."
Upon hearing this assurance, Bai Hongzhuo was satisfied.
This Vampire Demon King was in a cooperative relationship with the Divine Sword Heroes Guild.
It was clear on display.
Heroes colluding with Demon Kings was by no means accidental occurrences or special cases.
The world would always be bustling for profits.
As long as there were benefits.
A temporary partnership could be achieved between Heroes and Demon Kings.
The Divine Sword Heroes Guild represented by He Tianzong, was a guild from the south of the Thunder Empire. They were planning to accomplish a difficult mission.
And the mission was to infiltrate and control the Chaos Forest for the empire.
Although with the empire's strength and resources, it was definitely not a difficult task to occupy the Chaos Forest.
However, during this process, the price to be paid would be too great.
Even if the Chaos Forest was momentarily subjugated.
This great forest was brimming with hundreds of races and tribes, their relationships were intertwined like entangled roots.
The human race would not adapt to the living conditions of the forest, and the cost of governance and maintenance would be extremely high, which would eventually drag down the national strength of the empire over time.
Moreover, the Chaos Forest bordered both the Sunset Empire and the Azure Water Federation.
The forest existed as a tacitly approved buffer zone for the three kingdoms.
If the Thunder Empire tried to blatantly occupy the Chaos Forest, it would directly break the current geopolitical boundaries and threaten the other two kingdoms.
Without careful management, the tension between the kingdoms would escalate and boil over.
And this forest would be the fuse for an inevitable war.
In recent years, the Sunset Empire and the Azure Water Federation have been unstable due to internal affairs, while the Thunder Empire was flourishing. Naturally, the ambitions of the Thunder Empire gradually grew.
If a direct invasion was not possible.
What about indirectly controlling the forest?
Demon Kings were simply meant to dominate and rule.
Their appearance was an opportunity in the eyes of some higher forces of the empire.
Count Kolo was one of them. He planned to form an alliance with a few Demon Kings, and use them to control the major cities of Chaos Forest.
The Demon Kings have natural advantages.
Without needing the empire to send troops, the Demon Kings themselves could summon up a huge army.
They could quietly take over the entire Chaos Forest for the Thunder Empire without the other two kingdoms noticing.
Once the Chaos Forest was completely within the empire's grasp.
The Thunder Empire would then obtain a large strategic buffer zone that could be used for offensive or defensive purposes. The forest would serve as an absolute geopolitical advantage in the future conflicts with the two kingdoms.
This was He Tianzong's ultimate goal.
He was trying rope in a few Demon Kings while killing the others.
So far, among the Demon Kings that have been won over, Bai Hongzhuo was the most suitable candidate.
Of course, Bai Hongzhuo could not be allowed to be overly dominant. The empire would be recruiting and supporting multiple Demon Kings simultaneously, in order for them to restrain and balance each other out.
Furthermore, there were many Heroes in the Chaos Forest.
The Divine Sword Heroes Guild has already absorbed a number of members, and controlled many tribes through these Heroes, which would act as another counterweight to keep the Demon Kings under control. This was equivalent to adding another layer of insurance to their plans.
As for the disobedient and uncooperative Heroes?
Their souls could be just as a bargaining chip with the Demon Kings.
These plans have been carried out in secret for a long time. Everything was going smoothly and right on track, the results should be evident soon.
He Tianzong left the Vampire Demon King's territory.
Near the Scarlet Valley, a city was being renovated.
This was originally a medium sized forest city with a total population of only 80000. Now, it has been decimated by Bai Hongzhuo.
The Divine Sword Heroes Guild and the Vampire Demon King were currently using this place as a basis for a large forest city, or more accurately, a fortress.
Since it was close to the Scarlet mountain range, hence the name Bloody Fortress.
It would be an important stronghold for the empire within the Chaos Forest, as well as the core headquarters of Divine Sword Heroes Guild in the future.
In order to expand the army size of the fortress, He Tianzong not only asked for the resources of a few Demon Kings, he also went around enlisting and recruiting.
It was for this purpose that he made a trip to Berserk Beast City a few days ago.
He Tianzong was pleasantly content gazing at the increasingly strong and magnificent Bloody Fortress. With such a stronghold in hand, there would be no issue conquering the whole of Chaos Forest.
"Deputy commander!"
"Urgent news!"
"The city lord and the hero Tu Xiuming have been killed!"
"Now the Berserk Beast City has fallen into the hands of a Demon King!"
He Tianzong was appalled at the news, "Are you sure of this news? How is this possible!"
Not long ago.
He was still in Berserk Beast City and had met with the old city lord and the Hero Tu Xiuming.
How was it that within less than a week did the two lose both of their lives? Even the Berserk Beast City has changed hands.
"With absolute certainty!"
The Divine Sword Hero continued, "Two Masters of Ten Thousand along with their troops were discovered by our men when they were fleeing to a nearby area."
He Tianzong's brows became tightly furrowed.
"Berserk Beast City was not to be messed with!"
"And yet, it fell to a single Demon King."
"It seems that the strength of this Demon King was not to be underestimated."
The Divine Sword Hero proposed, "Deputy head, since our task was to control the major cities of this forest anyways, why don't we invite this Demon King to join us?"
He Tianzong shook his head, "No."
The Hero was confused.
He Tianzong explained, "We need Demon Kings that can be controlled. Those who are either too weak or too strong won't suffice, as they exist to forge the balance mechanism we designed."
"If we enlist a Demon King way too strong for us to control, it'll be like raising a tiger. It's going to bear its fang at us sooner or later."
And so it was.
The deputy head was very vigilant against the Demon Kings.
Divine Sword Hero: "What should we do then?"
He Tianzong answered, "We can look for an opportunity to get in touch with the Demon King first. If the Demon King is willing to obey, then maybe we can include them into our plans."
"And if they don't?"
"If they don't? Then there's no other way!"
He Tianzong scoffed, "No matter how powerful the Demon King is, he is but only one. We've been laying out our plans for so long, there won't be any difficulty in dealing with him."
"Threats and uncertainties like this."
"We must nip it in the bud before it grows out of control."
The Divine Sword Hero immediately replied, "Understood! I'll get right on it!"
"Wait."
"What else can I do for the deputy head?"
"The two Masters of Ten Thousand of Berserk Beast City are homeless now, and we are in need of people. Go and bring them to me."
"Understood!"
The Divine Sword Hero left in haste.
He Tianzong stared at the Bloody Fortress under construction. He was somewhat wary of the Demon King who occupied Berserk Beast City, but he was not too worried.
On one hand, the Divine Sword Heroes Guild have been carrying out their plans for long enough. Now they have become a force to be reckoned with within Chaos Forest.
On the other hand, the Divine Sword Heroes Guild was backed by the Thunder Empire.
Empire-level forces, even the weakest of which had a population of hundreds of millions, were unimaginable colossuses for any Demon King.
With such forces supporting the guild.
There was nothing to be worried about.
......
Meanwhile.
Within Berserk Beast City.
Zhang Nu was a little overwhelmed and frustrated.
Unlike the elves who were meticulous and careful in their works.
Berserk Beast City's internal affair management was a bloody mess.
This city was basically a pure orc city. No caravans dared to come here to trade and the foreign population was extremely thin.
As a result of this, the management was extremely sloppy.
Even the most basic of population registration did not exist here.
Only the rankings of Masters of Ten to Masters of Ten Thousands.
There were no administrative or managerial positions at all.
Zhang Nu decided to bring in a Draconian Priest from the Darkness Valley.
Draconian priests were the most intelligent beings among the Draconians and possessed strong internal affair capabilities, which should suffice to help Gru in managing this clutter of a city.
Zhang Nu then left Berserk Beast City and flew around it.
He wanted to gain an understanding of the terrain and resources in the vicinity.
The reason why the orcs plundered for a living was largely due to the harsh environment where Berserk Beast City was located.
Within the proximity of a hundred miles were almost all barren mountains.
Although the terrain was extremely treacherous and easy to defend against assaults.
It was not easy to live on such desolate and parched lands.
[Rot Wolf Canyon] Level 1 common area. Low exploration value...
[Poisonous Thorns Woods] Level 1 common area. Low exploration value...
[Rock Golem Canyon] Level 2 elite area. Average exploration value...
[Undeveloped Fiery Copper Veins] Level 2 elite area. Moderately higher exploration value...
[Undeveloped Black Iron Vein] Level 2 elite area. Moderately higher exploration value...
After Zhang Nu took a look around.
He found that the mountain range near Berserk Beast City, although arid and barren in appearance, seemed to contain a lot of ore deposits.
The orcs' jobs have been decided.
The sixteen to seventeen thousand orcs would not starve now that they could mine for a living. At the very least, they could create enough value to feed themselves.
Just then.
One of the ore deposits caused Zhang Nu's eyes to beam in surprise.
[Undeveloped Large Gold Vein] Level 3 lord area. High exploration value.
Description: This is a large gold ore deposit. It is rich in high quality gold, as well as rare adamantine, purple gold, etc. However, since there is no trace of civilization, a large amount of dangerous magical beasts gathered around this vicinity.
A level 3 lord area was already relatively rare, not to mention it was a huge gold mine!
'These orcs are bloody idiots! These fools didn't realize they were sitting on a mountain of gold! Instead they went into the trade of plundering!'