After returning to the main city, Zhang Nu was pleased with the current state of his finances, as the cash flow was abundant.
With a total of 32 million gold earned from the ancient tomb and an additional 10 million gold obtained from the Dark Dragon Chamber of Commerce, along with various other sources of income, he estimated that he had a disposable wealth of at least 50 million gold without compromising the operation of his territory.
50 million!
Zhang Nu could not believe how quickly his wealth had grown.
Zhang Nu decided to initiate a large-scale expansion of the draconian legion. Due to their focus on elite troops and the lack of facilities like a trial tower before, the cost of intermediate and high-tier units remained high, resulting in slow growth and expansion of the draconian legion during this period.
Now, considering the expansion of his territory and the imminent war with the northern empire, it was necessary to undergo a major expansion of the draconian legion.
Investing a considerable amount of 22 million gold, Zhang Nu directly recruited and upgraded 20,000 high draconian soldiers. He deliberately chose to prioritize the recruitment and upgrading of high soldiers rather than spending the funds to further upgrade them into super soldiers.
The reason for this decision was simple: the cost to upgrade each soldier to a super soldier was exorbitant, amounting to 20,000 gold per soldier. Even with a budget of 10 million gold coins, he would only be able to upgrade a maximum of 500 high soldiers to the super soldier level, which would not satisfy the ambitions of the Demon King.
However, the addition of the trial tower changed everything. Through the tower's training system, the cost of upgrading a high soldier to a super soldier dropped significantly, even when considering the operational expenses and casualty rates. It now cost a mere 2,000 gold to promote a high soldier.
When comparing the costs, the difference was staggering. The Trial Tower method was ten times more cost-effective. Although there was a daily limit on the number of trials, even a thousand trials were substantial. Zhang Nu took full advantage of the trial tower, creating hundreds of super soldiers each day.
With no immediate large-scale conflicts, he had ample time to train his high soldiers and gradually increase the proportion of super soldiers. Before long, the Darkness City would boast thousands of super soldiers.
Zhang Nu checked the current status of his draconian units. The total number of draconian units had already surpassed 60,000, with around 20,000 logistical units and 40,000 combat units.
Among the combat units, there were 10,000 normal soldiers, 27,000 high soldiers, approximately 2,000 super soldiers, and additional units such as battle mages, royal guards, commanders, and priests, totaling over 1,000. Looking at the overall numbers, it was an impressive force.
However, it was still insufficient.
Zhang Nu planned to gradually supplement the forces with a significant number of logistical units, enhancing the construction and logistical capabilities of the cities and the entire Chaos Forest.
Of course, the recruitment of high soldiers would also continue. His plan was to expand the draconian population to reach a hundred thousand, with a ratio of 40% logistical units to 60% combat units.
Moving forward, Zhang Nu allocated 8.75 million gold to replenish the ranks of his personal guards.
Among them, 4.2 million gold were used to upgrade and strengthen 30 super soldiers into inferno warmonger guards, while another 4.5 million gold coins were dedicated to creating 30 inferno mystic guards.
Zhang Nu had a total of 70 royal guards, and with the addition of these 60 new members, the total number of royal guards surpassed 100.
These royal guards boasted the power of Level 4 lords, which was already impressive for foot soldiers. However, Zhang Nu believed that their strength could be further enhanced.
He planned to provide them with opportunities for trials, as well as the Demon King's Baptism, to unlock their potential and transform them into a formidable super army, where each member possessed the prowess of a Level 5 lord.
For the time being, the focus on army development would be put on hold. Zhang Nu shifted his attention to a new endeavor. This time, he had acquired two blueprints for Level 5 structures in one go.
Whether it was the Tower of Lost Trials or the Soul Altar, these Level 5 buildings had held tremendous potential for elevating the territory's capabilities and functionality.
After carefully weighing his limited resources, Zhang Nu made the decision to prioritize the construction of the "Altar of Sacred King."
With a significant expenditure of gold resources, a powerful surge of energy emanated as a grand and majestic altar emerged from the ground, proudly standing in the central square of Darkness City.
Zhang Nu immediately inspected the effects of the Altar of Sacred King and was astonished by its functionality.
The sole function of the altar was called "Sacred King's Baptism."
It was similar to the Demon King's Baptism provided by the Demon King's Altar. The only difference was that the Demon King's Altar required 1 million gold coins per target for a single baptism, resulting in substantial strength and training growth for a period ranging from a dozen to over fifty years, leading to a significant increase in power.
As for the Sacred King's Baptism, it required a staggering 10 million gold per session. However, it had the advantage of being applicable to a larger group, with a maximum of 1000 individuals benefiting from it simultaneously.
Thus, the cost per person amounted to a mere 10,000 gold coins, even though the amplification effect of the Sacred King's Baptism was not as potent as the Demon King's Baptism, and the group ceremony was subject to diminishing returns when too many individuals were involved.
In terms of power augmentation, the Sacred King's Baptism was inferior to the Demon King's Baptism. However, from a cost-effectiveness perspective, the Altar of Sacred King held an advantage. Additionally, the Demon King's Baptism could only be administered once every ten days to the same individual, whereas the Sacred King's Baptism could be conducted every three days.
Both types of blessings provided permanent enhancements to the strength of subordinates and were not mutually exclusive. They could be combined effectively. The Altar of Sacred King could be utilized to strengthen the army or less critical subordinates and management personnel, while the Demon King's Baptism could be reserved for the most trusted and essential subordinates with significant combat capabilities.
Just then, Zhang Nu received news.
Nancilia had returned.
The Elven King, filled with excitement, ran up to him, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Our operation went extremely smoothly. Now, all the large, medium, and small cities in the Chaos Forest have declared their allegiance to Your Majesty!"
Zhang Nu was momentarily stunned.
These guys acted that swiftly?
He opened his player log and indeed found a pile of unclaimed treasure chests. However, the quality of these chests was not particularly high, with only a few mithril chests among them.
The Elven King continued, "We have gathered the city lords, senior members, elders, and tribal chiefs from each city. They should arrive at Darkness City tomorrow and start performing Your Majesty's will!"
That was great news.
After the meeting, each person would be rewarded with a cup of Holy Grail of Blood's blood wine. This would ensure maximum stability.
Zhang Nu was extremely excited. Up to this point, even though not all of these city lords and tribal chieftains were genuinely loyal to him, the Chaos Forest had effectively been unified under his banner.
Zhang Nu had become the ruler of this region.
However, amidst the excitement, Zhang Nu felt a hint of confusion.
He should have already conquered the Chaos Forest.
But why had he not received any conquering notifications or corresponding reward chests that met the criteria? Could there be something he had not done enough?
The Chaos Forest was so vast. There were bound to be individual villages and tribes that were missed. If he had to conquer every settlement and every monster area to consider the forest fully conquered, it would be an impossible task.
No!
The problem did not lie there!
Zhang Nu fell into contemplation.
The Elven King approached him and asked, "Your Majesty, what is troubling you? This should be a time for joyous celebration. I believe we should hold a grand ceremony to commemorate the unification of the Chaos Forest and solidify your supreme authority!"
The words of the young Elven King sparked a sudden realization in Zhang Nu's mind.
He had indeed overlooked something crucial.
Proclaiming sovereignty!
Considering the vastness of the territory, if he desired to fully occupy the Chaos Forest and establish himself as its ruler, he would need to declare his sovereignty and formally establish his own nation or faction.
Only then could he truly claim dominion.
"Nancilia, you're absolutely right. It just so happens that the leaders of the major tribes and cities are all here!"
"I've decided to hold a celebration!"
"It must be grand!"
"Let's make sure that the entire forest's factions and all races recognize that, from this moment forth, the Chaos Forest will enter a new era under my leadership!"
Upon hearing these words, the Elven King became extremely excited.
She was greatly looking forward to this celebration. She was also full of anticipation for the future.
......
In the depths of the underworld.
The Succubus Queen, Han Kexin, had recently achieved a momentous milestone in her career. Seated upon the grand throne of the Gloom City, she gazed down upon the city she had successfully conquered.
At present, Han Kexin held dominion over twenty large tribes in addition to the sprawling underground metropolis beneath her feet. The population of Gloom City alone had surpassed 300,000 at its peak.
However, to secure her reign, the Succubus Queen deemed it necessary to eliminate any potential threats. She had purged all individuals who could be Heroes or were associated with them, as well as eradicated forces that had opposed her rule or posed even the slightest danger.
As a consequence, the population of the Gloom City had dwindled to just over 200,000. However, when considering the combined strength of the conquered tribes and the members of the Demon King's headquarters, the scale of the Succubus Queen's forces and loyal followers had exceeded the 500,000 mark.
Han Kexin basked in the pride of her accomplishment, regarding herself as perched at the pinnacle of the Demon King hierarchy.
Looking towards the future, Han Kexin brimmed with ambition and confidence. She refused to settle for being a mere ruler of the Gloom City.
Instead, she resolved to forge it into her ultimate stronghold, strategically located in close proximity to the Demon King's Lair. This positioning offered convenience for both managing the city and safeguarding the lair.
With this formidable foundation, Han Kexin laid out her grand plan to expand her dominion throughout the entire underworld. She aspired to ascend as the absolute ruler and sovereign of the region.
"My master!" A towering daemon, standing at five meters tall with the strength of a Level 5 Lord, approached and said, "The materials you requested have been prepared!"
The final set of materials for the teleportation tower had finally arrived!
Han Kexin was thrilled.
Finally, she could begin constructing the teleportation tower!
At one point, Han Kexin had possessed three sets of teleportation tower blueprints. She had obtained them at great risk and sacrifice. However, she had sold two of them to the Potato Demon King, keeping only one for herself.
The main reason for her decision was the lack of funds.
The Gloom City had only recently been conquered, and it required substantial investments and recruitment of more subordinates. Additionally, the cost of constructing a teleportation tower was exorbitant, which would greatly impact Han Kexin's financial situation. For her, building a single teleportation tower was already quite challenging, let alone two or three. Instead of shouldering the burden, she chose to sell the blueprints and obtain a large sum of money to alleviate her financial pressure.
Now that the situation in the Gloom City had stabilized and the Demon King's legion had expanded once again, Han Kexin felt that her Demon King's career was flourishing. She had already reached Level 5 at this stage, commanding such a massive legion with a substantial population and territory---a feat not easily accomplished by many Demon Kings.
She had once vowed that when they next met, she would astonish the Potato Demon King.
She had thought she would be the first to reach Level 5 but ended up being slightly slower than that fellow. However, it did not matter. With the Gloom City in her grasp and over twenty large tribes under her rule, this was a great achievement regardless!
Han Kexin couldn't wait to see the expression on the Potato Demon King's face when he arrived at the Gloom City, beholding this massive underground city.
Hehehe, I'll show you.
This time, I'll make you realize how formidable I am!
Without hesitation, Han Kexin began constructing the teleportation tower. As per the agreement between the two Demon Kings, the teleportation towers would establish a connection once completed.
In other words, with the teleportation tower in the Gloom City, Han Kexin would be able to travel to Zhang Nu's territory at any time, and likewise, Zhang Nu and his subordinates could venture into the underworld.
This cooperation held great potential, as the surface world possessed resources that were scarce in the underworld, while the underworld offered valuable resources that were rare on the surface. Through their collaboration, they could harness each other's strengths and achieve a mutually beneficial outcome."