The following day, in the Giantree City, the Elven King, Nancilia, received orders from the Shadowy City to organize five thousand elves to establish a connection with the Spirit Sanctum. The method to establish this connection was straightforward. They only needed to construct a dedicated contract formation for the Spirit Sanctum, and the ceremony for forming the contract was effortless and efficient.
Once the ritual was completed, all the successfully contracted individuals gained a unique skill called "Spirit Link." With this skill, the Demon King could directly issue commands to everyone who had established a "Spirit Link." As for the Demon King's subjects, they could enter the world of the Spirit Sanctum through meditation, utilizing the "Spirit Link."
Nancilia promptly led her people in an attempt. In a meditative state, she activated the Spirit Link. She felt herself immersed in a dark, unfamiliar environment. There was a tiny speck of light that quickly expanded, enveloping everything around her. After a few seconds, the radiance faded, and Nancilia found herself in an unfamiliar place. It was a barren and monotonous landscape, an endless expanse of yellowish earth plain spanning dozens of kilometers. Beyond this range and above, the sky was shrouded in a dense gray mist.
Nancilia noticed that everything here was just like the real world. She touched her face and pinched her arm, confirming that her senses---sight, smell, touch, and taste---were all intact. Everything felt just like reality. But of course, within this place, magical abilities were restricted.
"Am I really just a spiritual entity?"
"Is this the world created by His Majesty?"
The young Elven King was in disbelief, even the vice city lord, Marilyn, was amazed. "Thousands of people's spirits and consciousness connected to the same space is unheard of. I've never known of such a method!"
Other elders were equally awed.
"It's incredible!"
"How did they stabilize the spiritual space like this?"
"Indeed, it's nearly identical to the real world."
"I can't find any flaws! it doesn't feel like a spiritual world at all. It's almost like being in the material world!"
The elves were astounded. They quickly realized the value of this spiritual world. Although it was a virtual space, it perfectly simulated the physical phenomena and laws of the real world. Here, without expending any resources, it could serve as a laboratory or even a place for leisure and entertainment.
"Miss Nancilia! Took you guys long enough!"
As familiar voices reached them, several figures instantly appeared before them. Nancilia exclaimed in surprise, "Guoguo, Su Yan, is it really you?"
The two were none other than the Demon King friend of the Elven King, Chen Guoguo, who had been busy with her Super Demon King Farm and the affairs of the Demon King Alliance lately, and the Hero Su Yan, who had been even more elusive, not even present in the Chaos Forest. Why were they here?
Chen Guoguo laughed heartily. "Haha, it's not just us! Take a look at who this is."
With that, she stepped aside, revealing two individuals behind her. One had a gentle demeanor and was none other than the mermaid girl, Shui Yao, from the Holy Tides City. The other was a human youth they had never seen before, with black short hair and a strikingly handsome appearance. Although he was completely unfamiliar, there was a strong sense of familiarity about him.
"You, you, you...You're His Majesty!"
Zhang Nu displayed a satisfied smile. "Indeed, even in this form, you can still recognize me."
The assembled elves were all astonished, and Marilyn exclaimed, "Your Majesty, how did you transform into a human?"
Su Yan explained, "Hehe, everything in this spiritual space is virtual, just like a dream world. As long as you have the proper permissions, you can create and delete anything. His Majesty, as the space creator here, possesses the highest authority. There's nothing strange about him remodeling his appearance."
I see, the elves understood. This was indeed an extremely stable space filled with limitless possibilities!
At the same time, they were deeply impressed by His Majesty's abilities.
"His Majesty the Demon King is too powerful!"
"He actually created such a stable space!"
"This is truly unheard of; I've never heard of anything like this before!"
"If this space can run continuously and steadily for a long time... His Majesty is practically on par with the Creator God!"
Before long, the high-ranking members of the Chaotic Federation from various regions, such as Wang Dachui, dwarven city lord of Ironheart City, Jin Kui, giant chieftain of Thunderclap City, Segon, gnome city lord of Thousand Fangs City, and Gru, orc city lord of Berserk Beast City, had also completed the construction of their spiritual links. They began entering the spiritual world. Everyone was astounded by the sights in the spiritual world. They could communicate face-to-face despite being scattered across the Chaos Forest. It was incredibly miraculous!
What was even more astonishing was that this was not a temporary space. It was a constantly existing, stable space. After the Demon King's subjects built the spiritual links, they could enter at any time, regardless of the time or place. Nancilia's admiration for His Majesty reached a new high!
The Demon King decided to name this place the Demon King Space. He said, "The Demon King Space has unlimited potential and immense value, but it's currently just in its infancy. It's far too rudimentary right now! We need to continuously develop and accumulate a sufficient amount of mental data to truly showcase its value."
The spiritual space also required construction. It was like a brand-new operating system. Although the operating system itself was almost perfect, with no vulnerabilities and very stable, it lacked any applications. Having a system without content could not unleash its value.
The Demon King realized that he could not develop the spiritual space by himself after creating several kilometers of barren land. He needed more developers to produce mental data and build more data models. Among them, the elves were undoubtedly the most suitable, given their rich artistic sensibilities.
Zhang Nu then told Nancilia, "I plan to open up the developer permission for a period of time. Your task from now on is to expand and enrich this world."
Hearing this, the elves showed signs of delight. This was such a challenging, creative, and fun job that provided a sense of accomplishment! If the Demon King was considered the Creator God, then they were fortunate to be assistants to the Creator God.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!"
"Just leave it to us!"
"We will create grasslands, forests, mountains, rivers, and cities for Your Majesty and make this world more diverse!"
Zhang Nu was very satisfied with this response. In the initial stages of constructing the spiritual space, the elves would play a central role, but representatives from various races, including the Grand Archmage Bai Jie, the mermaid maiden Shui Yao, and giants, dwarves, and even orcs, would participate. Collective wisdom and teamwork would undoubtedly rapidly enrich the Demon King Space.
The Demon King was not concerned about this world falling apart because the Demon King Space itself was a non-existent virtual world, entirely virtual, and there was no concept of it breaking down. For the Demon King, who held the highest authority, the entire space, from every blade of grass to every grain of sand, was nothing but mental data. And when something is data, it can be edited. It can be deleted, added, duplicated - all within the control of the Demon King.
The elves chosen from Giantree City were essentially mental coders employed by the Demon King. Their mental power and creativity acted as code, and their job was to produce data, model the Demon King Space, and save the Great Demon King time.
After briefing them on their tasks, Zhang Nu found the representative of the gnome clan, Segon.
"This is the Grand Archmage Bai Jie from Darkness City," Zhang Nu introduced. "She has been appointed as the Fortress Commander of the Citadel of Eternity. I intend to appoint you as the Deputy Fortress Commander. The citadel is currently understaffed, requiring at least ten thousand personnel. I plan to have the gnome clan fill these vacancies."
Upon learning that the Demon King had control over an ancient, cutting-edge supreme magitek citadel of the highest caliber, Segon was ecstatic. For the gnome clan, such a level of magical construction was akin to a treasure trove. If they could live and learn there, it would undoubtedly bring tremendous benefits to the gnome race.
Segon quickly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting the gnome clan this opportunity. I will make arrangements immediately and select the most outstanding and capable individuals."
Zhang Nu also assigned tasks to dwarven city lord Zhang Dachui, giant chieftain Jin Kui, and others. This method of communication without the need for physical presence made him feel very convenient. After everything was set up, Zhang Nu exited the mental space. He felt a slight daze before instantly returning to his throne in the Demon King Castle.
"Spirit Sanctum! This is indeed a remarkable asset!"
"It justifies the substantial investment."
He quickly assessed the operational status of the Spirit Sanctum. The Spirit Sanctum possessed immense capabilities, handling thousands or even tens of thousands of citizens simultaneously was merely a routine task. However, Zhang Nu also discerned its limitations. A Level 5 Spirit Sanctum could connect to a maximum of one to two million people at once. While this number was already substantial and adequately met current requirements, it might prove insufficient in the future if he aimed to build an empire with a population in the billions. An upgrade appeared inevitable.
The Spirit Sanctum boasted additional functionalities. For instance, it could monitor the mental states of all contractees. It did not just track their activities but could also observe and access their thoughts. Essentially, anyone entering the Spirit Sanctum fell under the subtle influence of the Demon King. With this structure in place, he could facilitate communication, development, and production, all while consolidating his rule. It was indeed like achieving multiple objectives with a single endeavor.
Just then, Li Si arrived to deliver a report.
"Reporting to Your Majesty."
"The latest intelligence reveals that the Thunder Empire's legions have arrived at the nearest territory of Marquis Kregi."
"This time, four legions from the south, totaling approximately 800,000 official soldiers, have been deployed."
"Furthermore, Marquis Kregi, along with three Counts and eight Viscounts, is mobilizing their familial forces and actively recruiting mercenaries, adventurers, and even Heroes."
"The likelihood of an invasion into Kolo is exceedingly high."
"We must make early preparations!"
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Nu had no choice but to take it seriously. Duke Bachor was evidently taking substantial action, deploying such a significant number of imperial legions. If the empire was showcasing this level of might, the Chaos Federation could not afford to lose its momentum. After a brief consideration, Zhang Nu stated, "Zhang San, Li Si, proceed to the Kolo region to support Long Yi in the upcoming battle. However, exercise caution in revealing our full strength to avoid alerting the enemy."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhang San and Li Si acknowledged and departed promptly.
With the three draconian titans of the Darkness City acting in unison, this battle appeared to be quite manageable."