While the meeting was in session, the Great Demon King was inspecting the Citadel of Eternity. The performance of Long Yi, Zhang San, and Li Si was as expected. However, the surprising element was the citadel itself, which delighted and astonished him.
Zhang Nu had speculated that the citadel was far from ordinary, but he had not anticipated its immense power. The eleven citadel cannons were capable of obliterating top-tier powerhouses, and the one hundred missile launch silos could strike targets dozens to hundreds of miles away. When the formidable citadel shield was activated, it was ten times stronger than the defensive barrier of Kolo City.
What was even more impressive was that tens of thousands of citadel soldiers could engage in combat without leaving the citadel. They were all long-range attack units, and their presence within the citadel amplified its firepower significantly. In this recent conflict, at least half of the casualties on the empire's side were inflicted by the Citadel of Eternity. The terrifying power and efficiency of the citadel in killing enemies were evident. It was no exaggeration to call it a battlefield reaper.
Certainly, the operational costs of the citadel were incredibly high. Zhang Nu calculated the expenses, and they amounted to a staggering 22 million gold. It felt like they were literally shooting money out of cannons. Fortunately, the profits from this war were substantial. But in the case of smaller or less profitable conflicts, there was a risk of operating at a loss. It was necessary to clearly understand the detailed expenditures and find ways to increase revenue while cutting costs.
Zhang Nu found that among all the expenses, the highest proportions were consumed by the shield, cannons, missiles, and the void device. The supreme magitek citadel had a unique characteristic: the magic circuits of the void device, flying device, and shield device conflicted with each other, making it impossible to activate them simultaneously.
Although the Citadel of Eternity was mobile, its speed was not particularly fast. If it moved slowly to the battlefield, it would likely be detected from miles away, giving the enemy ample time to react and focus their attacks on the unprotected citadel during its movement. To counter this, the citadel utilized the void device to teleport instantly onto the battlefield, activating the shield at the first possible moment. Only then could they achieve the desired effect.
Considering the immense size of the citadel, the energy consumption for spatial teleportation was substantial. This alone cost nearly ten million gold. Zhang Nu realized that while the void device was incredibly useful, it was prohibitively expensive and had an exceptionally long cooldown time. In the future, unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to activate it. The rest of the expenditures, totaling over ten million gold, were spent on the shield, citadel cannons, and missiles. The energy consumption of these components was unavoidable, but efforts could be made to reduce it.
Zhang Nu made a decision. He resolved to recruit more citadel soldiers, aiming to fill the entire citadel corps. When the citadel legion became powerful enough with fierce firepower, they could reduce the usage of cannons and missiles, thus decreasing consumption. As for the shield, Zhang Nu planned to supplement the citadel with a team of mages, forming a specialized barrier mage unit to use MP to reduce energy expenditure.
In summary, as long as the usage of various devices and heavy artillery was reasonably controlled, the consumption of the Citadel of Eternity could be kept within a manageable range. This citadel held immense military value, both defensively and offensively.
Moreover, the Citadel of Eternity contained numerous facilities. Aside from various top-tier laboratories, it also had equipment production lines left behind from the ancient magitek era. The gnome magitek scholars from the Thousand Fangs City already possessed some basic knowledge in manufacturing low-grade magitek cannons and firearms. With future mass production, significant commercial value could be generated.
After further reinforcing the forces of the magitek citadel, Zhang Nu summoned Long Yi. The Dark Dragon King respectfully knelt and said, "My master, what are your orders?"
Zhang Nu replied, "The southern border's Duke Bahor has suffered significant injuries in this battle. He won't be able to act for a while. We need to seize this opportunity and expand our territory further."
Long Yi immediately understood, "Understood, we will organize our troops and continue to expand northward, annexing more human territories!"
Zhang Nu nodded in satisfaction. With Bachor Duchy remaining inactive for a while, it meant the Chaos Federation had a new opportunity for expansion. Up to this point, the territory of the Chaos Federation remained within the Chaos Forest. Most of the Kolo Region was surrounded by the Chaos Forest. For the empire, this region was a strategic key point for attacking the Chaos Federation. Since the empire was no longer able to reclaim the Kolo Region and the Chaos Federation needed to change its defensive posture, it was time for them to initiate an invasion.
Their first target was, of course, the territory of Marquis Kregi. The Kregi family controlled three provinces, totaling twelve cities with a population close to five million. The territory was rich in mines and abundant in water and grasslands, featuring vast plains. If they could capture this territory, the Chaos Federation would significantly expand beyond the Chaos Forest.
In the process of occupying the three provinces of Kregi, the Demon King would gain substantial rewards for the conquest, further enhancing his power. With Marquis Kregi and his forces eliminated, and Bachor Duchy currently unable to offer assistance, most of Kregi's knights had also met their end. Given this situation, utilizing the might of the three Dragon Kings, seizing control of Kregi's three provinces was as effortless as turning one's hand.
After seizing Kregi's three provinces, they could continue to annex nearby counties and viscounties. In just about two weeks, nearly ten million people in the southern border of the Thunder Empire would be under the control of the Demon King. With such a vast population, abundant labor, and numerous cities, if properly subdued and utilized, they would create significant value for the Demon King.
Upon returning to the Darkness City, Zhang Nu rewarded the commanders who had contributed significantly. Over a dozen influential figures, including the Golden Giant Jin Kui, Elven City Lord Marilyn, Holy Knight Bai Jin, Orc City Lord Gru, and Grand Archmage Bai Jie, were all granted the opportunity for the Demon King's baptism. Those who were still in the cooldown period could wait for it to end before undergoing the baptism. Additionally, a large number of mid-to-high-level commanders were collectively subjected to the Sacred King's baptism.
Under this ceremony, Marilyn had attained the strength of a pseudo-Level 6 overlord, while Jin Kui and Bai Jin reached the peak of Level 5. One more baptism would likely allow them to break through. Grand Archmage Bai Jie and Orc Gru were Level 4 units, and upgrading them would be much easier. After the two baptisms, they broke through their levels.
After the rewards were distributed, Zhang Nu headed to the Evil God Cultivator. The various spoils from the recent war were still being organized, among which a particular item stood out -- Duke Bachor's "corpse". Although Bachor's soul had escaped through some secret technique, his powerful body remained intact. For Zhang Nu, this body held value, and any valuable resource was not to be wasted but exploited to its fullest potential.
As for how to utilize it, Zhang Nu could infuse death energy using the Eye of Death, transforming it into an undead creature, perhaps a zombie or something similar. Given Zhang Nu's strength and the abilities of the Eye of Death, creating a Level 5 overlord undead would not be too challenging.
However, a Level 5 overlord undead, despite its combat capabilities, would be useless beyond battle. These creatures lacked intelligence, and the Demon King did not need just another high-level combat unit. After much consideration, Zhang Nu decided to repurpose it as a material for experimentation. It would be integrated into the Evil God Cultivator as a fusing material, where it could be merged with his super draconian guard.
Approximately an hour later, the cultivator chamber completed the process. Accompanied by a powerful aura, Wei Yi stepped out from the chamber. This time, Wei Yi underwent significant changes. Its size grew to 4.5 meters, massive muscles bulging on its body. Its stature was now almost twice the size of the Demon King's.
[Demon Eye Tyrant Guard] Level 5 overlord. 3500 HP, 3000 MP, 300 Strength, 259 Constitution, 300 Agility, 248 Will. Loyalty 100%(Locked). Fatigue 10%. Hunger 10%
Skills: Instant Summoning (Talent), Demon Eye Unleash (Talent), Monarch's Physique (Talent), Shura's Killing Field (A rank), Hyper Beam (A rank), Raging Dragon Qi (A rank), Eye of Detection (A rank), Slow Ray (A rank), etc.
Wei Yi was now completely different from the regular draconian royal guards. After absorbing and assimilating the fresh body of a Level 6 monarch, Wei Yi's power had reached the ceiling of Level 5 overlord. In one-on-one combat, he was on par with Long Er, Long San, or any other Level 5 unit. This showcased the pinnacle of power that the Evil God Cultivator could currently produce.
Originally a low-tier draconian, Wei Yi was just an ordinary soldier. Now, he could be nurtured into a high-end powerhouse. Zhang Nu was satisfied with the synthesis results. The Evil God Cultivator was indeed potent, but the suitable materials for synthesis were limited. Currently, the only reliable source of fusing material was the beholders.
After further thorough modification and enhancement of Wei Yi, Zhang Nu had planned to enter the Demon King's Space. Recently, thousands of mental programmers had started working. Under the leadership of Elven King Nancilia, they were diligently enriching the Demon King's created spiritual space, and their efforts had been fruitful. In the following events, the spiritual internet, planned to be gradually opened to more citizens, promised to bring immense profit and value to the Demon King.
However, at this moment, Zhang Nu received a private message through his player interface. The sender was none other than his strategic partner, the Succubus Queen, Han Kexin.
Han Kexin asked, "Are you in need of spirit gems and soul gems lately?"
Zhang Nu replied, "You saw my open orders on the various trading channels. Yes, I need to construct a special building, and I require a large quantity of spirit gems and soul gems as well. Do you have them in stock?"
"My stock is probably just a drop in the bucket for someone of your caliber. Besides, I need these gems myself. I can't sell them to you," she replied.
Curious, Zhang Nu asked, "Then why did you ask in the first place?"
Han Kexin responded, "I know of a place. If conquered, it could yield a considerable amount of high-quality spirit gems and soul sems."
Upon reading this message, Zhang Nu felt a surge of excitement. He had been planning to find such a place, but before he could even start searching, Han Kexin had sent him the information.
Immediately, Zhang Nu inquired, "What place is this? Is it highly challenging? Why don't you handle it personally? Both types of gems are quite valuable."
Han Kexin retorted, "Obviously, if I were confident in dealing with it, do you think I'd be offering it to you, a potato seller?"
"Hey, let's keep it civil. Potatoes were one of the early products in Darkness City. Now, our farms produce a wide variety of goods, and the contribution of potatoes to our economy is quite low. Speaking of which, why can't you handle it?"
Zhang Nu was intrigued. In fact, finding a place to hunt monsters was not difficult. There were many wild areas in the Chaos Forest that he could explore. Moreover, he had Hubert the Undying Phoenix's map, which could lead him to numerous relics and magical caves. However, most of these places were too low-level for his current strength. Zhang Nu did not need to engage in conquering the area personally. Being a Level 5 Demon King, he was beyond the necessity of handling such matters. Yet, considering that the Succubus Queen, who was also a Level 5 Demon King, could not handle it, the location's difficulty was intriguing. At the very least, it would not be lower than that of a Level 5 monarch, making it a place of significant exploration value.
With this in mind, Zhang Nu promptly arranged a meeting with Han Kexin. He decided to discuss this expedition further to explore the possibility of collaboration between the two powerful Demon Kings."