The Mage Job Advancement Tower could be likened to a nuclear-powered machine for harvesting these "human sheeps" for their gold. Because of its significance, it required enhanced security measures. Zhang Nu subsequently constructed a Level 4 Barrier Tower near the Job Advancement Tower. The barrier generated by this tower was strong enough to rival the protective barriers of Kregi City. With this added layer of protection and more guards stationed, security should not be an issue.
Using his Level 3 and Level 4 blueprints, along with Level 3 building upgrade scrolls, Zhang Nu proceeded to construct Level 4 defensive towers and detection towers in various directions around Kregi City. He planned to bring in another batch of Archmages and Titled Knights. The Archmages from the Darkness City, being summoned units, not only possessed formidable magical abilities but were also absolutely loyal. Each of them was a top-tier scholar, capable of enhancing magical civilization in the region.
With these elite scholars and facilities like the Job Advancement Tower, Zhang Nu believed that, over time, Kregi City would evolve into a renowned city of mages. In the process, the foundation of the Demon King's rule would become increasingly robust. Deciding to give Kreg City a new name, Zhang Nu settled on "Aofa" for the city's future designation. This name roughly translated to the "City of Arcane Arts and Magic."
In addition to the Mage Job Advancement Tower and various military defense towers, Zhang Nu had a pile of blueprints at his disposal. Among them was one remaining Level 5 blueprint - the "Imperial Hall," which was an auxiliary building. While it did not directly enhance the territorial strength or increase the population, it significantly improved the efficiency of internal affairs management.
For example, once the Imperial Hall was constructed, all of the Demon King's subjects, regardless of their race or status, had their records, information, status, and residence compiled within the Imperial Hall. Even if Zhang Nu had not met someone before, he could retrieve relevant information through their identification number. Although he did not have the ability to see hidden information, including the identity of Heroes, like his cheating ability would, he could access most of the basic information.
Moreover, after the establishment of the Imperial Hall, each person's contributions and merits to the federation were quantified into detailed data. This promoted transparency, clear rewards, and punishments. For instance, based on contribution points, individuals could exchange for medicines, equipment, materials, free trial opportunities, and even various baptisms.
Under Zhang Nu's command, the Dragon's Shadow Heroes Guild and the Chaos Federation's Demon King Alliance could also establish encrypted special records. Heroes could exchange merits for skill stones, and the Demon King could exchange for soul quotas, among other possibilities.
Furthermore, with the Imperial Hall, Zhang Nu did not need to painstakingly tally resources. The entire Chaos Federation's mining operations, the financial reserves of various cities, and the inventory of each warehouse were all at his fingertips.
It could be said that while the Imperial Hall may have seemed like an ordinary building, its utility for Zhang Nu was immense. With a population under his management approaching ten million and an increasing number of cities to oversee, administrative efficiency and internal affairs management had become challenging issues. With the appearance of the Imperial Hall, Zhang Nu could now address these challenges more effectively. The Imperial Hall came with a certain recruitment function.
[Imperial Administrative Officer] Level 2 normal unit. Costs 1000 gold, recruitment limit of 5000.
These administrative officers might be low-tier in combat ability, but they were skilled administrative professionals. Zhang Nu could dispatch them to various cities to establish administrative halls, connecting the Darkness City's administrative hall with local administrative halls. With this, an efficient administrative network could easily be deployed. Having a Level 5 imperial administrative hall, Zhang Nu believed he would not feel administrative pressure in the short term. This would save him a lot of energy and time, making its significance even greater than that of a powerful functional building.
In addition to this, Zhang Nu had blueprints for functional buildings such as the "Imperial Training Ground," "Imperial Arena," "Imperial Workshop," "Security Bureau," and "Tower of Felony." These blueprints were rarely seen before, probably only obtainable from human cities.
[Imperial Training Grounds] Level 3 building. A training facility. It could train ordinary civilians into militia with at least the combat power of a Level 1 normal unit within a week and transform them into Level 1 elite soldiers within three to four weeks.
[Imperial Arena] Level 3 building. Designed for sparring and competitive virtual combat. Participants could go all out, showcasing their full strength without causing actual harm to each other. It served as a means to hone practical combat skills and expedite training.
[Imperial Workshop] Level 3 building. A large and versatile production workshop that could engage in almost all types of production, significantly enhancing efficiency and quality.
[Security Bureau] Level 4 building. A barracks-type building capable of summoning law enforcement officers, security soldiers, and other units. It possessed powerful identification, tracking, and investigation capabilities, substantially increasing the security level of the territory.
[Tower of Felony] Level 4 building. An auxiliary building with a unique effect. It could sense events like murder, robbery, and theft within the territory, marking the targets as if providing a red name for those committing crimes.
The combined use of the "Tower of Felony" and the "Security Bureau" will significantly improve the public security environment in the territory. Zhang Nu decided to place the "Imperial Workshop" in the city of Kolo, where it is convenient to obtain labor and materials. In the future, he plans to establish a production line for manufacturing magic equipment here.
As for the "Arena," in addition to its effects on accelerating training and honing combat abilities, it also has considerable entertainment value and holds some intrinsic worth. After completing these operations, Zhang Nu used up all the blueprints, constructing the necessary buildings and now awaits their intended functions.
The next plan involves inspecting the city of Aofa and the other eight fully occupied cities. Zhang Nu is preparing to invest one hundred thousand draconian laborers and craftsmen to significantly improve the infrastructure and urban development in this region. Additionally, he is addressing some issues within the cities, including those related to Heroes.
After learning about the disastrous defeat in the battle of Kolo, the Hero Guilds in Kregi and the surrounding areas have all retreated. However, there are always some who remain, either harboring illusions of luck or possessing great skill and boldness. After Long Yi breached the city, Zhang Nu conducted a round of cleanup, using the intelligence from Su Yan's Dragon's Shadow Heroes to eliminate potential Hero forces and those colluding with Heroes.
Following this cleanup, about five hundred Heroes were dealt with, primarily consisting of Level 2 and 3 Heroes, with approximately ten or more Level 4 Heroes. Surprisingly, there were no top-tier Level 5 Heroes. However, when Zhang Nu took action again, he was astonished to find that 1550 warriors had been captured.
Among them, over 921 were useless Level 1 Heroes, and around 345 were Level 2 fodder Heroes. Most of these Heroes had already assimilated into local life, lacking the ambition to train or combat monsters. For individuals of this type, Zhang Nu could not be bothered to deal with them since the returns would be so low, essentially equivalent to worthless endeavors for him.
How about letting them cultivate and fatten up a bit before slaughtering them? Alternatively, they could serve as reserves for the Dragon Shadow Heroes Guild. This way, Zhang Nu could select some individuals with good character, aptitude, and abilities, or those with specific skills, to nurture as members of the Dragon's Shadow Heroes Guild or as peripheral assets.
As for the rest, generally Level 3's, with a few Level 4 Heroes, once they reach this level of strength, they would no longer be mere mediocre Heroes. They had the capability to leave or escape earlier, but since they chose to stay, most likely, they were here for the Demon King or were spies left behind by other Hero forces. In this regard, no mercy was shown, and they were all dealt with.
During the conquest of the nine cities, Zhang Nu harvested a total of 511 Level 3 souls and as many as 45 Level 4 souls. He obtained various skill stones, totaling 412 skill stones under B-rank, and 32 B-rank skill stones. This harvest was incredibly rewarding! For the Demon King to rapidly become stronger, expansion, invasion, and conquest are essential! The Hero's souls reaped from the nine cities alone were enough for a big sacrifice, allowing Zhang Nu to exchange for around 100,000 talent points. This signified that Zhang Nu could finally activate the final Level 5 talent and achieve a level up without even using the souls in his reserve.
In fact, if Zhang Nu were solely focused on quickly reaching Level 6, he would have already achieved it by now. However, he is not in a rush to ascend to the next level. Pursuing levels blindly would not hold much significance. The Demon King needed to consider the current situation and the overall strategy, seeking the optimal solution to maximize personal strength and territory development.
After resolving matters, Zhang Nu delegated the remaining work to his subordinates.
......
At the first opportunity, Zhang Nu returned to the Darkness City and began fervently sacrificing souls.
[You've sacrificed a Level 3 Hero's Soul. 201 talent points gained!]
[You've sacrificed a Level 3 Hero's Soul. 214 talent points gained!]
[You've sacrificed a Level 3 Hero's Soul. 204 talent points gained!]
[......]
In one go, Zhang Nu sacrificed the entire batch of Level 3 souls, totaling around 107,000 talent points.
[You've activated the Level 4 Talent "Immortal Dragon God"!]
[All Level 5 Talents activated. Level up conditions satisfied!]
[Level up successful!]
[MP +15,000, HP +7,500, Strength +750, Agility +1,500, Constitution +750, Will +1,500, Adamantite Dragon Body, Dragon King's Sanctum, Evil Dragon's Descent, Dragon God Bloodline, Space Manipulation, Time Control, Spatio-Temporal Dragon, Abyssal Divine Realm, and Immortal Dragon God have been greatly enhanced...]
Damn! Activating the last Level 5 talent, Zhang Nu smoothly felt the long-accumulated potential throughout his body being unleashed. This was the enhancing effect brought about by the level advancement, propelling his strength and abilities to skyrocket. Moreover, Zhang Nu could distinctly feel that his physique had undergone a tremendous transformation. If activating the Dragon God Bloodline had granted him a trace of divinity, just enough to suppress the influence of the Evil God's fragment within his body, then at this moment, this divinity had grown exponentially, permeating his soul.
[Immortal Dragon God] Level 5 talent. Maximum MP and HP +50%, recovery speed +500%, grants abilities such as "Divine Soul," "Infinite Regeneration," "Curse Immunity," "Poison Immunity," and "Soul Possession."
This was a passive skill that significantly boosted MP and HP. In addition, unlocking this skill endowed Zhang Nu's soul with divinity. What's a divine soul? A divine soul could exist independently of the physical body. In simple terms, even without a body, the soul would not decay! Zhang Nu's soul could exist entirely on its own. Unless the divinity was worn away over an extended period, the soul would remain intact. Though not reaching the level of a god, it possessed characteristics close to divinity. Even if his life force was depleted in battle, only his body would perish. The soul could persist and was impervious to conventional means of destruction."