Chapter 52

  {Turmoil of the Province of Horrors}

  “Finally, we obtained the village well,” Yora said as she stood before it. “You did excellent work.”

  Zero and the others bowed. “Serving you is an honor, Chief.”

  “You serve the lord and the village, not me,” Yora corrected.

  “You are right, Chief. We apologize,” Zero said as she bowed.

  Yora waved to them, then headed toward the artificial lake inside the village.

  It was filled with Light Fish.

  A small fish with an extremely fast spawning rate… and at the same time, it laid eggs every day.

  There were no males among these fish—only females… giving birth and carrying out orders. Because of this, in a short time their numbers reached nearly 150, and they were still increasing. Each one laid around 20 eggs per day… all of them emerging with the same size, mind, and strength… as if they were all a single copy.

  The only issue with this fish was that its lifespan was just one year… after a year it would inevitably die. But it didn’t matter—there were still plenty of them.

  In addition to the Light Fish, the bottom of the lake was filled with a large number of Spawning Stones… nearly a thousand or more… and this would increase because another project had been completed—the water tunnel.

  The water tunnel was built to connect the artificial lake with the mysterious lake, with a narrow width that allowed only the Light Fish to pass. This saved a great deal of labor and time.

  There was no longer a need for soldiers to go back and forth… only a single guard was needed at the tunnel on the artificial lake’s side to monitor the fish, so that nothing strange would appear in the lake without them knowing—especially with the presence of the Nymphs and the Aurora nearby.

  >>>>>>>>>>>

  Inside the World of Death,

  Ian stared at the water-glass, behind which was a beautiful golden fish.

  It shone brightly like the sunrise, with a long tail that shimmered in different colors from time to time… and most importantly, its blue eyes, gleaming like sapphires.

  “What is this fish?” Ian asked.

  “I don’t know… I found it by chance while searching the ship.”

  “Did you try anything with it?” Ian asked.

  Noa shook his head. “No… but I feel like it understands me.”

  Ian was surprised for a moment.

  Understanding in beasts without a bond between them and an individual indicated a high level of power… or a great talent… or a rare bloodline.

  The presence of any one of these three was a tremendous benefit.

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  While he was thinking, the glass suddenly exploded, and the fish appeared on Ian’s shoulder.

  Ian was startled and turned toward it. “You…!”

  “Take me with you,” a voice echoed inside Ian’s mind.

  Ian froze for a moment. “Can you leave this place?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not talking about the ship. I’m talking about—”

  “The World of Death. Just take me with you,” the fish said inside Ian’s mind.

  Noa was equally surprised… but he hadn’t heard the exchange, otherwise he would have been even more shocked.

  >>>>>

  Ian stepped outside.

  The moment he did, a strange tremor struck.

  An earthquake.

  It wasn’t strong enough to cause major destruction, but it affected the entire environment.

  “What’s going on?” Ian asked in surprise.

  “We don’t know, my lord,” Yora hurriedly replied. “But I tried investigating it with my skill, and all that appeared was the Lord of the Province.”

  The Lord of the Province.

  The beast deep within the forest… What was wrong with it? Was it going to leave its place like the Wind Dragon and come here as well? Has my luck suddenly turned rotten? Ian thought—when the fish spoke.

  “He’s trying again.”

  “Trying what?”

  “To give birth,” the fish said.

  Ian was shocked. “But he’s not a phoenix.”

  “There are thousands of beasts that possess methods of rebirth, but they’re not as pure as a phoenix… and this is one of them. I, for example, will also be reborn,” the fish said. Suddenly, it leaped from Ian’s shoulder and flew toward the Empty Den.

  A powerful radiance erupted—and when it faded, what appeared made Ian tremble.

  The Cerberus Egg was gone… and in its place was a large, transparent cocoon, within which the golden fish could be seen.

  - Empty Den

  - Current Beast: “!@#$”

  “You… what did you do?!” Ian shouted.

  The fish transmitted to his consciousness. “I’m giving you something better.”

  The fish laughed. “In any case, thank you… If the incubation had reached 100%, I wouldn’t have been able to take this place.”

  Ian’s expression hardened.

  After all this effort… he had already passed more than half the process, and soon Cerberus would have been born, giving his army a massive boost… and now everything was gone.

  “Don’t worry… you’ll get something better than that foolish guard,” the fish said. “Now don’t bother me unless there’s something important.”

  “My lord…?” Yora looked at Ian in confusion.

  “At least open the gate,” Ian said.

  The gate appeared once more—but the fish no longer spoke to him.

  Ian let out a sigh.

  “Seal this matter, alright… as tightly as you can.”

  Yora nodded, sensing the bitterness in Ian’s voice.

  Then he ordered, “Command the workers to transport the Eyes of the Death Fish and prepare them in a large bag… It’s time to deal with the surrounding enemies.”

  “Aren’t you going to the city?” Yora suddenly asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Then why did we build the teleportation gate in the first place?” Yora asked again.

  Ian shook his head without explaining. The gate had never been intended for the city in the first place… of course, he would use it for the city someday, but that had never been its primary purpose.

  Ian took out the mask and put it on. In an instant, he transformed into an Orc.

  >>>>

  At a hidden location.

  Ian / the Orc stepped out of a concealed teleportation gate, four Genesis Stones in his hand.

  He smiled. “At last… you’re useful.”

  These were Genesis Stones from Bandit Villages.

  Ian had previously used the Imps’ Genesis Stone to build the village center, and had kept the Bandit Stones hoping to sell them in the city… but now, he would use them for something else.

  Power.

  He would create another force for himself.

  A force he could easily control.

  How?

  Through the Eyes of the Death Fish.

  Ian placed the four stones, and a simple straw house appeared, along with four incubation gates.

  He immediately summoned four bandits.

  Loyalty: -50%

  The moment they appeared, they lunged at Ian.

  Ian smiled, waved his hand, and knocked them all down. They were extremely weak—especially compared to someone like him.

  “Eat them,” Ian ordered, handing each of them a bundle of eyes and commanding them to consume them.

  Immediately, their strength rose to the early stage of the second level.

  But…

  The Curse of Death began to manifest.

  The loss of lifespan couldn’t be sensed directly—but the curse could. The moment it appeared, rage filled their eyes.

  “I have the solution,” Ian said, still standing firmly. “But from now on… you are my slaves.”

  >>>>

  Elau Village (Human).

  Wooden walls four meters high had been built.

  Several towers seven meters tall stood in place, with archers stationed atop them.

  Well-organized patrols of dozens of soldiers moved about.

  The guards ranged from level 0 and level 1, with about three level-two overseers supervising the entire area.

  “There’s an Orc up ahead… and—four humans at the second level!”

  Alarms were sounded immediately.