Volume One: The Lord’s World of Hell Difficulty Chapter Sixty-Four: Setting Out Once More

In the days that followed, Chen Gu led Jadeite, starting from the valley where the Elven Queen was buried, and gradually expanded their reach outward. Thanks to his efforts, he managed to eliminate every enemy within a fifty-kilometer radius. The corpses of the undead he slew were dragged away by the Jadeite Ants, becoming nourishment for their colony.

Jadeite fulfilled her promise to Chen Gu: when he was ready to depart, she gave him a Jadeite Queen Nest and a Jadeite Mindworm. These two special creatures had been temporarily produced by the Jadeite Ant colony. Before activation, they resembled fist-sized crystals of emerald green, within which, if held up to the sunlight, one could see two thumb-sized insects slumbering.

Their use was simple. Whenever Chen Gu needed the help of the Jadeite Ants, he only had to bury the Jadeite Queen Nest underground and pile some flesh atop it. The more flesh provided, the greater the number of Jadeite Ants that would emerge in the first wave. Once they were trained, Chen Gu could, as before with the synthetic ant nests, adjust the attributes of the Jadeite Ant fighters via his interface. Of course, making no adjustments would consume fewer resources. In about three hours, the resources in the Jadeite Queen Nest would be exhausted. At that point, the newly trained Jadeite Ants would take over the task of gathering food for the colony. With sufficient food, a new Queen Nest could be produced within a day, at which point Chen Gu could take the new queen and head for his next destination.

However, if he wished to take both a Queen Nest and a Mindworm at the same time, as he did now, it would require much more—a minimum of three undead squads, each with at least a hundred members, would need to be defeated for enough resources. This was no small expenditure for Chen Gu. He had resolved that unless the matter was truly urgent, he would not use this set of Jadeite Queen Nest and Mindworm.

Stowing away the queen and the mindworm, Chen Gu gave Jadeite a final instruction. "Now that you have the Mindworm, hide yourself well. Even if the Jadeite Forest is destroyed, it doesn't matter. As long as you survive, everything can start anew." Jadeite nodded firmly, fully aware of the importance of her role. In such circumstances, she was all the more determined to preserve herself.

After bidding her farewell, Chen Gu leapt onto the vine-drawn carriage. While helping Jadeite manage the ant colony, he had already decided on his next destination. He was now some distance from the Sacred Elven City. Given the state of affairs there, and his current forces, returning was not realistic. Thus, Chen Gu planned to head south.

Scattered information he’d gathered suggested that the undead had come from the north, so there would be fewer of them to the south. Furthermore, the southernmost region held the island where the elves were born. Chen Gu intended to go there and see if there might be a way to counter the undead threat.

Previously, he might not have had the confidence to attempt this, but things were different now. In the original Jadeite Ant colony, Chen Gu had acquired possessions of the Elven Queen. The Breath of the Elves and the Jadeite Forest were now his keys. One would allow him easy entry into elven cities, the other could open the sacred grounds of the elves. This afforded him many more options. There was no need to return to the Sacred City to chase after the few remaining chances there. Heading south, he would likely encounter more cities sealed off by the elves, presenting more opportunities.

Once he was seated in the carriage, Chen Gu took out a map and pointed to the driver. "We head south."

The driver was merely a phantom; though intelligent, he could not physically hold the map. Yet with a single glance, he understood the route they needed. Chen Gu’s map, obtained from the Sacred City, was the "latest edition," recording every elven city and road. He now knew his current location, and saw that about two hundred kilometers southeast stood an elven city—a level seven city, which counted as a large one in this world.

According to the map, this lord’s domain—just the elven kingdom—consisted of a level twelve capital (the Sacred City), one level eleven main city, three level nine metropolises, six level seven cities, and the remainder were all towns, villages, and hamlets below level five. A level seven city was already a significant place. From the intelligence Chen Gu had gathered, such cities were fully equipped, capable of fielding up to level seven troops—in the elven realm, this meant the likes of green dragons and gold dragons. By contrast, level nine cities, owing to their strategic locations, could train their own exclusive special units.

Whether or not this level seven city had sealed itself according to the Elven Queen’s instructions, Chen Gu could not say. But there was no harm in taking a look, just as Alan had once thought it pointless for Chen Gu to visit the Sacred City, only for the situation to change entirely once he arrived. What he found there had greatly aided his conquest of the lord’s domain. If nothing else, the information alone was enough to show him the way to claim the domain for himself.

Now, with this level seven city so close, having come this far, he might as well investigate. For the vine carriage, a journey of several hours was but a brief turn; but for Chen Gu, it could alter the fate of the whole lord’s world.

Settling into the carriage, Chen Gu closed his eyes to rest. He had barely slept while assisting Jadeite, and this was a rare chance for respite. As his eyes closed, a faint smile flickered across his lips. Before entering this world, he had been a model student who rose early and slept on time. Now, his sleep and mealtimes were haphazard. At this rate, he mused, he was on the verge of becoming immortal through sheer exhaustion.

At last, he could rest. He leaned back against the seat and slipped easily into sleep.

Outside, his loyal followers stood watch: the Bloodshadow Wolves, the Fire Spirit Crows, and the remaining three Strawman Killers. What surprised Chen Gu was that the starving wolves managed to keep up. Though they looked half-dead and dragged their feet as if afraid a quick step would shatter their bones, they nevertheless followed him faithfully. Whenever the carriage stopped, they would be at his side in an instant. This earned them, at last, a measure of Chen Gu’s respect.