Bab 33: Fortress
Editor: Atlas Studios
The construction on the hillock was in full swing. The small fortress expanded at a rate visible to the naked eye. It was expected that a small, square-shaped castle that was 80 meters wide on the sides would be completed this evening.
As for why it was so fast?
The answer was simple.
Who had ever seen a man chop down a three-man-sized tree with a single swing of the blade and remove all the branches within one minute?
Duan Kuan held a sword and smiled in silence.
Who had ever seen a man chop a 20-meter-tall tree with a 2-meter-diameter to the ground with just five hammer smashes to its trunk?
The injured Song Dachui quietly smiled.
Who had ever seen a man dig out one cubic meter of soil in three seconds using a shovel?
Wang Mumu scorned with contempt.
In short, they effortlessly built a castle with a main structure using tree trunks and soil.
Not a big deal.
However, to enemies of the same level, such a castle was also not a big deal. That was why the most crucial was the 14 captain bowmen. Even if they were wounded, they had to stand at the highest point, locking onto anything suspicious with their sharp vision.
After ensuring that the enemy imp's line of sight was completely blocked, Zhang Yang accelerated his cultivation speed.
Two hours later, he successfully cultivated ironwood with an improved texture than the one before.
An elite-grade sword only managed to leave a shallow, white mark on the bark. In the end, Zhang Yang had to send out the village's strongest swordsman, Duan Kuan, to chop down the tree with his captain-grade sword, using 72 slashes, before putting the ironwood tree down intact.
"Village Chief, we can sharpen at least 15 spears with this ironwood, as well as 30 arrow shafts."
After Wu Yuan gave his report, he immediately got into work. He borrowed Duan Kuan's sword, because no other sword could do the job.
Zhang Yang was already exhausted. He leaned on the Tree Demon Tower and quietly pondered what else he had missed.
For instance, what kept the deer lord and the new mysterious enemy in balance with each other in the first place? And why did nothing seem to be wrong on the surface before?
I guess it must have been the heavy deer cavalry. As long as they were in an open area, they would be the natural enemy of bowmen and infantry. The deer lord also has a summoning spell—an ultimate move that can summon level 5 abyssal ghosts. Not only that, but it is also strong enough to charge at will.
Assuming the deer lord built its village on flat terrain with a wide field of view and the surrounding trees had been cleared, I wouldn't dare to mess with it with my current 20 captains, as long as the deer has 100 heavy deer cavalry. Yes, if I have fewer than 50 captains, I would be an idiot to send them all to the wide plains and take on the heavy deer cavalry.
Zhang Yang couldn't help but recall the 100+ heavy deer cavalry in yesterday's battle. They died a horrible death because this was a hillock with a huge number of trees. The heavy deer cavalry couldn't charge their way up and were killed head-on by thrown wooden spears.
However, if they were in the flatlands, even Zhang Yang's now-expanded fortress wouldn't be able to handle their aggression.
So this explains why even knowing there was an evenly-matched enemy spying on me, that deer lord still wasn't afraid to send troops to attack me. It wasn't worried about the mysterious enemy raiding its nest at all.
Likewise, this also explains why that mysterious enemy sent three imps to spy on me on the day the deer lord died in battle. That was certainly not a coincidence. The deer lord and this mysterious enemy must have been on each other's guard everyday, which was why the latter intervened in the war so quickly.
Well, also, the deer lord is dead and its Village Building Order has fallen. But will the village it built just die out? Not likely, it's not like this is a game.
And before the deer lord went on its expedition, it must have left behind heroes or captains that could lead soldiers, or perhaps at least a hundred or more heavy deer cavalry at its nest yesterday. So have they all, at this moment, turned into wild demons? Just like those that were left alone when I hunted earlier?
At this thought, Zhang Yang was tempted.
Wild demons, huh? And at the deer lord's nest, no less—there must be a lot of benefits.
Furthermore, he thought of a point.
After the death of former human village chiefs, did their men not become wild soldiers that wandered in the wilderness too? If I encounter them, will I be able to recruit them over?
Unfortunately, this time, the wild demons left by the deer lord will definitely be devoured or recruited by that mysterious enemy. I have to consider the crucial upcoming battle as well. Perhaps the only thing to be thankful for is that the main force of that mysterious enemy must be busy eliminating the wild demons left behind by the deer lord, so it will not appear today. It isn't likely to show up tomorrow either, but it will definitely attack the day after.
I hope I can still make it in time. After all, the heavy deer cavalry can only restrain bowmen and infantry. That is why this mysterious enemy is strong at mountain warfare, which makes this a life and death battle for me. If I win this battle, my village will be considered to be the official hegemon of this region.
After thinking through, Zhang Yang had some unprecedented enthusiasm, though he was physically and mentally exhausted. He recalled how pathetic he was when he first arrived, where he lived in fear everyday. He relied upon the lives of his soldiers to make a path for himself and eventually scraped together this place today.
If yesterday's battle with the deer lord was a matter of life and death because he had no way back, then this next battle would be about the future development of the village.
He and the mysterious enemy—whoever lost would lose the right to control the region.
And only by winning the battle could Zhang Yang develop his village in peace.
The next day, the enemy didn't show up just as Zhang Yang expected. After all, the deer lord possessed a Level 3 Village Building Order, so its heritage must be rich beyond compare.
If the deer lord's troops became wild demons after its death, they definitely wouldn't be obedient. It didn't matter even if the mysterious enemy had a strong army. It wouldn't be easy taking down wild demons in a short amount of time.
Zhang Yang was just worried that the mysterious enemy would drum up some evil and terrifying tricks after acquiring the deer lord's heritage.
The good thing was that the development of his side was also progressing quite well.
The small fortress had been officially expanded before evening. It was located on a hillock that was at least 40 to 50 meters tall, which was very advantageous for Zhang Yang's side that already had 14 captain bowmen.
Let's exchange fire. I doubt I will lose to you!
The fortress could still continue to expand and strengthen itself, and when the mysterious enemy arrived, its only choice would only be to attack by force.
Looks like I still have to hurry up and make some wolf-tooth arrows. After all, I don't know what level of strength that mysterious enemy will reach after acquiring the deer lord's heritage.
Zhang Yang looked at the dark night sky and lamented. At that moment, a message suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Successfully built Level 1 Fortress (80% Completion)
Do you want to include this building in the Village Building Order?
Note: The inclusion in the Village Building Order does not affect the continued improvement. When the completion level reaches 100%, the fortress will be upgraded to level 2.]
Yes.
Zhang Yang was slightly taken aback but he agreed soon after. At the next second, more messages were mapped out.
[Level 1 Fortress has successfully been included in the Village Building Order.
Village Prosperity Level:
10 prosperity levels will increase the Livability Index by 1 point.
100 prosperity levels will increase Cohesion by 1 point.
1000 prosperity levels will increase the Legendary Index by 1 point.
Currently, the village has four buildings.
Village Prosperity Level +13 (+10 for Special Building: Tree Demon Tower)
Livability Index: 1
Note: After the Livability Index reaches 1000, no natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, etc. will occur in the village.
Craftsman Zhao Tiezhu participated in the construction of a Level 1 Fortress. He gained 10 points of construction proficiency.
Craftsman Zhao Tiezhu participated in the manufacture of 100 ordinary feather arrows. He gained 10 points of bow manufacturing proficiency.
Craftsman Zhao Tiezhu's main skills, Repair and Create, have increased by 2 proficiency points each.]
-- Hadiah diterima