This time, the successful upgrade of Long Yi was influenced by luck to a certain extent. Additionally, the choice of materials played a crucial role. The rare Level 6 Hero's soul used this time was, in itself, a top-quality item among souls of the same level. As for Long Yi, being the first true dragon summoned by the Demon King, his potential and talents within the dragon-kind were already considered excellent. Combining various factors resulted in the creation of a rare Dark Dragon King.
Long Yi, Zhang San, and Li Si, combined together, formed the trio of dragon kings of the Darkness City. This was the formidable combination the Demon King had meticulously created. With these three dragon kings, most problems could be easily resolved. The Demon King only needed to manipulate things behind the scenes, ensuring safety, efficiency, and peace of mind.
Just then, Su Yan returned to report. Not only did she deal with the Stone Curse Mountain Range's Gargoyle Demon King, but she also brought back 15 million Demon King gold for the boss. This pleasantly surprised the Demon King. This was a small sum of money by any means.
Lately, Zhang Nu had been spending money like gulping down water. Just the cultivation of the 25 super-enhanced Royal Guards, led by Wei Yi, cost 3 million gold each, totaling a whopping 75 million gold. Despite the significant expenditure, the money was well-spent. The individual strength of these 25 Royal Guards was on par with the empire's Guardian Knights, capable of confronting foes at the level of Level 5 overlord. They were undoubtedly precious high-end combat assets.
Moreover, during the establishment of the federation, Zhang Nu conquered numerous cities and regions. He had more than a hundred blueprints for medium and low-level buildings. To make the most of them and better control the various cities and tribes, enhancing the federation's strength, Zhang Nu established over sixty barracks-type buildings and functional buildings throughout the Chaos Forest. Whether it was summoning structures or establishing hereditary forces, it inevitably required a considerable amount of gold and resources.
For the sake of promoting the Chaos Forest's infrastructure, Zhang Nu spent more than 12 million gold to upgrade 20,000 draconian craftsmen. These craftsmen were divided into over a hundred groups and sent to various cities and regions to upgrade facilities and construct structures.
In this wave of extensive development and infrastructure projects, the Chaos Forest underwent significant changes. The facilities within each city and tribe rapidly improved, enhancing their production capabilities and loyalty. They would soon start generating value for the Demon King, and the newly formed Chaos Federation would quickly gain cohesion.
However, it came at a cost, in fact, a very substantial one. The 100 million Demon King gold obtained from the Chaos Forest's grand exclusive treasure chest, along with the tens of millions of gold previously saved, were almost entirely spent. Maintaining the vast territory with dozens to hundreds of Demon King buildings and various specialized facilities led to a swift increase in daily expenditures.
The Demon King felt the strain on his finances recently. On the bright side, Su Yan had brought back a significant amount of funds to replenish their reserves.
"Please take a look, boss. This is the treasure chest of the Gargoyle Demon King. It yielded quite a few equipment pieces and skill stones!" Su Yan offered.
The Demon King showed little interest. "These things are of no use to me; you can keep them for yourself."
"Thank you, boss!" Su Yan gladly accepted the rewards. "After this hunt, I should be able to advance to Level 5. My shape-shifting talent will become even more potent! Even opponents of the same level won't be able to detect it. It should help speed up the completion of the tasks assigned by you."
The Demon King nodded in satisfaction. Su Yan's strength was never particularly impressive; even after upgrading, he would only reach the level of a Level 5 lord. Most likely, she would be a lord entity with relatively lower combat proficiency. However, this was not a concern. Strength could be gradually increased, and Zhang Nu did not particularly mind whether Su Yan was strong or not. With the three draconian titans of the Darkness City and the Elven King as elite forces, along with the likes of Marilyn, giant chieftain Jin Kui, and the 25 super royal guards, the Demon King was certainly not lacking in combat units.
Su Yan's true value laid elsewhere. He inquired, "How is the progress of the Dragon Shadow's intelligence network construction?"
Upon being asked about the progress, Su Yan became serious and reported, "Boss, rest assured, the human empire has a vast population, and there's an abundance of those low-level Heroes with insignificant development. They are practically everywhere. These Heroes have no real prospects, and normal Hero guilds wouldn't bother recruiting or training them. They might not even qualify to join any Heroes Guild."
"But for us," Su Yan continued, "they are all resources we can exploit. By recruiting some of them and providing minimal incentives for their loyalty, we can easily establish an intelligence-gathering network spread across various factions. I'm planning to extend invitations to the more promising among them, inviting them to join the Dragon's Shadow Heroes Guild, and from then on, serve you formally. I believe it won't take long before Dragon's Shadow is omnipresent."
Zhang Nu nodded in approval.
During these recent periods, Su Yan was very busy. Her task was to establish an intelligence network for the Demon King. Her current focus was undoubtedly on the Thunder Empire. She gathered and recruited a large number of low-powered peasants and grassroots Heroes in the empire who were neither valued nor given many opportunities. It was worth noting that Zhang Nu had an abundance of C rank and lower grade skill stones---while they might be trash to him, they were treasures for these lower class Heroes. Even a D rank or an E rank skill was enough to make them see a chance to change their fate and qualify to join the Heroes Guild. They would undoubtedly strive desperately and ultimately be absorbed by the Dragon's Shadow.
These peripheral informants would be spread across various industries and Hero groups in different regions. They would not even realize they were working for the Demon King. In the future, those outstanding individuals with strong comprehensive abilities and high potential for growth would be formally absorbed into the Dragon Shadow Heroes after passing an assessment. This would expand the size of the guild.
After listening to the progress report, Zhang Nu found it very satisfying. This initially unassuming Hero girl was making rapid progress. She had become an indispensable and core member under the Demon King's command. The Dragon's Shadow Heroes Guild, along with the extensive intelligence network, would be incredibly valuable for both military and commercial purposes in the future, benefiting the Demon King and the Chaos Federation alike.
"I'm giving you this skill stone."
The Demon King handed the Hero girl a skill stone. She took a look at it and her complexion changed abruptly.
"An A rank skill? And it's a spatial skill! This is too precious!"
Zhang Nu said, "This is Spatial Movement. It can not only help you escape and save your life in critical moments but also enhance your work efficiency."
"Thank you, boss!"
Su Yan did not hesitate to accept the skill stone. She knew that only by gaining stronger abilities could she better serve the boss. Su Yan left the Darkness City with high spirits. There was no time for a vacation. She had to act quickly to expand the Dragon Shadow's intelligence network as soon as possible.
Zhang Nu arrived at the Demon King's altar and summoned additional two Abyssal Dragons. The Demon King's altar had a high cost-effectiveness for summoning creatures of his own race. Being a high-end force within his own people, each summoning cost 4 million gold and one Level 5 soul.
It was a pity that these summonings required the consumption of souls. Otherwise, Zhang Nu would have probably summoned a dozen or more, even forming a personal guard unit entirely composed of Abyssal Dragons.
After deducting the costs and materials, two powerful auras descended. This time, a Yellow Dragon and a Green Dragon appeared. The former was of the earth element, and the latter was of the Wind element.
Summoning Abyssal Dragons had an element of randomness. They primarily came in seven elemental types: Black (Dark), White (Light), Purple (Thunder), Blue (Water), Red (Fire), Green (Wind), and Yellow (Earth). Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth were more common, while Light, Dark, and Thunder were rarer. Each dragon's innate talent and aptitude would also differ.
Zhang Nu named the Green Dragon "Long Er" and the Yellow Dragon "Long San". Compared to their elder brother, their elemental abilities and talents were slightly inferior. However, as mature Abyssal Dragons, even if they were mediocre, they possessed the strength of a Level 5 overlord.
Zhang Nu spent an additional 2 million gold each to give them the Demon King's baptism, boosting their strength from the early Level 5 to the mid Level 5.
"From today onwards, the two of you will follow Long Yi."
"As you wish, my Master!"
The two dragons respectfully accepted the order. Long Yi is currently preparing for the counterattack against the empire. With the sudden addition of two powerful allies of the same race, his confidence has greatly increased.
"Master, please rest assured. We will start our operation immediately and strive to destroy the Kolo territory in one fell swoop. Let the empire witness the might of Darkness City!"
To this, Zhang Nu nodded. The Empire would never expect that the newly established Chaos Federation would dare to be so audacious. The Kolo region was not particularly strong, and with Long Yi personally taking charge, the problem would not be significant. However, this operation, with the dragon-kind from the Chaos Forest directly invading the civilized world, would undoubtedly attract significant attention. It was likely to cause a big stir.
Nevertheless, Zhang Nu was not concerned. All attention would be drawn to Long Yi and the upcoming trio of the Darkness City's powerhouses. This trio was already terrifying enough, possessing the confidence and ability to sweep across countries and confront the empire. People could not possibly imagine that behind the trio was a figure even more terrifying, powerful, and unfathomable.
Just at that moment, Zhang Nu received a message. His neighboring Demon King, the Succubus Queen Han Kexin, had arrived. Zhang Nu recalled that she had mentioned helping him deal with the Holy Tides City. He was not sure what her next move was.
The Darkness City's finances had been a bit tight recently. After establishing the federation, it would catalyze significant productivity, countless resources, and goods that urgently needed to be exported. Controlling the Holy Tides City would be highly beneficial for the development of the Chaos Federation. As the development of territories and external expansion were all overseen by the trio of powerhouse subordinates, Zhang Nu was not as busy lately.
He decided to personally meet the Succubus Queen to discuss matters further.