Chapter 318: Cave Dwellers

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Yang Ling only knew that he had trained for over two months when we walked out the villa and listened to the explanation of the Corpse Wizard King, Goode and the rest. Several major things happened in this period of time.

Ashnamov had led the naval force in patrolling the nearby seas, sending out many scouts and found a clue leading to the pirates. They followed the clue to the gathering spot of the pirates and exterminated the hundred-odd pirates hiding there. Even though they had not managed to find Ymir’s father One-eyed Dragon, they had dealt a heavy blow to their strength.

With Casey rushing them, the fortress at the Aila Mountain Pass was finally going to be completed after half a month, the defenses strong. Over two thousand soldiers were stationed there, and after they sent over a large number of Pear Blossom Crossbows and catapults, the enemy wouldn’t be able to easily barge into the territory even if they sent over an army of ten thousand men. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack!

After undergoing battles of varying scales, Argus had successfully exterminated most of the aboriginal tribes on the Wilderness of Siberia. He had also built over a hundred outposts along the merchant route. Not counting anything else, they could at the very least guarantee the safety of the merchants along that route. Finally, he had also brought back a substantial amount of specialties and aborigines who wanted to live in the Magical Beast Territory.

Over this period of time, other than the large number of aborigines who wanted to live permanently in the Magical Beast Territory, there were also several human vagrants who had come, lured by the fame of the territory. With Goode’s efforts, each and everyone of them were settled down appropriately.

People who were adept at farming were moved to the flatland areas and received a piece of land and farming equipment at a very low price; Those adept at hunting were moved to the mountainous regions near the Ladak Mountain Range or Terras Forest; Those who were good at fishing were relocated to the Black Water City or Sallero Harbor…

Due to a large amount of people and merchant teams swarming into the territory, more and more people were settling down near the Sallero Harbor, forming the third town in the Magical Beast Territory. It was the first beautiful city by the sea in the Magical Beast Territory.

Currently, the Magical Beast Territory had a total population of over a hundred thousand. Of them, Wissen Town had the most number of people, about seventy to eighty thousand, with Beasmen, elves and humans living together; Black Water City was second, with about thirty thousand people, most of them being Beastmen and humans; As Sallero Harbor had just been developed, it only had about twenty thousand people living there, but it was currently developing the fastest.

With enough manpower, steady improving economy, rich resources, powerful military might…

All these qualities caused more and more people to notice the Magical Beast Territory in the south of the Tailun Continent, attracting more and more merchants and human traffic; The influx of a large number of merchants and people further boosted the development of the territory.

Just like that, a virtuous cycle had formed in the Magical Beast Territory, its overall influence rapidly increasing.

…

Sitting in the meeting hall and hearing all these pieces of good news, Yang Ling completely heaved a sigh of relief. He knew that at this stage, no one would be able to obstruct or disrupt the development of the Magical Beast Territory anymore.

The Waize family could not, the Banto Empire could not, the Church could not; The people had worked together and traded their blood, bravery and intelligence for the safety and development of the territory.

“Sir, a month ago, our exploration team had found an entrance leading to a lower level near the Magical Square Castle. They discovered several sulfur mines, crystal mines and gem mines at the third level. Not only were they rich in deposits, they are of very high quality; Furthermore, we have also found a large group of cave dwellers who made a living by growing Breadfruit Trees in an obscure valley.” Seeing Yang Ling’s smile, Goode once again tossed out a piece of good news.

Cave dwellers who made a living by growing Breadfruit Trees?

Thinking about the endless field of Breadfruit Trees within the Magical Square Castle, thinking about the alluring scent of the Breadfruits, Yang Ling had a glint in his eyes. With this many people moving into the territory, the amount of rations they could grow had also reached unparalleled heights.

There were no rice and corn in this world, but there were maize and barley that were similar to that of those on Earth. Furthermore, there were also a large amount of delectable Breadfruit. They could not only be grinded into flour and made into bread, they could also be cooked whole. Obtaining a large group of cave dwellers who were adept in growing Breadfruit Trees was simply too timely.

“Goode, did you communicate with them in a timely manner?” Yang Ling raised his brow, then gently took a sip of his rum.

“Sir, after receiving the news, I sent an army to seal off the Valenia Valley and underground city, forbidding anyone to enter. I then led a large team of elites to the valley of the cave dwellers. After witnessing the might of the heavy armor and Pear Blossom Crossbows of the soldiers of the Magical Beast Territory, the leader of the cave dwellers had quickly surrendered, leading his clansmen into the camp of the Magical Beast Territory.”

Even though Yang Ling had not explicitly said it, Goode naturally understood what Yang Ling meant by ‘communicate’. Yang Ling had once said that the Valenia Volcano Valley was a part of the Magical Beast Territory. Goode would lose face if he could not lead a bunch of soldiers to deal with the weak cave dwellers while he was training.

After finishing his report, Goode whispered a few instructions by Orlando’s ear, and the latter left quickly. Soon, he led in a cave dweller who was shorter than even a Gnome.

“Willerby pays his respect to Your Lordship. I am willing to lead my clansmen in your footsteps and witness the glory of our Magical Beast Territory!” The leader of the cave dwellers by the name of Willerby spoke as he groveled before Yang Ling.

“The underground city is rich in resources. I am planning to do a large-scale reconstruction of the Magical Square Castle. I wonder if you have any intentions of getting your clansmen to stay in the castle?” Yang Ling smiled as he looked at the leader of the cave dwellers whose head was larger than his body and was a decent bootlicker.

The cave dwellers were short and stout, their heads larger than their bodies, and were born with a hunch in their backs. They loved living within various caves. Their vision was severely impaired in the outside world, making it hard for them to move around; However, in a place like the underground city where it was gray all year round, others would have difficulty navigating the place, while their vision became surprisingly great.

It was rumored that the cave dwellers were the intelligent race with the smallest guts in the continent, not even comparable to the cowardly Gnomes. Getting them to step into the battlefield was just adding another burden, causing trouble for himself. It was fortunate that they were hardworking and had nimble hands, making them useful as an exceptional farmer.

As the scale of the territory expanded, he was experiencing an even greater lack of tacticians by his side. Both Yuna and Goode had their hands full. Under such a circumstance, it was not practical to get Goode to develop the underground city. He might as well send a team of soldiers to defend the underground city and leave the internal workings to the cave dweller by the name of Willerby. Of course, whether or not he had the ability required further observation.

“Thank you, Your Lordship!” The cave dweller Willerby had weak physical abilities, but he was not dumb, quickly understanding that this was a great, rare opportunity.

The third level of the underground city was perpetually surrounded by mist, with many dark creatures prowling the area. Many cave dwellers would die of various accidents every year. Compared to that, the second level where the Magical Square Castle was at was basically paradise. The air, light and living conditions were much more suitable for the cave dwellers.

In the past, because the tunnel had been blocked by a group of Violent Earth Bears claiming it as their den, the weak cave dwellers had the will but lacked the ability to move to the second level. Now, with the protection of a team of guards from the Magical Beast Territory, with Yang Lung’s approval, how could the leader of the cave dwellers Willerby miss such an opportunity?

“Your Lordship, I am very thankful for your generosity. The third level has several precious resources, if you are willing to develop them, I am willing to lead the way!” The cave dweller Willerby was extremely excited, pausing before he continued, “If you send an army to kill off the Centaurs near the tunnel, I can even lead you to the fourth level to search for more mineral ores!”

The Centaurs at the tunnel leading to the fourth level?

Could there be far more than three levels in the underground city?

Yang Ling was extremely surprised. Asking further, he soon understood the situation within the underground city through Willerby.

As it turned out, according to the legends spread down the generations of the cave dwellers, there were a total of seven levels to the underground city. Every level had an area that an average person could not imagine, a forest of green Breadfruit Trees spanning an area that a person could not cover even after walking for a full seven days.

In the ancient times, the underground city was the world of the cave dwellers, the space in every level their paradise. However, a large number of dark creatures suddenly appeared in the seventh level. There were low-level Magical Beasts like the Gargoyles and Demon Harpies, as well as high-level Magical Beasts like the Chimeras, Dark Dragons and Poison Dragons, occupying the paradise of the cave dwellers.

Slowly, the tunnels of every level were forcefully obstructed by the powerful Magical Beasts. Not only were the cave dwellers unable to move freely between the levels, they also suffered from the massacres of the various Magical Beasts. Other than the tribesmen who had averted the crisis from hiding in obscure caves, most of the cave dwellers had been murdered, the living conditions getting more and more hazardous.

“The underground city belongs to the Magical Beast Territory, don’t worry Leader Willerby.” Seeing Willerby’s eyes turn red as he recalled the history of the cave dwellers, Yang Ling consoled him, “In the Magical Square Castle, you will be able to receive an unprecedented sense of security!”

“Thank you Sir, thank you Sir!” Willerby spoke as he groveled before the leader Yang Ling. He only carefully made his exit after Yang Ling waved his hand.

Aside from the large amount of precious resources in the underground city, there might also be secrets not known to man hidden there!

After understanding the history and situation of the underground city through the cave dweller Willerby, Yang Ling was curious as to what other creatures there were in the underground city. He did not know who had built the massive Magical Square Castle on the second level. He was curious as to why a large number of Magical Beasts had suddenly appeared in the seventh level during the ancient times.

After understanding the developments in the various areas of the territory, he waved his hand and signaled for the rest of the people to leave, wanting to discuss the next phase of the plan for exploring the underground city alone with Goode. Unexpectedly, after everyone had left, the old butler Murbaqi continued to stay.

“Sir, I went to the elf tribe, but…” Looking at Goode by the side, the old butler stuttered, as if what he was about to say was a piece of difficult news.

Elf tribe?

Yang Ling had a thought as he looked at the hesitant old butler Murbaqi, remembering the mission he had for the trip, remembering Sofia who had left, heartbroken.

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