With a single thought, Kaito returned to Gaia once again.
Now seated on his throne, he looked at the girl beside him.
"Did something happen?"
"Korran's back, and he wants to talk," Koneko replied.
Five minutes later, Korran entered the hall and kneeled before Kaito.
"My lord, we've gathered all the information we could find."
He pulled two scrolls from his pocket. Koneko took them and handed them to Kaito, who examined them carefully.
Each one corresponded to a different city. The information was accompanied by a rough map drawn at the end.
Nareth and Veldris.
The first was located to the west. The second, to the east.
Korran began reciting the contents.
"Both cities are nearly identical. The elven capital appoints landowners to oversee different regions of the forest, and they manage the nearby cities with the goal of ruling over any intelligent race within their territory.
The city functions as a large administrative center. There are several intelligent races, but elves sit at the top of the political chain.
All races with their own settlements must pay taxes to the city in exchange for 'protection.'
However, their villages must never outgrow or surpass the elven city in power, or there will be consequences.
According to public records, there are about 80 cities scattered across the eight directions of the forest. We're currently in the southeastern region of the Black Forest.
The city has about a thousand trained guards. At the very least, they're at the level you were before entering the Tower of Worlds. They're organized into squads of 100, each led by a stronger captain, and these ten report directly to the city lord.
Unlike the elves, who value knowledge, dark elves revere strength. That's why the city lord is extremely powerful and earned their position through merit.
Normally, the lords compete with each other to prove who is superior, but these two cities have a particularly good relationship. It's even rumored that their ladies are sisters."
Kaito understood: that position existed to let the elves maintain control of the forest, distributing themselves strategically. If any problem arose, whether it was a race growing too powerful or conflicts between villages, they handled it.
"By the way, why didn't your village know about these cities?"
"Our village is too small to be officially recognized. To them, we're just another wild species that gathered together," Korran replied.
"Although we couldn't find specific information about the city lords, it's known that they're both women and experts in magic. Also," he continued, "while it's not public information, it's likely that they have a highly competent intelligence organization. They're always aware of problems before they even occur and respond with surprising efficiency."
"Lastly," he said while pointing at the map, "in both cities, the Lord's manor is right at the center, and everything was built around it. They're about 10 kilometers in diameter and surrounded by magically reinforced wooden walls. There are no other notable buildings, but all of them are marked on the map..."
After some time explaining both cities, Korran finished his report and withdrew.
"What do you think?" Kaito asked.
"They're very easy cities to take. We shouldn't have any problems," Koneko replied confidently.
Kaito nodded... but still.
"If they really have a close relationship and an intelligence network, it's best to attack them almost simultaneously."
On Earth, taking over a city by force was stupid. Even if you succeeded, no one would want to live there. But in Gaia, a world governed by skills, power dictated who ruled.
And dark elves were rulers for a reason. The countless races in the area wanted someone to protect them. They wanted leaders who could solve problems. If someone stronger appeared… they'd follow them too.
Maybe at first they wouldn't be happy. But they wouldn't resist either.
---
Kaito decided to use the Demon Summoning Tower for the first time, located right next to his mansion. The good thing was that his "humans" were now demons. That's right. Although this would normally be impossible, according to the system, the default human tower was the only one that could be replaced by placing another on top of it.
As soon as he placed the demon tower, everything changed. Even the humans he had previously summoned turned into low-ranked demons.
A complete waste.
Had he known beforehand, he would've summoned thousands of humans and then transformed them, saving millions in gold.
By spending 500,000 gold, five demons appeared before him. He could've summoned soldiers, but it wasn't necessary yet. He didn't like having troops just for the sake of it.
The five belonged to House Marbas, known for their expertise in mechanics and crafting. In other words: they were blacksmiths.
He summoned them with the goal of forging armor for his entire army.
To his delight, they already had names upon being summoned.
The men were named Agram, Dremus, and Varios. The women, Velmira and Sireth.
Maybe it was a family trait, but all of them had short gray hair and were quite muscular. They looked like real blacksmiths.
But the illusion shattered the moment they started speaking.
"We're demons..."
"Incredible... to think a Lord can reincarnate us into another race..."
"All this knowledge in my head... My decades of studying smithing don't compare to this!"
Confused, Kaito asked them what they meant.
That's when he understood the trick.
The reason the initial human tower could merge with another was simple: although their bodies were now demons, inside, they were still the same humans he had summoned before.
Even so, as long as they had the knowledge he needed, he didn't mind the trick played by the so-called "God of Earth." Though he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if he had summoned demons from the start without fusing the towers...
He handed over the blueprints he had: a full set of blue steel armor, each piece boosting one stat by 20%. The complete set, therefore, boosted all stats by 20%.
He also gave them the design of an extremely durable shield. Kaito had to hit it with all his strength to break it, which impressed him. Well, him, because Koneko just punched it and reduced it to dust.
And finally, blueprints for swords made from the same blue steel. They were both elegant and rugged.
These blueprints required a minimum skill level to be created. Low-rank blacksmiths didn't meet the requirements, but mid-rank ones surpassed them, reducing both crafting time and resource cost.
Which was perfect, since blue steel was rare. He had only found a small amount in the cave where they mined stone. For now, it was a valuable resource.
Thrilled with the blueprints, the blacksmiths immediately went to work.
One of the blueprints Kaito had recently acquired was a blacksmith forge, so they now had an official place to settle in.
---
After that, Kaito went out to observe his territory. It kept growing. More and more houses, more buildings. He had recently acquired blueprints for stone roads, so everything was being remodeled.
It now looked like an Old West town… but way more advanced.
Suddenly, he felt someone's gaze. He turned without hesitation and rushed toward the source of the presence.
There, once again, a dark elf was watching him.
Kaito attacked without a second thought, but this time, he wasn't alone. Several elves appeared from all directions.
However, by the time they reached the center… Kaito was no longer there.
He reappeared behind one of them and took him out, alerting the rest. They threw knives in his direction, but he didn't give them a chance.
The knives pierced the very elves who had thrown them.
Half of them dropped dead. The rest were still alive only because Kaito allowed it.
"Anyone willing to talk?"
He didn't need an answer.
Their cold, hate-filled stares said it all.
The next moment, their lives ended. None of the elves had heads left.
Kaito could have tried to extract information... but this time, it wasn't necessary.
This time… there was a better way.
---
Sonya was at her desk, reviewing the latest reports when someone burst into the room, slamming the door open.
"We have a problem!"
"What is it?" Sonya asked, frowning.
"The Lord… he's strong… and fast. He saw us. Everyone attacked, but the next second, he was already gone. I came back quickly to report, but honestly..."
The dark elf hesitated for a second. His voice trembled.
"I don't think any of them survived."
"Tell me everything you've got," Sonya ordered seriously. Last time, she had lost Julius, one of her elite spies. Now, probably eight more were dead. Only one of her top agents remained. The rest were just regular spies.
"His territory… it's way too big and organized. Huge buildings, stone streets, baths… It's only slightly inferior to our city.
The Lord's mansion is right in the center, protected by a magic barrier.
And it's not just Hellhounds. There are Kobolds… and Demons.
At first we thought they were humans, but if you look closely, some have wings and tails. Though they usually keep them hidden.
That Lord… he's no beginner. He's a serious problem."
The dark elf was speaking so fast and without breathing that he was hard to understand.
"Alright, breathe. What about the Lord himself? Anything about him?" Sonya asked, trying to calm him.
"Yes. We heard his subordinates say his name… they call him… kghhh—"
The elf couldn't finish the sentence. A large spurt of blood shot from his mouth.
But the question didn't go unanswered.
"Lucifer," a deep voice said behind them.
A sharp sound, like a knife slicing through flesh, filled the room.
The elf coughed up blood one last time before collapsing, dead.
With him on the floor, Sonya could now see the man behind him.
A handsome man, red eyes, jet-black hair. On his face, a smile.
A smile that seemed to invite you… into the abyss.
Without wiping it away, he greeted her gracefully.
"You may call me Lucifer."
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
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(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)