The plan to venture into human territory didn't worry Alex much.
After all, she had a human identity here.
It was also a good opportunity to learn more about the outside world.
She had originally planned to leave Undead City, but Ruby's situation had brought her to the Far North.
It would take a few more days for Ruby to solidify her rule, and Alex had already explored the surrounding area. The undead fortress was complete.
She didn't want to waste any more ti here. She decided to return to Undead City. It had been a while.
Ruby knew all about the undead fortress's capabilities. Once she had settled everything here, she could simply send a specter to inform Alex.
After bidding farewell to Ruby, Alex teleported to the heart of the iceberg, stepping into the undead fortress's portal.
Dark Forest, Undead City.
A white figure materialized in the throne room. Xiao Mu looked up, recognizing Alex.
"Leader, you're back!"
Xiao Mu stood up, greeting Alex. Nothing significant had happened in Undead City, so he hadn't contacted her.
"Yes. Is everyone else still out?"
Alex nodded. She had sensed that only Xiao Mu and the undead were present. Even the seven race kings were absent.
The elders she had killed and summoned as Reaper Guards had returned earlier to help with the developnt of Undead City.
Xiao Mu began reporting on their progress.
During Alex's absence, Xiao Mu, Xiao Hui, and Sophie had taken turns guarding the city, ensuring that Xiao Mu's level didn't fall behind.
The siblings were still at the sa level, but Xiao Hui had more experience points.
Both were currently lv6 Monarch.
Sophie was lv3 Monarch.
They had each leveled up only once in the past few days. Their progress was steady.
When checking Drake's level, Alex was surprised to find that he had surpassed the siblings, becoming the highest-leveled subject after her.
Drake was now lv7 Monarch.
It seed his developnt on the Mossvale Continent was going well. Alex estimated he would break through to King level soon.
Dragons, undoubtedly, had greater potential than elental beings.
Alex suspected that the siblings' level cap might be King level. Without so extraordinary opportunity, reaching Emperor level would be difficult.
Of course, their cap might be Emperor level.
The system didn't display level caps for subjects, not even for Alex herself.
Drake, on the other hand, being a dragon lord, most likely had a Sovereign level cap.
As their levels increased, the leveling speed for species with lower level caps would slow down significantly. High-cap races would also experience a slowdown, but it would be less pronounced.
At least for now, Alex hadn't encountered any difficulty leveling up. She was confident that her current level cap was at least Sovereign level.
It seed she would have to prioritize giving any non-essential items or resources to her other subjects.
The seven race kings had also leveled up. Their progress was comparable to the siblings'.
Excluding Death Spirit, who was at the sa level as Alex, four of the six race kings had reached lv7 Monarch.
Riven was still lv6, while Arthas had taken the lead, reaching lv8.
This was impressive progress. Although they were only Monarch level, with the help of the Reaper Guards, the race kings could easily conquer forces with King level leaders.
And by defeating higher-level opponents, their leveling speed would naturally increase.
At this point, Arthas alone could probably crush most lords.
"Wait, why aren't you using the resources in the warehouse?"
Alex looked at the overflowing warehouse, puzzled.
"We estimated that these resources wouldn't be enough to max out a city, and we weren't sure which city to prioritize. So we decided to leave the allocation to you."
Xiao Mu explained.
Of their three cities, only Dragon City was on the front lines. It was developing the fastest and had the greatest potential.
Moreover, Drake was developing it independently, without relying on undead assistance, unlike Gemini City and the dwarf city, which benefited from Undead City's support.
After a mont of thought, Alex decided to upgrade Dragon City.
Upgrading a city not only expanded its territory but also increased its capacity for auxiliary barracks and enhanced its castle crystal, which would benefit Drake.
Most importantly, a max-level city could be relocated at will.
Now that Alex was King level, the daily output of a Monarch level unit from each auxiliary barrack was significant. Every barrack was strategically valuable. No matter how repulsive the troops were, Alex wouldn't pass up the opportunity.
She quickly used up the materials, along with magic crystals and essence shards, to upgrade Drake's barracks.
Dragon City reached lv6, three levels away from max level. The barracks also went from lv21 to lv26, nearing its maximum level.
"Next ti we have resources, prioritize upgrading Dragon City. Once it's maxed out, focus on Gemini City."
Alex instructed Xiao Mu after reviewing the status of their cities.
It wasn't favoritism. The dwarf city was located deep within the White Rock Mountains. To the east was the dwarf kingdom, and to the west, across the Erald Hills, was Gemini City. It was the safest of their cities, sandwiched between two allies.
"Alright, understood."
Xiao Mu nodded.
Alex entrusted Undead City to Xiao Mu, not the race kings, not only because he was human and more adaptable but also because he could contact her at any ti and access the system interface.
It was midday. They had plenty of ti before nightfall. They sat down, and Xiao Mu began reporting on the races they had conquered recently.
This was more of a casual conversation. The conquered races were a done deal, and the rewards were fixed.
Alex was more interested in the undead's exploration progress and the surrounding power dynamics to formulate their next move.
First, there was the Savage Plains north of Twinface Mountain. Besides the previously conquered Minotaur camp, there were several other minor races of comparable strength.
They had all been conquered, and the undead were expanding outwards, pushing the boundaries of the Savage Plains.
Next was the dwarf kingdom. To the west of the kingdom lay a vast desert, ho to nurous minor races.
But they were all Commanding level at best. Conquering them wouldn't yield any race tears, and even if it did, Alex had no interest in expanding in that direction.
Beyond the desert to the north lay the Southridge Republic, a human nation.
In short, the desert was a buffer zone between the Southridge Republic and the dwarf kingdom.
To the east of the kingdom lay the Desolate Mountains, which Drake had already pacified. The only option was to push further east.
They had discovered a new kingdom there, ruled by the Featherfolk.
Calling it a kingdom was an understatent. Based on its strength, it could easily rival an empire.
The Featherfolk were comparable in strength to the elves. Their king, or chieftain, was at least a mid-level King, possibly even a high-level King.
They were clearly stronger than the Arctic Tigerfolk.
In the Arsen Continent, the Featherfolk were considered top-tier local beastn, while the Arctic Tigerfolk on the Eldoria Continent were still being bullied by the Beastman Empire.
This highlighted the power disparity between the two continents.
Local races referred to those incapable of intercontinental travel.
The top-tier races were spread across multiple continents. Even powerful factions like the Beastman Empire, Skyreach Mountains, and Eternal Night City, with their Emperor level leaders, possessed thods of intercontinental travel.
They were considered high-level powers.
But even among these high-level powers, there were differences. The Arctic Tigerfolk and the Beastman Empire were both King level factions, but their overall strength was vastly different.
The Featherfolk were a formidable opponent. Even at its full strength, Undead City might not be able to defeat them. But that wouldn't stop the undead from waging war.
The undead were endless, possessing conventional immortality and the ability to travel between continents. They had nothing to fear.
Xiao Hui and Arthas were in charge of this region, along with Undead City's nine King level undead. They were currently engaged in battle with the Featherfolk.
This was a war of attrition. It would likely take Alex reaching high-level King to conquer them completely.
But it didn't matter. As long as the Featherfolk didn't flee, the undead would keep them occupied.
The experience points and potential troops were valuable assets.
As for the Erald Hills, with Gemini City at its center, their influence extended to the eastern border of the Orc Empire.
Beyond the Orc Empire's territory lay a ravaged plain, half of which had already turned into a rocky wasteland.
The Orc priests' pollution had devastated the land, forcing the local races to flee. It was now a desolate wasteland, devoid of life.
The refugees had sought shelter in a forest on the northeastern plateau.
This forest wasn't as eerie as the Dark Forest or as vast as the prival forest. It was just an ordinary forest.
But it was also ho to another race: the centaurs.
The sa centaurs Alex had sent her undead to eliminate when dealing with the traitors.
They weren't particularly strong. They had only recently reached King level status. Their chieftain was a low-level King, easily dealt with.
Sophie was currently leading the undead in conquering them.
Based on Xiao Mu's report and her own observations, Alex had to admit that the Arsen Continent was no different from their original world.
It was a beautiful land, with lush forests, clear rivers, and relatively weak local races. It felt more like a vacation destination than a battleground.
After listening to Xiao Mu's report, Alex leaned back, deep in thought.
"Xiao Mu, have them build undead fortresses in the Featherfolk and centaur territories. Traveling back and forth is too ti-consuming."
Xiao Mu nodded. He had been thinking about building more fortresses but hadn't wanted to bother Alex with such a minor decision.
"You can build them wherever you see fit. I'm giving you the authority. Don't be so hesitant. As long as it benefits us, I won't fault you."
Alex appreciated Xiao Mu's initiative. He didn't bother her with trivial matters.
"Oh, and you can send undead to scout the area east of the Dark Forest and west of the Barren Plains. Allocate your forces wisely and expand our influence."
If they encountered minor factions, they could conquer them. But if they found a major faction comparable to the Featherfolk, it was best to avoid confrontation for now. Undead City could only handle one major war at a ti.
Moreover, the Eldoria Continent was different from the Arsen Continent. This was Alex's base of operations. She couldn't be too reckless.
"Alright, understood."
Xiao Mu sensed the underlying ssage. Alex was giving him detailed instructions, which ant she was planning to leave again soon.
"Leader, are you leaving again?"
"The world is vast. I need to see more of it."
This was Alex's carefully considered decision. Even without Ruby's request, she would have left eventually.
"We're lords, outsiders. We know so little about this world. To survive, we need to learn more. Even if we don't integrate with them, we need to understand them."
Xiao Mu was taken aback. Alex's words made sense. It was sothing most lords hadn't considered.
As lords, they were different from freelancers. They were inherently opposed to the native races.
After all this ti, Xiao Mu couldn't imagine how many lords had never even left their castles.
They only focused on developing their imdiate surroundings, afraid to explore the outside world. They would never beco truly powerful that way. Without understanding the shifting power dynamics of the continent, they were vulnerable to unforeseen threats.
"Leader, you're right. I support you. We've co this far. It's ti to venture out."
Xiao Mu looked at Alex with determination. It was a risky move, but the knowledge they would gain was worth it.
"Leader, do you think there might be forr lords among the human rulers? What's their attitude towards us?"
Xiao Mu didn't believe that none of the previous lords had survived. They must have integrated into human society.
Alex agreed. Edgar had only ntioned the number of surviving lords.
But there were also freelancers, whose survival rate was likely higher.
"Humans are suspiciously powerful. I doubt they achieved it without the help of forr lords."
That was Alex's conclusion.
As a fellow weak, intelligent race, she had been pondering a question: why were races like hobgoblins, beastn, and dwarves limited to King level, while humans could ascend to godhood?
They were all physically weak races, relying on magic and technology, with a high level of intelligence.
Why was the power disparity so vast?
Humans, unlike demons, angels, and dragons, were relatively weaker creatures. Yet, they were considered equals.
Why?
After receiving Edgar's information, Alex understood. Humans had the accumulated knowledge and experience of previous generations of lords, even the very first lords. With their help, humans had gained a significant advantage, allowing them to develop rapidly.
But this was just a theory. Whether the other races were eradicating lords for the "reward" or to suppress humanity remained a mystery.
There were too many unanswered questions. Besides uncovering the truth about this world, Alex had to end the lord war and increase her own power.
The undead race, once forgotten, would now rise to the top!
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