Chapter Fifty-Two: Establishing the Misty Stronghold

The high beams of the Tier One armored vehicle could pierce through thirty meters of gray mist. The distance was not particularly great, but it was serviceable. However, the beams could only illuminate—they could not disperse the fog.

Just as Colin and his convoy of nine vehicles were about to reach the vicinity of his territory, a faint light suddenly appeared in the mist ahead, illuminated by the crimson glow of the headlights.

Within the light stood five gaunt silhouettes. Confronted by the war machines, emanating a red glow and looming like colossal beasts, four of the figures could not suppress their trembling. Even so, those four, lit by the lantern’s glow, stood unwavering, blocking the path to the territory.

Leading them was Number One, captain of Colin’s first independent squad, entrusted with exploration before his departure.

Now, Number One narrowed his eyes against the headlights, gazing forward, silently raising his wheel, refusing to give way even a single step.

Behind him lay the territory. There was no retreat.

Even if their resistance was as futile as eggs thrown at a rock.

But at that moment, the nine vehicles slowed and halted about ten meters from them.

Number One was puzzled but did not dare to relax his vigilance. He gripped the wheel tightly, channeling his anger until it glimmered faintly in his hand.

In these few brief hours, he had already learned how to use the wheel—a little trick. Whenever he imagined his Number Two companion being beaten, he could summon a touch of genuine rage. He had another, less-used method for instant fury as well.

Just then, with a metallic click, the heavy steel door of the vehicle opened, and a familiar figure leapt out.

When he recognized him, the wary expression on Number One’s face instantly turned to delight. He quickly jogged over with his companions.

“My lord!”

As he spoke, he cast a wary glance at Shana, who had alighted behind the lord, then quickly looked away.

“It’s me.” Colin steadied himself, smiled at them, and asked, “What are you all doing?”

“We were…”

“Next time, remember to step aside—your lives are worth more than any building.” Colin interrupted him, fully aware of what they were doing.

“And if something does happen, I’d much rather, instead of finding faces bewildered by a pile of corpses and ruins, that someone could tell me exactly what happened, so I’m not left in the dark. Is that clear?”

Colin wanted them to start thinking, not just blindly following orders.

“…Yes!” Number One replied, visibly moved.

“I have faith in your loyalty.” Colin patted his shoulder. Noticing their disheveled and slightly injured state, his tone grew heavier. “Where is the other one?”

Before leaving, Colin had assigned five to this squad, but only four stood before him now.

“He’s a bit injured…” Number One replied. “But no need to worry, my lord. Just a minor wound—a few broken ribs and a lost hand.”

Was it you or I who misunderstood what ‘minor injury’ means? Colin quietly complained to himself.

“See to his wounds, give him extra food—make sure he recovers quickly.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“This is a Synthesis Platform. Get familiar with it—have Number Two show you how it works. The personnel will be handed over to you,” Colin said, handing him the platform—a resource not every team received, as he had a few spares.

With a snap of his fingers, the crisp sound was followed by the rear door of the war vehicle swinging open. The clang of boots on steel echoed like raindrops.

In Number One’s astonished gaze, one lantern after another was lit by the “Lamp Bearers.” Figures quickly disembarked and assembled in the open ground behind.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so lords who had accompanied Colin also stepped out.

Everything was orderly—not quite to the standard of a professional military, but far from chaotic.

Number One was left rather bewildered. The lord had only been gone a few hours…

“I must admit, this Rog is indeed a capable manager. I’d only given him an hour’s worth of training, yet he’s already achieved this level…” Colin noted privately. After a brief word with Number Two, he turned his gaze to his “Tier Two Territory.”

Undoubtedly, his current land was too small and in need of an upgrade.

He intended to transform his base into a stronghold and then advance toward the forest at the foot of Crow Mountain.

At that moment, Number Two approached Number One, grinning teasingly.

“Well, well, isn’t this Big Brother Number One? Just a few hours apart and you’re already falling behind?”

Number Two was now a Tier Two servant, a bit taller and visibly sturdier than his elder brother.

Number One raised his wheel in silence. “Say that again.”

With his weapon, his abilities surpassed even a Tier Two servant, and he was confident the lord would help him improve further.

“Uh, just joking,” Number Two replied obsequiously. After helping Number One master the Synthesis Platform and transferring the prepared personnel, he turned and introduced him to the assembled captains.

“Captains, let me introduce you—this is the first ‘Lamp Bearer’ captain under our lord. You can call him Number One—your reliable big brother…”

The servants had no names, nor could they be given any. They referred to each other by nicknames, yet never seemed to confuse identities.

Elsewhere, at Colin’s direction, the so-called “slightly injured” servant was brought out, and preparations began for upgrading to the third-tier territory.

[Third-tier Territory: The lord’s domain expands from 10x10 to 50x50, with a sturdy three-story building (20x20), plus additional water pool, fields, barracks, etc…]
[Required materials: Reinforced Stone 0/5000, Glass 67/200, Wood 0/1000, Tier Three Clay 0/1000, Refined Iron 354/500, Thorn of Suffering 86/300, Mist Points 649/150.]

“Fields?” Colin’s eyes lit up. Of all the features, this was the first that caught his attention for some reason.

Yet, unfortunately, he had no crop seeds.

He scanned the long list of required materials—imposing at first glance, but in reality, all were easy to gather. Reinforced stone and tier-three clay, for example, could be synthesized in just two steps—not much trouble.

The most notable advantage of a territory upgrade was how cheap and accessible the materials were. Were it not for the secrecy of the synthesis formula, many would have already advanced to a third-tier domain.

“A third-tier territory is much more than just a little bigger than a second-tier one—over three thousand square meters. That’s enough space for quite a few people…” Colin calculated inwardly.

At the same time, he began collecting the necessary materials from the trading market.

Unlike the great commotion caused by the war vehicles, stone was everywhere—abundant and easy to acquire. Any random rock could be broken up for five or six pieces.

Thus, Colin’s buying spree attracted little attention.

Still, there were a few shrewd or sharp-nosed individuals who began to sense something was afoot.