Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 111: Plundering was faster than mining

Samson pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Very strong. I haven't seen her go all out, but there's no doubt that the vampire Lord we just faced wouldn't stand a chance against her. Her strength isn't just in her personal power; her castle's forces are also incredibly formidable."

Cain saw the seriousness in Samson's expression and knew he wasn't joking. Samson was conveying that the undead Lord was the most powerful Lord he had encountered so far. This meant that in a one-on-one situation, none of them might be able to defeat her.

Of course, Cain didn't include himself in that assessment. While he wasn't arrogant, he believed that even if he couldn't defeat the undead Lord, he wouldn't be easily beaten by her either.

"Alright, let's head back to the castle," Cain said.

....

On the continent of Arsen, in the White Rock Mountains.

Alex had returned to the castle, flying around on her griffin. She noticed that the surrounding mountains stretched endlessly. Sophie's castle was fortunately located in the center of the White Rock Mountains, far from any immediate danger.

The White Rock Mountains were a typical, desolate terrain on the Arsen continent. The peaks were barren, just as their name suggested, with no greenery in sight, making it unsuitable for most life forms.

Perhaps this was why Sophie's birthplace was relatively safe, though it also meant a scarcity of basic resources. Thankfully, there was a trading system; otherwise, they might have starved in such a place.

As Alex landed with her griffin, Chi-Chi hurried over to greet her.

"Miss Alex!" Chi-Chi waved at Alex, while Sophie looked at Alex in surprise.

Wait a minute, why is Alex wearing different clothes?!

Could she have found clothes to wear here? But no, these were clearly modern clothes!

Alex was dressed in a loose white T-shirt and casual pants, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Sophie distinctly remembered Alex wearing a dress yesterday. How could she change clothes so easily? Did she know she was coming to this world and brought extra outfits?

Alex hadn't expected Chi-Chi to be with Sophie. Even before landing, she had noticed the two of them looking rather stern, indicating they hadn't gotten along well.

"Miss Alex, my castle leveled up to lv6! Look what I got!" Chi-Chi excitedly showed her new staff, likely a reward for reaching lv6.

Alex smiled. "Not bad."

Chi-Chi beamed with joy at Alex's praise, while Sophie internally rolled her eyes, thinking Chi-Chi was just a kid.

It seemed that Alex had a soft spot for Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi's castle was near Alex's, hindering her expansion. Alex must have felt sorry for Chi-Chi and decided to make her submit.

This realization reassured Sophie, as Chi-Chi's help to Alex wasn't as significant as she had feared.

Alex chatted with them briefly before noticing Balin Forgeheart flying back, likely with news.

Balin Forgeheart approached Alex. "My lady, I found some wandering dwarf kin in other villages. They are eager to move here but need some time to pack their belongings."

"Well done, Balin Forgeheart. Continue overseeing this. I welcome our dwarf kin with open arms. There's plenty of food here, but they must work for it. We're not a charity, and we don't support freeloaders. Make sure they understand that," Alex said, clearing her throat and putting on a serious face.

"Thank you for your kindness, my lady. Rest assured, there are no lazy dwarves among us. If there are, I'll deal with them before they become your problem," Balin Forgeheart replied, feeling that Alex was a genuinely good person, contrary to the rumors about humans being deceitful.

"Go on," Alex dismissed him. With the dwarves' help, she could continuously obtain iron ingots, easing her worries about castle upgrades.

As for food, Alex's warehouse had tens of thousands of portions, increasing steadily every day. That should be more than enough to feed them.

Moreover, Alex didn't plan to keep them in the mountains forever. She thought the Silverbeard Clan's territory looked promising.

However, Alex wasn't sure about the Silverbeard Clan's strength. She didn't know if she could defeat them with her current power.

If she could conquer the Silverbeard Clan, controlling a clan of dwarves would mean access to vast resources.

The first step of her plan was to venture out of the White Rock Mountains.

After hours of scouting and with more specters joining the effort, they finally discovered a Lord's castle.

"Your Majesty, we found a Lord's castle at the western edge of the White Rock Mountains. There's also a dwarf mine nearby," a specter reported respectfully to Alex.

Sophie stood up, surprised they had found a stronghold so quickly.

"That close? Why haven't the dwarves fought the Lord?" Alex wondered. If there was a dwarf mine, there would be troops guarding it. How could they tolerate a Lord's presence?

"Your Majesty, we don't know. They seem to be getting along well," the specter replied, having observed from a distance and lacking detailed information.

Getting along well? That was unusual. Alex had never heard of local forces and Lords coexisting peacefully. Her encounters had always been hostile.

"Big Shot, should we attack them?" Sophie asked.

"Of course. Look, the two thousand death conquerors are ready," Alex replied. Although the Lord might be poor, the mine was the real prize, likely containing plenty of iron ore. Plundering was faster than mining.

"Miss Alex, are you going to fight? I want to come too!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, excited at the prospect of action. She was tired of being cooped up in the castle and wanted to see the excitement.

"You're too weak. What would you do?" Sophie retorted.

"It's dangerous. You're too weak. The dwarf army has firearms. Flying won't help if you get shot," Alex explained, pulling a musket from her warehouse to show Chi-Chi.

"Here, take this to play with," Alex said, handing the musket to Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi took it happily but then paused. "Miss Alex, I'm not a child anymore!"

"No, you're not going," Alex said firmly, giving her a stern look. Chi-Chi wilted and didn't dare argue further.

The specters continued gathering intelligence, while Alex summoned all her gargoyles, totaling three hundred, along with the two thousand death conquerors. Their combat strength was more than sufficient.

After last night's encounter with the dwarf knights, Alex realized they weren't very strong and had no effective means against the undead. She wasn't worried at all.

Alex mounted her griffin, with Sophie following closely behind.

"Lead the way. Let's go!" Alex commanded the specter.