Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 294: The arrival of the Arctic Tigerfolk

Drake filled Alex in on the whole debacle, just to be safe.

Later that night, Alex read through Drake's message, her expression a mixture of amusement and disbelief. The fact that Satan had completely ignored Drake's explanation and just bolted was too funny. What was that guy's deal?

As for the Lord who had pledged allegiance to Satan in Mossvale, it was probably a strategic move, a way to secure a powerful backer. And Satan, always eager to expand his influence, wouldn't say no to a foothold on another continent.

"Well, it's just a misunderstanding," Alex muttered to herself. She doubted Satan would be showing his face in Mossvale anytime soon. Still, she was surprised to learn that he had already recruited two subject Lords.

As the night deepened, Alex headed upstairs to bed.

Meanwhile, in the Dark Forest, Alex's influence was slowly transforming the withered trees. Many had already been reborn as [Grimface Trees], a type of undead unique to her domain.

These weren't your average combat units. They were her eyes and ears, silent sentinels scattered throughout the forest.

Disguised as ordinary dead trees, they were virtually indistinguishable from their surroundings. But if an enemy drew near, they would awaken, their true nature revealed. And if they were destroyed, Alex would be instantly alerted, knowing that her domain had been breached.

Compared to using undead scouts, which could easily raise suspicion, the Grimface Trees were the perfect spies. Most wouldn't even recognize them as undead, mistaking them for a peculiar feature of the Dark Forest.

With the Dark Forest now firmly under her control, Alex could continue her eastward expansion. But she wasn't about to get careless. Prudence was always the best policy.

She hadn't asked Edgar about the surrounding factions. After three hundred years trapped in the forest, his knowledge was likely outdated. Besides, asking him about every little thing would make her look weak.

She had tasked Azure with scouting the eastern borders of the Dark Forest, leading a contingent of specters. He had orders to eliminate any weak races he encountered.

As Alex drifted off to sleep, the Dark Forest settled into an uneasy silence. Nocturnal creatures stirred, their eyes gleaming in the darkness. Owls hooted from the trees, their calls echoing through the silent woods. Vine Serpents, their scales glistening in the moonlight, slithered through the undergrowth, their forked tongues tasting the air.

Meanwhile, on the Savage Plains, north of Twinface Mountain, a white tiger was racing towards the mountains, its breath coming in ragged gasps.

Its body was covered in wounds, some fresh, some scarred over, all temporarily held at bay by a thin layer of ice. As it ran, several wounds reopened, staining the snow with crimson. But the tiger didn't slow down. It couldn't afford to. It was running on fumes, its mana reserves completely depleted.

It crossed the Savage Plains and climbed the slopes of Twinface Mountain, its pace never faltering. Then, it descended into the Frostwind snowy mountain, heading south.

The blood moon had set, and the sky was beginning to lighten.

The white tiger pressed on, driven by unwavering loyalty to its queen. It remembered her words, spoken in a moment of desperation. East of Frostwind snowy mountain, near the edge of the Dark Forest, resided a powerful ally.

Drops of blood, hot against the snow, melted tiny craters in its wake. The tiger's body was screaming for rest, but it was so close. It had to keep going.

As it entered the snowy mountain, the icy air invigorated it, replenishing its strength. It pushed eastward, towards the Dark Forest.

The moment it left the mountain's protective embrace, the boost faded. But the tiger didn't despair. The Dark Forest was in sight, a beacon of hope in the distance.

Still, a part of it worried. Would the queen's ally help them? After all, they were dealing with an extraterrestrial visitor, a being of immense and unknown power.

[Night retreats, dawn arrives.]

Time: 06:00 AM

Alex stirred awake, glancing at the system clock. Time to start the day.

She pulled on a pair of comfy sweatpants and a t-shirt, then headed downstairs. A dark elf, waiting patiently by the door, greeted her with a bow.

"Good morning, Master. Today's breakfast is a croissant sandwich with a side of fresh fruit and a glass of cold milk."

"Sounds delicious," Alex replied. She wasn't usually one for breakfast, but she had started letting the dark elves choose her meals. If the name sounded appetizing, she'd give it a try. As for milk, wheat, and other such staples, those were easily procured from the dwarf kingdom. Dwarves, it turned out, had similar tastes to humans, with a particular fondness for meat and ale.

She had just taken a bite of her sandwich when another dark elf rushed into the room, an urgent look on her face.

"Master, our specters have spotted a critically injured Arctic Tigerfolk at the edge of the Dark Forest."

Alex froze, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. The Arctic Tigerfolk had migrated weeks ago. Could it be...?

She set down her sandwich and stood up. A spatial teleportation array shimmered into existence, and she stepped through without hesitation, vanishing from the dining room.

She reappeared at the edge of the Dark Forest, where Undead City had once stood. In the distance, she spotted a white tiger, collapsed on the ground, flanked by two specters.

With a thought, she teleported to their location.

She recognized the tiger instantly. It was one of Ruby's guards!

"What happened?" she demanded.

"We found it unconscious, my Queen," one of the specters reported.

Alex knelt beside the tiger, examining its wounds. "It's not fatally injured. Just completely drained."

There wasn't much she could do except wait for it to regain consciousness. Green energy flowed from her hand, mending the tiger's wounds. Then, she activated her ice domain.

The air around them grew frigid, snowflakes swirling down as the temperature plummeted. Her domain was far more potent now that she was a King level.

This should help speed up the recovery process. It was the least she could do. She couldn't exactly invite the tiger up to her bedroom for a nap.

"You're dismissed," she told the specters. "I'll handle this."

"At your command, my Queen," they replied, melting back into the shadows.

Alex crafted a chair from ice and sat on it, crossing one leg over the other, quietly waiting for the Arctic Tigerfolk to awaken.