Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 312: The lord of Sea Lions

Alex pushed those thoughts aside for the time being. She stood up and made her way towards the main fortress, intending to visit Ruby in the far north.

Upon arriving, she found Ruby still occupied with other matters. Not wanting to interrupt, Alex decided to wait. It was then that she received unexpected news: a Lord had been discovered on a small island.

"Where is this... extraterrestrial visitor?" Alex asked, turning to a nearby Arctic Tigerfolk.

"This one's on an uninhabited island to the northwest," the Arctic Tigerfolk replied respectfully.

Alex pondered this. This Lord posed no immediate threat nor offered any particular advantage. Whether to eliminate them or not seemed like a decision driven more by whims than strategy.

Without the promise of system rewards, Alex wasn't keen on unnecessary bloodshed. This Lord wasn't causing any trouble, but leaving them to develop unchecked in the vicinity didn't sit well with her either.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. She could use this Lord as a pawn to get closer to Raphaela!

It would save her the trouble of going all the way to Stone Pillar Mountain and potentially provide a way to eliminate several enemies at once.

"Take me to this extraterrestrial visitor," Alex instructed the Arctic Tigerfolk.

The tiger being, unsure of Alex's intentions but bound by Ruby's decree to obey Alex above all others, complied without question.

They departed from the settlement, soaring towards the northwest.

Shortly after their departure, Ruby burst into the room, her face alight with excitement. Her cheerful expression morphed into confusion upon finding the room empty.

"Huh? Where is everyone?"

The northwestern region of the far north was a sprawling archipelago of over a hundred islands, both large and small.

The Lord's island lay on the northwestern edge of this chain, bordering the Endless Sea.

Its location was similar to Lilith's city, but it was devoid of any signs of life. Even the Arctic Tigerfolk rarely ventured into this desolate region, which explained why the Lord had remained undetected for so long.

However, after Ruby became queen, the Arctic Tigerfolk, bound by tradition, were obligated to patrol their entire territory. While their official territory didn't encompass the entire far north, the absence of other races had led them to regard it as their own.

It was during one such patrol of this desolate expanse that they stumbled upon this Lord.

The island's remote location, buffered by the Arctic Tigerfolk territory, made it relatively safe, save for the scarcity of resources.

From her vantage point in the sky, Alex spotted a white castle in the distance. Judging by its appearance, it had reached the town level, though its level wasn't particularly high.

"Such a large town, and it's gone unnoticed for so long. This extraterrestrial visitor is one lucky fellow."

"The Seven Elders, during their rule, were pressured by the Beastman Empire. Our people were forced to consolidate our forces and prepare for a potential migration. We haven't paid much attention to these border areas." The Arctic Tigerfolk, mistaking Alex's words as criticism, hastened to explain.

"Wait for me here. I'm going to have a little chat," Alex instructed, gently lowering the Arctic Tigerfolk to the ground with her magic before flying towards the castle alone.

As she approached the castle, Alex noticed several sea lions frolicking near the island's shores.

Unlike ordinary sea lions, these creatures sported a single, spiraled horn on their heads, resembling a drill bit. This, coupled with their long fangs, gave them a rather intimidating appearance.

Alex had never encountered such creatures before, but she surmised they were the Lord's troops.

Several circular tunnels, carved into the thick ice sheet, revealed the churning, icy seawater beneath. These were clearly the work of the sea lions.

It seems that a Lord's summoned troops are often influenced by their native environment. Even under such harsh conditions, they are not starved to death.

Alex bypassed the Monarch level shields, which were nothing more than an inconvenience to her now, and landed in the castle's courtyard.

The surroundings were blanketed in a thick layer of snow. Icicles, long and sharp, hung precariously from the eaves.

It was clearly freezing.

The sea lions, alerted to the intruder's presence, converged on the castle, intent on eliminating the threat.

Alex merely glanced at them, and in an instant, they were encased in ice, transformed into icy statues.

Inside the castle, the Lord, alerted by the system's intrusion notification, didn't hesitate. He jumped from a window seven stories high.

He landed gracefully on the ground, his eyes fixed on Alex, wary and alert.

He appeared to be in his early thirties, clad in a thin, black down jacket, camouflage pants, and sturdy boots.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice laced with hostility. His body was tense, poised for action.

As if remembering he could use the system to glean information, he brazenly opened his system interface right in front of Alex.

Alex stared at him, a bemused expression on her face. She glanced down at her pleated skirt and white stockings, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind.

Did she really look like a native in this outfit?

[Intruder information detected: lv2 King level hostile Lord!]

The man's eyes widened in disbelief as he read the notification. The fight seemed to drain out of him as he processed this information.

This Lord was leagues ahead of him. Resistance was futile.

"Which one of the top lords are you?" he asked, his tone softening considerably. His own ranking was far lower, and he wasn't familiar with the true strength of those at the top.

However, he estimated that reaching King level at this stage meant being ranked within the top five, at the very least.

"Relax. We have no quarrel. I'm not here to kill you. Just need a small favor. I'm a reasonable person, you see," Alex replied casually.

The man frowned. Reasonable? Was she kidding?

He knew better than to refuse. If he displeased this top lord, his life would end here and now.

"No problem," he agreed readily, not even bothering to ask about the favor. His compliance was immediate and absolute.

"You won't regret this," Alex said with a smile. "It's simple, really. I need you to contact these Lords: [Amethyst], [Blue Giant], [King Ultraman], [Holy Wing]. Send them a message expressing your desire to join their ranks."

"That's it?" The man looked at Alex, puzzled.

"What if they refuse?"

"They won't. Once they agree, all you need to do is connect your Portal of Transit with theirs," Alex said, her voice turning cold as she mentioned those names.

The man sensed the animosity radiating from her. It was clear she had a score to settle with these individuals and intended to use him as a stepping stone.

Those names rang a bell, though he couldn't quite place them.

Seizing the opportunity while Alex seemed amicable, he discreetly opened the leaderboard on his system interface, careful not to directly add them as friends just yet.

His eyes narrowed as he saw their rankings: eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh. A particular incident, widely discussed and debated, flashed in his mind.

"You... You're that top-ranked undead Lord!"

He had spent countless hours on the World Chat, never imagining he'd meet the legendary top lord in person.

"Sharp as ever, I see. Now, less talk, more action," Alex urged.

The man quickly opened his friends list and sent a message to Titus, adding him as a friend in the process.

The friend request remained pending, but Titus responded almost immediately.

[King Ultraman]: "Ranking, strength, troop type and quantity, town and Barrack levels. Report everything."

Alex was taken aback. They had an interview process now?

The man looked at Alex, seeking guidance.

"Tell him," she said.

[PixelPirate]: "Rank 8008, lv8 Commanding, lv12 Sea Lion Barracks, 119 troops, lv5 town."

[King Ultraman]: "My Alliance is currently full. Would you consider submission? If so, you can immediately relocate your town to my territory."

Alex, observing the exchange, raised an eyebrow. They were turning him down?

Before she could instruct him further, the man retorted.

[PixelPirate]: "Full? You can always kick someone out. I haven't even met you or seen your setup, and you expect me to hand over my life and hard work just like that? Do you top lords think we lower-ranked Lords are idiots?"

Alex was surprised by the man's boldness. He didn't hold back.

Silence followed. Titus seemed to be pondering his response.

The man waited anxiously, stealing glances at Alex.

Finally, a system notification chimed.

[Your friend request has been accepted!]

[King Ultraman]: "How about we form an alliance first? I'd like to assess your situation personally. What do you say?"

The man immediately looked at Alex, who gave him a subtle nod.

[PixelPirate]: "Sounds good."

[King Ultraman]: "Tell me the exact location of your castle."

Titus, seemingly suspicious, requested the man's town coordinates.

"Tell him you're on a glacial island off the coast of the Mossvale continent," Alex instructed.

To avoid raising suspicion, she couldn't reveal his true location deep within the Eldoria continent. It seemed Titus was wary of this exact scenario.

If Raphaela knew Alex well enough, she would realize that Alex currently had no presence on the Mossvale continent.

This explained why Titus, tasked with recruiting Lords, insisted on personally verifying their claims. It prevented Alex from using the Portal of Transit to reach Raphaela directly.

After all, Raphaela had already fallen for a similar trick once. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Well, taking out this Titan Lord wouldn't be so bad either," Alex mused. She now knew their location. Eliminating them was only a matter of time.

The man relayed the fabricated information to Titus.

Meanwhile, on the Arsen continent, at the foot of Stone Pillar Mountain...

Titus stood beside Raphaela, who stood with her eyes closed, bathed in a holy light, seemingly sensing something.

Moments later, she opened her eyes.

"He's telling the truth."

Titus relaxed, relieved.

"Shall I head over then?"

"No. As a precaution, relocate your town first. Then you can investigate." Raphaela, it seemed, wasn't taking any chances.

Titus nodded and immediately contacted one of his subjects, instructing them to move his town away from Stone Pillar Mountain.

They had been actively recruiting Lords, and to prevent Alex from using this to track them down, they had taken extensive precautions.

Raphaela watched as Titus's town vanished, a flicker of unease crossing her cold, stoic features.

"Let's hope everything goes according to plan."

A large number of Lords had already gathered at the foot of Stone Pillar Mountain. Their submission had significantly bolstered Raphaela's power.

"Still not enough. I need to regain my full strength and break through to King level as soon as possible."