Chapter 145 - 49: [Underground City Project]

Chapter 145: Chapter 49: [Underground City Project]

RUMBLING sounds of excavation echoed above the High Grass Plain. Mingled with the well-organized voices coordinating the division of labor and the sounds of physical toil, the bustling atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the cold, silent Hai Xin Plain surrounding it.

The plants in the central area of the High Grassland had been cleared away, leaving a wide open space. Hidden behind the surrounding walls of tall grass, dozens of temporary residential tents stood tall.

Two lanky Corpse Demons wore Nether Copper Bell-shaped Helmets on their heads. Seven or eight twisted, fleshy limbs had been artificially grafted onto their bodies, with slender Nether Copper Blades welded to the end of each limb. The cold, sharp blades danced wildly. Under their frenzied, whirlwind-like slashes, large swaths of the obstructive tall grass that blocked their line of sight were instantly chopped down. Their efficiency was comparable to industrial lawnmowers.

This was an inspiration Samael had gotten yesterday from Lahador’s elite Scythe Corpse Demons. Even the structure of the [Nightmare Tendrils] was a construct design he had scanned during an assassination carried out by his elite Reaper units.

If Lahador knew his explosive killing weapons were being used by Samael as lawnmowers, his helmet would probably explode in anger. Regardless, Samael was thankful for the mowing technical support provided by his dear "ally."

RAT-A-TAT! RAT-A-TAT! An exceptionally huge and burly Corpse Demon wore a Nether Copper Bell-shaped Helmet and loose-fitting Nether Copper Knight Armor. It held a sword and shield identical in design to Samael’s.

A Nether Bronze Snare Drum was cast onto its broad chestplate. Two extra Nether Copper Limbs on its chest rhythmically beat the drumhead. Resonating within the copper cavity, the drumbeats were exceptionally loud, piercing, and could even be described as inspiring.

Accompanied by the steady rhythm of the Nether Bronze War Drum, bizarrely shaped Undead emerged from the tall grass. Carrying snapped Rusted Copper Trees, chopped tall grass plants, and excavated earth and stone, they slowly transported the temporarily unused resources to the perimeter to free up workspace.

CLANG! CLANG! Dozens of Skeleton Woodcutters wielding Nether Copper Great Axes labored at the edge of the Rusted Copper Forest, right next to the High Grass Plain. As the Nether Copper Great Axes collided with the Rusted Copper Tree Bark, sparks flew, leaving behind deep gashes. The inherent properties of Nether Copper Weapons and tools dictated that they were unsuitable for the living; they were exclusive to the Undead.

Amidst the CLANGING sounds of chopping, the Rusted Copper Trees slowly splintered and fell. Their trunks were then supported by dozens of hard-shelled Black Armor beetles driven by the Exiles. Transported little by little across the High Grass Plain, the wood was brought before Samael for the Demonization and extraction of copper elements. The resulting Nether Copper would then be used to craft more tools and enhance more Undead.

Under Talia’s command and control, two Demon Insect larvae began slowly excavating and expanding the Insect Path from the center of the High Grass Plain. However, controlling the two Demon Insect larvae with her Spiritual Energy signals remained somewhat difficult for her. They weren’t very obedient, and their excavation routes occasionally deviated slightly.

The Demon Race Exiles couldn’t help in this regard either. Their Spiritual Energy signals were too weak to drive a robust, high-level Magical Beast like the Earth-Devouring Demon Insect. Even if they gave it their all, they could only slightly soothe the Demon Insects’ thrashing tails.

Samael extracted two more Rusted Copper Trees and crafted a heavy Nether Copper Cage, locking up the remaining two Demon Insects behind arm-thick Nether Copper Pillars. Everyone was very busy. If left unattended, the Demon Insect larvae might burrow everywhere, crushing tents, chewing up tools, or digging haphazardly, which could collapse the Insect Path and ruin the project’s progress.

Under normal circumstances, a Nether Copper Cage could cause its prisoners’ joints to go numb and stiff like a corpse, invading their bodies with the cold. Samael was originally a bit worried that the Nether Copper Cage would harm the Demon Insect larvae, but facts proved his concern to be entirely unnecessary.

The Earth-Devouring Demon Insect was truly a formidable, robust, and ancient Magical Beast. The two temporarily unused larvae merely looked a little chilly between the arm-thick Nether Bronze Cage Pillars. After gnawing on the pillars for a long while and leaving a few cracks, they realized the pillars were too thick to bite through. They then huddled together and fell fast asleep.

The Exiles quite liked these larval Demon Insects. To prevent them from freezing in the Nether Copper Cage, they even wrapped them in two fluffy wool blankets—though the blankets were soon shredded to pieces by the Demon Insects’ spiral fangs.

"Good morning, Boss," Yaki said. He and two Demon Race architects were standing at a table beside a tent, charcoal pencils in hand as they discussed among themselves, sketching back and forth on paper.

"Good morning, my friend Yaki, and to Kassen and Steven as well." Samael set down the Rusted Copper Tree at hand and tossed a batch of newly converted and forged Nether Copper tools to the Undead Woodcutters. He greeted the three Demon Race architects—having spent these past few days together, he had already gotten to know most of the Exiles by face.

"Good morning, Knight Samael," the two architects beside Yaki nodded in greeting.

"Is this the draft blueprint for the Underground City?" Samael leaned over to look. "Whoa! Is it that huge?"

On the blueprint was a magnificent structure drawn by the three architects. Clean and precise perspective lines pieced together a deep passageway leading underground, a solid underground dome and tall towers fortified by layers of rock, as well as an enormous underground castle complex.

"This is just the most basic core foundational complex, Boss," Yaki said, looking slightly bewildered. "Later on, we will need to center around the underground dome, continuously fortifying and expanding layer by layer outward and downward. We’ll have to explore the strata, cultivate and supplement the ecosystem, add more facilities... Even a small Underground City has three rings. A medium Underground City has at least five rings or more, and a large Underground City can even reach over a dozen rings. Back in its day, the Rondolan Mountain Demon Country had twenty-three rings, interconnected by the core complexes, Insect Path networks, and garden ecosystems of more than thirty medium Underground Cities."