Chapter 356 – The Night Crow's Attendant

Shen Linglong began activating her network, contacting some old friends.

However, being a young Lord and a standout among her peers, she didn’t have extensive connections with many high-ranking figures. Most of her acquaintances held key positions in the Pioneer Group or were exploring dangerous territories, with few having spare time.

For a moment, she found it quite headache-inducing to figure out where to pull several powerful reinforcements from on such short notice.

But having already boasted confidently, how could she admit defeat now!

She started mobilizing troops from her own territory.

Shen Linglong possessed two fully-formed Military Soul Legions. Although she couldn’t deploy both elite forces, with just one complete Military Soul Legion at her disposal, she could unleash power far surpassing that of ordinary legends when concentrating their strength. At that point, she, Shen Linglong, could take on two or even three opponents single-handedly.

She would showcase her heroic, war-god-like demeanor before Tianyuan.

Caw caw~!

“Still, I never expected Tianyuan Territory to be this bustling. I heard they’ve already passed the promotion trial and advanced to a level 5 city-class territory.”

That Tianyuan passed the promotion trial was normal—when she applied for her own promotion trial back then, her comprehensive strength was likely inferior to Tianyuan’s current level.

However, she was somewhat surprised that Tianyuan managed to develop his territory so rapidly, reaching the rank of ‘Senior Lord’ this early.

Managing a territory isn’t just about combat prowess.

While combat ability is the most crucial skill, several other capabilities are equally indispensable.

She recalled one instance where she accepted too many refugees, causing the public satisfaction index to drop below the acceptable threshold and nearly leading to disaster. Yet looking at Tianyuan City here, internal conflicts among residents were rare, with patrol and security teams maintaining remarkably stable urban order.

She speculated that perhaps the refugees she accepted back then simply contained more troublemakers.

There are always troublesome folks looking to cause drama!

However, her generals like Rockball and others—each and every one of them—had political capabilities barely scoring 60 points at best; staying above zero was already an achievement. In contrast, Tianyuan’s commanders appeared quite intelligent.

She thought of Sophia.

It seemed Tianyuan Territory had one or two other intelligence-type commanders like Sophia, alongside numerous combat-specialized officers.

“No wonder Tianyuan Territory could endure despite suddenly suffering major disasters while facing persecution from Monster Overlords.”

Even with two major forces—elves and giants—holding the front lines, such circumstances remained extremely difficult and dangerous.

If any other Senior Lord were in this situation, they likely couldn’t last even a month or two, let alone three or four months.

Moreover…

Tianyuan Territory’s establishment period seemed, appeared, probably… hadn’t even reached one year yet.

What was she doing at her one-year mark? She remembered still developing surrounding wastelands and struggling against minor monster tribes.

Through the ‘Lord-Hero’ connection, Shen Linglong contacted her main general stationed at rear-base Linglong City, instructing them to retrieve communication devices numbered two, six, and eleven from her study and activate them.

“New region development, brothers hurry over!”

…

“Actually, if I use the emergency reinforcement privilege, it’s not that I can’t summon powerful allies.”

Mu Yuan contemplated.The Taixuan Alliance, established over sixty years ago, rapidly rose to stand alongside nations like Eternal Star and Divine Wood, relying on the unity of the vast majority of its lords and a well-regulated contribution system.

If a lord of the Taixuan Alliance faces a major crisis, they can exercise the right to issue an emergency call for aid. At such times, lords from all directions and official powerhouses will come to assist.

The scale of the reinforcements depends on the information provided by the lord during the emergency call.

Of course, lords who use the emergency call for aid must also pay a large contribution. If contributions are insufficient, repayment can be deferred interest-free for a period. The assisting lords and chosen powerhouses can each receive some Taixuan contributions based on their strength and achievements.

Mu Yuan was no exception.

After all, it was not the Crimson Mist disaster month, and the fusion of Blue Star had passed smoothly. The urgency at the frontlines was not as critical as it had been in the first half of the year. If he used the emergency call for aid, he could summon powerful reinforcements.

At most, he would need to overdraw a massive amount of contributions.

Mu Yuan was not afraid of overdrawing, nor was he worried about being unable to repay. However…

Reinforcements could only solve immediate problems, not the true predicament at hand.

Just like some minor lords who lacked the ability to defend their territories, they could not rely on aid every time. Reinforcements had no time, nor could they remain stationed at the requesting territory for long.

Mu Yuan’s situation was similar.

Even if he could summon over a dozen Legendary Realm experts, what then? What could he do?

If the enemy retreated into the wilderness, he would have no way to find them. The location of Jackal Fang had not been confirmed. If he called for a group of powerful reinforcements but only managed to kill two or three Legendary experts and eliminate a few monster waves, wouldn’t the reinforcements have been summoned in vain?

“Monster Overlords are cunning indeed.”

“Whether it’s Jackal Fang or Blood Serpent Embrace, their lairs are hidden extremely well, likely as a precaution against the backing of living factions.”

“Moreover…”

Mu Yuan’s goal was not merely to defeat Jackal Fang and Blood Serpent Embrace. He also wanted to eliminate as many Legendary Realm experts of the two Overlords as possible.

Only then would the exploration teams from his Tianyuan Territory be able to venture out without constant fear. Otherwise, even if he defeated the two Overlords, the remaining, wandering, and hidden Legendary monsters in the wilderness would still pose significant trouble, or even losses, to his territory.

An emergency call for aid was unnecessary.

However, this was also related to the fact that his Tianyuan Territory’s situation was gradually improving.

After all, his Tianyuan Territory had two super powerhouses: Deadbone and Dolai. He, Lord Mu, could count as 0.9 of one. His subordinates like Lu Liu, Tree Spirit Grandma, Rakshasa, and Uta were gradually gaining the ability to contend with Legendary Realm enemies.

He already possessed the strength to resist risks and withstand impacts.

If this had been three or four months ago, and he had the opportunity to call for aid… he might have used it.

…

Outside Tianyuan Territory, somewhere.

Huff~ Huff~

Wisps of white mist drifted, blending into the ubiquitous white clouds of the sky.

The mist passed over a patrol of elite troops, pausing briefly on their leader, Xiliu.

“This human has dragon bloodline,”

he judged.

Such humans often possessed remarkable potential and were worth eliminating.

With his strength as ‘Dragon Sleep Mirage Armor,’ killing a Fourth Order human would be effortless.

“However, I have a more important mission on this trip. I must not alert the enemy prematurely.”Dragon Sleep Mirage Armor continued drifting forward, more ethereal than any ghost. None of the early warning devices hidden throughout the forest, river mouths, and mountain peaks showed any reaction.

The elite soldiers on patrol, and even commanders like Xiliu, Red Robe, and Bone Two Three Four, remained completely unaware.

They gradually advanced, crossing through the blockades formed by patrol teams one after another.

“As expected, the entrance to the human faction’s stronghold lies within this area.”

Through repeated probing, Jackal Fang had narrowed down the location, identifying this region that the humans were clearly making great efforts to seal off.

Mu Yuan was well aware that the Monster Overlord was testing them, but there was little he could do. If he didn’t deploy patrols to blockade and snipe the enemy, once the monsters flooded in, the vast Tianyuan Territory would be even harder to conceal.

His strategy was to stall.

But at this moment, a Legendary Realm entity from the Monster Overlord faction ‘Dragon’s Slumber Valley’ was crossing the blockade lines as if entering an unguarded land.

He gazed into the distance.

The white mist spread out around him like his own tendrils.

In his vision, the wilderness before him appeared utterly ordinary, seemingly no different from other areas except for the sparse presence of monsters.

Yet, as the mirage mist spread, he gradually peeled back the veil of fog and glimpsed a different scene.

A…

small human city, enclosed by city walls, of modest scale.

The human faction wasn’t hidden in some alternate dimension—it was right under their noses.

“Jackal Fang, Blood Serpent Embrace—utterly useless. They’re not even worth a single strand of Lord Mirage’s hair.”

He observed from afar, “With Lord Mirage’s skills, as long as I don’t attack or get too close, even Legendary Realm beings can’t detect me. Barriers and the like can’t hinder Lord Mirage in the slightest…”

In that case, why not infiltrate the human territory for reconnaissance?

Merely spotting this territory from a distance versus providing detailed intelligence on the human faction—the value in the envoy’s eyes would naturally differ greatly.

The latter would earn him greater rewards, prove Lord Mirage’s capabilities, and further highlight just how incompetent Jackal Fang was.

But…

“Does it matter?”

What mere envoy’s reward was worth risking entry into human territory? Even if the risk was minimal, a thorough investigation would still require considerable effort. Lord Mirage’s mission was already complete.

It was time to clock out.

Half a day later,

“Envoy, after enduring countless hardships and braving the danger of discovery by that super Legendary, I have finally located the human stronghold—a Miracle Territory.”

“Based on my in-depth reconnaissance and careful observation, this Miracle Territory is not large in scale, merely an ordinary small city with limited defensive measures.”

In conclusion, destroying this human territory would be as easy as taking something from a bag.

…

Tianyuan Territory, City Lord’s Mansion.

Hum—

A massive cocoon woven from countless black feathers gradually drifted apart and dissipated, revealing Sophia clad in black dress within.

The black diamond-shaped mark on her forehead slowly faded.

Upon her head rested a laurel woven from crystal-like black feathers, mysterious and noble.

She had just undergone a trial.

Ding!

Prompt: Your unit ‘Sophia’ has passed the Hero Trial with a perfect rating, successfully advancing to Hero status, and has obtained the Hero identity and Hero aura.”Notification: Hero ‘Sophia’ has received the blessing of heaven and earth, awakening the strategic skill ‘Nocturne of the Night’ and the strategic talent ‘Night Crow Servants’.”

“Notification: Hero ‘Sophia’ has received the blessing of heaven and earth, obtaining the hero’s armament ‘Night’s Crown’.”

Mu Yuan had previously used one Hero’s Token on Rakshasa.

Later, his exploration team luckily obtained another Hero’s Token while purifying the Root of Filth—or rather, it could be said that after purifying enough Roots of Filth, they finally obtained a relatively valuable treasure.

Mu Yuan was hesitant about which subordinate to bestow this Hero’s Token upon.

His initial thought was to give it to Tree Spirit Grandma.

Tree Spirit Grandma was a subordinate who had developed her Domain very early on, possessing even greater natural talent than Lu Liu and others. Her combat prowess and seniority also placed her in the Tianyuan Territory’s Tier 1 category.

However, Mu Yuan’s household currently didn’t lack hero units, and Tree Spirit Grandma spent most of her time in the Treant Forest, so she didn’t particularly need a hero identity…

Thus, the Hero’s Token was kept in reserve.

During this period, a certain Sario did express interest, but Mu Yuan didn’t grant it to him.

What does a mount dragon need with a hero identity?

Seventeen, as a veteran super-commander of Tianyuan Territory, a Tier 0 powerhouse in defensive battles, and the second-in-command of the defense corps, actually needed a hero identity more than Tree Spirit Grandma.

However, compared to Sophia, Seventeen’s need for a hero identity seemed less urgent.

“For our Tianyuan Territory now, hero auras, hero combat enhancements, and hero-exclusive weapons aren’t that important anymore.”

“What matters most are a hero’s command capabilities and the direct communication ability between ‘Lord and Hero’.”

Before his Mental Link talent evolved, if any one of Sophia, Seventeen, or the third person had possessed a hero identity, their connection wouldn’t have been interrupted.

The new position he assigned to Sophia was Head of the Tianyuan Territory Intelligence Department.

In charge of Tianyuan’s eyes!

In this situation, Sophia needed abilities like ‘Hero Vision’, ‘Direct Control of Miracle Buildings’, and ‘Command over Troop Types’ even more.

Mu Yuan opened his panel to check Sophia’s status.

The strategic skill ‘Nocturne of the Night’ was an auxiliary debuff skill capable of creating large-scale darkness that limited enemies’ vision within the area and inflicted debuffs like ‘Blindness’ and ‘Fear’ on them.

This skill wasn’t bad, but Mu Yuan only glanced at it briefly before moving on.

With his vast resources and established power, one or two strategic skills—whether auxiliary, offensive, summoning, or other types—didn’t make much difference.

Of course, strategic skills were still strategic skills, and their value remained. During the Battle of Wolfhead Mountain, he had gained a phased advantage thanks to the strategic skill ‘Death Legion’.

Sophia’s strategic talent ‘Night Crow Servants’, however, was a pleasant surprise.

「Night Crow Servants」

「Description ①: Sophia can select suitable targets to reclass them into the rare three-star tier unit ‘Night Crow Servants’. Night Crow Servants possess the ability to create Black Crows, use them for intelligence gathering, and carry out assassinations under the cover of night.」

「Description ②: Sophia can utilize the vision of all Black Crows under her command (including those created by the Servants); Night Crow Servants can access the vision of Black Crows created by other Servants in nearby areas.」”Note ③: Groups that meet the Night Crow Servants’ job transfer requirements include—a very small number of human civilians with night affinity, or a minority of common-tier and rare-tier ‘Human Race Assassin-type Troops’ with relatively high Mental Energy.”

He wanted Sophia to establish the Tianyuan Territory’s intelligence agency.

He had full confidence in Sophia’s management skills and intelligence gathering capabilities, but… Sophia alone couldn’t sustain an entire intelligence agency.

The training of intelligence personnel wasn’t that simple either—it required not only considerable combat strength but also sufficient cognitive judgment and analytical abilities.

Take Seventeen for example: her combat strength was sufficient, and her stealth and reconnaissance abilities weren’t bad either. However, if she were sent alone to gather intelligence in some location, Mu Yuan… would be very uneasy.

Mu Yuan’s previous plan was to gradually cultivate such personnel.

Now, with the emergence of Night Crow Servants, natural intelligence personnel had become available.

(End of Chapter)