Chapter 444 – Return to the Territory

When Cold Moon City Lord’s opinion was conveyed to various departments, the generals were all taken aback.

The Special Patrol Corps referred to military units not responsible for specific defense zones, but rather serving as support during special periods and handling challenging missions.

When various towns and camps encountered highly difficult tasks that remained unresolved for extended periods, these would be taken over by special corps. Naturally, such corps held immense authority, possessing ‘temporary execution rights’ and ‘advanced command rights’ across most areas of the warzone. They could utilize many Miracle Buildings within the warzone, held recruitment quotas for elite soldiers and special units, and could even recruit genuine advanced-tier troops as personal guards rather than relying solely on public warzone personnel.

The benefits and treatment of special corps, along with the salaries of their commanders, far exceeded those of regular corps.

The most crucial point was…

“Rakshasa and Uta are both new commanders. While they might possess considerable combat prowess, do they truly have the capability to oversee such a special corps?”

“Cold Moon Commander’s intention is for them to command a special corps while simultaneously serving as commanders of Class-A Garrison Camps. This…”

One general found this highly inappropriate.

Yet this opinion came from Cold Moon City Lord… Since assuming command, Cold Moon City Lord had rarely intervened in personnel arrangements, making it all the more important not to disregard the opinion of the warzone’s primary commander.

Even if it was merely a suggestion.

“I fully support the commander’s opinion. I’ve long maintained that keeping talents like Rakshasa and Uta confined to remote areas is a tremendous waste of potential!”

The speaker was Ice Fist.

Among those present, nobody understood Rakshasa better than him.

This fierce-looking, seemingly cold-hearted giant was truly extraordinary. Such talent should be assigned to handle special operations.

He had previously attempted to make similar arrangements, but his solitary voice carried insufficient weight to sway the others.

Cold Moon Commander’s words carried entirely different significance.

While the generals continued their discussion, a new projection appeared – a general clad in black battle armor, with a somewhat aged face yet maintaining a robust and vigorous physique.

The Great Warzone’s Deputy Commander, ‘Earth Dust General’.

His gaze swept across the assembly. “This matter is settled. You’ve all heard of Tianyuan’s achievements. This old man can only say the praise isn’t exaggerated. Tianyuan is someone capable of creating miracles, and the commanders he cultivates possess remarkable abilities. We can afford to be optimistic.”

“During Cold Moon City Lord’s tenure as commander over the past year, her decisions have been consistently accurate. We should trust the commander’s judgment.”

This was the truth.

Although Cold Moon City Lord might not possess Earth Dust Old General’s veteran sophistication in troop deployment and command, she consistently identified crucial aspects of battle situations with precision, even when she couldn’t provide explicit reasoning.

This was called intuition.

And this intuition rarely proved mistaken.

With both commanders supporting Tianyuan General’s appointment to important positions, what more could they say? Naturally, they had no objections, passing the motion with unanimous approval.

Earth Dust General’s agreement was likely granted out of respect for Cold Moon City Lord.

But what judgment formed the basis for Cold Moon City Lord’s decision to appoint Tianyuan General to key positions? Surely it couldn’t be intuition again?

…

“Intuition?”

“No, no, no, no…”Faced with her subordinates’ confusion, the Cold Moon City Lord wagged her finger. “This is what I call wisdom. By entrusting this heavy responsibility to Tianyuan’s subordinates, Tianyuan won’t be able to keep hiding his elite forces and trump cards.”

She always felt that Tianyuan Territory still possessed top-tier experts.

Thinking about it still made her somewhat envious.

…

When Mu Yuan received the news, he was also somewhat surprised.

Among the three logistics bases, Base No. 1 typically faced the greatest pressure. Naturally, the specifications and benefits for the outer camps of Base No. 1 were the highest.

However, for newly promoted commanders like Rakshasa and Uta to be put in charge of a camp-level defense zone was already an exceptional promotion. Among commanders at the Great Warzone level, many had reached the Peak Heaven-Earth Realm.

It was reasonable for the two to jointly oversee one camp area with specifications slightly elevated by half a level.

But,

concurrently serving as commanders of a special corps—this was just a tad too exceptional.

Benefits and responsibilities were proportional. Only those capable of handling tasks within their authority could obtain substantial military merits.

Otherwise, they would only suffer heavy losses, losing both their forces and their gains.

Mu Yuan’s response to this was…

“The Warzone’s judgment is truly accurate.”

According to this appointment, Rakshasa was the main commander and Uta the deputy, but he, Lord Mu, was the actual person in charge.

The Taixuan Alliance hoped that various lords would invest more strength in their respective defense zones. Of course, the greater the contribution to the defense zone, the more military achievements one would gain.

In terms of military merit statistics, the Alliance had even incorporated the laws of heaven and earth to ensure absolute fairness in calculation.

If Rakshasa and Uta were only responsible for a camp defense zone, the amount of military merit would depend on whether the enemies cooperated. During non-intensive combat periods, military merits would naturally be fewer. But now, with the two also in charge of a special corps…

The avenues to gain military merits had greatly increased.

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Exterminating monsters and sweeping away the Crimson Mist is our unshirkable duty.”

On the afternoon Mu Yuan received the news, the official appointment documents were issued.

Official experts repeatedly confirmed, “Do you accept the current appointment? Note: once accepted, the appointment cannot be revoked. You must shoulder the following responsibilities…”

This was merely a formality. Mu Yuan indicated he had no issues.

The official experts stated, “Rakshasa and Uta, please report to the camp within three days to take over camp defense and the remaining personnel in the camp. Additionally, you may recruit units from the recruitment zone or pioneers within the warzone without fixed positions, but the number must not exceed the established limit.”

“As for the special patrol corps, the corps will be formed by your side. You may recruit personnel from within the warzone or supplement forces yourselves…” This Legendary Realm expert looked at Mu Yuan. “The two commanders’ intention is that the corps should be fully formed within three months. Official missions will begin three months later.”

Like the former, the special corps also had a quota for establishment.

Moreover, the benefits and treatment for Squad Leaders and intermediate commanders within the special corps were even higher than the former. This corps also had the authority to recruit some rare and special units from the recruitment zone, such as the Outstanding Two-Star unit ‘Heart-Inquirer’ and the Outstanding One-Star unit ‘Illusion Prophet,’ among others.

The establishment benefits could attract some pioneers from the warzone.

Mu Yuan had the authority to make appointments independently.

However, those they could recruit would likely be ordinary Third or Fourth Order pioneers—it was impossible to attract truly powerful experts.These people are fine for running errands, handling tasks, and dealing with ordinary small monsters, but when it comes to tackling truly thorny problems and formidable monsters, one must rely on their own elite core forces.

Previously, twenty to thirty Tianyuan elites had followed him here, and more could be dispatched later.

Positions like Squad Leader, Platoon Leader, and Battalion Leader are all formal ranks within the Warzone, with excellent benefits.

Many non-commissioned officers who graduate from the Recruit Training Camp only receive Squad Leader-level treatment.

His Tianyuan City elites can gain experience here, earn military merits, and defend against the Monster Tide—a triple benefit.

…

Within the Warzone, Mu Yuan also encountered several veteran Lords like the Behemoth Lord, whom he had met briefly before.

He also heard that among the Lords of his cohort, some were preparing to embark on the path of expansion.

One such was Wang Erteng, the King Overlord of Wangba Territory.

He had always been the leading figure in Mu Yuan’s cohort.

As for Mu Yuan himself? He had long since transcended the scope of comparison and competition among his peers.

Influenced by the internal competition stirred by Lord Wang Ba, rising stars of the same cohort like Liu Miumiu and Jiang Luoxing were also preparing to bring their own forces and set out on campaigns in the Warzone.

The places they were heading to would not be the Great Warzone but ordinary Warzones with lower risk factors and less demanding requirements for Lords.

“Everyone has a bright future ahead.”

…

After spending over ten days in the Cold Valley Mountain Warzone, Mu Yuan began his return journey.

“Let’s go.”

As they left Supply Base No. 3 and soared into the sky, Dolai couldn’t help but glance back.

Behind them, white clouds drifted, with strands of Crimson Mist interwoven among them.

The magnificent city stood beneath the white and red mist, like a reef or a towering mountain, continuously resisting the onslaught of wave after wave, annihilating all monsters here.

“It is precisely because of this that the territories in the rear have room to survive.”

The two flew into the mist, their figures quickly disappearing from sight.

Soon after, Mu Yuan and Dolai began descending, concealing their presence and maintaining a low-altitude flight posture while spreading the power of the Stealth Orb.

This was a necessary precaution.

While the strong in the Cold Valley Mountain Warzone were hunting and eliminating monsters, the surrounding monster forces were also keeping a close watch on the Warzone.

Transport teams leaving the Warzone’s supply bases had to undergo multiple layers of concealment and relocation before they could truly set out.

Though he and Dolai were a small target, they were still likely to be noticed by intelligent monsters lurking in the vicinity.

If he dared to return openly and carelessly, a dozen or so monstrous brutes would probably jump out along the way.

Dolai said, “That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”

During these days in the Great Warzone, it had only managed to kill three Legendary Realm monsters, and that was during a Monster Tide assault on the base.

It wasn’t satisfied.

Mu Yuan said, “At first glance, it might seem appealing, but we’re not the only ones who use fishing tactics—other Taixuan experts in the Warzone do the same.”

Dolai: “What does that mean?”

Mu Yuan: “It means that even if monster Legends were foolish early on, they’ve grown smarter now. It’s not so easy for us to hook a fish, and what we reel in might not be a fish but a great white shark.”

Even if they managed to catch the right kind of fish, killing a few or even a dozen Legendary Realm monsters… frankly, wouldn’t make much difference.

It wasn’t worth taking risks for that.

If he had the power to slay a great white shark, he might have tried fishing for one.

But his strength was still far from enough.

…On this return journey, Mu Yuan did not pilot the Mechanical Dragon. Instead, he relied purely on his own strength to harness the power of heaven and earth, riding the wind to fly.

His flight speed was even faster.

Even though they camped in the wilderness for a few hours to rest, it only took two days and two nights to return to the Ten Directions Island Region.

Upon arriving here, though Tianyuan City was not yet in sight, Dolai already felt as if it had returned home. Its drooping eyelids lifted instantly, and the elemental particles in the surrounding atmosphere began to dance with joy.

Two hours later, the not-so-grand but deeply familiar small city of Tianyuan appeared on the horizon.

At first, it resembled a tiny sandcastle piled on a beach, its outline faintly sketched against the sunlight. Soon, the silhouette rapidly grew and sharpened in their vision: the black city walls, rows of U-shaped buildings, towering spires, and artillery mounts gleaming with a metallic sheen…

All of these unfolded before Mu Yuan’s eyes.

It felt familiar, yet many new elements stood out among them.

“Compared to when we left, Tianyuan City has expanded quite a bit.”

The newly established outer district was already as large as the original urban area, though the city walls had not yet been fully enclosed.

Currently, Tianyuan City still used the rare-grade Blackrock Wall.

Before returning, Mu Yuan had considered exchanging for a permanent blueprint of an Excellent-grade city wall, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to spend the exorbitant amount of Contribution Points required.

He only exchanged for some cultivation resources for the Legendary Realm, auxiliary treasures like the Stealth Orb, a set of manufacturing blueprints for a steel railway system, and some precision core components.

Mu Yuan found Isloria and said, “With this steel railway system, transportation between our major mining sites will become countless times more convenient.”

“At this stage, we can establish stations in Tianyuan City, Dragonhead Mountain, and Mine No. 3. Later, when the situation in the Ten Directions Island Region stabilizes further, we can also set up outposts and stations at the southernmost and easternmost points of the island domain. This way, travel to the south and east will be much more convenient.”

Mu Yuan had no need to ask Isloria about the situation in Tianyuan City and the Ten Directions Island Region.

While he was away, he could constantly observe Tianyuan City from afar, and he was well aware of the conditions both inside and outside the city.

Eight days ago, Great Master Xie Yi, the commander of the Spearman Corps and head of the Mechanical Manufacturing Department, improved Tianyuan City’s mainstream defensive weapon, the Thunderflame Cannon.

Great Master Xie Yi increased the caliber, range, and lethality of the cannon at the cost of higher production costs.

The large-caliber artillery pieces Mu Yuan saw on the city walls upon his return were the new-model Thunderflame Cannons.

Six days ago, the exploration team discovered traces of remnants of the Monster Overlord.

Sophia immediately followed the clues and tracked down two Legendary monsters in an unnamed valley, where she caught up with and eliminated them. Unfortunately, she only found two Legendary beings.

Three days ago, the exploration team discovered a passage leading to the Outer Realm at the western edge of the island domain, beyond the Crimson Great Forest.

Once again, Sophia ventured forth, traversing the dangerous and chaotic barrier zone to set foot in the Outer Realm.

According to her, the good news was that the other side was not the Land of Red Mist, and the monster forces there might not be as powerful.

The bad news was that the island domain on the other side was fragmented and barren.

Mu Yuan didn’t mind. His purpose in searching for these passages to the Outer Realm was to preemptively guard against potential dangers.

Expanding outward?The resources of the Ten Directions Island Region were sufficient to sustain him for a long time, yet for rare and high-tier resources, he could only obtain them through a handful of channels—overpriced purchases, natural blessings, or exchanging Contribution Points.

Mu Yuan glanced at his Contribution Points balance and bulk-purchased high-tier cultivation materials such as Domain Sand, Will Crystal Dust, Illusion Fertile Soil, and Ancient Dragon Blood.

If he relied solely on his own efforts to gather these treasures, he would scarcely acquire a few in a year. However, by exchanging through the Taixuan Covenant Platform, materials and treasures below the Epic tier were almost never in short supply.

What he lacked was only Contribution Points.

“First, dispatch a group of elites to the Cold Valley Mountain Warzone. In the future, I can also rotate Lu Liu and other commanders with Rakshasa, Uta, and Red Robe,” he contemplated as he opened the panel.

On it, the number of Legendary Realm cultivators listed was no longer eleven but fourteen.

(End of Chapter)