Chapter Seventy-Eight: Buddy's Suggestion

After receiving Jia Zhengjin’s reply, most of the villagers agreed to stay. Only a handful wished to be released, hoping to take their families elsewhere.

Jia Zhengjin granted their request. In the end, 475 militiamen remained, and with the elderly, the weak, women, and children left in the village, it was likely that the number of mouths to feed would soon swell by a thousand or two.

But Jia Zhengjin was unconcerned, for he had the resource trading station.

The 475 militiamen would be converted into various workers, gathering vast amounts of minerals for the base each day. They could also collect wild fruits and hunt animals in relatively safe areas near the base, fish in the river, and open up farmland to plant crops. There was no need to worry about food! At worst, minerals could be exchanged for wild fruits to get by.

He ordered Wolf to untie all the ropes binding the militiamen and marked out a large open space several hundred meters from his residential building, designating it as the site for their new settlement. The materials used were, of course, the stone bricks tirelessly produced and stockpiled by the kobold craftsmen. These building materials were extremely efficient; anyone could quickly construct the most sturdy and durable houses!

He then instructed Wolf to ride the triceratops to the village, carrying the letters written in the otherworldly script by the representatives of the militiamen, to fetch their families and relatives at the fastest speed.

If they delayed, Alex might bring the city guards and cause trouble for the villagers.

After settling the villagers’ affairs, Jia Zhengjin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Given the current lack of defenses and the likelihood of facing enemies brought by Alex in the future, he decided to use all the materials painstakingly mined and accumulated by the kobold miners to upgrade the arrow towers at the four city gates.

Level one arrow towers had an attack of 10–15, but their firing speed was very slow. Level two increased to 20–30, still slow. Level three reached 40–60, with the same sluggish rate, but the lethality was already formidable!

Jia Zhengjin upgraded all the city gate arrow towers to level three. With some materials remaining, he further upgraded the two towers at the southern gate by one more level.

Level four arrow towers had an attack of 80–120, still slow, but their power was akin to heavy ballistae—a single shot could leave even a town guard half dead if not outright slain! For ordinary militiamen, being struck was fatal.

The only drawback was the insufficient number of towers; two at each gate hardly showcased their might.

If each gate had a dozen or twenty arrow towers, it wouldn’t just be town guards— even a thick-skinned triceratops would never escape alive!

While Jia Zhengjin was busy, Buddy quietly followed him. When Jia Zhengjin finished, Buddy suddenly spoke, “Master Keen!”

“Hm?” Jia Zhengjin, almost having forgotten Buddy, turned to look at his newest follower. “What is it?”

Buddy gazed at him respectfully. “Master Keen, Alex will surely lead the surviving town guards to seek help from the nearby City of Light. The lord of that city has a powerful priest under his command, named Dewala Leo, the soul of the city guard. It’s said that with this priest presiding over a battle, the city guard has never tasted defeat! With the town guard destroyed, the ruling lord will certainly dispatch strong subordinates, and there will be a fierce struggle. We must prepare early!”

“A priest?” Jia Zhengjin pinched his nose. “A priest just heals, casts shields, buffs—how strong can that be?”

Buddy didn’t understand Jia Zhengjin’s technical jargon, but replied, “It’s said Dewala Leo is the only priest in the Empire of Valor who has mastered group restoration spells. With him present, the entire city guard is an unstoppable war machine! The City of Light doesn’t have many troops, but no nearby hostile force dares to act rashly, and not without reason!”

“Is he really that formidable?” Jia Zhengjin was surprised.

“What does Master Keen plan to do?” Buddy asked.

“How long will it take for the city guards to arrive?” Jia Zhengjin frowned.

“From here to the City of Light, even by horse it takes at least half a month. A round trip, a little over a month!” Buddy answered truthfully.

Hearing there was over a month, Jia Zhengjin relaxed instantly. “I thought they’d be here any moment! With more than a month’s margin, what’s there to worry about? It’s fine.”

Seeing Jia Zhengjin so calm, Buddy surmised that Master Keen must be very confident—perhaps he could summon more werewolf warriors from elsewhere. Though the priest’s group restoration was powerful, against overwhelming numbers of werewolves, the city guards wouldn’t be able to protect him. Once the priest was caught by a werewolf, he would surely die, and the city guard would collapse!

It seems I made the right choice! Buddy thought secretly, and made another decision. “Master Keen! Though I know you must be fully prepared, we must not relax against the city guard. We should strengthen our side as much as possible to ensure a greater chance of victory!”

“Oh?” Hearing Buddy’s words, Jia Zhengjin became interested. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Report to Master Keen!” Buddy smiled at him. “I am one of the town guards, among the few ranked just below Captain Brent.”

“And then?” Jia Zhengjin asked.

“The captain is dead, and the town guard encampment is in disarray! Alex may be the designated next captain, but most of the town guards don’t recognize him, so he can only lead a few away.” Buddy explained, “I have some standing among the town guards and am willing to help Master Keen recruit those at the encampment! Though their numbers won’t be large, they are all elite members of considerable strength!”

“Oh? That sounds tempting, but will they really be willing to join me? My people killed their captain!” Jia Zhengjin stroked his chin.

“Master Keen, rest assured! This is a land where strength rules. I guarantee most town guards can be recruited!” Buddy said confidently. “All I need is for Lord Wolf to accompany me, and everything will be fine!”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes, Master Keen, I am!” Buddy nodded. “And the captain may be dead, but his magical gold bank card remains. I know the password and can bring back the vast treasures he stored—gifts for you, Master Keen!”

“This world…? I mean, this country has banks too?” Jia Zhengjin raised his brows.

“Of course! Every country has banks, all controlled by major financial factions. Even kings must respect these consortia and dare not trouble them lightly. The consortia are very powerful! So all gold stored in banks is very safe. The captain deposited all the town guard’s funds and his own private wealth there. We can withdraw it at the town’s bank!”