Lord Shadow

But he was satisfied with what he achieved. Very satisfied. Then he sat down on his throne feeling happy as his officials stand straight with pride.

Azief then waved his hand and blinding lights covered the village not far away from the Hill.

It was like the sky opens and lights spread out from the Heavens as the sound of something erupted from the earth could be heard.

The crowds in the Hill closed their eyes to shield their eyes from the shine of the blinding light and when they open their eyes, sound of shocked exclamation fill the Hill.

Hundreds of buildings erected out of nowhere and fill the once small village which now seems like an imposing metropolis.

Azief has dumped all his personal wealth into the Status Window which is why he manages to build so many buildings.

Azief didn’t think it is a loss but an investment. With the taxes later he would be able to rake many more profits.

The people then look at Lord Shadow and know that this is the new city and the base of Lord Shadow forces from now on.

This is the place where Azief will extend his reach to all the Central Plains before grasping all the Plains region under him.

There is some circular district built out of nowhere on the cliff nearby the new city.

There is also an inner wall made of stones fifteen feet high on that cliff.

The Walls that covered the village disappeared as it now marks the borders of Eden with thirty feet height, imposing and sturdy.

Fortified towers are also constructed along these walls.

The main thoroughfare of the area around the cliffs is clean, with new buildings that appears out of nowhere giving the impression a sudden civilization exploded into existence like the Big Bang.

On the central of the new city, columns building resembling Romans building can be seen stretching out the new expanse.

It is a mighty city. The people seeing this miraculous scene could not help but be shocked and in awe.

They were participating in the ceremony at the Oath breaking hill and they never knew the reason why all residents must participate without absence.

So, this is the reason.

To make the construction easier.

It was shocking to the extreme. Most of the migrants has never seen the Civilization Seed in action before.

They heard stories that the Civilization Seed enables a Seed Forming Expert to build buildings resembling a city management game.

But hearing and seeing it is two different concepts.

They all still remembers the wooden house and the vast land of nothing other than the green grass and now to see all of that disappeared and turns into a large city, it is surreal.

With a wave of Azief hand, hundreds of buildings sprouted from the ground.

They could see the defensive wall with the soldiers that was on standby quickly guarded the gate towers taking their positions.

Wang Jian was informed on Azief decision on constructing buildings when the rank of the village is raised up so Wang Jian has already made preparations.

There was a Central park with a tree that was as high as ninety feet.

Under the tree, the winds blow softly and could be a place where families could relax and enjoy the cool under the shade when the day is hot

There are also castles. This one only Azief could see with his eyesight. There is a castle in each of the four corners of Eden borders.

There is also a castle for Azief people like Wang Jian, Loki, Sofia, Sina and the Seven Fairy.

And then there is the Palace in the center of the new city, grand and majestic. It was fifty feet high and cost Azief 100 million gold.

After the city gained profit Azief will be renovating the palace and filling it with items.

For now, that Palace is empty without a single painting inside it. Grand University is near the Palace.

This will be filled with any books that drooped from monsters.

Sometimes, monsters don’t only drop skill books which are rare but sometimes they drop books that contain information.

But after the White Explosion, the monster doesn’t drop anything anymore.

Instead, it will automatically enter any storage that the users have.

Azief think this is easier since he didn’t have to loot monster one by one anymore.

Killing all the griffins last week has earned him a lot of gold. He got about thirty thousand gold.

The officials who are also admiring this view realize something else.

There is two gate entrances lead into this large city and the road is well paved.

That bricks on the road cost Azief millions of gold but Azief need the roads since it will decrease fatigue by 30 percent.

The streets are wide, easy for the people to moves and merchants to send their transport. In front of the Palace is the statue of Azief standing at the height of twenty feet.

It is like Azief portrait since it is provided by the World Orb.

Maybe someday, Azief will let sculptor to make a statue of himself, making it more grand and imposing.

There is also a war memorial, to commemorate the lost brothers of Wang Jian. Azief hopes this act will appease Wang Jian anger right now.

Azief on the southern side of Eden created an Arena for warriors and combat profession class to hone themselves.

The Assembly, a circular unwalled building is in the vicinity of the Grand University. This will be the place where Azief citizen can voice their complaints and opinions.

Azief also created a Bank. Azief has already planned to hire merchants to enlist into the government.

Before when he was in village rank he could not build bank and could not tax it. Now, with the banks constructed, he could tax it.

This is why Azief did not mind losing all of his personal wealth.

His personal gold reached about 800 million gold and almost all of it is almost drained after creating so many buildings and sparing no effort to make the city great.

After all, the horde will be coming. Azief is impatient for them to came so he could farm money.

Then Azief also did not forget to construct Libraries all over the district of his city.

The matter of districts or boroughs or which lands to be given to the people with title will be discuss by his officials later.

There is also a bridge crossing the rivers nearby Sina Alchemy Laboratory. Then there is the religious establishment far away from the Palace.

Even before Azief started to construct any of the building yesterday, the religious leaders have already found him and spoke of their proposals.

So, Azief built mosque, churches, synagogue and temples.

Azief find talking to these religious leaders to be tedious.

Azief had to think of ways to counter the monster horde and these religious leaders each blow their tops off in thinking how many of their religious place need to constructed not to be outdone by each other.

Azief did not understand their logic.

In Azief opinion, religion is about faith.

At least that’s what they keep preaching about. So, what does it matter how many churches, or mosque or temples you constructed if you have faith in your heart?

And isn’t the people is more important instead of buildings?

Azief don’t mind constructing these places for them as it does not inconvenient Azief pockets.

But, to argue about it incessantly towards him make Azief really almost lost his cool yesterday.

It was then Azief decided to distance himself from these people and minimize their influence in his administration.

Azief also created a courthouse and jail.

Hospital is provided in many parts of the city. Herbalist and healing class users would be in high demands in this kind of era where injuries are common.

Azief only created the vital buildings. The other the builders and the landowners will figure it out themselves.

After all, Azief don’t intend to put all the land under himself.

He will rent the land in exchange of gold to the city and their loyalty. Only the people he bestowed with land does not have to pay taxes.

Other than this buildings, Azief also created a military academy, museum for artist, an observatory, orphanage for the many orphaned children of this new generation, sewers system which to Azief one of the most important thing and time consuming things to be built if he relied on builders, trading post for the merchants of his city, fisheries around the river for fisherman, and the quarry for the miners.

People were still looking at Azief in awe when Loki announced.

‘Now, is the reward ceremony to honor those who have helped built and protect this city’ And the officials eyes gleamed with brightness while the people with plans all look at this ceremony with anticipation.

Azief smiles and he nodded.

‘Politics remains the same even after the Fall’ he said it to himself without anyone hearing.

***

A DARK CAVE

SOMEWHERE IN THE FLAME REGION

The Flame Region is the hottest region even more so compared to the desert region. It is hot all day, except night where the heat is bearable.

But the people living in the flame region developed a slight immunity to heat like the people in the ice region developed a slight immunity to cold.

Somewhere under the many volcanoes of the flame region, near the border between the flame region and the Cloud Lake Region there is a cave.

The cave was nondescript.

It had a hidden entrance blocked by a lava wall after the Fire Dragon rampaged through the Flame Region spewing its fire killing thousands.

The cave has a lot of stalactites and is full of strange color fungus growing on the walls and in the corner.

On the walls of the cave are metal rings holding thick candles that lights the dark cave.

If someone explored the cave further they would see a sunless river on the lower part of this cave.

But the river is not beautiful like the rivers of the Plains but a river of bubbling lava that light up the lower part of the cave like a crimson glow from the pits of Hell.

The walls of the cave are smooth like it was enchanted by magic.

Someone clearly live here inside the cave for a long time making this cave his or her base of operation.

Not far away from the cave, there are a lot of human bodies splayed about.

Some were skinned leaving only their carcass.

Limbs could be seen trailing about farther away from the cave.

Clearly there has been a tragic fight here. All of the people killed in that battle were tortured extensively before they die.

The culprit wanted to give a warning to not come near the cave.

Inside the hidden cave there are two people. Sitting on a fire pit roasting a fire horse meat was a man with a stocky build.

A man was looking at a girl with wariness.

The man was bald and was five feet seven. His hand was hairy and his body was a bit on the plump side.

But it does not make him look fat.

Instead it made him look big. His nose was pierced and the man himself when he speaks produces a booming voice.

The man then asked the other person

‘Rosulka, you want some of the meat?’ the man asked the girl. The girl was sitting on a rock as her chair and was counting her loot.

The girl did not say anything only nodding as a sign of agreement.

The girl has bob haircut and was four feet high.

She is a runt. Her face is cute and there is a scar on her left cheek, something that seems to be made by a knife.

But her eyes were cold like winter.

Her short black hair only serves to makes her more terrifying. She was like a silent predator.

Emotionless.

The man name is Yuri. He was saved by the girl when he was being attacked by a bandit group nearby the cave.

Living in the Flame Region requires one to be ruthless.

Yuri knows this better than anyone else. But he did not really know the meaning of cruel until he met her.

Yuri was there on the front row set when this cute little girl of twelve tortures the poor saps.

She skinned the man alive like she was always been doing it. Another was cut alive. Their organs were cut one by one.

There is no purpose torturing the bandits. She did it because she found pleasure in doing it.

Yuri think there is something wrong with this girl.

Rosulka who felt herself being stared at glared at Yuri and Yuri quickly lowers his gaze as he kept roasting the Fire Horse meat.

Sometime Rosulka scratched the scars on her cheeks. Her eyes like always retains that coldness.

In her mind right now, she is thinking when to ditch Yuri.

She saved Yuri because she needed support if she is to accomplish her goal. Rosulka is only at Orb Condensing low Realms level.

And Yuri is also the same.

She knows she would not survive the journey if she did not have some form of support like a group or party.

But she has never been a people person.

Rosulka final destination is to the Ice Region.

She bought information from the Merchant Association a few months ago about the whereabouts of her father.

From the information she got, it is very likely her father has taken shelter under Emperor Jean as a soldier.

Rosulka smirked with malicious smile. Yuri who accidentally saw the smile felt a shiver on his back.

‘Hehehe’ she smiles as her mind is full of ideas to torture her father.

Yes, the reason why she is so insistent on finding her father is because she wanted to kill him.

Rosulka father is a serial killer.

He is known as the Limb Butcher. Her father earned that name because he leaves only body parts.

In December 2007 in the two thighs were found in a garbage can in the dumpster. The crime shocked the city Samara.

Rosulka remembers the woman name. Greta.

A German transfer student.

Her head, feet, and the remainder of her legs were later discovered by a dump truck worker a few miles from where they found the thigh

The first victim was a woman named Ivanova whose body was mutilated.

The second was a woman named Marsha who was decapitated.

Rosulka have seen all of them begging for mercy before they were turned into limbs of meat.

It wasn’t until the third murder where her father tried to initiate her to kill the woman like him.

Rosulka couldn’t stomach it and was nearly killed by her own father.

It was then that the light came and the Fall began.

Rosulka was given a dagger. Using that dagger, she stabs her father eyes and gouge his eyes from the sockets.

Months later, she was kidnapped by her father and was tortured as a comfort woman of her father gang and once again she was saved by the light.

This time the White Explosion happened teleporting her to the Flame Region.

The reason why she is tracking her father is to exact revenge.

She then ran away.

And when she found him, she will torture him in the most painful ways her mind could concoct.

‘It’s cooked’ Yuri voice echoes in the small cave.

Rosulka who was smiling then awake from her desire and walk towards the fire pit and grab one of the skewers.

She takes a bite and nodded as she felt that this food will be enough to retain her until next week.

‘Yuri’ she suddenly said

‘Yes?’

‘You will accompany me until I reach the Ice Region.’ She said and then she went back to her place and sit down as she bites the skewered meat.

Yuri scratched his head not knowing how to response.

But then remembering of how vicious this girl is and what she will do if he rejected, Yuri just responded by nodding his head.

In the Flame region an unlikely relationship is formed.

***