NOVEL NEXT Chapter 434: Setting up the outpost
Matrilaja immediately bowed his head. "My Lord, the Blood Coral is rare, but not unattainable. It grows only in the deeper trenches, close to where the currents are thick with death and battle. Harvesting too much at once will be difficult, but if it is your command, we shall risk the depths."
"Then I would have to trouble you to do it for me." Damon still insisted.
"Of course, my Lord. It would be our greatest honor." The merman was more than happy to accept.
After finishing his discussions with Matrilaja and giving the tribe leader his final instructions, Damon informed him that he would be leaving the area soon. He then let his gaze sweep across the merpeople gathered nearby, their reverent eyes following him.
"Thank you for everything. I will always remember your hospitality, kindness, and loyalty. The Bloodlands call for me, and I cannot linger here any longer. Protect this territory. Guard the coast and yourselves until I return. If anyone threatens you, do not hesitate to call me."
Matrilaja immediately lowered his head, voice trembling. "Yes, my Lord. The tribe will hold strong. When you return, the seas will welcome you with more bounty. This, I swear to you."
Satisfied, Damon bid them farewell and was about to turn away when the merwoman tribe leader, all of a sudden, hesitantly stepped forward. "My Lord… this is my daughter, Mallana." A young woman stepped forward and bowed her head.
She was a beautiful merwoman with silver-blue hair, cascading in soft waves down to her waist, and demonic eyes that were pools of violet rimmed with black, their glow faintly unnatural against her otherwise delicate features.
Damon raised a brow as he had never seen her before.
Mallana bowed her head low. "My Lord." She greeted him.
"Please, my Lord." The tribe leader continued. "Please allow me the honor of presenting you my daughter. She will be an excellent servant and serve you well, my Lord. Please bless her by accepting her. She is the strongest of us and was born with promising potential. You will not be disappointed, my Lord."
Mallana bowed again. "If you will have me, my Lord, I will follow you without hesitation. I will follow you through hell and fire. I will face the strongest of tides for you and will give my life away at your will and whim. Please accept me, my Lord."
[Ding! You have a new follower request.]
Damon nodded and accepted. He did not think much. It was common to be offered followers when taking control of a tribe. In fact, it was kind of odd that he was only offered one. But whatever. He had other important things on his mind at the moment.
Damon bid farewell to the merpeople and then walked over to the outpost. He still hadn't accepted the official quest. He also sent a message to the others, asking them to assemble there.
The outpost quest popped up as soon as he got there.
[Ding! The portal has stabilized.]
[Ding! New Outpost Quest Unlocked.]
[Ding! Outpost Quest:]
Objective 1: Secure permanent defenses around the stabilized portal.
Objective 2: Become a leader recognized by both the system and local forces.
Objective 3: Declare the outpost under the banner of your faction.
Damon scratched his chin as he studied the various requirements. If he was correct, then the first one should be a simple gold coin quest. He clicked on it, and immediately a notification popped up.
[Ding! Please select the defense tier you wish to build.]
A translucent menu unfolded in front of Damon, segmented into three tiers, each with escalating requirements and promises:
Tier I: Basic Defenses
Cost: 5,000 gold coins
Details: Wooden barricades, spiked palisades, and trained town guards. Effective against low-level demons and stray players but vulnerable to organized raids.
Tier II: Reinforced Defenses
Cost: 25,000 gold coins + 50 Mana Cores
Details: Rune-etched stone walls, automated ballistae, experienced town guards, and reinforced watchtowers. Adds a small Blood Altar at the outpost's heart to strengthen allied units within its radius. Recognized as a minor fortress by the system.
Tier III: Blood-Fortress Defenses
Cost: 100,000 gold coins + 200 Mana Cores
Details: A full-fledged fortress recognized by the system. Defensive walls with runes that adapt against both magical and physical assaults. Unlocks Blood Crucible, a structure that can convert slain enemies into temporary defense blood wraiths. Marked on the world map as a faction stronghold.
[Ding! Warning: Choosing a tier sets the foundation permanently. Upgrading afterward will cost double the initial requirements.]
Damon rubbed his jaw. Tier I would be nothing more than a token defense, barely acceptable if he wanted to stake his claim here. Tier II was fine, but it was nothing fancy. He had the money, and if the system accepted demonic cores, then he had more than enough cores as well. There was no need to be stingy here.
Without hesitation, he selected the third option. It looked like the system accepted demonic cores after all.
The next second, a few system notifications popped up.
[Ding! Construction of Tier III: Blood-Fortress Defenses initiated.]
[Ding! All resources have been consumed: –100,000 gold coins, –200 Mana Cores.]
[Ding! Warning: Your outpost has been marked on the world map as a Faction Stronghold under the banner of the Dark Faction. System-wide announcement pending. Not enough players.]
Immediately, the ground beneath Damon shook, crimson cracks spreading out. Walls of blackened stone thrust upward from the earth, jagged and rune-carved, the runes igniting one by one with hungry red light. Spires grew like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky, while iron gates locked into place.
At the heart of the outpost, a Blood Crucible emerged, an obsidian construct shaped like a chalice, filled with hot bubbling crimson liquid.
Overall, everything looked extremely impressive, and it was just starting to be constructed. The entire setup would be completed in a few hours, and it would look even more impressive then.
Damon closed all the system notifications and moved on to the next requirement. This was the most troublesome one, as he still did not have plans to jump into this madness yet, the madness of creating an actual guild.